The Third Missionary Journey – Paul's Long Stay in Ephesus

Well, if you would take your Bible, please turn to Acts chapter 19. Tonight we will not cover many verses. We'll only be in verses 8 to 10, but Acts chapter 19 verses 8 to 10. Now last week we stepped away from our verse-by-verse study through the book of Acts, but we did not leave the book. We studied chapter 19 verses 1 to 7 and we came to an important time in the birth, the growth, and the development of the church. In verses 1 to 7 we saw how the last group was evangelized and added to the church. The Jews were brought into the church first in Acts 2, we know that.

The Samaritans were brought into the church next in Acts chapter 8, we know that. The Gentiles came in third in Acts chapter 10, and the 12 men here in chapter 19, 1 to 7, represent the Old Testament saints who kind of were lingering on. They were kind of lingering on. So in verses 1 to 7 at this particular point in the birth, the growth, and the development of the church, the church was finally complete. These distinct and different groups represent all people and all people groups in the world. Let that sink in.

These distinct groups, these different people groups from chapter 1 to chapter 19, represent all the people and all the people groups on earth. Now this was my purpose, this was my reasoning in last week's message. I felt it was good to give us some lessons and additional teaching that will help us better understand the unique, one-of-a-kind, transitional nature of chapters 1 to 19. And not only was that meant to be educational, educational is good, information is good, but it was meant to be, and it is, practical.

Practically, understanding what we looked at helps us understand the errors that some make today when they misunderstand and misapply some of what we see here in chapters 1 to 19. And this teaching can guard us and help us keep us from making mistakes that others have made. But tonight we will get back to our verses, we'll pick up where we left off two weeks ago, with Paul's ministry in Ephesus. Paul's ministry in Ephesus. Now we know that Paul first went to Ephesus at the end of his second missionary journey, when he was traveling to Jerusalem and then coming back home to Antioch.

He stopped off in Ephesus for a short time because he was on his way to Jerusalem to fulfill his vow, which most believe was a Nazirite vow, or a vow of the Nazirite tradition. And when he was in the city of Ephesus, he went to the Jewish synagogue, and he reasoned with the Jews concerning the gospel and Jesus as the promised Messiah of God. And to our surprise, he found a receptive audience. He found a curious audience. He didn't get that too often in the synagogues, so he promised that he would return, and he did.

Now before we get into our next verses, I want us to make sure we have in mind now the background of the work and what's going on here. Yes, this was pioneer evangelistic work by Paul, but the city was not without a gospel witness. Remember now, when Paul first went to Ephesus, he was not alone. Priscilla and Aquila were with him, and many believe that Silas and Timothy were with him as well. And when they stopped off in Ephesus, and they left, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila behind to establish their tent making business and obviously to continue his gospel witness in the city. So, look at the beginning of the work in Ephesus.

This is big picture. Paul went to the synagogue in Ephesus when he stopped off there in the city on his way to Jerusalem, and the Jews were receptive of Paul and the gospel at first. Priscilla and Aquila were left behind in the city after Paul left for Jerusalem, and they successfully evangelized and educated Apollos. We learned of him. He was a disciple of John the Baptist. And then Apollos was called and sent to go to Corinth to minister to the church in the city there. In other words, he became a great useful minister of the gospel rather quickly.

And when Paul did make it back to Ephesus as he promised, he found those Old Testament believers who were lacking in two ways. First, they were lacking in their Bible knowledge. Their Bible knowledge stopped at John the Baptist. They did not know of Jesus. They didn't know of the giving of the Holy Spirit. They didn't know of the birth of the church. They missed so much. And then second, experientially they were lacking. They had not experienced a new birth. They had not experienced the saving message of the gospel in the giving of the Holy Spirit. Therefore becoming believers in Jesus and coming into the church.

