James 4:7

To keep people out of the church

• Acts 2:47

• Colossians 1:13

• Acts 20:28

• The devil knows the value of the church in man’s salvation.

• Revelation 2:9 – The devil has his churches. If he can keep men there, he can keep them from salvation.

• Jesus’ first objective is to get men out of the devil’s domain and into His church. Hebrews 7:25

To get men back into his service

• II Peter 2:20-22

• II Corinthians 2:11 – The devil has many devices to get people back into his domain:

  • Trying to keep people ignorant of God’s word

  • Trying to interest people in worldly enterprises

  • Using church trouble and division to get people back into his service

  • Using evil companions to tempt people back into his service (I Corinthians 15:33)

  • Tempting people to serve themselves instead of God even as they worship

  • Tempting people with pleasure

  • Using our stinginess

  • Using chronic grouchiness and backbiting to get us away from Christ

  • Encouraging us to be adept at excuses instead of working like we should

  • Encouraging people to have a “rule or ruin” attitude within the church

I Peter 5:8-9 – Let us recognize our weak points and strengthen them.

The apostle Paul

• Brief biographical sketch

  • Scriptural sources

    • Epistles

    • Acts

  • Historical and traditional sources

• Concise account of Paul’s conversion

  • Combine accounts in Acts

  • Additional accounts from Pauline epistles

• From Tarsus, raised in Jerusalem

  • Acts 21:37-22:3

• Roman citizen – Acts 22:25-29

• Schooled by Gamaliel – Acts 22:3

  • Probably grandson of Hillel the elder

  • Influential and revered Pharisee – Acts 5:34-40

• Tentmaker by trade – Acts 18:1-3; Romans 16:3-4

• Ardent persecutor of the church – Acts 7:58-8:1

  • Galatians 1:13-14 – Acts 22:4-5

  • Philippians 3:4-6

• Paul’s conversion

  • Acts 9:1-18

  • Acts 22:6-16

  • Acts 26:9-20

  • Consolidated account

• Paul’s selection as an apostle

  • Inherent in his conversion account

  • Reiterated in Paul’s writings

• Paul asserts his apostleship

  • Romans 11:13

  • I Corinthians 1:1; 9:1-2; 15:9

  • II Corinthians 1:1; 12:1-2

  • Galatians 1:1

  • Ephesians 1:1

  • Colossians 1:1

  • I Timothy 1:1; 2:7

  • II Timothy 1:1

  • Titus 1:1

• Initial activities after conversion

  • Acts 9:19-31

  • Galatians 1:11-24

• Paul joins with Barnabas to go to Antioch

  • Acts 11:19-30

• Commissioned by the Holy Spirit – Acts 13:1-4

• Begins first missionary journey

  • Acts 13:4-15:35 – Spring 44 to fall 46 AD

  • Begins and end at Antioch of Syria

• Second missionary journey

  • Acts 15:36-18:22 – Spring 49 to fall 52 AD

  • Begins and ends at Antioch of Syria

• Third missionary journey

  • Acts 18:23-21:17 – Fall of 52 to summer of 53 AD

  • Begins at Antioch of Syria and ends in Jerusalem

• Final journey in Acts

  • Started with appeal to Rome

  • Acts 27:1-28:16 – 60 to spring 63 AD

  • Released from prison

• After the book of Acts

  • Release from prison (which was post-Acts) 63 AD

  • Left Rome to be with Titus in Crete – Titus 1:5

  • Leaves Crete for Nicopolis – Titus 3:12

  • Probably goes from there to Spain – Romans 15:22-28

  • Possibly makes a trip to England (no scripture)

  • Back to Rome for imprisonment, eventual death

    • May or June of 68 AD

    • Beheaded under rule of Nero

How do we tell what is an authorized work of a local church?

• A local church is authorized to make provision for duties that:

  • … inhere because of one’s relationship in Christ and

  • … are authorized for Christians to do together

All our duties and responsibilities come out of relationships

• Civil government

• Economic

• Social/community

• Family/domestic

  • Proverbs 22:6; I Timothy 5:6; II Corinthians 12:14; Ephesians 6:1-8

• In Christ

  • James 5:13; Colossians 3:16; I Timothy 2:8; Acts 2:42; Matthew 26:26-29; III John 1:5-6; Romans 12:13; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Acts 4:34-35; Romans 16:17; I Corinthians 5:4-5

The local church is authorized to provide for:

• Worship

• Edification

• Evangelism

• Relief of needy saints

• Discipline