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Acts 18:24-28 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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The brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.
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! When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,
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! For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public,
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! showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
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And so we have this little sidestep at the end of our text last week.
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We see Paul pass through Ephesus, taking with him Priscilla and Aquila,
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and he leaves them there in Ephesus.
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And Luke's narrative stays with them in that place as Paul goes on.
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And I believe that Luke recorded this for us to show us,
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to give to us Apollos as a model.
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The scripture is full, it's rich with men whose lives we can emulate.
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Ultimately and finally, looking to Christ.
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We want to emulate Christ.
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We want to be Christ-like.
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But there are men who characterize qualities of Christ
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and put them on display for us to pay careful attention to.
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And so our outline for this morning's text has three points.
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If they don't alliterate this morning, I'm sorry.
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And they are as follows.
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Apollos serves us as number one, a model of zeal.
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As number two, a model of zeal.
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And number three, as a model of refutation.
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I'll explain in a bit.
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So number one, Apollos serves us as a model of zeal.
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Apollos is introduced for us as a native of Alexandria in verse 24.
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Alexandria, located in Egypt, had a large Jewish population.
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So while Apollos did not grow up in Israel, he was raised in a Jewish culture.
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Therefore, he had been instructed in the way of the Lord.
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Now this phrase, the way of the Lord, was an Old Testament term for, generally, the things of God.
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In Genesis chapter 18, verse 19, God says of Abraham,
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For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him
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to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice
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so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.
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So the way of the Lord would have been the Old Testament instruction.
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Luke tells us that Apollos was also competent in the Scriptures and an eloquent man.
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He was eloquent.
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The Greek term for this is logios, right?
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Literally, a man of words.
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Also could mean a man of ideas.
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But we see that the ideas that he's presenting were not his ideas.
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They weren't fabricated ideas.
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But he was competent in the Scriptures and had been instructed in the way of the Lord.
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And he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus.
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Now why was he doing this?
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Luke does not tell us the exact occasion for Apollos' visit to Ephesus.
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But it's likely that he went as a missionary.
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It's likely that he goes as a missionary.
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Luke does tell us that he was fervent in spirit.
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And this is the reason.
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This is the impetus for speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus.
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To be fervent in spirit is to say that Apollos' soul was enthusiastic for the things of God.
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I think that I preach from an ESV.
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I think they get right that he was fervent in lowercase spirit.
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Not in the spirit, but in his spirit.
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I think Luke's trying to communicate to us that his soul was fervent, cared deeply about the things of God.
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He was zealous for God.
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And so, I believe he left Alexandria and traveled to Ephesus to tell the Ephesians all that he knew about the way of the Lord.
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But Luke adds an interesting phrase.
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Apollos, though he knew only the baptism of John.
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Which leads me to believe that Apollos was also not yet a regenerate follower of Jesus Christ.
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He was a lover of God.
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He was familiar with the Old Testament.
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He had a zeal for the things of God.
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But he only knew the baptism of John.
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The text evidences for us that he was familiar with the Old Testament.
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He would have been aware of God as creator and ruler of the world.
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Of God's good law for the governance of his people.
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Of mankind's transgression of that law.
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Of the need of sacrifice to satisfy this issue between the wrath of God against all unlawlessness.
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He would have been familiar with the need of a mediator between God and man.
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And of the promises of God to restore people to himself with a perfect sacrifice.
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And a perfect mediator, the Messiah.
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He was aware of the baptism of John.
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Which was a baptism of repentance.
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Declaring that the Messiah was coming.
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This was the ministry of John in the desert.
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Baptizing people and declaring that Jesus was coming.
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And he was also aware that the Messiah was Jesus.
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But it would seem that he did not yet understand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection.
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Which is why he had need for Priscilla and Achilla to take him aside and explain to him the way of God more accurately.
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Now, you are welcome to disagree with me on the matter.
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That he was already in fact a regenerate disciple of Jesus Christ.
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I think we catch him in a moment of moving toward that.
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Right?
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Being drawn to God in his understanding of Scripture.
