Nathan Schipper - Class 3: Planting with Paul

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Bible exhortations, classes, and talks. Bible exhortations, classes, and talks. Okay, here's some smarties coming your way. Oh, sorry. And... Got him. Okay. We're getting a few more scores on the board to even things up a bit. It's just looking a bit unfair for the UK people, just so high up, and that US guy.

2. 1:20

   Okay. I think it's true to say that just the mention of the name of the Apostle Paul usually calls into the mind of many people the image of a great orator. You know, like a combination of Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton all rolled into one package. You know, everybody just thinks he was a fantastic speaker.

3. 1:44

   Him sweeping into a city, banners flying like a combination of Napoleon and Alexander the Great, and preaching with great eloquence, planting ecclesias at the click of his finger. You know, guys, the reality is somewhat different. Yeah, he was a great apostle. He was a seriously great apostle, but by no means at all, by no means at all, was he a great speaker.

4. 2:11

   Can somebody read for me 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 1? Who's going to do it? Put your hand up. Canada. Where are you from? Canada. Okay. Here's your lollies.

5. 2:30

   Canada. 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 1. You know what he's saying? He says, I don't have that suave, scintillating style of speaking that you guys are used to. You know, the Greeks were awesome speakers. They had this really good way of speaking and good way of presenting. And Paul's saying, I didn't have that.

6. 2:56

   I don't have that. You love it, but I don't have it. You've heard me, and I don't have those abilities at all. I am not one of those good speakers. In fact, he says, I came to you in weakness and fear. Can someone else read verse 3? Oh, it's not up on the screen.

7. 3:19

   Thank you, Rochelle. I'll give you a packet of lollies. Where are you from? Oh, Australia. All right, we'll get a point for that. Yeah, that's brilliant. We'll take that one. Can somebody read 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 3 for me?

8. 3:36

   Excellent. Generally saying, when I came into the room, one knee says to the other, let's shake. And he's standing there and his knees are knocking, right? He's up there speaking and his knees are knocking. He's not a good speaker. It's not something that he really enjoys doing. He's not accustomed to be speaking.

9. 3:54

   You'd sort of expect him to walk into a room and just take charge like a real pro, but it wasn't like that. Sorry? Yeah. It wasn't like that. It was not like that at all. He came to them, verse 4 and 5, in weakness and in fear. Why? That your faith should stand in the wisdom of men, or should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

10. 4:21

    Now, here's a question for you. Why didn't God choose more powerful and more eloquent spokesperson? Why didn't he choose someone who was more eloquent and more powerful as a speaker?

11. 4:36

    Exactly. And Sam is from Perth in Australia, which is a really good place to live in. So we're going to take that one as well. That is exactly right. God didn't choose someone who was a fantastic speaker. Why? Because he didn't want people hung up on his speaking style. He didn't want people hung up on Paul's abilities.

12. 4:58

    The Father did not want people walking away from Paul's talk saying, Wow, what an awesome speaker. Seriously good speaker. God didn't want that. God didn't want people saying, That was really awesome. I'm really impressed with that. God didn't want that. No, instead, when Paul finished, people had met Jesus. When Paul closed his Bible and sat down, people had heard from God and they'd been directed to Jesus Christ.

13. 5:29

    The focus was Christ, not Paul. And that's why those people's faith became anchored in the solid rock of God's power, not the shifting sands of human personality. You know, guys, our faith should be in God. Not an individual.

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    Not a speaker. Not a speaker. Not the person who presented the gospel to you. Not the person who helped you come to understand what the gospel was all about. Why is that? Because everybody has clay feet.

15. 6:16

    Even Paul said he did. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 8. Sit back, relax, and I will read it for you unless you wish to turn it up, which it sounds like you are. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 7. The apostle says, We've got this awesome message. God's given it to us. And what do we have it in?

16. 6:34

    We have it in clay vessels. Clay vessels. Why? So that the excellency of their power is of God and not of us. So people are directed to God and not to me, Paul says. Everybody has got clay feet. You know, it doesn't matter how good the speaker is. It doesn't matter how prominent the person may be.

17. 6:56

    It does not make them more spiritual. They've got clay feet just like everyone else. and they're just as likely to fail as anyone else. People fail. But the word of God doesn't change. It never does. It never ever does. Now, does anybody know what the middle verse of the Bible happens to be?

18. 7:20

    Now, I know we don't have chapters and verses in all the original whatever, but let's just say that it is what it is, right? What is the middle verse of the Bible? Does anyone want?

19. 7:32

    Yes. Psalm 118 verse 8. Can somebody read that for me? Here's your smarties and you are from Nigeria. Now, where are you from? Psalm 118 verse 8. It is the middle verse of the Bible. Have a look at what it, or someone can read it for us. Who's going to do that? And you're from?

20. 7:54

    UK. Come on, the rest of the world. Shh. Shh. Say it louder. Say it louder. Okay, and just in case we didn't get the message right, do you know what the psalmist does? It says the same thing in the next verse. Can you read verse 9?

21. 8:18

    Two verses, right? One after the other. In case you didn't get the point right, it is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in man. And in case you didn't get that, I'm going to say it again. It's better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in men.

22. 8:32

    That's what it's about, guys. It is not about people. It is not about human personality. It is all about God. And Paul always, always, always directed the attention to Jesus. Took the attention off himself, said his bit, stood off the platform, and people had met Jesus. And they wanted to know more about Jesus, not Paul.

23. 8:55

    And that's got to be our focus too. Because if God can speak through an ass and a serpent, which he did, he can speak through you, and he can speak through me. You don't have to be a good speaker. You don't have to be skillful in your presentation of the gospel when you're sharing the message with people.

