Sunday School Lesson

1. Acts 18:24-28; 19:1-7
Incomplete Picture
January 28, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

2. What’s the number one thing?
http://quotesthoughtsrandom.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/first-things-first.jpg

3. The Glory of God!
https://forgodalmighty.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/cropped-sunset1.jpg

4. 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
it all to the glory of God.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6tzRiT-BrDs/TIGM_Ih3dAI/AAAAAAAAAX0/0AJWPvlAfqw/s640/Gods+Glory.jpg

5. January Memory Verse
Philippians 3:14
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward
call of God in Christ Jesus.

6. Pray for the Pastor Search Committee.
• Doug Gunn, Chairman
• Lenora Bigler
• Dottie Hudson
• David Maron
• Jim Merritt, Jr.
• Elizabeth Rich
• Mallory Rosamond
• Don Waller
• Jeff Zachary

7. Pray for Bill Boteler as he recovers from heart
surgery.

8. Liberty University Convocation
January 24, 2018
Hugh and Jill Freeze
Chip Henderson
Watch on YouTube, Google

9. Incomplete Picture of FDR – Unfinished
April 12, 1945 by Elizabeth Shoumatoff

10. Incomplete Picture – Missing Pieces

11. References
•MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Study Bible (Word
Publishing, Nashville, TN, 1997).
•Stott, John R. W., The Message of Acts (Downers
Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, USA, 1994).
•Maier, Paul L., EUSEBIUS: The Church History (Kregel
Publications, Grand Rapid, MI, 2007).
•Unless otherwise stated, scriptures are quoted from
the ESV.

12. Introduction to The Book of Acts
•Luke is considered the author of The Book of Acts.
•Luke was writing as an historian and not a theologian.
•He records the points of the sermons of Peter and
Paul but provides no deep theological discussions.
•Paul provides the theology of the events and sermons
in his letters and epistles.
•Lesson today is during Paul’s 3rd Missionary Journey.

13. Introduction to Characters in Acts 18:24-28
•Aquila and Priscilla – Jewish couple who were
believers in Christ and also tentmakers.
•Aquila was born in Pontus (Northern Turkey on the
Black Sea).
•They were forced to leave Rome in 49 AD by decree of
Claudius.
•They met Paul in Corinth and worked together.
•They followed Paul to Ephesus as missionaries.

14. Acts 18:24-25
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,
came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent
in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way
of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and
taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though
he knew only the baptism of John.

15. Apollos of Alexandria, Egypt
•Egypt had a large Jewish community.
•Apollos was born in Egypt; raised in a Jewish home.
•Apollos had followed the “baptism of John.”
•He was an excellent speaker and excelled in his
understanding of Old Testament scripture.
•We are not told why he came to Corinth.
•Martin Luther proposed he wrote Hebrews.

16. Acts 18:26
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when
Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and
explained to him the way of God more accurately.
•Assumption – Apollos was a redeemed OT believer in
Christ as Savior – “knew only the baptism of John.”

17. What was Apollos’ deficiency that needed
“further explanation”?
•Luke did not fully explain the deficiency.
•Whatever the issue, he had an “incomplete
understanding” but was a saved believer in Christ.
•Aquila & Priscilla were gracious to confront Apollos in
private “and explained to him the way of God more
accurately.”
•Apollos was eager to listen, learn and teach the truth.

18. Aquila and Priscilla explaining to Apollos

19. Acts 18:27-28
27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers
encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome
him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who
through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted
the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the
Christ was Jesus.

20. Apollos Goes from Ephesus to Achaia
(Corinth)

21. The Ministry of Apollos in Corinth
1 Corinthians 3:4-8
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow
Apollos," are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through
whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So
neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but
only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who
waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to
his labor.

22. The Ministry of Apollos in Corinth
1 Corinthians 4:6
6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos
for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not
to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be
puffed up in favor of one against another.
•Apollos in Acts 18 had saving faith in Christ, but he
needed theological correction.
•Not a “salvation issue” in his faith.

23. Shift Gears in Acts 19 – Followers of “John the
Baptist” who had salvation issues (missing pieces)

24. Acts 19:1-2
1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth,
Paul passed through the inland country and came to
Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said
to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard
that there is a Holy Spirit."

25. Acts 19:3-5
3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?"
They said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John
baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the
people to believe in the one who was to come after
him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

26. Acts 19:6-7
6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy
Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in
tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve
men in all.

27. What happened here?
•Paul found “disciples” who did not understand the
Christian faith or what Christians believed.
•“disciples” does not always refer to Christians, but
also to “learners or followers.”
•Not all followers of John accepted or understood
Christ as Savior.
•Followers of John the Baptist existed into the 2nd
Century.

28. John the Baptist
•Parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth (cousin of Jesus’
mother, Mary).
•God called John to be a prophet of the Most High.
•John and Jesus probably knew each other from family
reunions or they may have met every year at the Feast
of the Passover, but scripture does not tell us.
•John knew his calling and role; he knew Jesus was the
Messiah.

29. John the Baptist’s Ministry
Matthew 3:1-3
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the
wilderness of Judea, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand." 3 For this is he who was spoken of
by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight. '"

30. Matthew 3:4-6
4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a
leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts
and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all
the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.