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Whether or not we agree doesn't really matter for the point that's being made.
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We have Apollos as a model of zeal.
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He took his incomplete knowledge of the way of the Lord.
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And he faithfully worked to promulgate it.
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He wanted people to know what he knew of the way of the Lord.
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Beloved, you may never be labeled eloquent.
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I've never been called this.
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Maybe a man of words.
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But not eloquent to be sure.
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But if you are part of a local congregation, and I hope that you are, that loves the Bible, faithfully teaches it, really hope that you are,
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you're being accurately instructed in the way of the Lord.
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And you can be competent in the Scriptures.
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And this should compel zeal in you for others to know what you know.
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Let me give you a bit of a lesson from history.
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In 1559, John Calvin began a seminary which was across the street from, and this is important,
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it was across the street from, and worked in conjunction with the church he pastored.
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It was a ministry of his church in Geneva to train young pastors.
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We know that Calvin sent at least 88 of the men trained in a seminary to his native country of France,
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and possibly many more.
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We know for a fact that at least 88 men were trained up to the seminary and sent back to France.
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Now Calvin is in Geneva because of religious persecution.
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It was dangerous to be a preacher of the gospel in France in the 16th century because of anti-Protestant sentiment.
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In fact, it was so dangerous that the Academy of Geneva, what the seminary was officially called,
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became known as Calvin's School of Death.
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Because so many graduates went out to martyrdom.
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Let that shape your thinking about the man John Calvin and the theology that so many demonize in relationship to him.
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Calvin's School of Death.
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I wonder what the enrollment of a seminary today would be that was nicknamed the School of Death.
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Theology.
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Theology.
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If you were a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a theologian.
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You might be a very poor theologian, but you are a theologian.
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Meant to know God.
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Not a scholar, but a theologian.
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To open your word and to read it and to know the God of the Bible.
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Theology.
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A competence in the Scriptures drives zeal.
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Properly viewing God in the personal work of Jesus Christ drives zeal in us.
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Which drives mission.
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Here we observe imperfect knowledge.
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I'm arguing that he had not yet completed his understanding of Jesus as the Christ.
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And I'm arguing that the Spirit was not yet in him to guide him in his understanding.
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How much greater should our zeal now be?
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Having given full comprehension.
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Having been given the New Testament, which gives so much commentary on the Old Testament.
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The Gospel fully revealed.
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The canon now closed.
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We can pick it up and we can read it and be changed by it.
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And we ought to desire to see others changed by it as well.
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And so in this way, Apollo serves us as a model of zeal.
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Our zeal should surpass his.
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We also see that Apollo serves us as a model of humility.
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Next in verse 26, we see Priscilla and Aquila encounter Apollo speaking boldly in the synagogue.
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And if you weren't here with us last week, Paul finds, seeks out and finds Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth.
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Befriends them.
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They're all tent makers by trade.
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He lives with them while he's there in Corinth.
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Takes them with him and leaves them behind in Ephesus.
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So having been left in Ephesus by Paul, it is likely that they have taken up his missionary practice
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of beginning Gospel ministry amongst the Jews and finding Jews by visiting the synagogue.
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It was a very reasonable place to find people of Jewish descent.
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But Priscilla and Aquila see that Apollo needs some instruction as he only knew of the baptism of John.
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So they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
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Now, note the tact that Priscilla and Aquila display as they took Apollos aside.
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Apollos' teaching was not bad.
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It was just incomplete.
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So this couple very kindly, discreetly explained to him the way of God more accurately.
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Some suggest they likely took him aside to their home.
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This wasn't a quick little lesson, but they had to take him and spend time with him,
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helping him to completely understand the way of God more accurately as the term Luke uses.
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And Apollos humbly received their instruction.
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I believe that Apollos becomes a regenerate follower of Jesus during the time of this further instruction.
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Luke does not record said conversation, nor does he tell us that Apollos was baptized.
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But he says in verse 27, and when he wished to cross to Achaia,
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the brothers, now his brothers, encouraged him and wrote to the disciples,
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those disciples in Achaia, to welcome him.