24. 9:17

    If God can speak through an ass and a serpent, which he did in the Garden of Eden and then to Balaam, he can speak through me, and he can speak through you. It doesn't matter how good or how bad you are, speak the truth, even if your voice shakes. That's what Paul did.

25. 9:35

    That's what Paul did. And I don't know about you, but I know I'm nothing special. Maybe you are. Maybe you are really, really special, and you're better than Paul. But I know I'm nothing special. Nothing special at all. It's not about me. It's about God. Speak the truth, direct people to Jesus, and move on.

26. 9:54

    Paul was not a brilliant speaker. None of his speeches are listed in the top 100 speeches of all time. No, not at all. But he did have passion. He had passion. And a quick glance through Paul's ministry reveals his passion for communicating the message of Christ without apology, without hesitation, at all. He spoke boldly, he spoke freely, and he taught with conviction.

27. 10:24

    And most importantly, he connected with the needs of his hearers. He connected with the needs of the people that were in the audience that he was talking to. And today what we're going to be doing is looking at some of the different methods that Paul used to share the gospel when he had a different audience.

28. 10:42

    Is that a novel idea to you? He had a different audience and so he spoke the gospel in a different way. He didn't have the same method for Jews, for Greeks, and every time he opened his mouth, he used the same old language and the same old words and the same old presentation of the gospel.

29. 11:00

    No, he had different methods and different content for different groups of people. Do you just have the same method for everybody? Do you? Like, do you guys have lectures on Sunday nights or during the week at your halls? Yeah. Do you just have like lecture week after week after week and the lecture titles just get rolled over year after year after year?

30. 11:26

    Is that what goes on? Or do you actually put some thought into, OK, we need to target, we need to customise our preaching to target different sectors of the community and the different needs that the different sectors of our community actually may have. You've got to start by identifying the needs that they have and then working out how to present the gospel to those people.

31. 11:47

    Let's get started and we rewind to Acts chapter 9 and this is where we discover the first method that Paul used to share the gospel. Acts chapter 9. And we'll read from verse 20. Now the Apostle Paul had been converted, had gone down and spent some time in silence and solitude down there in Arabia.

32. 12:08

    And verse 20, it says that straightway he preached Jesus in the synagogue that he is the son of God. Verse 22. But Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus proving that this was the very Christ. Now who's the audience? Jews.

33. 12:28

    Jews. Who said that? Oh goodness. That is your last packet. Any more answers go to Germany or Scotland. Okay the audience is Jewish and what does he do? Well it says, verse 22, that he proved that this was very Christ. And it means to drive together, to knit together. So what he's doing, right?

34. 12:53

    He's using the method that Stephen used. And when Stephen used it, how did it leave Saul and his mates? Absolutely seething. Hated it. Because they knew it was right. And he's using exactly the same method. And what it was, was grabbing all these passages from the Old Testament, grabbing all these stories and all these passages from the Old Testament and bringing them together, knitting them together.

35. 13:18

    You can't deny it. He built this edifice which cannot be denied. Proving absolutely beyond doubt that Jesus of Nazareth, that's how they knew him, he was the Messiah, he was Christ. Well framed argument, quote after quote, put together to construct an edifice that could not be demolished. All the while proving that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah.

36. 13:46

    You know, if Paul hadn't presented the argument in that way, the result would have been different. because that method will do one of two things, depending on the audience. Some people will have no answer. They'll have no answer at all, which was originally Saul when he heard Stephen using it. Or, people will walk away impressed with the power of the scripture and convinced, absolutely convinced, that Jesus died for them.

37. 14:14

    But that's when he was talking to people who knew the Bible. That's when he was talking to people who actually respected the Bible. Now fast forward to Acts chapter 17.

38. 14:33

    Remember we looked at it last night, he'd just been beaten within an inch of his life and he left Philippi and he walks 150 kilometers, about 90 miles, to Thessalonica. And on the way he passed through, or it means to travel through, all these other little cities. He didn't stop. It was an express trip all the way to Thessalonica and he did that via the Via Ignatia, which is like the tollways or the motorways of today.

39. 14:56

    They did have these major roads through the Roman Empire. And he took this road here, which is called the Via Ignatia, you can go and walk on it today, and he took that and he arrived in Thessalonica. And when he got there, it says in verse 2, as was his manner, always preaching to the Jews first, he went into the synagogue and for three Sabbath days he reasoned with them out of the scripture.

40. 15:15

    So three Sunday mornings he was giving the talk, right? Three Sunday mornings. But what's the word that it uses? It says he reasoned with them. Do you know what that means? He discussed it with them. He just discussed it with them. He reasoned things out. Who's the audience? Yes, it's still Jewish, right?

41. 15:34

    But, but, but, but, but on this side of the world, people over here in Greece are given to like discussing and reasoning things out, just having a chat and just like, yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, but what about this here? In Jerusalem, Paul was saying bang, bang, bang, bang, bang here in Thessalonica.

42. 15:54

    What do you think about this here? What do you think about that there? Just putting things out there and just seeing what the response was. He was working out the best way to effectively communicate with a different audience. Don't just communicate in the way that you think the public should respond to. That's not a good way to communicate.

43. 16:15

    You've got to know your audience. Work out what is the best way to effectively communicate with the people that you are talking to. If you just communicate however you're comfortable with and in whatever way you want to, you're more likely to say when people aren't interested, oh, well, look, nobody's interested today. May as well not preach.

44. 16:36

    You know a little sign of the times? Nobody's interested in the gospel anymore. Get into their world. Think about the best way to communicate the message to them. Have a look at verse 3. It says he was opening and alleging. And it means to open thoroughly. Right? Actually as a firstborn. It was the first time I'd heard this stuff.