So we know that Paul evangelized. Now, what is my point here? What is my point here? Why the review? Is this just review for review's sake? Well, the answer is yes. I want us to have these events in our minds and understanding before we continue. But I want us to see that what takes place next in Ephesus was the continuation of a long work that involved many different people besides Paul. We have been seeing that Paul was not a one-man band. God brought all kinds of helpers and assistants and even husband-and-wife teams to help him in the work. So this is where we are tonight. Those Old Testament saints were born again.

The Old Testament saints were born again. They were brought into the church and now we see Paul laboring in the synagogue and in the city really for a very long time. Paul stayed for a long time by his standards. So I want us to look at our verses for tonight, verses 8 to 10, but let's go back and read the other verses, verses 1 to 7. Get it all in our minds. And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, let me pause there. Remember, he was called and commissioned to go to Corinth. So the church at Ephesus sent him out. Well, Paul passed through the inland country and he came to Ephesus.

There he found some disciples and he said to them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said no, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. And he said to them, into what then were you baptized? They said in the John's baptism. And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about 12 men in all.

Now our verses for tonight. And he, that's Paul, entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrrhenius. This continued for two years so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. Now this is how we're going to approach the verses. I want us to make three observations here. First, I want us to see Paul's ministry in the synagogue.

That's obvious, verses 8 to 9. And then second, Paul's ministry in the hall of Tyrrhenius. That's obvious, verses 9 to 10. And then I'll kind of step back and we'll look at some big picture things, even looking ahead, and we'll look at the results of Paul's ministry to this point because he's got a lot more ministry to go in the city of Ephesus. So number one, Paul's ministry in the synagogue. Paul's ministry in the synagogue. Here we see that Paul did what he did in each of the cities, all of the cities he visited. If they did have a Jewish synagogue, he began his gospel work there.

And he knew of the synagogue, we know, because he had ministered there before, but only for a short time. But Luke tells us quite a lot about his work in the synagogue. First, his time. Notice how long he ministered. Luke says that Paul ministered in the synagogue for three months, and later on in chapter 20, verse 31, Luke tells us he ministered in the city for three years. So we see that Paul stayed in Ephesus longer than any place before or after. By his standards, that was an eternity for him.

I have to ask how? Why? Why did he stay so long? How did he stay so long? He was usually persecuted out of town real quick. Sometimes he experienced the persecution and sometimes he left and others experienced the persecution. Now of course we understand that this was all part of the providential sovereign work of God. That's how he was able to stay. But I cannot help but think about the great role the church in Ephesus would play in the future, in the near future. We will see that the church in Ephesus became one of the most important churches in the New Testament.

Their influence, their impact, and their importance was probably only second to the church in Jerusalem. We're going to see that some tonight and we'll continue to see it on through the book of Acts. But then second is preaching. I want to look at Paul's style of preaching, Paul's approach in preaching, and Luke tells us a lot more than we may realize. The English Standard says he spoke boldly. This means that he had freedom. This means that he had great confidence. He had assurance in speaking. We understand it intuitively, boldness. He had boldness. But notice the Legacy Standard, the New American says he continued speaking out boldly.

And that is because in the original, this is in the imperfect tense, which means he was continually speaking boldly. He did not preach one bold sermon, but he preached boldly for three months. And there's more. Luke tells us that during that time Paul was reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. And this reasoning here, this means to discourse or to converse with someone, even to argue, even to discuss. So this tells us that Paul reasoned with the Jews. And when they had questions, when they challenged him, when they disagreed with him, he reasoned with them in his teaching back and forth. And this persuading is simple.

This means to convince using an argument. So Paul was persuading them with an argument. He was attempting to persuade them with an argument. I love what MacArthur says here. He kind of paints a picture of this part of Paul's ministry. And I'm quoting, he, thus Paul, was obviously in the midst of a whole congregation of unbelieving Jews. Yet he unflinchingly and directly challenged their whole religious system, calling them to repent and believe in Jesus as their Messiah and God. And look at how this applies to us in our day. We are witnessing to the lost.

