September 25, 2016 NOTES NOT EDITED
Failure Is Not An Option!
Acts 18:24-
SIS— Our culture is promoting a false world-view and the fate of many souls
depends upon the ability of God’s people to refute it.
A new term has become prominent in the daily discourse of American culture. That term is, “the narrative.” The term, narrative, has been a part of the English language for a long time, but the way in which it is used today has a slightly new flair about it.
The dictionary defines, narrative, as “a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious.” What strikes me in that definition is the juxtaposition of “account of events” with “whether true or fictitious.” I certainly understand the value of works of fiction like “Gone With the Wind” or “To Kill a Mockingbird” to mention two of many. Fiction written and understood as fiction can be both entertaining and enlightening.
The problem with modern “narratives” are that fiction and and reality become co-mingled. The “narrative” is driven not by the “account of the facts of an event” but by the agenda of those creating the narrative—particularly modern media.
A new term has become prominent in the daily discourse of American culture. That term is, “the narrative.” The term, narrative, has been a part of the English language for a long time, but the way in which it is used today has a slightly new flair about it.
The dictionary defines, narrative, as “a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious.” What strikes me in that definition is the juxtaposition of “account of events” with “whether true or fictitious.” I certainly understand the value of works of fiction like “Gone With the Wind” or “To Kill a Mockingbird” to mention two of many. Fiction written and understood as fiction can be both entertaining and enlightening.
The problem with modern “narratives” are that fiction and and reality become co-mingled. The “narrative” is driven not by the “account of the facts of an event” but by the agenda of those creating the narrative—particularly modern media.
Most of us watched the
rioting in Charlotte, N.C., this week after police shot and killed a black
man. For the record, the cop that shot
the man was himself black. Quickly the narrative
offered by the media was, “police shoot an unarmed man who was holding a book
in his hand.” That narrative set off
several days of rioting in which one man was shot by someone in the crowd and
at last report was barely hanging on to life.
Shops were looted and the National Guard was mobilized. The shooting of a man because he was reading
a book is certainly cause to rise up in protest.
However, there is a video. Some say the video is inconclusive. The police say the video shows the man holding a gun and refusing to comply with police orders to drop the gun.
One event, two different narratives. One narrative is fact. One is fiction. A book is not a gun (which was recovered at the scene with the suspects fingerprints on it). The narrative spun early by the media was “man with a book gunned down by police.” The result: rioting, looting, and someone shooting someone else in the crowd.
Let me tell you why the idea of “creating a false narrative” is so important for the church to understand. For one thing, a false narrative leads to all kinds of chaos as we see in Charlotte. But, this idea of creating a false narrative goes much deeper, and reaches back in time much further, than what we see playing out in our society today.
A false narrative has been the Devil’s tool from as far back as the Garden of Eden. His primary objective has always been to get people to doubt the truth, and believe his lies. Take the example of the Devil’s tactic in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam and Eve that “on the day you eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and evil you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). The Devil comes along and spends a “false narrative” by declaring, “you will not surely die, . . . you will be like God!” (Gen. 3:5). Same tree, different narratives.
The Devil’s false narrative can be found woven throughout the fabric of human history. We see it in psychology for example. God teaches that man is basically evil and rebellious. Through Jeremiah God says, “Man’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.” Psychology teaches that man is basically good and simply needs support in becoming his “higher self” or as one false preacher says, “Your Best Life Now.”
The Devil’s greatest success in weaving his false narrative into the fabric of human lives has been in the area of science. God said, “I created man in my image.” Science teaches that “man evolved through a fortuitous turn of events over millions of years, or billions of years depending if you want to count the evolution of matter from nothing.
The Devil’s false narrative has not left religion untouched. The vast majority of people believe that all religions are essentially the same. The vast majority of people believe that salvation, or enlightenment, or whatever “ultimate destination” man discovers is most a matter of working to make sure one’s good deeds outweigh one’s bad deeds—that is, the way to heaven is a matter of human effort and can involve any number of paths.