45. 16:56

    Opening and alleging. He's just putting it out there. I suggest this. This is what I think. Alleging actually means to set alongside. He's just putting things out there and just saying here set this alongside that. Have a look at that. Have a think about that. Have a think about that and see what the result may be.

46. 17:12

    And his method was just to collect Old Testament quotes that spoke of the Messiah and just put them next to each other and say, hey, do you think this fits what you know about Jesus of Nazareth? Do you think that's possible? That's what I think. That's exactly what I think. Well, verse 4 tells us that people were convinced of it.

47. 17:29

    Where it says some of them believed. It's not the normal word that's used in the New Testament for believe. It actually means convinced. They were convinced. They were absolutely convinced of what Paul was saying. But he wasn't forcing it down their throat, right? He was just putting it out there. Just putting it out there.

48. 17:48

    Just alleging. Just suggesting that this is what it could be. Because different things work for different audiences. Well, verse 10 tells us that Paul and Silas were reasonably quickly sent away, but not before an ecclesia was established. Now, we find them in verse 16. Paul waits in Athens for Silas and Timothy to come.

49. 18:11

    He left them in Berea. He had to flee quickly out of Berea. And he is waiting in Athens for them to come. And while he's waiting, he took the open top tour bus of Athens. I love doing those tours when I get to a new city. And we did that when we got to London.

50. 18:26

    It's awesome. You get to see all the sites. I love doing it. And that's exactly what the Apostle Paul did. He got on the bus and he was hoping to soak in all the key city sites and all the sounds of this pretty sophisticated Greek city. But the record tells us that he was just totally shocked.

51. 18:44

    He's like shaking his head. Just can't believe what he's seeing. He found this city to be like no other. His eyes are like popping out of his head. The text says his spirit was stirred within him. And it means that he got really agitated. Really, really agitated with what he was saying. He just could not believe what he was saying.

52. 19:05

    He was confronted by this forest of idols. Row after row after row after row of idols. It was like a junkyard of idols. This endless array of shrines to strange gods. Paul was about as home in Athens as a Jew is in a pigsty. Not very at home. Didn't particularly enjoy being in Athens.

53. 19:27

    Athens. And after he'd taken that city tour, he could not sit still. And the record tells us that he strayed into the synagogue for the Jews, went in there to preach, and then he went into the marketplace for the Gentiles, the Agora. If you go to Greece, you go to Athens, it's still called the Agora today.

54. 19:43

    It's like a big coffee shop, right? It's where everybody got together to share the news, the latest gossip, find out what was going on down there, that business. Just chat. It was just where everybody went just to chat and catch up with the gossip and what was going on. And Paul took to the podium in the Agora, and it wasn't long before the audience included some pretty sophisticated thinkers.

55. 20:04

    Let's have a look in verse 18. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, Acts 17 verse 18, certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics encountered him and said, what will this babbler say? Does anybody know what the word babbler means?

56. 20:22

    You are awesome. You can, yes, here you go. And you must be from the UK. Yeah, okay. Do you know what that word refers to? It refers to the tiny little bird that sits out the front of McDonald's and picks up the little seeds that fall off the sesame bun that people eat.

57. 20:44

    Seed picker, right? That's how it survives, just picking the tiny little seeds off the ground. It's actually a term of contempt that the Greek people applied to these foreigners who came in and were coming up with second-hand arguments that they were copying off other people. It was a term of contempt. And that's what they threw at the Apostle Paul.

58. 21:06

    But verse 22 tells us that he was invited to speak on the prominent Areopagus or Mars Hill. Does anyone know what Mars Hill looks like? Anyone been to Greece and seen it? No? Yes? Yes? What does it look like?

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    I can't hear you. Yes? Does it look like that? Yeah, fantastic. Here you go. Whoa, coming. Oh, got her. Where are you from? Scotland. Awesome. That is exactly what Mars Hill looks like. No idea what it looked like 2,000 years ago. But if you go to the Areopagus today, it's just this hill, right?

60. 21:49

    It's a pretty good view of Athens. You can sit up the top and see pretty much everything. But that was Mars Hill. And Paul was invited to speak on the top of Areopagus with all these intellectuals surrounding him. That's where all the intellectuals went to chat and to discuss and to dispute and to argue.

61. 22:08

    And he's standing up there with all these intellectuals and he's going to pull out a magnificent presentation of the Gospel. An absolutely magnificent presentation of the Gospel. Do you know, being invited to speak on Areopagus was equivalent to being invited to speak in the House of Commons or the House of Lords? Just so you understand where Paul was invited.

62. 22:31

    That's what it was like for the Apostle Paul to be invited to speak on Mars Hill. You know, very sharp minds. Very smart people. Very intellectual people. Actually, that probably rules out Parliament, doesn't it? But you know what I mean. The smartest of people were preaching and were talking up there on Mars Hill and that's where Paul was now speaking from.

63. 22:55

    And it says in verse 22 that he looks directly at them and he began where they were. And I want you to notice this, right? Ye men of Athens, verse 22, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. Is that what it says in the record? Who's got another translation?

64. 23:14

    Yes. He's not bagging them out, right? It is not a bagger. He's saying, I perceive that you're very religious people. Okay? If you don't have that in your Bible, note it down there. He is not bagging them out. He has got nothing but respect for these people. He says, I perceive that you are remarkably religious people.

65. 23:32

    No insult, no frowning, no put down. You know, he'd been deeply, like deeply, deeply affected by what he had seen in the streets of Athens. But there's no revelation of that in this discourse. He wisely didn't presume that they would be convinced by dogmatic assertions from him. No, no, no, no. I think from what I can understand, from what I see, you guys are really religious.

66. 23:55

    Religious. Really religious people. You know, this whole speech could hardly be more different from what he would present in the synagogue. He had to present differently. He had to. His approach had to be different. Why? Because what is the point quoting the Bible to people who've never heard of the Bible? What is the point quoting the Bible to people who have no respect for its authority?

