130. Beginner Bible Course: Paul's second missionary journey

EPISODE 130:  Simple Bible overview:  PAUL’S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY

Look at Paul's second missionary journey. It starts with a bang. After writing the letter to the churches in Glacia Paul visits with Barnabas Paul convinces Barnabas, they need to go back in person and build up these churches. Barnabas thinks that's a great idea. I'll tell Mark to pack his bags. Paul replies say what? We're not taking him. He bailed on us on the last trip. Barnabas probably replies. Yeah, that's true. But that was a couple of years ago. He's grown. Let's see what he's got now grown. Shamone we're not taking the guy Barnabas. Might've reminded Paul of grace, gifting people with second chances.

1

00:00:44

Paul might have reminded Barnabas of Jesus' words. You'll know them by their fruit. Perhaps Barnabas reminded Paul. You wouldn't even be a Christian, much less a missionary. If God hadn't given you a second chance to which Paul might've said, some of these people in these cities were going to visit. Won't get another chance. We can't screw this up by taking that screw up with us. Luke only tells us this. They had a sharp disagreement. They split up this traveling missionary duo. Who'd opened up Asia minor and gone to Jerusalem and argued successfully for the gospel of grace. Why can't Christ followers get along?

1

00:01:25

And in this case, why can't leaders set an example and get along? We'll I'll suggest three reasons. First of all, our wiring Barnabas was Mr. Encouragement. He naturally prioritized the missionary. Mark. Paul was wired as a zealous Crusader. This guy's eyes were riveted on the objective, reaching the world with the gospel, Mr. Encouragement, wired for the missionary, Paul, the Crusader wired for the mission. I'll bet everyone listening to this leans to one side or the other. The second reason is the stakes. We're not talking about where to go on vacation.

1

00:02:05

We're talking about spreading the good news, that news that they believe will determine where the listeners spend eternity. The third reason I talked about at the end of the last episode, both Barnabas and Paul had two dogs inside of them, the flesh dog and the spirit dog, while redeemed, these are still broken men. We have no idea if one should have given into the other and which one that should have been. I can tell you that in second Timothy, at the end of his life, he writes this to Timothy. Bring John Mark to me for he's useful to me, for ministry being partnered with Barnabas, John Mark became useful.

1

00:02:46

And not only to Paul John, Mark's the one who wrote that amazing gospel. We just studied the gospel of Mark. The first gospel, the one used by Matthew and Luke to write their own gospels. We also know the result of this serious disagreement. Two teams formed John Mark went with Barnabas back to Cyprus. Paul grabs Silas and he heads Overland toward Glacia. Luke then describes for us in acts 16 through 18. This second missionary journey of Paul and Silas. They had Overland perhaps stopping and Saul's town Tarsus, then reconnect with the Christians and Derby.

1

00:03:26

Then move on to list DRA at <inaudible>. They get a third person in their missionary party. His name is Timothy. He had a very good reputation in list. DRA, maybe he was one reached on the first missionary journey. He's young. His dad was Greek and his mom was Hebrew. So Timothy was uncircumcised. Paul connects with him and wants to take him along on the missionary team. Paul's actually carrying in his hand, the letter from the church in Jerusalem about what was required of Gentiles to be saved. Namely, just believing in Jesus. Paul makes a very difficult decision, a risky one.

1

00:04:06

He asked Timothy to be circumcised. Now, before you throw a flag and go, what a Two-Face thing to do, just remember Timothy was half Jewish. That's the issue you can read in his earlier letter to the churches in Glacia. Paul makes it clear that when Titus a full Greek was with him, Paul would not allow him to be circumcised. Paul made the difficult decision if Timothy was half Jewish and he hadn't been circumcised Jewish listeners in his audience, listeners who needed to hear the gospel of Jesus would reject Timothy they'd plug their ears. So for the sake of his Jewish audience, Paul said, Timothy, we need you to do this.

1

00:04:48

Knowing Paul, that was a risky and excruciating decision. The three of them move on together. Paul, Silas and Timothy, they want to go to Asia, but God says no. Then they try go North into Bethenny via the black sea area. The Holy spirit prevented them from doing so. I asked my students, how might the Holy spirit have done that? They state things like political unrest and Bethenny or sickness with Paul, Silas, and Timothy, even a sense in their spirit that they shouldn't go up their block to go Southwest toward Asia, present day, Greece and blocked to go North toward the black sea.