Whatever may be the particular of the Devil’s false narrative, rest assured that it is deadly and damning. Just like the false narrative in regard to a police shooting can ignite a firestorm of chaos, destruction, and even death, likewise the Devil’s false narrative can set off an eternal firestorm of eternal chaos and eternal death.
SIS-- Our culture is promoting a false world-view and the fate of many souls depends upon the ability of God’s people to refute it.
Today we are going to meet a man by the name of Apollos. Just as we face the Devil’s false narrative today, he faced it centuries ago. Our text this morning tells us that Apollos For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:28). Let’s read that text together.
READ ACTS 18:24-28
However, there is a video. Some say the video is inconclusive. The police say the video shows the man holding a gun and refusing to comply with police orders to drop the gun.
One event, two different narratives. One narrative is fact. One is fiction. A book is not a gun (which was recovered at the scene with the suspects fingerprints on it). The narrative spun early by the media was “man with a book gunned down by police.” The result: rioting, looting, and someone shooting someone else in the crowd.
Let me tell you why the idea of “creating a false narrative” is so important for the church to understand. For one thing, a false narrative leads to all kinds of chaos as we see in Charlotte. But, this idea of creating a false narrative goes much deeper, and reaches back in time much further, than what we see playing out in our society today.
A false narrative has been the Devil’s tool from as far back as the Garden of Eden. His primary objective has always been to get people to doubt the truth, and believe his lies. Take the example of the Devil’s tactic in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam and Eve that “on the day you eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and evil you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). The Devil comes along and spends a “false narrative” by declaring, “you will not surely die, . . . you will be like God!” (Gen. 3:5). Same tree, different narratives.
The Devil’s false narrative can be found woven throughout the fabric of human history. We see it in psychology for example. God teaches that man is basically evil and rebellious. Through Jeremiah God says, “Man’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.” Psychology teaches that man is basically good and simply needs support in becoming his “higher self” or as one false preacher says, “Your Best Life Now.”
The Devil’s greatest success in weaving his false narrative into the fabric of human lives has been in the area of science. God said, “I created man in my image.” Science teaches that “man evolved through a fortuitous turn of events over millions of years, or billions of years depending if you want to count the evolution of matter from nothing.
The Devil’s false narrative has not left religion untouched. The vast majority of people believe that all religions are essentially the same. The vast majority of people believe that salvation, or enlightenment, or whatever “ultimate destination” man discovers is most a matter of working to make sure one’s good deeds outweigh one’s bad deeds—that is, the way to heaven is a matter of human effort and can involve any number of paths.
Whatever may be the particular of the Devil’s false narrative, rest assured that it is deadly and damning. Just like the false narrative in regard to a police shooting can ignite a firestorm of chaos, destruction, and even death, likewise the Devil’s false narrative can set off an eternal firestorm of eternal chaos and eternal death.
SIS-- Our culture is promoting a false world-view and the fate of many souls depends upon the ability of God’s people to refute it.
Today we are going to meet a man by the name of Apollos. Just as we face the Devil’s false narrative today, he faced it centuries ago. Our text this morning tells us that Apollos For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:28). Let’s read that text together.
READ ACTS 18:24-28
As the false narrative of
the Devil becomes more and more established in the minds and hearts of people,
the necessity to refute the Devil’s lies becomes all the more important as the “day
of the Lord’s appearing nears.” Time is
running out for people. Failure
cannot be an option in regard to the Church’s mission to spread the
gospel “vigorously and effectively.”
Let me share three insights I gained from this passage that will help us vigorously and effectively share the gospel with our community.