67. 24:20

    Authority. Tailor your message to your audience. And it's exactly what the Apostle Paul did. Because do you know what he does? Verse 23. He says, For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. So he starts off by saying, Guys, I perceive that you're really religious people.

68. 24:39

    You know, as I was going around on that open top tour bus, down there on the corner of Zeus and Pericle Street, I saw this altar there. You know, the image of the unknown God. And as he's saying this, everybody in the room, on the hill, everybody on the hill, that image of that altar was burning brightly in their minds.

69. 24:57

    They all knew where that was. They all knew what that altar was. And he's saying, you know about that altar? You know that one down there? It says to the unknown God, well, I'm going to talk to you about him because I know that God. I know who that God is. You see, he got into their world.

70. 25:11

    He got into their world. He got into, he used their language and got into their world and entered into that. And he says, well, I'm going to introduce you to that God today. That's the God that I want to talk to you about. Awesome technique. Get into the world of the people that you're presenting the gospel to.

71. 25:28

    Get into their daily life. And then build a bridge to Christ. And that is exactly what the Apostle Paul went on to do in Acts chapter 17. He built a bridge to Jesus Christ. You know that altar down there? I'm going to talk to you about that God. He's the God who made heaven and earth.

72. 25:45

    He doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. What? Doesn't dwell in a temple made with hands? How is that possible? Da-da-da-da-da. He's the one who made everything. Leading them. Building a bridge to Jesus Christ. Started in their world. Got into their world. Into their daily life. The altar that they walked past every day on the way to work.

73. 26:04

    He got from there and built a bridge to Jesus Christ. You know that altar? Yeah, well, I'm going to talk to you about him. And from there, I'm going to build a bridge to Jesus Christ. Do you know the result? Verse 34. Very small group believed. Many sneered. Many said that they'd look into it and check it out.

74. 26:24

    And a few of them just walked out of the midst. But a few believed. A few believed. Paul didn't wait for a show of hands. He said his bit. He stood off the marble platform and went out of their midst. No emotional appeal for a big, organised response. No begging. No threatening. No manipulating.

75. 26:46

    Or pressure. Some people say that to not pressure is to not care. No. Let's just let God do his work. We sow. God does the rest. There's no need to pressure. There was none of that from him. He finished. And he left. What a magnificent model. Okay. Now fast forward to Acts chapter 22.

76. 27:10

    So what we've seen is when he's talking to the Jews. He's like grabbing all these Old Testament passages together and just banging it down their throats. Just like get this. Get this. Get this. Get this. How can you deny it? How can you possibly deny it? Then he talks to some Greeks and he's just suggesting stuff.

77. 27:26

    And then when he talks to people who have no respect for the Bible. Have no idea about the Bible. He just talks about. He gets into their daily life. And then builds a bridge from there to Jesus Christ. I'm going to talk to you about the God who made heaven and earth. Now what does he do in Acts chapter 22?

78. 27:40

    The audience is thoroughly Jewish. Thoroughly Jewish. He's back in Jerusalem. Acts chapter 21. He's just been dragged out of the temple. People have tried to beat him because they suggested. It was a lie. But they suggested that he'd taken a Gentile Trophimus into the temple which clearly wasn't allowed. And so he's taken it into the Tower of Antonio.

79. 28:02

    And we meet him in Acts chapter 22. And he's standing on the stairs. Sorry we'll read Acts chapter 21 verse 40 to begin with. When the soldier had given Paul the license to speak. Paul stood on the stairs of the Tower of Antonio. And beckoned with the hand unto the people. And there's like heaps of people standing at the bottom of these stairs.

80. 28:27

    Just wanting to beat Paul up. All right. Wanting to smash him into pieces. And he beckons with his hand and he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue.

81. 28:37

    He spake unto them in their language. All right. These guys are juice. Like thoroughbred juice. And he respected them. And so he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue. And as a result. Verse 2. When they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue. They kept silence. You know guys. When you respect your audience.

82. 29:01

    They might give you a bit more time. They might actually give you their ear. Just for a little bit longer. That's exactly what the Apostle Paul got. He got their ear. Because he respected them. He spoke to them in their tongue. Even though it wasn't the language. That he normally used. Now I'm not suggesting you go out and learn 20 languages.

83. 29:20

    So you can speak in everyone's different language. I'm not suggesting that. I'm just saying pay people respect. Respect the people that you're going to talk to. Now he has just been charged. Right. He's just been charged with bringing Gentiles into the temple. Which was death. Punishment by death. To the person who was taken in.

84. 29:40

    And also to the person who did it. And he's also been charged. And I'll read this for you. He's also been charged with teaching all men everywhere. Against the people. And the law. And the temple. Right. And Paul is standing on these steps. And he says verse 1. I want you to hear my defense.

85. 29:55

    And the word means answer. This is my answer. This is what my answer is. But you know he does not apologize for his actions. He does not apologize at all. Why? Because he's got nothing to apologize for. Does Paul answer the charge that he brought Trophimus into the temple? No. Not at all.

86. 30:19

    He doesn't say I never brought Trophimus into the temple. He doesn't say. And he could have. Right. He doesn't say. Look guys. To be honest with you. Trophimus isn't even interested in the temple. He believes in Jesus. Like. He doesn't care less about the temple. He's not even interested in the outer court.

87. 30:36

    Why would he want to go in the temple? No. He doesn't do that either. He never denied the charges. Although they were demonstrably false. Demonstrably false. You know. It probably would have been the very first thing that we would have done. Stood up there in front of the audience. And said. Look. I need you to know.

