A Called Man to A Called People (Part 2)

Last Sunday we examined Paul’s Apostleship. We saw primarily that he was a called man. “by the will of God” We saw that he was the product of God’s work for God’s glory to be lived out in God’s prescribed means.

Application

We must recapture our sens of wonder at the fact that we are the products of God’s doing. Not our own. This squashes pride.

Read

Ephesus, A Called People

Turn to Acts 18

The History of the Church

Paul started the Church at the end of his Second Missionary Journey.

Continued by Priscilla, Aquilla, and Apollos. , ,

Paul came and spent 3 years teaching and preaching in total.

Some peope were hardened by the gospel, some were softened. ,

The gospel caused a riot in the city

Paul develops a deep emotional bond with the Church.

The Culture of Ephesus

Port city and as such was a wealthy central hub for all of Asia.

The worshiped the god Artemis or Diana. In the Greek system she was the daughter of Zeus and god of nature and fertility.

They worshiped more than just that god, estimated up to 50 different gods. Mixed in this worship were things like sensuality and magic. (The riot is likely due to the emphasis that there is only one God!)

Artemis was however the patron deity of the city. The people prided themselves in her worship and it became their identity. The temple they built was one of the ancient wonders of the world and was a center of their social and economic life. It is said to have functioned as a bank.

It was in this culture that God was building his Church! This should encourage us! No matter how bad the culture around us gets, the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation.

The Gospel and Culture

The Gospel Assaults the Culture

The gospel always confronts the culture that it is in. It never has been coherent with culture because culture is always filled and governed by sinful men. (Even in the Bible Belt South) Men by nature turn aside and worship other things. Men are born idolaters!

The Gospel Assaults the Culture

Romans 1:21–23 NASB95

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Romans 1:21-23

The gospel exposes this and says that if you want God, peace with God, then you are going to put him before everything else. That compared with him, there is nothing else in you life. (Possibly what offended the Ephesians)

You know you’ve found your idol when it defines you. You find you sense of security, satisfaction, ultimate purpose in it!

Luke 14:26–27 NASB95

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:33 NASB95

“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

Application

If you are not a Christian the gospel and Christ are open to you! but at a cost. You must give up what you hold as precious and make Christ the most precious thing there is!

We as believers need to be reminded of this!

The Gospel saves people out of the culture

Acts 18:10 NASB95

for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

The Gospel transcends the culture

Galatians 3:28 NASB95

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

After we come to Christ, we take on a new identity. We are in Christ! This transcends the culture we live in. That’s why the Church is made up of people from different walks of life. It’s not our similarities that bring us together, we are often very different. (Blue collar, white collar, administrative professional, tradesman, American, Canadian, Mennonite, Hutterite.) None of these things define us anymore, the gospel does!

Their Status

vs. 2

Saints

This is one of the most common designations of Christians in the Bible. All Christians are saints. It means to be called out, to be set apart as belonging to God!

1 Peter 2:9 NASB95

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Faithful in Christ Jesus

Christians are those who continue to the end.

Matthew 10:

Matthew 10:22 NASB95

“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

Revelation 2:2–3 NASB95

‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.

We persevere in Christ because he keeps us!

Possessing Grace & Peace

Grace- the undeserved favor of God

Peace- the absence of war with God

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