1. Natural Ability Is Not Enough (25, 26)
Our text describes Apollos in the most flattering of terms. First, verse 25 describes him as “eloquent.” This means he was able to speak clearly and effectively. We would say he was “well-spoken.” His vocabulary was rich and his delivery was flawless. He would be the odds-on favorite in any debate. Second, Apollos is described as “competent in the Scriptures.” The word translated competent could also be translated “powerful.” There was something rich and deep about his understanding of Scripture that everyone hearing him recognized. Many people have a good knowledge of Scripture but do not radiate an aura of “power.” I think of Apollos being like a “high voltage wire.” Have you ever been near a “high voltage” site and heard the “humming” as the power was being transmitted over the wire through the transformers. When the condition are just right, even from several feet away (and you are best served to stay several feet away), the power in the lines can make the hair on your arms or back of your neck stand up. Apollos was “powerful” in his knowledge of Scripture.
Third, he was “well educated.” The term our text uses is “katechemenos.” I’m sure you recognize the relationship to the English word, “catechism.” Catholics and Lutherans are going to be more familiar with this term because formal “catechism” is a part of the “religious requirements” for entering a Catholic or Lutheran community. Catechism refers to a formal and systemized education in the tenets of a religion. In a broad sense, it refers to a formal education. Apollos had a very good education. In fact, the first fact we learn about him in this text is that his home was, “Alexandria, Egypt.” Scholars have noted that one of the greatest libraries to have every existed was in Alexandria, Egypt. It existed from about 300 years before Christ to the third century after Christ. It was established by the successor to Alexander the Great and may have contained as many as 400,000 scrolls. As a result of wars, it was burned to the ground and all its rich knowledge was lost. Apollos was highly educated.
Fourth, our text praises Apollos as “being fervent in the spirit.” This literally means to “boil over with enthusiasm and a zest for life.” I like to think of Apollos as a classic, “Type A,” personality. The word at times was even used to describe a “raging sea.” The basic idea originally involved “movement.” This seems to indicate by way of interpretation a “highly focused sense of purpose and direction.”
Let me share three insights I gained from this passage that will help us vigorously and effectively share the gospel with our community.
1. Natural Ability Is Not Enough (25, 26)
Our text describes Apollos in the most flattering of terms. First, verse 25 describes him as “eloquent.” This means he was able to speak clearly and effectively. We would say he was “well-spoken.” His vocabulary was rich and his delivery was flawless. He would be the odds-on favorite in any debate. Second, Apollos is described as “competent in the Scriptures.” The word translated competent could also be translated “powerful.” There was something rich and deep about his understanding of Scripture that everyone hearing him recognized. Many people have a good knowledge of Scripture but do not radiate an aura of “power.” I think of Apollos being like a “high voltage wire.” Have you ever been near a “high voltage” site and heard the “humming” as the power was being transmitted over the wire through the transformers. When the condition are just right, even from several feet away (and you are best served to stay several feet away), the power in the lines can make the hair on your arms or back of your neck stand up. Apollos was “powerful” in his knowledge of Scripture.
Third, he was “well educated.” The term our text uses is “katechemenos.” I’m sure you recognize the relationship to the English word, “catechism.” Catholics and Lutherans are going to be more familiar with this term because formal “catechism” is a part of the “religious requirements” for entering a Catholic or Lutheran community. Catechism refers to a formal and systemized education in the tenets of a religion. In a broad sense, it refers to a formal education. Apollos had a very good education. In fact, the first fact we learn about him in this text is that his home was, “Alexandria, Egypt.” Scholars have noted that one of the greatest libraries to have every existed was in Alexandria, Egypt. It existed from about 300 years before Christ to the third century after Christ. It was established by the successor to Alexander the Great and may have contained as many as 400,000 scrolls. As a result of wars, it was burned to the ground and all its rich knowledge was lost. Apollos was highly educated.
Fourth, our text praises Apollos as “being fervent in the spirit.” This literally means to “boil over with enthusiasm and a zest for life.” I like to think of Apollos as a classic, “Type A,” personality. The word at times was even used to describe a “raging sea.” The basic idea originally involved “movement.” This seems to indicate by way of interpretation a “highly focused sense of purpose and direction.”