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So they would have written a letter of recommendation, right?
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This man we're sending to you is a brother in the faith.
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And they sent him with that letter.
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Now you may be thinking, it seems like a large assumption to say that Apollos humbly received their instruction.
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How can I make that claim? Where am I getting this from?
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Number one, he was teachable.
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He was teachable.
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We see that he goes with them, right?
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And he receives instruction.
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He went aside and he heard what they had to say.
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Beloved, it is a great mark of the humble Christian to be a teachable Christian.
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None of us ever have arrived and can't receive some instruction,
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some better explanation to the things that we already may believe to be true.
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If you find yourself unteachable, you're also going to find yourself proud.
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So he's teachable.
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That's an expression of his humility.
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But not only is he teachable.
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Secondly, he was willing to be instructed by Priscilla.
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Luke records for us that when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,
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they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
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You could read it like this.
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When they heard him, they took him aside and they explained to him the way of God more accurately.
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So Apollos received instruction from both Aquila, the husband, and Priscilla, the wife.
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And interestingly, the order that I just presented them to you in, Aquila and Priscilla,
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only occurs twice in the six times the couple is mentioned in the Bible.
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When they are initially introduced in Acts 18, verse 2,
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and in 1 Corinthians 16, 19.
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The other four places, they're mentioned in this order in our text today.
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Priscilla and Aquila.
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This is likely, likely.
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This is where we access the scholars.
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The scholars say this is likely because Priscilla was the more prominent of the two in service to the church.
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She did more for the church than Aquila.
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Now, it's important to understand that women in this day were not given much prominence.
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If you ever hear somebody claim that Christianity has been bad for women,
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maybe in some instances some perversion of Christianity has been.
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But generally speaking, in the world,
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Christianity has been very, very good for women.
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In Talmudic times, where our text is set,
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so think first century,
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Talmud was the Old Testament with the explanation of rabbinical writings added to it.
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In this time, respectable women were expected to stay within the confines of the home.
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In fact, the terminology for a prostitute was one who goes abroad.
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So the opposite of a respectable woman who stays at home was a prostitute,
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one who goes abroad.
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The woman of the first century did not even do her own shopping,
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except possibly to go out accompanied by a slave to buy material,
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which she would use to construct her own clothing at home.
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The women with whom Jesus spoke were very likely illiterate,
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since the rabbis did not consider it an incumbent upon women to learn to read in order to study the Scriptures.
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Based on the passage in Deuteronomy 4.9,
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teach them to your sons.
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The rabbis declared women to be exempt from the commandment to learn the law of Moses.
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Indeed, the Talmud says,
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so this would be commentary, rabbinical commentary,
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it is foolishness to teach the Torah to your daughter.
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Women were separated from men in private, public, and religious life.
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They would go to the temple, but could not venture beyond the confines of the women's court,
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and there is no such explanation of the women's court in the description of Solomon's temple.
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It was added.
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Women were not allowed to participate in public prayer at the temple,
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although they were encouraged to have private prayer lives at home.
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Women weren't reliable witnesses in this day.
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But here you have Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew,
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willing to have the way of God to explain to him more accurately by Priscilla.
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Men, we would do well to learn things from the women of our church.
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We need to take a lesson from Apollos' humility.
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Now, because some of you are cringing right now, I know.
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It is not my intention this morning to undermine complementarianism.
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Complementarianism is the biblical, it's a biblical understanding
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that men and women are positionally and personally equal before God.
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Positionally and personally equally before God.
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But that men and women are meant to serve in differing roles.
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We've been given unique and valuable and precious roles that we're meant to serve in.
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That's complementarianism.
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I am not an egalitarian which says that in all ways we're equal.
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There is no...
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I am an opponent to feminism in that sense, the use of that word feminism.
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I am a complementarian.
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So I'm not undermining that this morning, in case that's what you heard me do.
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It is not my intention to ignore the teaching of Paul in 1 Timothy 2.12.
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Paul says this,
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I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.
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Rather, she is to remain quiet.
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So how do we reconcile?