88. 30:52

    Men. Brethren. Men. Brethren. And fathers. Listen up. You guys are saying I brought Trophimus into the temple. Absolute rubbish. I did not bring him into the temple. The charges are completely trumped up. I did not do it at all. There is not a true word in it. And I'll prove it. No. There is not a word in Paul's speech.

89. 31:11

    That was answering those charges. Not at all. Because Paul's speech. Which became a means of preaching the gospel. It became a method of sharing the gospel. Rather than denying charges. Now we don't have time to read Acts chapter 22. So we're going to go on a very quick scan. Right. So I apologize if you can't keep up with me.

90. 31:33

    But we need to get through this. Look at what it says. Verse 3. I was born in Tarsus. Right. So he's talking about when he's a baby. I was born in Tarsus. End of verse 3. I stood at the feet of Gamaliel. I was taught according to the law. I was zealous about it towards God.

91. 31:47

    I persecuted the Christians. I persecuted the very people that I am now part of. I put them in prison. I stoned them. And then I got a license from the high priest to go to Damascus and kill him. And then it was on the way there. Verse 6. That a big light came down.

92. 32:02

    And I was converted. A voice spoke to me. Verse 8. And said I'm Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecuted. They that saw the light. They said who's this? And I said to the voice. What shall I do? And the Lord said. Arise going to Damascus. And all this will happen. And Ananias comes and he heals me.

93. 32:17

    Then turn the page. Verse 15. He says thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what you've seen and heard. Arise. Get baptised. And it came to pass while I stood in Jerusalem. All this is happening. Go out. Preach the gospel to the Gentiles. What is he talking about? Summarise it for me in like three words.

94. 32:34

    What is he talking about? What is he talking about? I've got plenty of time. Well not really. Sorry? Yes sort of. Yeah yeah yeah. Yes. Exactly. He's summarising his life story. We just have Paul's life story. This is who I was as a kid. This is what I was like before I was a believer.

95. 33:03

    This is why I changed. And this is who I am now. That's what Acts chapter 22 is. It is his personal story. Why he became a believer. Isn't that awesome? That is just such a fantastic method of presenting the gospel. Because nobody can bag you out. Nobody can. Nobody can bag you out for your story.

96. 33:25

    Most of these people knew about his life. He'd been to uni with them. He'd sat at the feet of Gamaliel with some of these guys. And so he's just taking them on a journey through his life. And saying you know about that. You know about that. Well what about this here? What about that?

97. 33:38

    This is why I'm a Christian. That is why I am a believer. Telling you a story. Actually just the other day I was talking to somebody. Wow. Do you see that? Everybody whose heads was down just came up. The moment I started to tell a story. Zing. Everybody wants to hear it. That's why it's such an awesome method of preaching.

98. 34:03

    Share your story. Why is it that you're a believer? You know the skeptic. The unbeliever. Your work colleagues. Your uni friends. They can deny your doctrines. They may bag your beliefs. They can bag your ecclesia. Your community. But they cannot deny your life story. They cannot deny it. And they can't honestly ignore the fact.

99. 34:23

    That your life has been cleaned up. And revolutionized. Particularly. If you didn't grow up. In a believing family. And even if you didn't. They can't deny. That you possess a joy. That they don't have. They can't deny. That you have. An inner peace. That they don't have. Paul shared his story with them.

100. 34:44

     This is why. I became. A believer. This is why. I believe. In Jesus Christ. And you know. It wasn't the only time. Paul used this method. Fast forward to Acts chapter 26. We find himself. Back. In front of. Like. The top dogs. Of the country. Caesar's. Representative. In Israel. He's standing. In front.

101. 35:05

     Of a gripper. Paul happens to be. On the coast of Israel. In a city called Caesarea. He's had numerous. Court appearances. To this point in time. And just a couple of weeks. Before. He'd thrown his trump card. He'd thrown his. Roman driver's license. On the table. And said. I appeal to Caesar. To Caesar.

102. 35:23

     I want to go. And it's not long now. Until he jumps on a ship. And heads. Toward Rome. But. There's a problem. There is a problem. You can't send someone. To answer before Caesar. And to be judged before Caesar. Without. Without. A written documentation. Saying what their charges are. What have they done wrong?

103. 35:45

     When did they do it? What's happened since? Have they denied it? You've got to write. All the charges out. On a bit of paper. And send it with the passenger. All the way to Caesar. You can't stand before Caesar. With no charges against your name. And they don't have any. They do not have any.

104. 36:00

     So. He's a gripper right? He's sitting there. In all his pomp. And all his glory. He's got the regal company. Surrounding him. And Festus. Is sitting by his side. Hoping that a gripper's interview with Paul. Will give him something. To be able to write on this bit of paper. So they've got a letter of charges.

105. 36:17

     That they can include. And send off with Paul. To Caesar. Do you know. He had a blank piece of paper. At the beginning of that interview. And at the end. He had a blank piece of paper. If anything should have been written. On that bit of paper. It should have been. Should. Be free.

106. 36:37

     Should. Be free. And interestingly. Verse 1. Agrippa declines the opportunity. To interrogate. Or to question Paul. Instead. He invites Paul to speak. What an awesome opportunity. Every other time. Paul had been standing in court. He'd been interviewed. He'd been cross examined. Doubly cross examined. Interrogated. Accused. But not this time. Paul. Here's the microphone.

107. 37:01

     It's yours. Go for it. Wow. Wow. What an awesome opportunity. For the Apostle Paul. Paul didn't need to do anything here. Right. He'd appealed to Caesar. He didn't need to say a single word. To these guys. Hey look. Sorry. I've appealed to Caesar. I'm going to Caesar. He didn't need to say. A single word to them.