1

00:05:31

They end up at TRO. As God gives direction, DePaul, through a vision or dream in that vision, he sees a man dressed in Macedonian garb. He's saying, come over. Help us. Paul sees this as God's direction. They prepare to sail to Macedonia. It's also here in TRO, as Dr. Luke joins the team. We know this because the pronouns change from they and them to we and us Luke is writing this account shortly after getting the Macedonia. They arrive in Philippi, a Roman colony on the Sabbath. There's no synagogue to go to.

1

00:06:11

That means there weren't many Jews in Philippi. If there were 10 Jewish families in a town or city by Jewish law, they were required to form a synagogue. So Paul thinks about where any God-fearing Jewish stragglers might meet on a Sabbath. He figures outside of town. There must be a place of prayer. And he's right. He finds a few folks, including Lydia, a business woman, Paul begins to share the gospel. And she believes apparently she drags Paul home and he preaches to her household. The whole household believes and is baptized. Then she presses. You need to stay at my house. Let me host you.

1

00:06:52

They settle in and each day are looking for people to share the gospel. An interesting figure starts following them around. It's a girl she's demon possessed. She's a slave girl. She's got an amazing gift of fortune telling in this case, things, this demon possessed slave girl predicted often came to pass. People were dropping large amounts of cash to have this slave girl predict their future. She follows Paul Silas and Timothy around proclaiming. These men are bond servants of the most high God they're proclaiming the way of salvation. This sounds very much like what demon possessed people around Jesus were saying.

1

00:07:34

After a few days, Paul just gets annoyed. So he calls the spirit out of this slave girl that doesn't go over real well with her owners. They're cash cows just been cashed in the whole Paul and Barnabas before the city magistrates, Paul and Barnabas are stripped down. And then they're beaten with rods, many blows. There's still parts of the world that cane people as public punishment are thrown in jail and they're put in stocks, get solitary confinement. Luke tells us they're in their cell around midnight, praying and singing hymns, the jailer and the other prisoners are a captive audience.

1

00:08:15

There's an earthquake. And the chains fall off. When the shaking stops, the jailer realizes the prison doors are open. He grabs his sword to take his own life. Knowing that would be way more merciful than the Romans doing him in for not doing his job, but before he can hurt himself, Paul yells out, Hey, we're all here. Chill. The jailer rushes in. And he asks a question. He'd been listening to Paul and Silas. What must I do to be saved? Paul replies, believe in the Lord. Jesus. And you will be saved period. And the jailer does. He brings Paul and Silas home to his household. They preach the household.

1

00:08:56

And that night, the jailers entire family is baptized. They clean Paul and Silas wounds and feed them well, then take them back to jail. The next morning, the magistrate sends the police to release Paul and Silas, but they won't come out. No way. We're Roman citizens. You violated our rights. You've beaten us in public and humiliated us till the magistrates to come on back here and escort us out. I imagine there are words about public apologies as well. They bring them out and beg them to leave town after saying goodbye, Paul, Silas, and Timothy leave. But once again, the pronouns change, the we and us become they in them.

1

00:09:39

Luke is left in Philippi, very likely to build up the families of the jailer. And Lydia, Luke will rejoin Paul in emphasis on the third missionary journey. Paul Silas and Timothy move on to Thesla Nikah. This was a major city at the crossroads of two Roman roads. There's a synagogue there. So of course, Paul goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath for three Sabbaths. He argues the Jesus is the Messiah that he had to suffer to be our sin bear. And he Rose from the dead. Some Jews were persuaded as well as God fearing Greeks and leading women in the city. But some of the do chores for God, Jews form a mob, and they put the city in an uproar.

1

00:10:23

They attack the house where Paul, Silas and Timothy are staying. The guests weren't home, but they dragged the hosts before the authorities claiming he's an accomplice to three men who are against Caesar preaching. There's another King, the new believers in Fessel Nika urged these three missionaries to get out of town. And they do. They go on to the next town, South Berea. We're told that the Bereans, they were more noble minded. They examined the scriptures carefully. When Paul came and preached to them, Jesus, they realized Paul's right. And many believed, but Jews from Philippi and Thessalonica came down and guess what?