Fifth on the list of superb qualities that Apollos possessed
included “precision.” The text
mentions that when Apollos taught the Scriptures he was, “akribos,” meaning
accurate or precise. He handled the Word
of God with deep respect and delivered his lectures with the utmost care. He was a perfectionist.
Finally, rounding out this impressive resume of Apollos, with a sixth
superb virtue, the text says Apollos was, “bold.” Verse 26 records this about Apollos, “He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.” The synagogue was not a friendly place to Jesus, and it was no less hostile to His disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Jews hated Jesus and cheered at His death. They hated His followers and were constantly threatening those who followed Christ. Apollos didn’t care. He preached regardless of what the outcome might be—for good or ill.
Well, take these six qualities written down on Apollos’ resume and he becomes an impressive man, indeed. Eloquent, competent, educated, fervent, precise, and bold. Most of us would just pack up and go home and concede that we could never be a witness like Apollos.
However, there is one little fly in the glowing ointment spread before us about Apollos. Look in verse 25, “he knew only the baptism of John.” His resume was missing the most important component: the baptism of the Holy Spirit! The Bible tells us this about John and his baptism (Mat. 3:11),
“I baptize you with water for repentance, x but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Finally, rounding out this impressive resume of Apollos, with a sixth
superb virtue, the text says Apollos was, “bold.” Verse 26 records this about Apollos, “He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.” The synagogue was not a friendly place to Jesus, and it was no less hostile to His disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Jews hated Jesus and cheered at His death. They hated His followers and were constantly threatening those who followed Christ. Apollos didn’t care. He preached regardless of what the outcome might be—for good or ill.
Well, take these six qualities written down on Apollos’ resume and he becomes an impressive man, indeed. Eloquent, competent, educated, fervent, precise, and bold. Most of us would just pack up and go home and concede that we could never be a witness like Apollos.
However, there is one little fly in the glowing ointment spread before us about Apollos. Look in verse 25, “he knew only the baptism of John.” His resume was missing the most important component: the baptism of the Holy Spirit! The Bible tells us this about John and his baptism (Mat. 3:11),
“I baptize you with water for repentance, x but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
It’s not enough to be Eloquent,
competent, educated, fervent, precise, and even bold. To be effective at refuting the false
narrative of the Devil which abounds in our world, you must be “baptized
with the Holy Spirit and fire!” As
Zechariah reminds us in regard to effectively living for Jesus and refuting the
Devil’s lies, it is
Not
by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’
says the Lord of Hosts (Zech. 4:6)
God is not looking for “skilled”
people, he is looking for obedient people who have be “spirit baptized and full
of fire.” God can use anyone of any
skill or education level, if they are “walking in the Spirit.” Natural ability is not enough.
2. Second, we learn
that in the business of refuting the Devil’s false narrative, There’s Always
Room for Improvement (26)
After
Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God
to him more accurately.
As naturally gifted as
Apollos was, even when he was lacking in the “baptism of the Spirit and fire,”
he could improve. We can always improve
in our skills and knowledge of sharing the gospel. When
we stop learning, we stop growing. When
we stop growing, we stop going. When we
stop going, we start dying. Sadly, many
churches are already dead.
Most churches are filled
with what the Apostle Paul calls, “fleshy Christians.” Look at 1Corinthians 3:1-3.
Brothers,
I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh,
as babies in Christ. 2 I
gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it.
In fact, you are still not ready, 3 because you are still
fleshly. For since there is envy and
strife m among you, are you
not fleshly and living like unbelievers?
Let’s digest this verse for
a minute or two. When you go through
this chapter of 1Corinthians you will notice it highlights two ways people
practice Christianity. The right way,
and the true way, is to be a “pneumatic
Christian.” The word, pneuma,
means, “spirit.” It refers to a true,
born-again believer who has been “baptized with, in, and by the Holy Spirit,
and is surrendering to the Spirit’s control more and more, moment by moment,
every day.