We are attempting to witness to neighbors, and co-workers, and friends, and old acquaintances, people maybe we went to school with. We're even trying to witness to family, and that can be the hardest. And look, we need to see that we must witness like Paul. At times we reason with him. At times we press them. At times we go back and forth answering their rebuttals, and their opinions, their false beliefs, their questions. How? With the Word of God. We're trying to persuade them. We're reasoning with them. We're even going back and forth.

And we're always working to persuade them to believe in the Bible, in the gospel, or we're attempting to do that. From the Bible, from the truth of God's Word, we're giving them convincing arguments, trying to move them, and persuade them to Christ. And we do this as long as it takes. Three months, three years, thirty years. We boldly proclaim Jesus, the gospel, and the Word of God. And look folks, make sure when we use words, it's backed up with the life that's not contradictory. Not perfection now. Make sure we're living that witness first.

Make sure we are living that witness, and then when our words come forth, we will not be a contradiction. And sometimes, even our family, they will point out when we're not perfect. It's kind of hard sometimes. Again, family can be the hardest. Third, notice this subject. Notice his subject. If we pay attention, Luke tells us what Paul preached. But notice Luke says Paul preached about the kingdom of God. Now what does this mean? That's a phrase that we can kind of skip over. This does not mean that Paul was preaching on the end times, or preaching about heaven, or eternity necessarily, but on the kingdom of God here on earth.

He was preaching things concerning Jesus, the gospel, salvation in Jesus. He was reasoning and persuading from the Old Testament now that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and he was preaching of God's kingdom, the church, and that the church age was right before them. And then fourth, look at the results of Paul's ministry in the synagogue. Go back to verse 9. Go back to verse 9. And he entered the synagogue, and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom.

But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples, that would be believers, with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. Now here Luke shows us that although Paul was free to minister in the synagogue for a long time, the unavoidable, the inevitable, finally happened. Some of the Jews got sick of Paul, and they got tired of his preaching. They just had a belly full, if I can put it in my words. And Luke tells us what they did internally over time, and what they did outwardly as a result. Let me restate that because I want us to see it.

Luke shows us what they did internally over a period of time, and what they did outwardly as a result. Inwardly they became stubborn and continued in unbelief. That's what the English Standard says. The New American says they were becoming hardened and disobedient. In this word stubborn or hardened, it means to make hard, to become obstinate, to become stubborn. And there are two observations that will help us see what these Jews did. One is in the language, and one is found in the rest of the New Testament. This were becoming hardened in the language. It's in the imperfect tense.

It's an imperfect tense verb, which tells us this was not a one-time event, but a process. This means that as Paul was preaching, they were hardening their hearts. Each day, each week, each month, Paul was reasoning, and he was persuading from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and that the kingdom of God was at hand, but they were continually hardening their hearts and becoming more and more obstinate and stubborn. Now there's a lesson here. When the truth of God's Word and the gospel is rejected repeatedly, it hardens the heart.

When one hears the gospel and the Word of God, and they reject it over and over, more and more over time, they become increasingly more stubborn, more hard-hearted, more resistant, more obstinate. And the sad fact we need to come to grips with is this. People can sit in the pew for sometimes years, and they will look like they're receiving it, but they're under the preaching and the teaching of the Word. They look like they like it. They look like they're receiving it, but all the while, they're rejecting it. They're rejecting it. And the entire time, they seem to be receiving it, but they're hardening their heart more and more.

They're becoming more and more obstinate, more and more stubborn, and they will end up acting out like we see the Jews here. But the second observation, every time this word translated, word becoming hardened, is used in the New Testament. It speaks of hardening the heart against God. Now, there's a warning here. Don't harden your heart. Don't harden your heart against truth. When the truth of God's Word is brought to bear, don't resist it. Don't harden your heart. Don't step away from it, because your heart will become harder than you realize. Even the believer can quench the Spirit and grieve the Spirit and harden their heart against truth.