31. People thought John was reincarnation of
Elijah because of Malachi’s promise.
Malachi 4:5-6
5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he
will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the
hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike
the land with a decree of utter destruction."
•Most scholars think this refers to “end times”

32. John the Baptist dressed and ate like Elijah.
2 Kings 1:7-8
7 He (Ahaziah) said to them, "What kind of man was he
who came to meet you and told you these things?"
8 They answered him, "He wore a garment of hair, with
a belt of leather about his waist." And he said, "It is
Elijah the Tishbite."

33. John was asked “Who are you?”
John 1:19-21
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who
are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but
confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him,
"What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are
you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

34. John was asked “Who are you?”
John 1: 22-23
22 So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give
an answer to those who sent us. What do you say
about yourself?" 23 He said, "I am the voice of one
crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of
the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

35. John was asked “Who are you?”
John 1:24-28
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They
asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are
neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John
answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you
stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes
after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to
untie." 28 These things took place in Bethany across the
Jordan, where John was baptizing.

36. Some of Jesus’ words about John
Matthew 17:9-13
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus
commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of
Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him,
“Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”
11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all
things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they
did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they
pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their
hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was
speaking to them of John the Baptist.

37. The Message of John the Baptist
1. Repentance:
• Matthew 3:1-2
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of
Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
• Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand."
2. Baptism:
• Luke 3:2-3
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God
came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into
all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
• The order is repentance before baptism.

38. Repentance – Two separate definitions that
combine to one.
1. A radical “turning from sin” that inevitably
becomes manifest in the fruit of righteousness.
2. A “change of mind” that results in a change of
action.

39. Repentance = 1. “turning from sin”
2 Corinthians 7:9-10
9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but
because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a
godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For
godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation
without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
• “Repentance refers to the desire to turn from sin and
restore one’s relationship to God.”
• John MacArthur

40. Repentance = “turning from sin” involves the
Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but
kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may
perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge
of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and
escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured
by him to do his will.

41. Repentance = “turning from sin” involves the
Holy Spirit.
•Quotes from John MacArthur about repentance.
• “Godly sorrow refers to sorrow that is according to the will
of God and produced by the Holy Spirit.”
• “When God, by grace, grants saving faith it includes the
granting of repentance from sin. Neither is a human
work.”

42. Repentance = 2. “a change of mind” (Peter)
Acts 2:36-38
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that
God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom
you crucified."
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and
said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what
shall we do?" 38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.

43. Repentance = 2. “a change of mind” (Paul)
Acts 26:19-21
19 "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to
the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in
Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the
region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they
should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in
keeping with their repentance. 21 For this reason the
Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

44. Repentance = 2. “a change of mind”
•This repentance or “change of mind” is the call to
change from rejection of Christ to acceptance of Christ
as Messiah and Savior.
•Repentance and faith are “two sides of the same
coin”, as it is impossible to place your faith in Christ
without changing your mind about who He is and
what He has done.

47. How do you put the two definitions of
repentance together?
•When the Holy Spirit convicts a non-believer of their
sins or stirs their heart, their sins become obvious to
them and they see that Christ is the only way to be
right before God.
•Repentance is seeing your sins as wrong and accepting
Christ to make you right before God.
•Your desire then becomes one to not continue in
willful sin.

48. The Message of John the Baptist: Repentance
and Baptism
•Baptism – OT priests had to bathe and wash before
performing their ceremonial duties.
•Baptism in OT – The Jews regarded the Gentiles as
unclean and required a thorough cleansing before
they could convert to Judaism (Proselyte baptism).
•Jews regarded baptism as only necessary for Gentiles
– it would be an insult to baptize a Jew.

49. John the Baptist Baptizes. Why?
•Jews accepting John’s baptism were admitting they
were as the Gentile and needed to become the people
of God genuinely and inwardly.
•The people were repenting in anticipation of the
promised Messiah’s arrival.
•John’s baptism was different from Christian baptism.

50. Christian “Believer’s” Baptism
Romans 6:3-4
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in
newness of life.
•“Identification with Christ’s death, burial and
resurrection”

51. Closing Points of the Lesson
•Acts 18:24-28 – Apollos was a follower of John the
Baptist and had accepted Christ as his Savior and only
needed theological instructions on his beliefs. Did not
need to be baptized again.
•Acts 19:1-7 – The 12 men who were disciples had only
accepted that a Messiah was coming and had not
accepted Christ as Savior. That is why they were
baptized again by Paul.

52. Closing Points of the Lesson
• The presence of the Holy Spirit was a determining factor in
whether someone was saved.
• The Holy Spirit came in a spectacular way to demonstrate
the conversion of the 12 disciples in Acts 19:1-7.
• This dramatic demonstration only occurred 4 times in the
New Testament.
1. Original Jewish believers (Acts 2).
2. Samaritans (Acts 8).
3. Gentiles (Acts 10).
4. John the Baptist’s disciples (Acts 19).

53. Challenge for Believers
•Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you when you talk to
others about Christ.
•Is their understanding incomplete (Apollos) or
inadequate (disciples in Acts 19)?

54. Next Sunday
Acts 20:22-35
Delivered
February 4, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

55. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

56. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life
to pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death”
explained in Revelation 21:8.

57. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Revelation 21:8
8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,
which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

58. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 6:23b
23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7
7 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his
God and he will be my son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be conquers.

59. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 10:9-10
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is
justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:13
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”

60. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Have questions or would like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900
or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/