The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 17, verses 1 through 4.

Tony Clark: Let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 17. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 4 as we continue to go verse by verse and chapter by chapter through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings. And as you know, we're in 1st Samuel on Wednesdays, and just going through the word of God.

Father, thank you that you loved us enough to give us your word. Most importantly, you loved us enough to give us your son. Lord, we are so grateful for Jesus. We're so grateful for the word of God that's all about him. Oh God, I pray for your anointing to teach your people. Give us ears to hear what the spirit of God is going to say to us today. Lord, that you would stir our hearts, that you would reveal the secrets of our hearts so, Lord, we can leave here saying, "Truly, you're in this place today." In Jesus' name, Amen.

All right, Acts chapter 17, looking at verses 1 through 4. The title of this message is "It's Time To Talk." It's time to talk. Now, we live in a time and a day where everyone is talking and sharing what's on their minds. Social media has given everyone a voice and a platform to share their ideas and thoughts. However, it seems like everyone else is talking except Christians.

It has gotten so bad that whenever we say anything, we're called names. And it has gotten so bad that what we say from the Bible is called hate speech, which is now being protected by the law, and our precious book is now being called a hate book. It seems like everyone has come out of the closet and Christians have gone in. But it is time to talk and not be quiet. And this is the subject of these verses.

Now, Paul and Silas had just left the city of Philippi, where they were arrested, beaten, and put in prison for preaching the gospel. However, while in prison, they led the Philippian jailer and his entire family to Jesus Christ. When they were finally released from prison in verse 39, they went to the house of Lydia, where the believers were gathered together. They encouraged them and departed according to verse 40.

Now we continue to follow this team on their missionary journey. Look what it says there in verse 1. It says, "Now they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews." Now, leaving Luke, the author of Acts in Philippi, Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled southwesterly along the Grecian coast on an important highway called the Ignatian Way. This was an important highway that extended from Rome all the way to the Orient.

This verse says that while they passed through the city of Amphipolis, which was 30 miles from Philippi, and the city of Apollonia, which was 30 miles from Amphipolis, they came to Thessalonica, which was approximately 40 miles from Apollonia. The end of this verse says, "where there was a synagogue of the Jews." It is this statement that it is believed that Paul and his team didn't do any ministry in the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia because it didn't have a synagogue.

Also, it is believed that they only spent the night in these cities. Now, Thessalonica was the capital of the most important city of Macedon. It had a population of 200,000 people. It was founded by either Philip of Macedon, who was the father of Alexander the Great, or by one of his generals, Cassander, and he named it after Alexander the Great's stepsister, and her name was Thessalonike.

In Paul's day, Thessalonica was a major port and important commercial center. Known today as Thessaloniki, it is still an important city in Rome. Look at verses 2 and 3. It says, "Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying, 'This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.'"

According to verse 2, Paul, as his custom was, went in to them. As I mentioned previously, a Jewish synagogue is established wherever there were 10 Jewish males living there. I want to bring to your attention the phrase "as his custom was." The Greek word for custom is *ethos*, and it is a verb that means habit, manner, or custom. In other words, it was Paul's habit, his manner of life, or custom to go to the Jewish synagogue.

Oh, this is where I pause and ask us to ponder our hearts. Is going to church your habit? Is it your manner of life? Is it your custom? Or is it optional if nothing else is going on? The synagogue was the place the Jews prayed and were taught the scriptures collectively. Oh, church is the same thing for us. However, is it optional, or is it your habit? Is it only when you feel like it, or is it your custom?

Or do you only come to church when there's a crisis in your life, or you need God to bail you out of some situation, then you show up? For Paul, it was his custom. It was his manner of life to go to the synagogue. We are given the time limit that he was there in Thessalonica. Verse 2 says that it was for three Sabbaths, or for three weeks. Luke uses three words to describe Paul's ministry there. He, number one, reasoned with them from the scriptures, the end of verse 2 says.

He was, number two, explaining what the scriptures meant. And, number three, demonstrating that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, verse 3 says. Let's look at these one at a time. First, Paul reasoned with them from the scriptures. The Greek word for reason is *dialegomai*, and it means a discussion. It wasn't a sermon that he gave. It is where we get our English word dialogue from.

Paul dialogued with them, which meant that he opened it up for questions and answers, and they had a dialogue back and forth. Oh, parents, this is a word for us as well. We need to reason more with our kids like Paul did, out of the scriptures. Not just telling them, "Do it because I said so," but telling them, "Do it because the scriptures tell us why." This is what we need to be doing because you're letting them know that even Mommy and Daddy have to submit to the scriptures.