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How do we reconcile these things this morning?
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We don't.
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Not this morning.
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Much of how we need to wrestle with these issues is what Paul means in 1 Timothy 2.12 by exercise authority.
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And there are a lot of views out there floating around.
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Many, many different views.
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Good, conservative views about what that means and exactly the way in which it gets worked out.
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But it's not my intention to accomplish all that we can accomplish concerning that.
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It's not my intention to undermine complementarianism.
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It is, however, my intention to say that there is a place for men to humbly hear and learn from women.
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Men read books written by women.
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A simple example of a great way to do that.
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I don't have the time this morning nor the bandwidth this past week to prepare an exhaustive treatment on the matter.
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But I will look for an opportunity to do so soon, right?
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That we all might properly value the role of women in our church.
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That we might be the strongest possible congregation for the glory of our king.
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Okay?
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I hope that leaves you settled enough for us to move on from there.
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Okay?
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So here, please hear everything I said.
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Not undermining complementarianism.
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I do think there are times, there is a place for men to humbly hear and learn from women.
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We'll work it out in the future.
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Okay?
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So we have in Apollos a model of humility.
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The Apostle Peter wrote, 1 Peter 5, 5,
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Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.
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For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
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And on your bulletin this morning, another Spurgeon quote.
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Spurgeon said,
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Growing Christians think nothing of themselves,
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but full-grown Christians know themselves to be less than nothing.
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Proper worth for the Christian comes from an understanding
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that we have no worth on our own.
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But that we have infinite worth because of the infinite worth of the one who bestows love on us.
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Our worth is found in magnifying the worth of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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This is where our infinite worth comes from.
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Right?
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I am saved by this worth.
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Look at Jesus.
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Look at Jesus.
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That's the worth that I have.
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And it is infinite because of that.
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Magnifying Him.
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And this gives us much reason to be humble.
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So, Paul serves us as a model of zeal and as a model of humility.
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And lastly, he serves us as a model of refutation.
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There may be a better word for that, but I'm pulling it right out of the text.
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Verse 28.
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He powerfully refuted the Jews in public.
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I started my notes out this week with model of confrontation.
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But I know that a lot of people don't like that word.
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So, refutation.
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After some time, and for an unknown reason,
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but I would suggest it's likely because he has this missionary zeal.
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He's being driven.
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Right?
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He came from Alexandria to Ephesus.
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And now he wants to go to Achaia.
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Right?
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Which is the region where Corinth is located.
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Luke records for us that he assisted the believers there.
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Right?
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When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.
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Right?
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Followers of Jesus Christ.
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In that, the way that he helped them
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is that he powerfully refuted the Jews in public.
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Showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
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Apollos helped the church in Corinth by refuting the Jews.
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That is to say,
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and this is the Greek of the word refuted,
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that Apollos crushed opponents of the cross of Christ.
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Right?
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He left them no space for argument.
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Right?
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He used his eloquence and his competence in the scriptures
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to put them in their place as opponents of God.
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Now this was the great error of their day.
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Right?
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Jews standing up in opposition to Jesus being the Messiah.
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The Christ.
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Recall that when Paul preached the gospel,
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wherever he preached the gospel,
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he left behind a wake of Jewish unrest.
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He was often the recipient of their disdain
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for the preaching of Jesus as the Christ.
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But we would be foolish to think
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that the hatred of the gospel ceased when Paul departed.
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Right?
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Paul goes on to the next place.
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It's not that the town settled down.
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Right?
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It would be silly for us to think such a thing.
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Why?
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Because Paul left behind
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those who through grace
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had believed.
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Paul left behind Christians.
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Christians.
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And Christians preach the good news
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of Jesus Christ.
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So you can see this is still a problem for them
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in Corinth.
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There's still this disdain.
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There's still this unrest.
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There's still this opposition
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to the gospel being preached.
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And this is normative
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for the Christian, beloved.
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We are not exempt from this
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because we live in America.
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The way in which the gospel exists here
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will take different shape
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than it is in other places in the world.
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But we will experience
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opposition to the preaching of the gospel.