Never push truth back. Always receive it, no matter the cost. And outwardly, we look at the inward, look at the outward, look at what they did. They finally couldn't take it anymore, so they burst out and they spoke evil of the way. Now, what is this phrase

way. This was simply an early title given to the believers. This was an early title or description given to Christianity and the followers of Christ. And this means that these Jews, they came to a breaking point. They broke out in rejection of Paul and his preaching and the message. And continuing with the results of Paul's ministry, upon the rejection of the Jews, Luke tells us that Paul left the synagogue. He took his ministry, he took his preaching platform, and he took those who had believed and he went somewhere else. So, in verses 8 to 9, Luke tells us of Paul's three-month long ministry in the synagogue.

Paul had a very long ministry there in the synagogue in Ephesus as compared to other places. The Jews grew more hard-hearted. They rejected Paul. They rejected the gospel. But with God's help, Paul did win some to Christ. Paul did win some to Christ. Obviously, it's Christ who wins lost sinners, but he uses men and people and women in doing so. Now, there's a lesson here for individuals, for believers, and for ministers, and for churches. There's a lesson here, okay? God is the determiner of the success. Let that phrase sink in. God is the determiner of the success. God determines the results and the success of his ministry.

Think about Paul's ministry in the synagogue in Ephesus as compared to other places. Why was Paul able to minister in Ephesus like he did when in other places, it seems that as soon as he opened up his Bible, they ran him out of town? We know the rest of the story. We know that God had big plans for Ephesus. Paul might not have seen it at that time, but he had to understand and live out now, God is the determiner of the success of our ministry. We are just responsible to be faithful and leave the results up to God. Next number two, Paul's ministry in the hall of Tyrannus. Paul's ministry in the hall of Tyrannus.

Let's look at verse nine and verse 10. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and he took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. I'm going to go ahead and read verse 10. This continued for two years so that all of the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. Both Jews and Greeks. Now at this point, it's obvious, Luke shows us that Paul's ministry changed and it grew in a big way. We see that what seemed like a setback was actually a victory. Now put yourself in Paul's time frame.

When he was run out of the synagogue, he very well could have felt like his ministry was a success. But when he was run out of the synagogue, he very well could have felt like his ministry took a setback. But really it was a victory. And we'll come back to that. But we need to see that Paul's ministry shifted, not just in where he came to preach. I'll explain it. First, this hall of Tyrannus. What was this? I mean, what is this? Tyrannus was a name, but scholars are not certain who he was. But we can ascertain what this hall was.

But some say Tyrannus may have been a Jewish teacher who owned the hall or had a possession of it for a meeting place. And they speculate that he was not opposed to Paul and Christianity, so he rented it out to Paul. Others say that Tyrannus was a local philosopher who may have owned the hall or had possession of it and he taught in the hall. And if that was the case, obviously he was not opposed to Paul, Christianity, so he rented it out. And the information we do have here comes from some ancient Greek texts that say that Paul lectured in the hall daily from 11 in the morning until four in the afternoon.

And lots of scholars say that that is reliable, extra biblical information. Now in taking that road now, scholars point out that the middle of the day was when Tyrannus would have dismissed his students and the meeting hall was open. One scholar speculated maybe it was Aquila and Priscilla that paid rent on the hall. Of course that's speculation and we have to be careful how we interpret the blank spaces in the scripture. I know that. But as far as what this hall was and the details, we don't have much. But what we do know is this.

Paul took his disciples from the synagogue and he secured a meeting hall that would accommodate his disciples and the growing crowds. And notice what this did for Paul's preaching ministry. This opened up doors for Paul in the gospel. Matthew Henry points out that this allowed for more opportunities. The synagogue he can only preach on the Sabbath, but in the hall he could preach and minister every day. In the synagogue his audience was only Jews and proselytes to Judaism and the Gentiles were left out. But in the hall he could minister to all, Jew, Gentile and everybody in between.