108. 37:24

     He'd made his appeal. He should be on that boat. To Rome. But no. He stood up. And the moment Agrippa gave him the interview. He launched straight into it. Do you know what Agrippa allowed him to do? Agrippa allowed him to launch straight. Into a powerful presentation. Of the gospel. Very powerful presentation.

109. 37:45

     Of the gospel. He makes no defense. He doesn't argue against anything. It's just straight out. Presentation. And preaching. Of the gospel. And what makes me say that? Well again. If you go through Acts chapter 26. What's the basic storyline? The basic storyline. Is his. Personal story. Why? I became a believer. But if you compare it to Acts chapter 22.

110. 38:09

     Right? You'll see there's differences. Because in Acts chapter 22. Paul was talking to Jews. And in Acts chapter 26. He's talking to Romans. And so he adds details in. That he didn't mention in Acts chapter 22. And he takes things out. That he did mention in Acts chapter 22. When he was talking to Jews.

111. 38:28

     He tailored his message. For the audience. So some things to bear in mind. When it comes to sharing your story. If you want to be listened to. Be interesting. Be interesting. When you're sharing your personal story. Don't make it a stale. Boring. Verbal marathon. You know. It's a contradiction. To talk about how exciting.

112. 38:55

     The gospel and Christ is. How we know world events. How we know what's going to happen on the earth. It's a contradiction. To talk about all that. In a very boring way. It just doesn't. Go down well. You've got to be. Easy to understand. You've got to be easy to understand. You've got to use.

113. 39:15

     Simple language. Avoid all the religious cliches. We have. So many. We do. We have. So many. Avoid. Avoid all the religious cliches. Avoid all the jargon. And all the unfamiliar terms. Stay on their level. Get into. Their. World. Secondly. If you want to be understood. Be logical. Be logical. In your presentation. Communicate your story.

114. 39:43

     In three stages. That's exactly what Paul did. Before I became a believer. Before I became a Christian. Then the decision or the event. That changed my life. And then. Who I am now. What I am now. Talk about how you were before you were a believer. I actually really struggled. With. With emptiness.

115. 40:02

     I really struggled with that. I had this real lack of peace. I knew stuff was going on. But I didn't know what it meant. And I wanted to find the answer out. And then this thing happened in my life. Or I read this passage. And it completely changed the way I thought about God.

116. 40:18

     And the way I thought about the Bible. And the way I saw God working in my life. And this happened. And that's why I'm a believer. And now. I tell you what. My life is so awesome. I've got security. I've got peace. I know what's happening. I know what's coming. And it doesn't matter what disaster goes on in the world.

117. 40:34

     It can. It can. It can be devastating. And yes. I'm sorry for what happens. But I tell you what. I know God's in control. Talk about what it was like before. What changed you. And then the difference to now. Point number three. Be specific. Not vague. Talk about Jesus. Talk about Jesus Christ.

118. 40:53

     Not the ecclesia. You know the ecclesia is not perfect guys. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that anybody in this community thinks that the ecclesia is perfect. It's not. And neither are you. Okay. Nobody's perfect. Nobody is in any way shape at all. Our ecclesias aren't perfect. Don't talk about the ecclesias.

119. 41:15

     Talk about Jesus Christ. Put the focus on him. Emphasize faith and understanding. Emphasize those things. Point number four. If you want your story to be effective. Be real. Be human. Don't be a religious fanatic. Who's got caught up and it's messed with your head. No. God wants spiritual fruit. Not religious nuts. It's funny but it's serious.

120. 41:49

     If you're going to present the gospel. You've got to do so in a way that people aren't going to go. This guy's just messed up in the head. Be effective. Be real. Get into their world. Don't promise that all your problems will be fixed. Don't promise that if you join all your issues in life will end.

121. 42:09

     Because they won't. Try to think as they think. Communicate what you know will touch them. Point number five. Be warm and be genuine. You know guys. A smile breaks down more barriers than the hammer blow of cold hard facts. It's really a contradiction. To try and convince people of the joy of the gospel.

122. 42:37

     When you're wearing a face like a jail warden. It just doesn't work. It just doesn't work. If there's no joy. If there's no happiness in your religion. If there's no sunshine in your religion. Don't be surprised if nobody wants it. Don't be surprised if nobody is interested. Be friendly and be enthusiastic. And above all don't argue.

123. 42:59

     Nobody I know. Nobody I've ever met. Has been arm wrestled into becoming a believer. No persuasive technique will ever take the place of your personal testimony. Because it simply cannot be denied. It cannot be refuted or criticized. It's uniquely yours. And your story's different to mine. And I can't bag yours out just like you can't bag mine out.

124. 43:23

     Because mine's different to yours. And nobody can bag out what you say about your story. Share your story. Tell your story. Why it is that you became a disciple of Jesus. Okay. Now rewind if you can to Acts chapter 18.

125. 43:42

     Acts chapter 18. Paul verse 1 tells us that he departed from Athens. And he came to Corinth. And he started reasoning verse 4. In the synagogue every Sabbath. And persuading the Jews and the Greeks. But verse 5. When. And if you have a pen. It's worthwhile underlining it. When Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia.

126. 44:12

     Paul was pressed in the spirit. And testified to the Jews. That Jesus was Christ. Do you know what it's saying? When his mates arrived. When he was preaching with his friends. Paul really got into it. Paul found it far easier to preach. When he was with his friends. He dedicated himself. To preaching to the word.

127. 44:35

     It actually says in other translations. Paul was occupied with. Or he devoted himself entirely to preaching. When his friends arrived. Preach with your friends. Preach with your friends. It's okay to go out in twos or threes. Share the gospel. You don't have to do it on your own. Silas and Timothy comes. And it stirs him up.

128. 44:55

     And apart from being more active. Paul actually changed his method. Up until now. Verse 3 tells us. That he'd been reasoning with them. And attempting to teach by discussion. But then it says in verse 4. Oh sorry. In verse 5. He's testifying. That is open and direct teaching of the gospel. He changed his method.