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If you don't experience
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opposition to the preaching of the gospel,
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it's because you don't preach the gospel.
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The Bible doesn't leave us any room
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to get around that.
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2 Timothy 3.12
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Paul writes to Timothy,
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Indeed,
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all who desire to live a godly life
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in Christ Jesus
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will be persecuted.
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And the will be
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cannot be translated in any other way.
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There's not might be
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found anywhere in that use
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of that Greek phrase.
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Will be persecuted.
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So if you just consider 2 Timothy 3.12,
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if you're not being persecuted,
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then you're not living a godly life
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in Christ Jesus.
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So,
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the Jewish opposition
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was the primary source
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of Christian persecution.
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And Apollos throws
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his eloquence
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and his competency
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in the scriptures
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now explained
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more accurately
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into those confrontations.
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He refutes
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the false claims
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of the Jews
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against him
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and the gospel
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of Jesus Christ.
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So we have in Apollos
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a model of this,
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refutation.
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So,
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what then are the issues
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of our day
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that need this?
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What do we need
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to confront
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the falsehood
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that needs to be
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confronted?
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What is being
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promulgated widely
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in our religious
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landscape
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that needs
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refutation?
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Beloved,
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the issues are
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too many
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and too varied
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to address all of them
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this morning.
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They are
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wide
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and varied.
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I want to give you
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this morning
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just one
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example.
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Just one example.
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And that is
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what is commonly called,
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you've heard me call
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it before here,
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the cheap grace
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gospel.
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The cheap grace gospel.
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Certainly,
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the offer
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to come
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to God
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by grace
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through faith
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and the personal
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work of Jesus
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Christ
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is a free offer.
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Just come.
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Just come
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and believe.
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Certainly,
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there are no
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amount of good
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works we can
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amass
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in order to
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earn God's favor.
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We don't work,
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work,
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work,
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work,
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work our way
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to God.
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This is absolutely
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true.
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I talked with the
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children earlier
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about this being
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the 500th
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anniversary
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of the Reformation.
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This was the great
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thing that Martin
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Luther and many
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other men
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were standing
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up against
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that Rome
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was preaching
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and still
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preaches today.
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Do enough
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good.
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Outweigh your
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bad with enough
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good
28:15
and you'll be
28:16
accepted
28:16
by God.
28:18
The gospel
28:19
teaches that
28:19
our bad
28:20
is infinite
28:21
and there's
28:22
no amount
28:23
of good
28:24
we can do
28:24
to balance
28:25
out infinite
28:26
bad.
28:27
God
28:27
but Jesus
28:29
being
28:29
infinitely
28:30
good
28:31
gives us
28:32
his goodness
28:33
by faith
28:34
in him.
28:35
This is the
28:36
gospel of
28:36
Jesus Christ
28:38
so there's a
28:39
there's a
28:40
freeness
28:41
to it
28:42
but once we
28:43
come to
28:43
Christ
28:44
we give him
28:45
all
28:46
of ourselves.
28:48
It costs
28:49
us our
28:49
life
28:50
literally
28:52
in some
28:53
cases
28:54
but certainly
28:55
as that
28:57
you say
28:57
figuratively
28:58
but we
28:58
give everything
28:59
to him.
29:00
He becomes
29:01
our greatest
29:02
treasure
29:02
in all
29:03
that we
29:03
do.
29:03
Our
29:03
greatest
29:04
highest
29:04
good
29:05
is in
29:05
service
29:06
to him.
29:09
And that
29:10
is not
29:10
the gospel
29:11
that is
29:11
most often
29:13
preached
29:13
in churches
29:14
these days.
29:16
The kind
29:16
of gospel
29:17
invitations
29:17
that are
29:18
given in
29:18
churches
29:18
these days
29:19
involve
29:19
every
29:20
head
29:21
bowed
29:22
and
29:23
every
29:23
eye
29:24
closed.
29:25
No
29:26
one's
29:26
looking
29:27
around.
29:28
We
29:28
wouldn't
29:28
want you
29:28
to be
29:29
embarrassed
29:30
for
29:32
following
29:32
Jesus.