We have to submit to the word of God. Because if you just "do this because I said so," they'll rebel against your laws and your rules. But when you say, "Do it because the scriptures say so," then that lets them know Mommy and Daddy have to do it, you have to do it, and if you don't do it, you're in trouble not only with me, you're in trouble with God. That lets your children know that it is God and the scriptures that govern our home.

It's not Mom and Dad's little rules that they had when they were growing up, and then their parents taught them and their parents did it and so on and so forth. You're letting them know that our home is governed by the scriptures. 1 Peter 3:15 says, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give every man an answer to the reason of the hope that lies within you with meekness and fear."

The Greek word for answer is *apologia*, and it doesn't mean that we are apologizing for our faith. It means to give an answer or a defense for the Christian faith. It is the same Greek word that's used in Acts 22:1 when Paul gave his defense to the Jewish Supreme Court called the Sanhedrin. The word defense there is *apologia*. This is what Paul did. And once again, this is a word for us as parents.

We're told in Proverbs 22:6 to train up a child in the way they should go, and when they're old they won't depart from it. We're told in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 to take every opportunity to teach our children the scriptures. Ephesians 6:4 says, "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and in the training of the Lord." Notice he says, "And you, fathers." *Patris* is that Greek word. Because it's plural, it can include mother and father, but it's specifically talking about the fathers should lead the way.

And so often it's just the opposite in homes today. If there is any kind of Christian anything in the home today, it's Mommy tucking the kids in the bed, praying with them or reading some little Bible story to them. But it says that fathers, we are the one that should lead the way. It's not saying that the mothers can't, but we should be leading the way in the home to bring them up in the training and the admonition of the Lord.

This is a great word. I don't have to tell you how much Christianity is under attack. Not only here in America, but especially around the world. Even laws are being passed now to silence Christians and to basically eradicate Christianity from our society. So the question is, can you give an *apologia*, a defense of the Christian faith? We want to help you with this in our School of Apologetics, our question and answer services on Wednesday nights that we give sometimes throughout the summer.

We do this through our foundations classes that we offer on Tuesday nights throughout the year. But here's the thing: when we offer these things, four people sign up, at the most six. And it's like, but if we call for a picnic at Newport News Park, we're giving out burgers and dogs, everybody is there. And many of y'all are leaving with the aluminum foil on top of the plate, y'all taking some home.

But here we're trying to give you some tools to equip you to be able to give every man an *apologia*, a defense of the Christian faith, and you don't show up. I just wonder where's the hunger for the things of God? We want to not only tell you what we believe, but why we believe it. And I'm like, where's the hunger for the things of God? Where's the hunger to want to give every man an answer, the reason of the hope that lies within you?

There's plenty of things coming against Christianity today, and can you give an answer? Can you give an answer? I mentioned it last service. Can you give an answer to the people who come against Christianity, who say that Christianity is the white man's religion? Can you give an answer to that? When I taught apologetics in our Bible College in California, the main thing out there during that particular time, talking about 25 years ago, was Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Word Faith Movement, maybe just a tad bit of Black Muslim.

When I moved here, and now 25 years later, there's still a little bit of Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, just a little bit. Now it's Black Muslims, Hebrew Israelites, Five Percenters and all kinds of mess that's out there saying that Christianity is the white man's religion. Can you give an answer to that? Can you give an answer if they take you to Revelation 1:14-15 and say his hair was like wool and his feet the color of brass and they say that shows you Jesus was a black man? Can you give an answer to that?

Many of you cannot. And though, but if you've been with me for any length of time, when I was teaching in Revelation, you know how to answer that. But the average Joe who comes, when church is not your custom, you missed out on that. You missed when I was teaching in Revelation. You missed out on Apologetics classes and stuff. You missed out on that. And then when they come to you and show you that in Revelation 1:14, you're like, "Wait, it does say that. His hair like wool, that's kind of like my hair looks now. Feet like bronze, that's like dark."

Then who is that Malibu Jesus on my wall right there? Blonde hair, blue-eyed surfer Jesus. Who is that? And you don't know how to answer that. I've got a couple minutes to just let you know. This is free right here. Free Apologetics 101 in two minutes. Here's the thing. We understand, as we have many teachers and educators out there, we understand similes and metaphors. It's using "like" or "as" to compare two objects.

It says his hair was white like wool. Color, not texture. His feet were as brass. A simile, metaphor, used to compare, and not the color. Bronze in the Bible is a symbol of judgment. So it's not talking about a black man. He's talking about, and his eyes were like fire. So is it saying that he was bloodshot Jesus was drunk? Is that what it's saying? No. Eyes of fire, eyes of judgment.

