Page 84 - Acts Student Textbook

Study Section 17: PART SIX: ACTS 18:23-21:17
Third Missionary Journey

17.1 Connect.
Are you comfortable with our cultures taking over the lives of our people, at the expense of
their salvation? We must confront our culture! But how do we do that? Paul’s third missionary
journey teaches us that it is by understanding that Jesus has power over these three cultural
ideas: Jesus is over religiosity (18:24-19:7), Jesus is over Satanic strongholds (19:11-22), Jesus is
over shallow secularism (19:23-41). Jesus is over everything! Let’s start…

17.2 Objectives.
1. The student should be able to explain how to confront the three versions of cultures: the
cultures of religiosity, of Satanism, and of Secularism. And we will see in all the three how
Jesus is superior.

2. The student should be able to describe the baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus versus in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

3. The student should be able to evaluate whether we all need the laying on of hands to receive the
Holy Spirit.

4. The student should be able to discuss whether we are to view 19:2-6 as a proof-text for rebaptism
of some believers, and the laying on of hands to receive the subsequent blessing of speaking in
tongues and prophecy.

5. The student should be able to l discuss Paul’s triumph over animistic superstition (Satanism) in
Ephesus (19:11-20).

6. The student should be able to l analyze the real cause for riot in Ephesus.

7. The student should be able to examine how the resolution of the riot at Ephesus shows one of
Luke’s purposes (Christianity’s innocence) of writing.

17.3- ACTS 18:23-21:17 Third Missionary Journey- Confronting Cultures with the Gospel

Jesus is over religiosity (18:24-19:7)

Who was Apollos?

Name: 18:24 "a Jew named Apollos" It is highly unusual for a Jew to be named after a Greek
god. He was a highly educated and eloquent preacher (cf. 18:24-19:1). His ministry in Corinth was
helpful, but became problematic when one of the three factions (supporters of Paul, Peter, Apollos,
cf. 1 Cor. 1-4) took him as their champion. He refused to return to Corinth (cf. 1 Cor 16:12).

His birth place: "an Alexandrian by birth" (18:24). This was the second largest city of the Roman
Empire, known for its large library and academic flavor. It had a large Jewish population (for which
the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, the Septuagint) and was the home of Philo, a famous
Jewish, neo-Platonist, allegorical scholar.

83