29:34
Just
29:34
slip up
29:35
your hand.
29:36
I see
29:36
you over
29:36
there
29:37
brother.
29:37
I don't
29:37
think
29:38
there ever
29:38
was
29:38
that
29:38
person
29:39
the
29:39
first
29:39
person.
29:41
I see
29:41
your hand
29:42
I see
29:43
you looking
29:43
at me.
29:44
There you
29:44
are.
29:44
No
29:45
one's
29:45
looking.
29:46
I
29:46
don't
29:47
feel
29:47
ashamed.
29:52
And
29:52
then we
29:52
don't
29:52
expect
29:53
the kind
29:53
of lives
29:54
that
29:55
bring
29:55
opposition
29:56
as a
29:57
result.
29:58
Why
29:58
would
29:58
we
29:58
if this
29:59
is the
29:59
way
30:00
the
30:00
gospel
30:00
is
30:00
offered
30:01
to
30:01
begin
30:01
with?
30:03
And
30:04
so
30:04
somebody
30:04
in
30:05
secret
30:05
makes
30:06
their way
30:06
down
30:07
to the
30:08
front
30:08
of a
30:09
building
30:09
to
30:10
steps
30:11
carpeted
30:13
we call
30:16
it an
30:16
altar
30:16
for some
30:17
odd
30:17
reason
30:17
and they
30:19
sign a
30:19
card
30:20
and they
30:21
think
30:22
they're a
30:22
Christian.
30:25
In our
30:27
association
30:27
of churches
30:28
75
30:30
churches
30:30
the
30:32
reported
30:32
number
30:33
of
30:33
members
30:34
is about
30:35
40,000
30:36
in this
30:38
area that
30:38
we live
30:39
in
30:39
a couple
30:40
counties
30:40
four or five
30:41
counties
30:41
40,000
30:43
but the
30:44
reported
30:44
average
30:45
attendance
30:46
is
30:48
16,000
30:49
one
30:52
prominent
30:53
church
30:53
in our
30:54
association
30:54
reports
30:55
approximately
30:56
8,700
30:58
members
30:59
with an
31:00
average
31:01
weekly
31:01
attendance
31:02
of
31:02
2,800
31:03
and at
31:08
very best
31:09
at very
31:11
best
31:12
there are
31:13
just
31:14
bad
31:16
records
31:16
sometimes
31:18
we make
31:18
mistakes
31:19
and we
31:19
have a
31:19
lot
31:20
fewer
31:20
than
31:20
8,700
31:21
names
31:21
to keep
31:21
up with
31:22
I'm
31:23
usually
31:24
the
31:24
problem
31:25
with
31:25
our
31:25
record
31:25
keeping
31:26
that's
31:29
the best
31:30
case scenario
31:30
though
31:31
right
31:31
someone
31:31
has
31:31
become
31:32
a
31:32
member
31:32
of
31:32
another
31:33
fellowship
31:33
and
31:33
they've
31:34
yet
31:34
to be
31:34
removed
31:35
they
31:35
moved
31:35
to
31:36
California
31:36
how
31:37
could
31:37
they
31:37
possibly
31:37
be
31:38
there
31:38
on
31:38
Sunday
31:39
morning
31:40
with
31:40
them
31:41
at
31:43
worst
31:44
there
31:46
are
31:46
6,000
31:47
people
31:47
5,900
31:48
people
31:49
who
31:50
believe
31:50
that
31:50
they're
31:50
followers
31:51
of
31:51
Jesus
31:51
Christ
31:52
and
31:52
they're
31:52
not
31:53
because
31:54
they're
31:54
not
31:54
expected
31:55
to
31:55
follow
31:56
him
31:56
in
31:57
obedience
31:57
Jesus
31:57
said
31:58
this
31:58
in
31:58
John
31:58
13
31:58
35
31:59
by
31:59
this
32:00
all
32:00
people
32:00
will
32:00
know
32:01
that
32:01
you
32:01
are
32:01
my
32:01
disciples
32:02
if
32:02
you
32:03
have
32:03
love
32:03
for
32:04
one
32:04
another
32:05
there's
32:06
no one
32:06
in my
32:07
life
32:07
that I
32:07
love
32:08
that I
32:08
don't
32:08
enjoy
32:09
gathering
32:10
with
32:10
as
32:11
often
32:12
as I
