Preaching the Gospel

Paul’s First Journey

Acts 131. Now there were at Antioch, in the church

that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2. And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

Paul’s Divine Calling

• On the road to Damascus– Jesus appeared to Saul– Appointed him to be an apostle

• Now, called from Antioch to a work (preaching the gospel)

Trip to Jerusalem

Acts 15 1. And certain men came down from

Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

2. And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, the brethren appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

Acts 15

22. Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

23. and they wrote thus by them, The apostles and the elders, brethren, unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting:

Acts 15

24. Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment;

25. it seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26. men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 15

27. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth.

28. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

29. that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.

The Epistle

Acts 15 30. So they, when they were dismissed,

came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle.

31. And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation.

32. And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.

Paul’s 2nd Journey

Acts 15 35. But Paul and Barnabas tarried

in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

36. And after some days Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they fare.

Paul and Silas

Acts 15 40. but Paul choose Silas, and

went forth, being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.

41. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Acts 16

Timothy joins Paul’s company

4. And as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem.

5. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Led By God

Acts 16 6. And they went through the region

of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia;

7. and when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not;

8. and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

The Vision

Acts 16 9. And a vision appeared to Paul in

the night: There was a man of Macedonia standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

10. And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Help us

With what?

• Economic needs?

• Medical needs?

• Educational needs?

• Political needs?

• Social needs?

The Greatest NEED

• Salvation for the soul

• Comes through preaching– Not through benevolent programs– Not through education– Not through economic increase– Not through cultural exchange

Paul in Macedonia

Acts 16 11. Setting sail therefore from

Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;

12. and from thence to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the first of the district, a Roman colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain days.

An open door?

• Preached to women

• Lydia and others converted

• A certain maid “delivered”“These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation. “

The Philippi Jail

Paul and Silas were dragged before the rulers...

Accused, stripped, beaten, jailed

God was with them

Acts 1625. But about midnight Paul and Silas

were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

26. and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

The Jailor

Acts 16 27. And the jailor, being roused out

of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

28. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

The Question

Acts 16 29. And he called for lights and

sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,

30. and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

The Answer

31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

32. And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house.

33. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately.

The Answer Depends

• On where you are

• For example: How far is it to Pittsburgh?

• The answer depends on WHERE you are when you ask

From Morgantown, WV –

75 miles

From Waynesburg, PA –

53 miles

From Washington, PA –

30 miles

From Bethel Park, PA –

10 miles

What must I do?

• Believe – Acts 16:30-31

• Repent – Acts 2:38

• Confess – Acts 8:36-37

• Be baptized – Acts 22:16

A beginning

• The gospel is preached in Macedonia

• Lydia, the jailor and others are saved

• Later, Paul will go to Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth...

Luke

• Will be left behind in Philippi

• Paul will reunite with Luke later on his 3rd journey– Acts 20:6ff

• Luke will be with Paul through the end of the book of Acts

Philippi

The brethren in Philippi became a great spiritual support for Paul in his work of preaching

Philippians 1:3-5, 4:15-16