Paul contrasts this with another type of “christian.” I’ll use a lowercase, “c,” to describe this group of people associated with the church of Jesus Christ because it is not altogether certain that these people are truly born-again and baptized in the spirit. They are referred to by Paul as “fleshy christians” or “worldly Christians.” The common term is “carnal christian” because carnal translates the Greek word Paul uses, sarx.
Paul also refers to these “fleshy christians” as babies. Now, the term baby in this text is not a term of endearment. Normally, babies are very special creatures that elicit all kinds of praise and adoration by those around them—as they should. The problem with the babies in this passage is they are “adults.” They should be spiritually mature, but they act like spiritual babies. These are not “newborn” babies as would be the case with someone who just became a believer. The word used here (nepioi) refers to a child perhaps three years old.
So many people get a taste of Jesus and that’s satisfies them for life. They never grow. They never learn much about the Scriptures. They never do much to grow the church or the Kingdom. In fact, they usually act like spiritual two-year olds and cause havoc and commotion in the family.
There are way too many “fleshy christians” in the church that think like non-believers, act like non-believers, and I think for more than we would care to acknowledge, will spend eternity in hell like non-believer. They never grow. They never improve. They just sit and soak up the milk produced by others.
If you are going to be a “pneumatic Christian” like Apollos and effectively and consistently refute the Devil’s false agenda, you are going to have to constantly improve you game. You need as much Bible study as you can pack into your schedule, or you are going to be at the mercy of those who control the narrative.
3. To effectively refute the Devil’s narrative you need to realize that Success Is a Community Effort (27)
Paul contrasts this with another type of “christian.” I’ll use a lowercase, “c,” to describe this group of people associated with the church of Jesus Christ because it is not altogether certain that these people are truly born-again and baptized in the spirit. They are referred to by Paul as “fleshy christians” or “worldly Christians.” The common term is “carnal christian” because carnal translates the Greek word Paul uses, sarx.
Paul also refers to these “fleshy christians” as babies. Now, the term baby in this text is not a term of endearment. Normally, babies are very special creatures that elicit all kinds of praise and adoration by those around them—as they should. The problem with the babies in this passage is they are “adults.” They should be spiritually mature, but they act like spiritual babies. These are not “newborn” babies as would be the case with someone who just became a believer. The word used here (nepioi) refers to a child perhaps three years old.
So many people get a taste of Jesus and that’s satisfies them for life. They never grow. They never learn much about the Scriptures. They never do much to grow the church or the Kingdom. In fact, they usually act like spiritual two-year olds and cause havoc and commotion in the family.
There are way too many “fleshy christians” in the church that think like non-believers, act like non-believers, and I think for more than we would care to acknowledge, will spend eternity in hell like non-believer. They never grow. They never improve. They just sit and soak up the milk produced by others.
If you are going to be a “pneumatic Christian” like Apollos and effectively and consistently refute the Devil’s false agenda, you are going to have to constantly improve you game. You need as much Bible study as you can pack into your schedule, or you are going to be at the mercy of those who control the narrative.
3. To effectively refute the Devil’s narrative you need to realize that Success Is a Community Effort (27)
27 When he wanted to cross over to Achaia,
the brothers wrote to the disciples urging them to welcome him. After he
arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace. 28 For he vigorously refuted
the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the
Messiah.
God did not call us to be “Lone
Rangers.” In fact, even the Lone Ranger
had Tonto. Success in life is a “group
project,” a physical, emotional, and spiritual collaboration. Even as skilled and naturally gifted as
Apollos was, he could not “vigorously and effectively refute the Jews”
all by himself.
Apollos was going to set out a course to retrace the missionary travels of Paul and encourage the brethren in their spiritual struggles with the flesh and physical struggles with the Jews and other anti-Christian factions. He was in Ephesus and would travel north, then west, and perhaps south down to Corinth. It would be no easy journey. He would need the prayers, and perhaps the monetary resources from “the brothers in Ephesus.”
