The road home- to Antioch
Witness to the world: Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:19
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Time to go home
Time to go home
It had been a long journey, a successful journey for the gospel spread, churches were planted, people and families converted, but now it seems God’s will was for Paul to head home from Corinth back to Antioch of Syria.
Paul had been in Corinth for some 18 months and feels it is time to leave there, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him he heads towards home with a few stops along the way.
This journey home in the Acts account is only covered in six verses (Act18:18-23) which is our passage tonight. His time home, well, we have no report, for right after the close of these verses starts the 3rd missionary trip (Act18:23)
While it is a brief section there are some things we can learn. Tonight we will:
Look at the journey
Corinth (Cenchraea) to Ephesus
From Ephesus to Jerusalem
From Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria
Look at the impact of the 2nd missionary trip
On churches
On the brethren
On the scripture
Look at some closing comments on 2nd trip
Conversions along the way
Character of some people displayed
So, may we look at the passage, glean from the passage then discuss the passage.
18 Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.
19 They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent,
21 but taking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.
23 And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Gleaning from the scripture:
Question: Paul set out from Corinth after 18 months (see Act18:11); how did he set out according to (v.18) and who was with him?
By sea, he sailed out; he was with Priscilla and Aquila.
Question: There is another fact of something that happen and a purpose for it in (v.18) what was it?
Cut his hair in Cenchrea for he was keeping a vow.
Question: When he arrived in Ephesus what did he do (v.19)?
Entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
Question: Paul made a promise to do something if it were God’s will (v.21)?
He said he would return to you again (Ephesians).
Question: now focusing on (vv.22-23) Paul did two other things on the way home, what were they?
He greeted the church in Caesarea (v.22)
He strengthened the disciples in Galatian region and Phrygia
(Transition) Now may we go back and look, as well as discuss, the journey together?
The Journey
The Journey
From Corinth (Cenchrea) to Antioch of Syria, Paul was heading home to give a mission report to his friends and his home church in Antioch and to conclude the 2nd missionary trip.
From Corinth to the sea port of Cenchrea
Cenchrea is about a 9 mi journey from the city of Corinth, it is the seaport for Corinth.
Cenchrea is only noted twice in the scripture here in (v.18) and in regards to the church there, Phoebe the sister there in (Rom16:1)
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;
In Cenchrea there was a vow taken (v.18)
This is what most would say was a Nazarene vow as see in (Num6:1-21)
Nazarene vow was a voluntary vow taken. it was not a matter of salvation but of devotion to God. What this would be is a vow to not cut hair for a time, drink any wine nor eat any meat for a specified time.
At the end of the vow, completion of the vow the shaved hair would be offered at the alter of sacrifice in Jerusalem; Paul had his hair cut when in Cenchrea and carried the hair with him back to Jerusalem
The purpose of devotion on this could be for God to do something, answer something or to say thank you for something.
Under the Jewish law the vow must be completed in Jerusalem at the temple, hence why Paul needed to get to the temple and said he would return to them if it was God’s will.
His travelling companions on this journey home were Priscilla and Aquila (v.18; ref: Rom16:3, 1Cor16:19, 2Tim4:19)
Paul had stayed with them in Corinth and worked by their side (Act18:1-3)
1 After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them,
3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers.
They were people mentioned other times in the scripture, note down Rom16:3; 1Cor16:19 and 2Tim4:19, they are a great example of a ministry couple.
On a side note; well, scripture note. Paul as a Jew had no problem keeping certain parts of the law not under obligation but dedication and decision some examples are (Act21:20-26; 1Cor9:19-23, Gal5:4-6)
Act21:20-26 - In this passage Paul, through the written words of Luke, speak of the Jewish Christians and purification and satisfying a vow and the Gentile Christians not being compelled to do it.
1Cor9:19-23 Paul wanted to be all thing to all men so as to save some, so to the Jew a Jew even if not under the law. You can look up and read those passages, just note them down if you so chose.