You've got to understand what was being said there. It's not describing a black man, describing God and his attributes in that particular chapter of Revelation chapter 1. That was free right there. That was worth its price of admission for some of y'all. So Paul reasoned with them. He was also, number two, explaining and, number three, demonstrating. Explaining, the Greek word there is *dianoigo*, and it means to open thoroughly, to expound.

This same Greek word is used in Luke 24:32 describing how Jesus opened or *dianoigo* the scriptures to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Now, can you open up the scriptures to your coworkers, to your neighbors? This is what we do on Sundays and Wednesdays. We open up the scriptures to you. This is why I give you the background, the setting. This is why I give you the year things were, so you can know why Paul said what he said to the believers in Corinth and why he said what he said to the believers in Galatia and the believers in Rome.

What was going on in Rome to make Paul say that? What was going on in the city of Corinth to make Paul say that? This is why I bring those things out. This is why I give you Greek words because we see it in English and when you hear the Greek word, it's a more expounded definition and it opens up your understanding even further to what this verse is saying. This is why we give you in the Old Testament Hebrew words and stuff so you can understand the mindset of the Jews at that time.

Because we think as Americans. That's all we know, is Western mindset. We don't know the Jew in the first century. And this is why I give you that understanding so you'll be able to open up the scriptures to other people, to your children, to your neighbors and coworkers. I know I've done my job is when you can leave here and you can take this and open up the understanding of this scripture to those around you.

I know I've done my job. No longer, the days are over, "Hey, how was church yesterday? Oh, church was good. What did you learn? I don't know, but it was good." No longer, that day is over. You're not coming here for that sort of song and dance and shuck and jive and a bunch of loud running around fooling around. No, we're going to teach you the scriptures and expound it to you so you can understand.

So you can take it. And so I've done my job is when you can take this word and go and explain it to others. That's when I've done my job well. So Paul was also, number three, demonstrating. The Greek word is *paratithemi*, and it means to bring something forward as a way of proof. In this case, Paul was bringing the Old Testament scriptures as a way of proof that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, verse 3 says.

I'm sure he used passages like Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 to prove that Jesus the Messiah had to die, and Psalm 16 to show that Jesus the Messiah would rise again from the dead. So after reasoning and explaining and demonstrating from the scriptures, Paul said, "You must conclude that this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." I believe that apologetics or giving a defense for the Christian faith is the great need in the church today.

So the question is, can you reason, explain, and demonstrate from the scriptures to your friends that this Jesus is the Christ, the savior of the world? If you say, "Hey, Jesus is the savior of the world." "Why you believe that?" What you going to say, Mr. Christian, Mrs. Christian? "Because Pastor Tony said so?" No, never y'all, you ain't saying that. Hopefully you've been here long enough to understand why Jesus is the savior of the world.

Why did he need to come and die? What was the purpose of that? What was going on with mankind that he couldn't pull his own self up by his own bootstraps? Why did Jesus come and die? There's a reason for that. But can you give that reason? Can you explain to your coworkers, "Yeah, I hear that Jesus is, you know, I hear about Jesus, but what's so special about him? Why not Buddha? What's wrong with Mohammad, Confucius? Why can't they be right too?"

All right, you're on, Mr. Christian, Mrs. Christian. What are you going to say? "Well, see, we get taught." Okay, yes, keep going. I want to hear it. Can you give an answer? See, this is the burden of my heart to be able to teach God's people how to give every man an answer, the reason of the hope that lies within you. To not only teach you what we believe, but why we believe that.

That's my heart. This is why I will weave apologetics throughout my messages. Because I want to be able to equip you, equip you to be able to give every man an answer because, it's not on the screen, Ephesians 4:11 and 12 says God gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers. Why? Verse 12: "For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ."

The word equipping there, the Greek word is *katartismos*. *Katartizo* is its verb form. That word meant different things to different people. *Katartismos* to a doctor, the word in its original language means to bring back to its original order. Doctors would use *katartizo* to talk about to set a broken bone. You're bringing the bone back to its original order.

Fishermen would use *katartizo* or *katartismos* to talk about to mend a torn net. A fisherman would always want his net together, wouldn't want it torn because fish can slip out and stuff, so they will mend it, they would use *katartizo*. Soldiers would use *katartismos* to equip soldiers for battle. And this is the form I'm using it for you. I want to equip you for battle so you can wage a good warfare against those who come against Christianity.

This is my job. This is what I'm passionate about. And if church is your custom, it is your manner of life, you're being equipped. And you're the ones that will leave here and be giving an answer and then guess what? As you're out there giving answers, then next thing you know you're coming and you're like, "Hey, Pastor Tony, this is my coworker. Hey, Pastor Tony, this is my family member. This is my neighbor." Why? Because you're able to give them answers and they want to hear more.

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