129. 45:14

     Right. He didn't just say. Okay. I'm with Greeks. And I must have the same method. For every single Greek that I talk to. No. He changed his method. He had just reasoned stuff out. But then he went to open. And direct teaching of the gospel. Be flexible. Be flexible. In how you share the gospel.

130. 45:33

     But verse 9 tells us. That things must have got pretty bad for Paul. Because he actually seriously considered pulling the pin. Paul. Of all people. Paul. Pulling the pin. Yeah. Do you know. Preaching is hard work guys. It's hard work. Sharing the gospel is sometimes really hard work. And Paul found that out.

131. 45:54

     He seriously considered pulling the pin. In Corinth. Seriously. But verse 10. He was left with no doubt. What the father thought. The message was pretty simple. Dismiss your fears. Stop being afraid. And just get on with it. Keep preaching. Just keep going. Don't hold your peace. Don't shut up. The Greek says hush.

132. 46:16

     Don't shut up. Don't hush up. Just go. Preach. Preach. Preach. Don't allow yourself to be silenced. Or hushed up. Because of some opposition of the Jews. Verse 10. No one will be able to injure you. Because I am with you. Do you know guys. We're out pamphleting. We see a dog. And we run to the car.

133. 46:35

     No way. I'm not going here. We see one of these guys. And we think. Oh forget it. Not even going to bother sharing the gospel with them. They've got no chance. No. No. We don't have the right to be able to do that. We don't have that brothers and sisters. Young people. Look at the reason.

134. 46:54

     That was given to Paul. Verse 10. Right at the end. For I have much people in this city. I have much people in this city. Now Corinth was a Vegas type of city. Right? Worst of the worst. It was a Vegas type of city. And there's Paul. And the message comes from God.

135. 47:17

     Saying I have heaps of people in this city. Go to the printer. Get the pamphlets printed. And while the ink's still wet. Throw them in the letter boxes. Get out there. And share the gospel. Hand them out. Just hand them out. So the question is. How do you preach? How do you preach?

136. 47:39

     What's your message? What's the message that you share in your preaching? Do you know? It never says that Paul ran a public lecture called There's No Immortal Soul.

137. 47:53

     Do you know? All the philosophers and all the newspapers of the time were saying that there was. But Paul never ran a lecture title saying there's no immortal soul. He never ran a lecture title saying Christmas is a pagan tradition, not scripture. I don't know if you guys do that over in England, but they do in Australia.

138. 48:15

     Well, they did. He didn't do that. He didn't have a lecture title saying you don't go to heaven when you die. No, Paul's lecture titles were What the Future Holds for You. World Peace, Equity, Security in the Kingdom of God. Your Personal Saviour Who Died for You. Paul's preaching emphasised what the Bible was about.

139. 48:47

     What the gospel was about. Not what it wasn't. You know, sometimes people can be out there and they say, OK, so what do you believe? Well, we don't believe in this. We don't believe in the Trinity. We don't believe in the devil. We don't believe in this. OK, so what do you believe in?

140. 49:03

     Yeah, see. Paul's preaching emphasised what the gospel was about. That's what he spoke about. The more we put the word not in our lecture titles, the more we put the word not in our personal preaching, the more we sound like the opposition party in parliament, right? Who just take the opposite position just to be different.

141. 49:23

     Just want to disagree with the government. And say, no, no, no, we don't agree with that. We think that's wrong. We think you should be doing this. We are not the opposition party. We are not the opposition party. We are the future kings and princes of the world. We are the future government and ministers.

142. 49:45

     And we should be communicating what the gospel is, what the Bible is all about, not what it isn't about. Just check out chapter 19 and verse 17. Now, where is Paul? He's in Ephesus, right? But seriously, the city was given to idols almost as bad as Corinth. The worship of the goddess Diana was absolutely enormous.

143. 50:10

     Have a look at what it says in verse 26. I love this. Just before you read it, just stop for a moment before you read it. This is just an awesome... Do you guys have unions over here? Yeah, you have unions over here. Okay, what we have in Acts chapter 19 and around verse 26 is a union meeting.

144. 50:28

     Massive union meeting, right? The guy who's running the union has got all the union members together and this is what he says. Verse 26. Moreover, you see and you hear that not alone, not just at Ephesus, but throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away much people saying that they be no gods which are made with our hands.

145. 50:50

     You see, the union got together and said, guys, nobody's buying our little idols. Nobody's buying those little things that we make. This guy's been preaching and our sales are down 30%. Our superannuation plan's gone crazy. We've got no money in our pension fund. We're going to do something about this. So they have this big meeting.

146. 51:10

     We've got to stop this guy from doing it. But I want you to notice what it says in verse 17. Acts chapter 19 and verse 17. This was known... Oh, sorry. It's not verse 17. Where am I? 19.

147. 51:28

     Where is it? Sorry. Verse 37. This is when they're brought before the leaders of the people, the leaders of the city. And this is what they say. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. They'd been in this city, which had been completely given over to the worship of Diana.

148. 51:53

     But the leader of the city says, these guys not once have they blasphemed your goddess. Not once have they bagged out your goddess. Paul and his friends are not described as bagging out the god of that city. Don't hammer cultural issues. Don't hammer them. You know, it's not a clever idea. To put a lecture on in...

149. 52:17

     What's a really rubbish suburb where there's heaps of, like, burglaries and stuff? Don't just suggest your mate suburb. Hey? I bet you're all suggesting each other's suburbs. What's a really bad suburb? Okay. Longbridge? Who lives there? Okay. Longbridge, right? It would not be a good idea to put a talk on in Longbridge to say that thieves and stealers will die.