And look folks, there is a lesson here and this will surprise you. Don't make the mistake of over spiritualizing where the church meets. Let that sink in. Think about it. It was a lot more practical and advantageous for Paul to meet in that hall. The people in Ephesus were used to meetings like that in places like this hall and there was more room for the crowds, Jews and Gentiles to meet. For us in our day, what is more accepted in our culture? A church building. What has more room, what is more advantageous for a church? A church building. Can we meet in homes? Sure. Can we meet in a building that does not look like a church? Sure.

But none of that is a requirement. Again, we cannot make the mistake of over spiritualizing where the church meets. But this was practically a good move. I guess if I can put it like this, those Ephesians were used to meeting in a place like that. They were. Second, his time. Luke tells us that Paul met in the hall daily. Did you see that? This means that Paul met in the hall preaching, reasoning and persuading people to Christ and the gospel every day. Bible scholar Jim Boyce points out that every day meant every day. He says that in their culture, no one took vacations.

They did not have a five day work week, nor do they have a 40 hour work week. Those things we are accustomed to. So if Paul did minister from 11 to 4, he ministered and taught some five hours a day, maybe seven days a week. Maybe he did take the Sabbath off, but the text says he ministered every day. And on top of that now, later on in Acts 20, Paul told the Ephesian elders that he worked to support himself during this time. That would mean that before 11 a.m. he worked and after 4 p.m. he worked making tents. That is if he met during that 4 to 11, 11 to 4 time frame. And there is more.

When he was talking to the Ephesian elders in chapter 20, he said that he went door to door ministering. And when I came to this point, I backed up and I thought, wow, Paul was a super apostle. He was super busy. And then I remembered he didn't have a wife and kids. But what we have to see here is this. These were apostolic times and Paul was an apostle and God uniquely equipped him and gifted him to minister in this way. Honestly, if a pastor tried to minister like that now, he would be dead by the time he is 35. He would. He would have a heart attack and other health issues. But what does this say to us? How does this relate to us?

Does it even relate to us? Look folks, I want you to see that when we meet, we meet with purpose. We meet with purpose. This reminds me of a friend of mine years ago who was serving on church staff and sadly it was not the healthiest church circumstance. And he said to me on the phone, he said, man, I am sick and tired of mediocre. We have mediocre Sunday

we have mediocre church, we have mediocre discipleship training before church that night, we have mediocre church that night, we have mediocre choir practice, then we have mediocre Bible study, and then we have mediocre church on Wednesday night. He said, why can't we cut half of that out and have the rest of it good? I understood his pain. But what I want you to see is when we meet, we meet with purpose, and I do not put stuff on the calendar just to do it. But we must never get to the place where sadly many churches are today. Many want to meet less and less.

Many cancel Sunday nights, many cancel Wednesday nights, many cancel just about everything on in the summertime, and sadly many of them do that because they feel the pressure of the people. So many of the people are more worldly minded, and they want more Saturday. They want Saturday, and then they want Sunday to be Saturday, and they want Friday to be Saturday. What it is is they want more me time, more recreational time. I was visiting with a minister struggling with this, struggling with this. You wouldn't know him.

And he said, brother, it's hard because summertime comes, all our people leave, and then they expect us to just keep the lights on for when they get back. And he said, we can't even have vacation Bible school. But let me just say this, we meet the way we do with purpose. All that we do is super important, and you know that. You know that. Third, the results. Now here is where we get a glimpse of the importance of the church and the importance of the work in Ephesus. In two years, Luke tells us that all of Asia heard the gospel, both Jews and Greeks.

This means that Paul and those converted to Christ now through his ministry in Ephesus were able to impact and evangelize an entire province. Now does this mean that all of them were saved? No. But the entire region was impacted, and many did come to faith in Christ. John MacArthur points out that during this time, many churches were started. This means people heard the gospel, they believed and were baptized, and enough were converted, and churches were started. This is when the church at Colossae came about. This is when the church at Heropolis came about. Most scholars believe this is when the other churches in Revelation 2-3 came about.

