Four Great Goals for Christian Growth

The Book of Acts - Part 64

Acts 18:23-28

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - November 9, 2014

*When we trust in Jesus Christ, we are born again as baby Christians. But the Lord wants us to grow in Christ. And the good news is that we can grow.

*Greg Warren asked some people of all ages to share a few words of wisdom. And I like their replies, because they show us that we can grow over the years:

-A 7-year-old shared this wisdom he must have learned from experience: "You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk."

-Age 13: "Just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up."

-Age 29: "Brushing my child's hair is one of life's greatest pleasures."

-Also age 29: "Wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there."

-Age 44: "I've learned you can make someone's day simply by sending them a little card."

-Age 52: "You can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles three things: "A rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights."

-Age 58: "I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life."

-Age 61: "If you want to do something positive for your children, try to improve your marriage."

-Age 66: "Whenever I decide something with kindness, I have usually made the right decision."

-Age 73: "It pays to believe in miracles. And, to tell the truth, I've seen several."

-Age 82: "Even when I have pains, I don't have to BE one."

-And age 92: "I've learned that I still have a lot to learn." (1)

*Growth is good, and that is especially true of spiritual growth. Paul reminds us of this truth in 2 Thessalonians1:3. There the Apostle said: "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other."

*The good news is that we can grow as believers, and God wants us to grow. Tonight's Scripture gives us four great goals for Christian growth.

1. The first goal is be available.

*We all will need help in life, and by God's grace we will also be able to help others, -- if we will make ourselves available.

*In vs. 23, the churches In Galatia and Phrygia needed help, and Paul showed up to give them strength. He "went over all the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples."

*This was the beginning of Paul's third missionary journey. Paul went all through the region to give moral and spiritual support to those churches. He was encouraging those new believers, giving them a boost, building them up in the faith. Those churches needed help, and Paul was available.

*Then in vs. 24-26, Apollos needed help:

24. Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

26. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

*Apollos had a lot going for him. He was a great speaker. He was an expert in the Old Testament. He was very committed and courageous. But apparently, he wasn't saved. Albert Barnes explained, "It seems that the knowledge of John the Baptist's preaching and baptism had spread extensively in other nations beside Judea (Acts 19:1-3). The Messiah was expected about that time. The foreign Jews would be waiting for him; and the news of John's ministry, doctrine, and success would be rapidly circulated from synagogue to synagogue in the surrounding nations. John preached repentance, and baptized with reference to Him who was to come after him (Acts 19:4), and this doctrine Apollos seems to have embraced." (2)

*Dr. Thomas Binney described Apollos as "an advanced Jew, for 'he was instructed in the way of the Lord,' so far as that could be done by the teaching of John the Baptist. That teaching was the teaching of preparation and repentance -- a readiness to receive the coming One. Whether Apollos had got so far as to know that John had recognized in Jesus the Christ whose forerunner he was, it is impossible to say. He certainly knew nothing of the Savior's death, resurrection, and ascension, the outpouring of the Spirit, with the great doctrines underlying these facts; but, so far as he knew, he believed." (3)

*A. T. Robertson concluded that Apollos "only knew what John the Baptist knew when he died. John had preached the coming of the Messiah, had baptized him, had identified him as the Son of God, had proclaimed the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but John had not seen the Cross, the Resurrection of Jesus, nor the great Day of Pentecost. (4)

*In spite of all of his gifts and knowledge, Apollos hadn't heard the Gospel, so he needed the most important help of all. Apollos needed Aquila and Priscilla to tell him about Jesus. And in vs. 26, they "explained to him the way of God more accurately."

*Aquila and Priscilla were available to help Apollos. And they were in Ephesus in the first place, because they were helping Paul. Then in vs. 27-28, the believers around Corinth needed help. This time, Apollos was available:

27. And when he (Apollos) desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;

28. for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

*Sometimes all of us will need help in life. Many other times we will be able to help other people. And God wants us to help, so we should make ourselves available. And we may think, "What can little ole me do?" But our God likes to use little things to make a big difference in His world.