1

00:11:03

They intended to do the same thing they did on the first missionary journey attack Paul and his message, the burry and believers send Paul away. But Paul leaves, Timothy and Silas there. Paul then heads to Athens by himself. Athens was an interesting city. It was kind of the Harvard of the Mediterranean. Even today, it's considered the birthplace of Western civilization and culture. As Paul tours, this city, he is provoked in his spirit by the massive buildings, devoted to pagan worship and all the idols peppering this city. He goes by one idle with an interesting inscription to an unknown God.

1

00:11:46

Hmm. Paul files that one away Paul finds the synagogue there and reasons with the people during the week, he's flitting around the marketplace, striking up conversations. Certain men who consider themselves philosophers hear him in these conversations. Two groups are named Epicureans and Stoics. For those who care Epicureans were the happiness cult. They believe the chief end of life was to be happy. We've got a few of those around right now. The Stoics were on the other end. They believed in moral duty. Self-control the Epicureans push the gas pedal of pleasure.

1

00:12:26

The Stoics push the break of duty. And self-control it. Must've been fun to listen to a stoic and an Epicurean at the barbershop. They pick up on Paul's message and want to know what this babbler is saying. Speaking of this Jesus and resurrection. So they invite Paul to come to a building, the IRAP Agus. Here's what Paul says. When he arrives, I observe you are religious. In all respects. I came by an altar to an unknown. God, I know him. And I'd like to tell you about him. The God of heaven and earth. The one who made the world doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. He's the one in whom we live and move and exist.

1

00:13:09

Then to build a bridge, Paul quotes, one of their own poets quote. We are his offspring unquote. I asked my students what they think about that. Quoting a pagan poet in a sermon. I tell them about the time I had to do a funeral service for a biker who was murdered at the viewing. I was told it was likely. Few of those bikers had ever stepped in a church or been at a religious service. I asked my students, would it have been appropriate to start that funeral service by playing AC DC's highway to hell, then coming up and saying, dear people, we're all on that highway. But thanks to Jesus. God made an exit for us. I'd like to tell you about him.

1

00:13:50

That's essentially what Paul does in Athens. When he's done with his message, some sneer and roll their eyes. Others want to hear more. At least one man, and one woman who are named believe Paul later calls some Corinthians his first converts in Greece. So apparently at least initially there was little fruit in this Harvard of the Mediterranean. Paul then goes on to Corinth. Corinth was a sailor town. It was a wild place. The term two Corinthian eyes came to mean to be promiscuous, to sleep around. It's in Corinth that Paul meets Aquilla and Priscilla to tent makers, evicted from Rome.

1

00:14:32

Paul begins to reason weekly in the Jewish synagogue. At some point in time, Silas and Timothy join him in Corinth. When Silas and Timothy arrive, Paul stops sewing tents and focuses. Full-time on the gospel. The Jews react and reject his message. So Paul focuses more on the Gentiles. Many in the city leave though, the Jewish pressure is on God gives Paul a vision, keep plotting, and he does. Paul will settle in Corinth pastoring, this young church of new believers in this wild sailor town for 18 months, we'll look at the two letters he writes to these Corinthian believers in future episodes.

1

00:15:14

Finally, the chore keeping who's in town have had enough. Paul decides it's time to leave and go back to Antioch. He sails from Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila on the stop before arriving at emphasis were told Paul had his hair cut, wait a minute. I thought the guy was bald. This is about 53 D. So he's around the same age, 52 or 53. He lives to be about 65. So maybe the church fathers who described him as bald were describing him later in life, or maybe he didn't have much hair. He was doing a comb-over. The bigger question is why would Luke even mention this a haircut most suggest for a period of time, Paul had taken a Nazarite vow.

1

00:16:00

We're not sure why. Just this is the way it ended. Paul Priscilla and Aquila go on to emphasis. He preaches in the synagogue. They desperately want him to stay, but instead he leaves Priscilla and Aquila behind. And as we'll see on the third missionary journey, they do some significant things in his absence. Paul returns to Antioch after this two to three years, second missionary journey, but he doesn't stay long. One verse. Then he's packing once again for Glacia. But before we follow him on this third journey, we need to look at two letters. He wrote to a church. He had visited in left on his second journey.

1

00:16:41

Paul in Corinth writes two letters to this church. Two letters, perhaps only a few weeks apart, his first and second letter to the Thessalonians. We'll see what he said and why he said it in our next wordpicture.