They came out of the work at Ephesus. So they obviously had great gospel success. They became a flagship church in the region, folks. MacArthur says, and I'm quoting him here, Paul's very effective strategy for evangelism was to teach the Word, make disciples, and let them spread the gospel. Spiritually reproducing Christians are the heart of any successful method of evangelism. Let me restate that last sentence. Spiritually reproducing Christians are the heart of any successful method of evangelism. Folks, I can't reach the people in your life for Jesus. You have to. It's my job to equip you so that you can.

It's the church's job to equip you so you can reach the people that God has in your life. And if I come across their path, I'll help. So in verses 9 to 10, we see Paul's ministry in the Hall of Tyrrhenius. His ministry shifted from the synagogue to this local meeting place. So what seemed like rejection was really a blessing. Paul's ministry shifted and it grew as God ordained the shift and the growth. And there's a big lesson here, this overall lesson. God's sovereignty in the work of his church. Remember that. God is sovereign in the work of his church.

All we must do is do the work of the church God's way according to what we see in God's Word. Why? For us? No, for God's glory. And he will govern and direct the work because it's his. I'm going to state that again. All we must do is do the work of the church God's way according to what we see in the scripture, all for God's glory, and we allow him to govern the work, him to bless the work, him to direct the work. And look, this might sound kind of small, but that's a big lesson. It's a big lesson. Last, the results. And I'll be rather quick here. The results. And we see that in verses 8 to 10.

Now I'm being a little bit redundant, but I want to make kind of a big picture point here. And I want to touch on some things that Jim Boyce points out as he's looking towards the verses to come. We have seen that Paul had great gospel success in the Jewish synagogue. He ministered there for three months and came away with a good group of disciples after he was rejected. But the Jews, they became more obstinate, more hard-hearted. They ran him off. He was lucky he didn't get persecuted. So Paul set up church in the lecture hall or a gathering hall in the city, the Hall of Tyrannus.

And it is no stretch to think of this hall as a very common place, a large gathering place that was designed and used for public gatherings, speaking situations, and even debate. Halls and gathering places for discussion of religion, philosophies, new ideas, politics were very common in cities like Ephesus. We saw this back in Athens. And as a result not only was Paul able to reach more for the gospel, both Jew and Gentile in the entire region, the prophets of Asia heard the gospel and many were converted. And if we look ahead into other places in the New Testament, churches came out of this work. But there's more.

It was during this time that Paul wrote 1st Corinthians. And scholars show us that he had a great deal of correspondence with the Corinthian church. And in my way of viewing it, because Paul was in one place here in Ephesus, he was able to write and correspond with the Corinthian church like he did. Now this is my point. There was a lot of ministry going on here. Paul, this church, and these believers, they saw, they participated, and they enjoyed lots of great gospel success. The voice says the Ephesian church was established. That is true. I would say it became the flagship church of the region.

Paul stayed that long to do all that he did for a purpose. Great miracles were performed. We're going to see that. All of which attested to the work. Simply these miracles we will look into next week affirmed, confirmed the work in the church, the message and all that went out of Ephesus. Also great discipleship took place. Paul stayed and taught so long. These believers were taught and they were discipled well. And as we have seen, great evangelism took place. Again they impacted an entire region. Simply the results were amazing. This was great gospel success. And again now these were unique apostolic times. Now notice what we have here.

Just in a few verses now Paul's lengthy ministry and stay in Ephesus. I mean at this point it's two years, but we know that he stayed three. I mean there's a lot more to go. One scholar I read said it's amazing how Luke was able to condense so much information in a few verses that explained so much that went on in three years. But we have Paul's impactful ministry in Ephesus. No doubt it was because he stayed so long, but it was because God was in the work. So the title of the message. This is the third missionary journey obviously. Paul's impactful ministry in Ephesus. Paul's impactful ministry in Ephesus.

Let's pray and then we'll look at a few prayer needs as always.