*As Max Lucado once wrote: "That guy who gave Jesus the donkey on Palm Sunday is just one of the long line of folks who gave little things to a big God. Scripture has quite a gallery of "donkey-givers." In fact, heaven may have a shrine to honor God's uncommon use of the common.

*It's a place you won't want to miss. Stroll through and see Rahab's rope, David's sling, and Samson's jawbone. Wrap your hand around Moses' staff which split the sea and smote the rock." (5)

*Church: I also think of the widow's mite, and the little boy's lunch that fed over 5,000 people. God surely uses little things to make a big difference in His world. And God can use us too, IF we will be available. In fact, that's one of God's great goals for our lives, because He wants to do amazing things in us and through us.

2. So be available. -- And be teachable.

*Apollos had learned more about God's Word than most people. Again, vs. 24 says that he was "mighty in the Scriptures." That's quite a compliment. Apollos was mighty, powerful, strong in the Word of God. The Greek word is where we get our word "dynamite." And Apollos had that kind of knowledge of God's Word.

*But notice that he was still teachable, and that's a good thing, because Apollos didn't know the thing he needed to know the most. He didn't know the Good news about Jesus. He didn't know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

*Apollos needed to know more, so in vs. 26, Aquila and Priscilla "took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." Don't you know that Apollos is glad today that he was teachable! And God wants us to be teachable too. We are never too old to learn. God wants us to be ever growing in our spiritual knowledge.

*That's why in 1 Peter 2:1-3, the Apostle spurs us on with these words:

1. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

2. as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

3. if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

*And Peter closed his second letter by telling us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)

*God wants us to be teachable. We can never get to the point where we know everything. We never know so much that we can't learn more.

[1] So we need obedient habits.

*The only way Apollos became mighty in the Scriptures was by consistently getting into the Word of God. We have to study God's Word habitually, consistently.

*As Rick Warren once wrote, "There are no short cuts to maturity. It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time. When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor.

*In America, tomatoes are usually picked un-ripened, so they won't bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly." We are not going to become mighty in the Scriptures overnight. We must be teachable over time. (6)

[2] So we need obedient habits. And we need an open heart.

*We never know so much that we can't learn more. And the thing that you learn today or tomorrow may be one of the most important things you will ever learn. For Apollos it was the most important thing he ever learned.

*But what if Apollos had stubbornly refused to listen? What if he had said, "Who do you tentmakers think you are trying to teach me about God's Word? I know a thousand times more about it than you do!"

*A lot of people with Apollos' background would have been unteachable. But thankfully, Apollos had an open heart. He was teachable, and we need to be teachable too. It's one of God's great goals for our lives.

3. Be teachable. -- And be dependable.

*In vs. 27, after Aquila and Priscilla shared the Gospel with Apollos, we see that he "desired to cross to Achaia." And "the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him." The Christians at Ephesus were happy to write a letter of recommendation for Apollos because they trusted him. Apollos was dependable, and that's the way God wants us to be.

*Wayne Field made this challenging comparison: "I wonder what would happen if we applied the same standards of loyalty to our Christian activities that we expect from other areas of our lives? If your car starts once every three tries, is it reliable? If the postman skipped delivery every Monday and Thursday, is he trustworthy? If you don't go to work once or twice a month, are you a reliable employee? If your fridge stops working for a day or two every now and then, do you say, 'Oh well, it works most of the time.?' If your water heater provides an icy cold shower every now and then, is it dependable? If you skipped a couple of electric bills do you think Entergy would mind?

*And if you fail to worship God one or two Sundays a month, would you expect to be called a faithful Christian? We expect loyalty and reliability from things and other people. Isn't it reasonable then that God just might expect the same from us?" (7)

*Steven Chapman shared a letter about a believer who was dependable. It was from a new Christian who had been influenced by a faithful believer. Here's some of what she wrote:

-"You know when we met; I began to discover a new vulnerability, a warmth, and a lack of pretense that impressed me. I saw in you a thriving spirit, -- no signs of internal stagnation anywhere. I could tell you were a growing person and I liked that. I saw you had strong self-esteem, not based on the fluff of self-help books, but on something a whole lot deeper. I saw that you lived by convictions and priorities and not just by convenience, selfish pleasure, and financial gain. And I had never met anyone like that before.