Maybe I will give that scripture and we will discuss just for a minute
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
In Gal5:4-6 you can read that if you think it is the law that you are saved by you are wrong and have fallen from grace (my summary)
From Cenchrea to Ephesus (v.19-20; ref. 1Cor16:19, Act19:1)
Aquila and Priscilla with him they get to Ephesus and as is Paul’s custom he goes to the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
The people want Paul to stay, but he resists for he knew he wanted to get to Jerusalem to complete the offering from his vow, but he leaves Aquila and Priscilla there.
Aquila and Priscilla are later acknowledged to have a church in their home (1Cor16:19)
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
Remember Paul wrote to the Corinthians from Ephesus.
Paul promised to return to see them, if the Lord wills and he did return
1 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples.
From Ephesus to Jerusalem (vv. 21-22; ref. Act21:8; Ps122:1)
Paul had sailed from Ephesus to Caesarea (v.22); this is the major seaport in Palestine, while Paul only passed through Caesarea he would return there later (Act21:8)
It says he “went up” from there and greeted the church, “went up” it s a term often used when speaking not just of elevation but of Jerusalem (Ps122:1)
It was a journey of about 65 miles inland from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
(Transition) It was in Jerusalem that Paul was going to offer the offering of his hair to finish the vow he had made before moving on with the rest of the journey home.
From Jerusalem to Antioch (v.22; ref. 13:1, 3-4, 15:36-40)
Paul traveled north to Antioch from Jerusalem
(Insert Jerusalem - Antioch picture here)
From beginning now to the end it started and ended in Antioch of Syria,
Paul started there (Act13:1, 3-4; then circled back there Act15:36-40) and Ended there (v.22)
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
So, when you return from a trip what do you like to do, beside unpack and relax? - you love to share the adventure, what you saw, what you did, what happened. - Can you image everything Paul had to say to them in Antioch his sending church. Paul and the mission team impacted churches, brethren and people who became brethren and that is our next point
Impact of 2nd missionary trip
Impact of 2nd missionary trip
Impact: Having a strong effect on someone or something. We want to have an impact for Jesus. We can learn about Paul’s impact from his 2nd missionary trip by looking back.
We have some time left tonight and in looking back I think maybe better give you some scriptures to look at and some you can look up on your own too.
Impact churches
By encouragement (Act15:41, 16:1-5)
Paul was able to encouraged the churches of Syria, Cilicia (15:41) , and then Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia
1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.
3 Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe.
5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.
By establishing (Act16:11-40, 17:1-4, 10-12, 34, 18:1-8)
Establishing in Philippi, Thessalonica
Berea and Athens
10 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.
Finally Corinth
Impact brethren
Silas (Act15:40 17:4, 10-14-15); Timothy (Act17:14-15)
Luke (Act16:10-13 . 16)
Aquila and Priscilla (Act8:18:1-3, 18)
People, those I just mentioned you know, but he also built other relationships too.
Impacted people through building relationships
Relationships in Philippi (Php1:3-8, 4:1-3, 15-18)
Lydia, the jailer, Clement and Euodia
Relationships in Thessalonica (1The1:2-4, 2:17-20, 2The1:3-4, 11-12)
Many brethren in Thessalonica
Relationships in Corinth (Act18:8, 1Cor1:11, 14-16, 16:15,17, Rom16:23)
Gaius, Chole, Crispus and household of Stephanas
Impact scripture
Epistles written with references to the impacted churches: Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra Iconium, Derbe (making of book of Galatians)
Philippi (book of Philippians); Thessalonica (1 and 2nd Thessalonians); Corinth (1st & 2nd Corinthians).
Impacted people (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus)
Impacted: Conversions from 2nd trip (16:13-15, 25,34, 18:8)
Lydia of Thyatira converted in Philippi
The Philippian jailer and all his household
And yes, the Corinthians
Impacted: we can note some notable character seen on this trip too (Act16:1-3, 15, 17:11)
Timothy the dedicated disciple
Lydia the hospitable convert
An the more noble Bereans
(Insert - Impact! Picture here)
How can we make an impact as a church? How can you make an impact as a Christian?
(prayer) (Exit)