Paul's Odyssey #2 The Awakening in Ephesus
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Grace Church By John Demo

Paul's Odyssey #2 The Awakening in Ephesus

The 3rd Missionary Journey of the Apostle Paul

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Grace Church holds a Meet & Greet for those who are newer to Grace Church on the 4th Sunday of each month. Our next Meet & Greet will be Sunday, July 27th following the service in CJ's coffee shop. It is a great opportunity to meet the staff and leadership of Grace Church and learn a little more about the church. It also gives us an opportunity to learn a little about you! Contact Leslie Booher if you have any questions ([email protected]).
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Sunday, July 13th - Joe Mater, William Orton
Monday, July 14th - Graham Dykhouse
Tuesday, July 15th - Stacy Schilz
Wednesday, July 16th - Lena Kuestner
Thursday, July 17th - Sarah Hoxie, Avianna Robinson, Claude & Sherry Snider, Matt & Donita Firman
Friday, July 18th - Doug & Donita Murphy
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Odyssey: "A long and adventurous journey or experience."
In 2023 & 2024 we spent the summer months on the life of the Apostle Paul and covered his first two missionary journeys as presented in the book of Acts. This summer we'll look at his 3rd missionary journey
Have you ever listened to a story of someone's adventure and have been overwhelmed or maybe underwhelmed? Sometimes the Bible can appear like this. A little chaotic and hard to follow.
Acts 18:22-23 covers a lot of time, miles, meetings, and interactions that aren't recorded and may leave us feeling a little uncertain as to what has transpired and what is the next step.
Acts 18:22-23
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22 When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem. Then he went down to Antioch.
23 After Paul had spent some time in Antioch, he traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
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Our text this morning in Acts 19:1-10 and kicks off the 3rd missionary journey.
God did something in the city of Ephesus that left many spiritually healthy individuals and a solid church. This area could be used as a home base of operation for this entire region. This explains our title for today, "Awakening in Ephesus."
Acts 18:24-28
We see that the team of Aquilla and Priscilla meet a Jewish guy from Alexandria, Egypt (Apollos) and invested time to train and sharpen him to preach the Gospel. Apollos then returned across the Aegean Sea and began a teaching ministry in the church at Corinth.
Meanwhile, a number of months later, Paul was working his way back to Ephesus and Apollos has relocated. This sets the stage for what happens in Acts 19.
Acts 18:24-28
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24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures.
25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him in and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
28 For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
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In life, we will encounter many people. They are not random encounters but should be viewed as divine appointments. There are people we can help, people who can be reached for Jesus, people who are there to bless you, and people who God wants us to invest in...to train and to sharpen for some future ministry.
This week, try looking at people through these lenses. Make a choice to get out of your comfort zone and allow God to use you in their life...and they in yours.
Acts 19:1-10 describes many of the divine appointments that God presented to Paul. In this passage you'll see several key actions that enabled Paul to impact these people. Today we'll look at just four of these.
1. Paul DECIDED to get out of his comfort zone.
Acts 19:1

Here at Grace Church we talk about Walking Across the Room to get to know someone. Paul literally walked across a country!
There are many opportunities this summer to connect with others.
Acts 19:1
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1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the interior and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples
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2. Paul INITIATED conversations by asking thought-provoking questions.
Acts 19:2-3

Jesus modeled how to ask good questions throughout the gospels...over 300 questions actually! In doing so, He opened doors for deeper conversation, trust, compassion, and reconciliation with God and others.
Acts 19:2-3
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2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 “Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied.
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3. Paul PROVIDED truth that enabled people to develop a proper faith.
Acts 19:4-7

Paul was not condemning nor was he arguing with these people. He helped them to have a more complete and truthful understanding of what had happened. Many people today need clarity of what they have heard about Jesus and the Christian faith.
*Mentoring program at Grace Church
Acts 19:4-7
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4 Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
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4. Paul INVESTED time in relationships which were open to spiritual matters.
Acts 19:8-10

Not everyone has a positive attitude toward God or the things that matter to Him. But there are a great many who do. There are people who want to grow in their faith, develop ministry skills, and reach their God-given potential. Our mission is to know Jesus and make Him known!
Acts 19:8-10
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8 Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
9 But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
10 This continued for two years, so that everyone who lived in the province of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord.
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