Nobody succeeds alone. A billionaire cannot build his companies without the help of others—all the way down to the lowliest laborer. Unless the billionaire is going to assemble his own widgets, he is going to need help.
Even the greatest basketball player of all time (whoever you may think that might be) could never defeat the other team by himself. Could you imagine what life would be like for a quarterback if they did not have the offensive line. Just ask Brett Farve of the Greenbay Packers. He leads the NFL in the number of times the offensive line let someone get to him. He was sacked 525 times!
We all need each other if we are going to effectively and vigorously defend the Truth of God’s Word against the many and varied versions of the Devil’s false narrative.
Apollos was going to set out a course to retrace the missionary travels of Paul and encourage the brethren in their spiritual struggles with the flesh and physical struggles with the Jews and other anti-Christian factions. He was in Ephesus and would travel north, then west, and perhaps south down to Corinth. It would be no easy journey. He would need the prayers, and perhaps the monetary resources from “the brothers in Ephesus.”
Nobody succeeds alone. A billionaire cannot build his companies without the help of others—all the way down to the lowliest laborer. Unless the billionaire is going to assemble his own widgets, he is going to need help.
Even the greatest basketball player of all time (whoever you may think that might be) could never defeat the other team by himself. Could you imagine what life would be like for a quarterback if they did not have the offensive line. Just ask Brett Farve of the Greenbay Packers. He leads the NFL in the number of times the offensive line let someone get to him. He was sacked 525 times!
We all need each other if we are going to effectively and vigorously defend the Truth of God’s Word against the many and varied versions of the Devil’s false narrative.
Think of what is at stake
if we, God’s Church, fail in our task of “vigorously
refuting the Devil’s lies.” (See Acts 18:28). People will die and go to
hell without ever hearing the True Narrative.
In many cases, falling into the trap of the Devil’s false narrative will
bring heartache and chaos into people’s lives—right here, right now—and then,
hell is their forever home!
I cannot accept that possibility. Failure Is NOT an Option! We must commit ourselves, right here, right now, to doing everything we can to make our Church a successful Refuter of the Lie in Conejo Valley and beyond.
Of all the qualities that Apollos possessed, the one that I most desire to be represented in my life is “fervent in the spirit.” I want to boil over with a passion and heart for God that drives me to share boldly His love and grace with others.
I know the importance of having a heart—literally and spiritually. Six years ago, almost to the day, paramedics came to pick me up in my office and transport me to the emergency room. There waiting for me was a committed heart surgeon and his team. As they wheeled me into surgery, Shari asked, “What is wrong?” The nurse replied, “He’s having a heart attack.” Shari asked in fear, “What are you going to do?” She replied, “We are going to stop it.”
For that cardiologist and that team of nurses, “Failure was not an option,” and here I am six years later working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life.
We must refute the Devil’s false narrative at every turn. The eternal destiny of many souls depends upon it. Failure is NOT an Option!
I cannot accept that possibility. Failure Is NOT an Option! We must commit ourselves, right here, right now, to doing everything we can to make our Church a successful Refuter of the Lie in Conejo Valley and beyond.
Of all the qualities that Apollos possessed, the one that I most desire to be represented in my life is “fervent in the spirit.” I want to boil over with a passion and heart for God that drives me to share boldly His love and grace with others.
I know the importance of having a heart—literally and spiritually. Six years ago, almost to the day, paramedics came to pick me up in my office and transport me to the emergency room. There waiting for me was a committed heart surgeon and his team. As they wheeled me into surgery, Shari asked, “What is wrong?” The nurse replied, “He’s having a heart attack.” Shari asked in fear, “What are you going to do?” She replied, “We are going to stop it.”
For that cardiologist and that team of nurses, “Failure was not an option,” and here I am six years later working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life.
We must refute the Devil’s false narrative at every turn. The eternal destiny of many souls depends upon it. Failure is NOT an Option!
