Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19980531.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING MEN
Part XLII: Resting In God's Control Of Secular Governmental Powers To Aid The Discipling Process
(Acts 18:1-18a)
  1. Introduction
    1. When a very ungodly official is voted into governmental office, the temptation is for believers to become distraught and to struggle against the official. After all, we want to see what is upright promoted .
    2. However, Romans 13:1-4 warns us that we Christians must view such officials as ministers of God who actions work out His direct or permissive will, and thus we are to submit to their leadership.
    3. An excellent illustration of this truth portrayed in Paul's ministry at Corinth in Acts 18:1-18a as follows:
  2. Resting In God's Control Of Secular Governmental Powers To Aid The Discipling Process, Acts 18.
    1. When Paul ministered in Corinth, his effort was met with strong resistance by Judaizers, Acts 18:5-7.
    2. Paul thus turned to work with the Gentiles, but even this move did not relieve him of future confrontation with Jewish antagonizers: he lived in a sympathizer's home that was right next to the synagogue, and this factor was accompanied by the conversion of the synagogue ruler, Crispus, Acts 18:7-8.
    3. With Paul's being set up for a confrontation with such antagonizers was his added burden of being in a personal "shell-shocked" condition: 1 Corinthians 2:3 reveals that Paul was near a nervous breakdown at the time, possibly from the persecutions he had experienced from Jews in Thessalonica and Berea, Acts 17.
    4. Thus, God gave Paul a vision of encouragement, saying that he was not to fear staying and working in the city, for God would protect him there as God had many people in the city who needed the Word, 18:9-10.
    5. Accordingly, Paul stayed there for eighteen more months, ministering the Word, Acts 18:11.
    6. Well, when they could no longer take Paul's efforts, Corinth's antagonistic Judaizers rioted and brought Paul before the proconsul, Gallio's judgment seat, charging him with persuading men to worship God apart from the governmentally-protected Jewish religion, Acts 18:12-13.
    7. Paul was about to open his mouth when the official, Gallio threw the case out of court, Acts 18:14-15!
    8. In viewing the historical background of the times, we see the hand of God protecting Paul with this event:
      1. The Roman emperor had recently banished Jews from Rome as was evidenced by the explanation in Acts 18:1-2 in Paul's residing in Corinth with the banished Roman Jew, Aquilla. This event occurred in A.D. 49 or 50 acc. to secular records, Ryr. S. Bib., KJV, ftn. to 18:2.
      2. Now, we know from The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume X, p. 500 that Emperor Claudius was deeply bothered about growing foreign influence on Romans, and the large growth of the Jewish population concerned him. When the Jews rioted over "Chrestus," or the promotion of "Christ" by Christians, Claudius used this rioting as an excuse to banish Jews and lower their numbers!
      3. To top it off, the famous millionaire, Stoic philosopher, Seneca, was brought out of banishment from a former Roman ruler's move to be the private tutor to the young Nero, and that in A.D. 49, cf. The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. X, p. 672. Important for Paul was the fact that Seneca's brother, Gallio of Acts 18 was appointed as proconsul of Achaia in 51 A.D., the very year that this riot against Paul occurred in Corinth of Achaia, Acts 18:12-13, Ibid., Ryrie; Ibid., B.K.C.,N.T., p. 407.
      4. Well, Gallio would naturally have been sympathetic to the Roman Emperor's decision to turn against Judaistic riots against Christians, for his brother, Seneca had been restored from banishment by the Emperor , and Gallio himself had gained his appointment over Achaia on the political coattails of brother, Seneca. Accordingly, Gallio adopted the position of the Emperor and refused to put up with the charges the Jews made against Paul! That is why Paul didn't even have to speak in Acts 18:14-16!
      5. Since Gallio was a lofty regional proconsul, and brother to the famous Seneca, his decision that placed Christianity under the officially protected religion of Judaism quite possibly made for a strong precedent for Christianity to enjoy temporary protection from Judaizers in Achaia for some time to come, Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Acts 18:14-16; Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., N.T., p. 407.
      6. Accordingly, Paul was let go, the Jewish riot leader was flogged with Gallio's permission, and Paul kept ministering for some time to come right in the midst of his would-be persecutors, Acts 18:16-18a!
Lesson: As Proverbs 21:1 can be rendered, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as irrigation ditch water: he turns it [as an irrigator] whithersoever he will." Thus, we must respect all rulers, disobeying only when their orders re: our personal actions conflict with God's orders, cf. Acts 5:27-29!