*I felt a depth of love and concern as you listened to me and didn't judge me. You tried to understand me, you sympathized, and you celebrated with me. You demonstrated kindness and generosity, and not just to me, but to other people, as well.

*And you stood for something. You were willing to go against the grain of society and follow what you believed to be true, no matter what people said, and no matter how much it cost you. And for those reasons and a whole host of others, I found myself really wanting what you had. Now that I've become a Christian, I wanted to write to tell you I'm grateful beyond words for how you lived out your Christian life in front of me." (8)

*Wow! That's the kind of dependable believer God wants us to be. It's one of His great goals for our lives.

4. So be dependable. -- And be flammable.

*Be on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was in vs. 23 when he returned to the Lord's work after a brief period of rest. Apollos was in vs. 25, where we read that he was "fervent in the spirit." The word picture is boiling liquids or glowing solids, something fiery hot.

*Apollos was fervent in vs. 25 and in vs. 26, where he "spoke boldly in the synagogue." Apollos was also on fire for the Lord in vs. 28, where he "vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ."

*How are we going to get that kind of fire? Pastor Justin Clark once said, "We need to begin seeing people as Jesus see people. We need to begin seeing every person as incredibly valuable, because Jesus died on the cross for them!" (9)

*We need to see people the way Jesus sees them. That will set our hearts on fire. We need to see people the way Jesus saw them in Matthew 9:36: "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

*We need to see people the way Jesus sees them, and feel what He feels about them. That will set our hearts on fire with the Lord's love, and people's lives will be changed forever.

*Dr. George Morris is a seminary professor and an expert on evangelism. He has dedicated his life to spreading the message of Jesus around the world. George grew up in a poor Appalachian family. His grandfather was an atheist, and no one in his family showed any interest in spiritual things.

*But when George turned 17, his dad became friends with a local pastor. Then at a revival one night, George got the shock of his life. His dad got down on his knees and gave his life to Jesus. But what happened next really shook George up. His dad got up and headed straight for George.

*Dad's words burned their way into George's heart. He said, "Son, I know this is embarrassing to you, but I want you to hear me out and trust me if you can. I have found something here this evening that I have been searching for, for 56 years. And I would rather die than see you make the mistake I have made."

*Seventeen-year-old George Morris prayed to receive Jesus that very evening. And his life was changed forever. (10)

*Only God knows how many more souls have been saved because that daddy's heart was on fire. And we need the same kind of burning in our hearts.

CONCLUSION:

*Christians: God has great goals for our growth, and tonight, we have looked at some of the greatest:

-Be available.

-Be teachable.

-Be dependable.

-And be flammable.

*May God help us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! To Him be the glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)

(1) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Greg Warren

(2) Adapted from "Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible" - Acts 18:25

(3) Adapted from Rev. Dr. Thomas Binney, 1798-1874 - Source: The Biblical Illustrator by Joseph S. Exell - Acts 18:23-28

(4) WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas Robertson - Acts 18:25

(5) Adapted from Max Lucado, "And the Angels Were Silent" - "The Guy with the Donkey," pp. 55-56 - Source: Sermons.com email 03142002

(6) Rick Warren, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE - Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002, p. 217 - SOURCE: SermonCentral newsletter - 05292006

(7) Adapted from SermonCentral illustration contributed by Wayne Field

(8) SermonCentral sermon "Contagious Christian Character" by Steven Chapman - Matthew 5:13-16

(9) Devotional by Justin Clark 09302007

(10) George E. Morris, THE MYSTERY AND MEANING OF CHRISTIAN CONVERSION - Port Orford, OR: World Methodist Evangelism Publishing, 2004, pp. 15-17 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "God's Witness Security Program" by King Duncan - Luke 24:36-49 - 2005