Acts 18 is a travelog of one of Paul’s breakneck missionary journeys. This chapter alone puts him in Athens, Corinth, Antioch, Syria, and Ephesus. I love this portion of Scripture in that Denise and I, along with a number of Foursquare pastors/leaders will be seeing these biblical sites in September 2011 on a “Footsteps of Paul” tour.
You can find out about this epic adventure by clicking HERE.
One of the primary purposes of our Footsteps of Paul tour is to be immersed in the land of a large portion of the New Testament and the culture of it’s teachings. Myself, my friend Tim Clark and a few other Foursquare leaders will be teaching our way through various sites – which is pretty much what the Apostle Paul did.
18:4 “He (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
18:8 “Many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.”
18:11 “And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
Perhaps the most poignant verse is this: “When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus” (18:5).
Occupied with the Word.
In another version it says: “Paul was completely engrossed with preaching, earnestly arguing and testifying to the Jews that Jesus [is] the Christ.” He was constrained. He was pressed. Paul HAD to preach the Word. He simply HAD to, because it occupied him completely.
Are you occupied with the Word? When your friends see you do they recognize that you are an individual constrained by the Scripture?
One of my mentors is a man that is occupied with the Word. It’s always on his lips. He refers to it often, speaks it out loud, and quotes it in casual conversation. Almost any interaction with him can and will be navigated towards a passage of Scripture. For some time I used to giggle quietly when he did this. I was blown away as to how he would constantly drive the conversation back to the Bible. Then one day I mentioned it to him. I said, “Sir, I’m always amazed how you insert the Word of God into just about anything!”
He responded to this effect: “I’m amazed that more people don’t consider the Word of God in just about everything. So many people have memorized lyrics, batting averages, movie dialogue and current events, but don’t know any Scripture. Too many people are being led by talk show hosts, the internet and the opinion of friends but don’t rightly consider the authority of the Bible. I keep bringing the conversation back to God’s Word because it matters most.”
Ouch.
Are you occupied by the Word?