150. 52:45

     Not a good idea. You're probably going to get the sign smashed. The windows of your hall are probably going to be smashed. Don't hammer cultural issues. Don't go into an area that's known for having a problem and think you can deal with the subject and just sort all the problems out. No. Paul and his mates went into Ephesus and not once did they bag out the goddess Diana.

151. 53:06

     Not once did they bag out the big issue in that town. They just presented the gospel. That's what they did. Guys, don't smother people with rules and regulations. Making people holy is God's work. It's not yours. Making people holy is God's work. It is not your work to make people holy. We need to be faithful to dispense the gospel.

152. 53:31

     We dispense the gospel to the lost and we dispense grace to those who are saved. And then we let God go to work. We sow and God does the rest. Let's just trust him with what he does best. Heart surgery. Heart surgery. Our job is to simply preach to as many as we can and to not discriminate who we should preach to, which suburb they live in, which car they drive, whether they ride a Harley or whether they wear a Hell's Angels jacket.

153. 54:06

     No. The best thing we can do is just talk the Bible with people. Encourage people to read the Bible because that is allowing God to go to work. No pressure to convert. No eternal hellfire unless you're a believer. No, none of that. When Paul did that, ecclesias were planted. They were planted. Now I just want to finish in Acts chapter 21.

154. 54:38

     Acts chapter 21 and verse 19. Paul has just come back from a trip around the world, probably another 20,000 frequent fly points, and he has with him. Does anybody know what he has with him? Jerusalem 4 fund. Jerusalem 4 fund. Yes. What was the Jerusalem 4 fund? It was a collection from Gentile believers to help out.

155. 54:59

     Okay. So Paul's been running around the globe, collecting money from all the Gentile brothers and sisters, who the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem don't really like, and are particularly comfortable with. He's been running around the world collecting money from the Gentile brothers and sisters to give to the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem because they're starving.

156. 55:18

     The moment they became a believer, they didn't get any support from the city of Jerusalem, from the leaders, from the Pharisees and the scribes. They had no money at all, no food. And so they're relying on the generosity of the brothers and sisters outside of Jerusalem, on the Gentiles. And Paul arrives in Jerusalem with a check.

157. 55:38

     A big check. A lot of money. And have a look at what it says in Acts chapter 20 and verse 19. This is it. He's arriving at the meeting and he's got this big check in his hands, right? And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.

158. 55:58

     He didn't say, he's a big check from all my work, from all my travels. I've gotten 20,000 frequent fly points. And I tell you what, here's the check. This is what I've been up to over the last three years. No, he declared particularly what things God had wrought. He reported what God had used Paul for.

159. 56:19

     Not what Paul had done, not what he had achieved. No, the success of the mission was directly attributed to God. How do you see your work? How do you see what you do in your ecclesia, in your meeting, in your preaching? God spoke through you and you gave a presentation of his gospel.

160. 56:41

     Oh yeah, I did a pretty good talk. It was a good talk. I was happy with that. You pamphleted, you spoke to the person and you got them to come to the lecture or God called them.

161. 57:01

     Have we done it? Or is it God? Verse 20 of Acts chapter 20, 21 says, You know, it's impossible to do anything else other than to glorify God. He's done it all. You cannot question that. But, we all believe that God has got to be glorified, don't we? That tricky bit is feeling that God should be glorified as long as I don't miss out on a bit as well.

162. 57:31

     As long as I just get a little bit of praise. I mean, it was a pretty good talk, really. So yeah, just give me a little bit of praise, would you? Look, I was the person who brought the brother to the meeting. I was the person who introduced him to the truth. So, you know, surely you're going to thank me.

163. 57:50

     Yes, we all believe God should be glorified. But sometimes, we just don't want to miss out on a little bit either, do we? No. It is all God. It was God working in you to put to work in his service the talents that he gave you for his benefit. There's no I or me in that.

164. 58:16

     It is all he and him. Okay, five-part plan to powerful preaching. Always stay on the subject. For Paul, it was Jesus. Though explaining the altar to the unknown God, everything pointed to Jesus Christ. Christ is the answer to our deepest needs. And when Christ is preached, lives are transformed. Always share the gospel without fear.

165. 58:39

     It doesn't matter who's in the audience, the judges of the Old Bailey or the local tramp. It makes no difference what they're worth or how little they're interested or contribute. The task is to share the gospel and be unintimidated in doing so. I have much people in this city. We're not the opposition party.

166. 58:55

     We're the future government. Keep the message positive. Always start where the audience is. Paul hooked those men in the first sentence. He wouldn't have if he started with the prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah, get into their world and then build a bridge to Jesus Christ. Always surrender the results to God.

167. 59:16

     Once they've heard, the job's done. Our task is to communicate the gospel. It's God's to draw people to himself. We prepare the patient. He does the surgery. Don't need to follow them to the car or push them into a corner. God will reach who he wants to reach. We pray, we care, we show genuine interest and we entrust the rest to God.

168. 59:35

     He can handle it. It's his work, not yours. Hi all. I'm not sure if it can get much better. The Father just keeps opening hearts and minds everywhere we go. It's so amazing because I get incredibly nervous. You all know I'm not a good speaker but we just keep planting seeds, sharing the gospel and directing people to Christ and the Father does the rest.

169. 59:56

     All thanks and praise to the Father alone. How's your preaching going? Still doing the same things you've done for years? Same lecture titles? We've found that preaching grace to the believers and salvation to the lost has been very successful. Keep the message positive and remember the method and content will need to be different depending on who you are targeting.

170. 1:00:17

     Ah, this is so exciting, so much to do and so many people so keen to hear about the gospel. I've got to go. There's people at the door right now. Pray always and keep planting. Love, Paul. Amen. Amen. Thank you.