32:13
possibly
32:13
can
32:14
it is
32:14
a
32:15
privilege
32:15
for us
32:17
to be
32:17
together
32:17
on a
32:18
Sunday
32:18
morning
32:19
the
32:20
average
32:21
church
32:22
active
32:22
church
32:23
member
32:23
these
32:24
days
32:24
used
32:25
to be
32:26
the
32:26
average
32:26
church
32:26
member
32:26
would
32:27
be
32:27
at
32:27
church
32:27
three
32:28
times
32:28
a
32:28
week
32:28
now
32:29
the
32:30
average
32:30
active
32:31
classified
32:32
as
32:32
active
32:32
church
32:32
member
32:33
these
32:33
days
32:33
is
32:34
at
32:34
church
32:34
three
32:35
times
32:35
a
32:36
month
32:37
Jesus
32:42
also said
32:42
in Matthew
32:43
chapter 7
32:43
17
32:44
through 19
32:44
so every
32:45
healthy tree
32:46
bears
32:47
good
32:48
fruit
32:48
I
32:50
am
32:50
not
32:50
saying
32:51
right
32:51
that
32:52
if you
32:52
come
32:52
to
32:53
church
32:53
you
32:54
will
32:54
be
32:54
saved
32:54
please
32:55
hear me
32:56
not
32:56
say
32:56
that
32:56
what
32:57
I
32:57
am
32:57
saying
32:57
is
32:58
that
32:58
we
32:58
will
32:58
be
32:58
obedient
32:59
to
32:59
the
32:59
things
32:59
that
32:59
God
32:59
has
33:00
asked
33:00
us
33:00
to
33:00
do
33:00
and
33:00
one
33:00
of
33:01
those
33:01
things
33:01
is
33:01
gathering
33:02
with
33:02
the
33:02
church
33:02
one
33:03
of
33:03
the
33:03
many
33:03
things
33:03
that
33:04
we
33:04
will
33:04
do
33:05
as
33:05
a
33:05
grateful
33:06
response
33:06
to
33:07
what
33:07
Jesus
33:07
has
33:07
done
33:08
for
33:08
us
33:08
as
33:08
we'll
33:08
gather
33:09
with
33:09
his
33:09
people
33:09
and
33:09
do
33:10
all
33:10
of
33:11
the
33:11
one
33:11
another
33:11
!
33:11
as
33:12
a
33:13
church
33:13
it'll
33:15
be
33:15
a
33:15
!
33:16
to
33:16
get
33:17
to
33:17
do
33:17
such
33:18
a
33:18
thing
33:18
so
33:20
every
33:20
healthy
33:20
tree
33:21
bears
33:21
good
33:22
fruit
33:23
but
33:25
the
33:25
diseased
33:25
tree
33:25
bears
33:26
bad
33:27
fruit
33:27
the
33:29
diseased
33:29
tree
33:29
sits
33:30
at
33:30
home
33:30
and
33:30
says
33:31
nah
33:31
not
33:31
this
33:32
morning
33:32
the
33:33
Jesus
33:33
says
33:33
I'm
33:33
so
33:34
sick
33:34
of
33:34
the
33:35
church
33:35
and
33:36
all
33:36
the
33:36
hypocrisy
33:37
in
33:37
it
33:38
says
33:38
the
33:38
hypocrite
33:39
verse
33:42
18
33:43
a
33:43
healthy
33:43
tree
33:43
cannot
33:44
bear
33:44
bad
33:44
fruit
33:44
nor
33:45
can
33:46
a
33:46
diseased
33:46
tree
33:46
bear
33:47
good
33:47
fruit
33:48
in
33:48
verse
33:48
19
33:49
every
33:49
tree
33:49
that
33:50
does
33:50
not
33:50
bear
33:50
good
33:51
fruit
33:51
is
33:51
cut
33:51
down
33:52
and
33:52
thrown
33:52
into
33:53
the
33:54
fire
33:54
the
33:54
cheap
33:55
grace
33:56
gospel
33:56
says
33:57
to
33:57
everybody
33:58
you're
33:59
a
33:59
great
34:00
tree
34:00
and
34:01
isn't
34:01
even
34:02
concerned
34:02
about
34:02
the
34:03
fruit
34:03
that's
34:04
being
34:04
produced
34:05
and
34:05
it's
34:06
dangerous
34:06
beloved
34:07
it's
34:08
damning
34:08
people
34:10
who
34:10
think
34:11
they're
34:11
followers
34:11
of
34:11
Jesus
34:12
Christ
34:12
who
34:12
think
34:12
they
34:13
have
34:13
eternal
34:14
!
34:14
security
34:15
and
34:15
they
34:15
don't
34:16
and
34:18
I'm
34:18
not
34:18
saying
34:18
that
34:18
people
34:19
who
34:19
aren't
34:20
right
34:21
now
34:21
members
34:21
of a
34:22
church
34:22
and
34:22
going
34:22
every
34:23
single
34:23
Sunday
34:23
are
34:23
not
34:24
Christians
34:24
but
34:24
they
34:24
definitely
34:25
need to
34:25
be
34:26
encouraged
34:26
to be
34:28
meeting
34:28
with the
34:28
church
34:28
amongst
34:29
other
34:30
things
34:31
and
34:31
beloved
34:31
we need
34:31
to always
34:32
do this
34:32
with
34:32
gentleness
34:33
and
34:34
with
34:34
humility
34:35
because
34:36
we
34:36
love
34:37
others
34:37
because
34:38
we
34:39
love
34:39
them
34:39
we
34:40
must
34:40
refute
34:41
those
34:42
who
34:43
teach
34:43
improper
34:44
doctrine
34:45
we
34:45
must
34:46
we
34:46
must
34:46
refute
34:47
we
34:47
must
34:48
refute
34:48
the
34:49
cultural
34:50
ideologies
34:51
that have
34:51
been
34:51
propitiated
34:52
by
34:53
bad
34:54
doctrine
34:55
we
34:57
must
34:57
correct
34:57
error
34:58
and we
34:58
must
34:59
do so
35:00
with
35:00
accurate
35:01
competency
35:02
in the
35:03
scriptures
35:03
2 Timothy
35:05
3 16
35:06
all
35:06
scripture
35:07
is breathed
35:08
out by
35:08
God
35:08
and it's
35:09
profitable
35:09
it's
35:10
good
35:10
it's
35:11
helpful
35:11
for
35:12
what
35:12
for
35:13
teaching
35:13
for
35:13
reproof
35:14
for
35:15
correction
35:15
and for
35:16
training
35:17
in
35:18
righteousness
35:18
if
35:19
we
35:19
love
35:20
people
35:20
we
35:20
will
35:21
be
35:21
about
35:22
this
35:22
activity
35:23
for
35:24
their
35:24
good
35:25
for
35:25
their
35:25
good
35:26
error
35:28
must
35:28
be
35:28
refuted
35:29
and it's
35:30
not just
35:30
my
35:31
responsibility
35:31
I think
35:32
I play
35:32
a very
35:33
prominent
35:33
part
35:34
in that
35:35
but it's
35:36
also
35:36
yours
35:38
I would
35:41
like to
35:41
conclude
35:42
this morning
35:42
by encouraging
35:43
you
35:44
to take
35:45
some time
35:46
today
35:46
take some
35:48
time this
35:48
week
35:49
and across
35:49
the span
35:50
of your
35:51
life
35:52
for
35:53
Apollos to
35:54
serve you
35:55
as a
35:55
model of
35:56
zeal
35:56
as a
35:57
model of
35:58
humility
35:58
and as
36:00
a model
36:00
of
36:00
refutation
36:01
let's
36:02
pray
36:02
together