Paul, Gaius, and a sickly Aristarchus flee from Ephesus after a brief farewell to the likes of Priscilla, Aquila, Epaphras and some of the other young Ephesian leaders. Acts 20:1-2; 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 Read Transcript

Ephesus nearly riots and gathers in the Theater to protest Paul’s ministry Acts 19:28-41; 2 Timothy 4:5-8; Philippians 1:20-24; 1 Corinthians 15:30-31 Read Transcript

Dimitrius hosts a banquet for his trade guild, where he motivates his colleagues to arrest Paul and his followers to face an angry Ephesian crowd. Acts 19:23-34; Matthew 11:11-14, 18-19 Read Transcript

Jewish leaders send Alexander as their representative to the city officials in an effort to separate themselves from the rapidly growing church. Dimitrius begins to beat the war drums against the Teacher from Syria. Timothy and Erastus arrive in Macedonia and remain there while sending Gaius and Aristarchus with an update to Paul. Acts 19:22-28; Ma…

Dimitrius conducts reconnaissance of the rapidly growing Christ community; Paul sends Sosthanes back to Corinth with important instructions. Aquila encourages Epaphras to minister in Colossae. Acts 19:21-24; Galatians 4:19-29; Acts 21:18-21; Philippians 3:2-7 Read transcript

Eliezer turns away from his magical practices; Paul and Sosthanes begin writing First Corinthians; Ephesus turns away from its magic practices. Acts 19:17-20; Matthew 10:34-39; James 3:1-5; James 3:13-18 Read Transcript

Immer and Yedaiah, two of Sceva’s sons, wish to harness Paul’s power for their own exorcism practice. Eliezer has a moment of reckoning. Acts 19:17-20; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Ephesians 6:10-18 Read Transcript

The Seven Sons of Sceva underestimate a demon possessed man and come to realize a world much larger than they’ve known. Acts 19:11-15; Matthew 16:24-28; John 3:18-21; Colossians 1:11-14; James 5:13-16 Read Transcript

The Seven Sons of Sceva are in over their heads as they come across something far more heinous than they’ve encountered so far. Eliezer learns that witchcraft doesn’t necessarily pan out as he originally thought it would. Sosthanes discovers Paul’s work in Ephesus to be every bit as fruitful as it was in Corinth, if not even more so. Acts 19:11-15;…

Acts 19:9-10; Matthew 28:18-20 Paul is in full training mode at the Hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus. The seven sons of Sceva are making progress in their new career as exorcists. The businessmen of Ephesus are becoming nervous about Paul’s progress. Paul receives an unexpected visitor from Corinth.

Paul and his followers begin ministry out of the school of Tyrannus. The seven sons of Sceva are emboldened to conduct exorcisms. Eliezer sinks deeper into the use of sorcery to get rid of Paul. Acts 19:9-10, Joel 2:28-32; Jeremiah 31:31-34

Acts 19:8-20, Acts 2:1-12 Paul is confronted by the synagogue leaders who had resorted to using magic to bring about a curse on Paul. Timothy and the church in Corinth receive a letter from Paul that proves to be confusing. Read Transcript

Paul ramps up his ministry in Ephesus, specifically in the synagogues. Jews and converted Jews alike are receptive to him… at first. Acts 19:1-10; Luke 19:36-40; 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Read Transcript

Paul gets settled in Ephesus and begins his ministry; Apollos reconnects with Zenas in Corinth; Demetrius the silversmith celebrates with his fellow silversmiths Acts 19:1-10; Titus 3:13-14; Revelation 2:1-7 Read Transcript

Paul arrives in Ephesus, reunites with Aquila and Priscilla, while Apollos gets established in Corinth Acts 19:1; Romans 3:19-31; Galatians 3:1-14 To Paul and Apollos alike, this problem of infusing the Law of Moses into the new Christ-centered community confronted them in just about every single ministry moment they had. Given the fact that Paul h…

Paul ventures back into modern-day Turkey for his third missionary trip. Meanwhile, Apollos confounds the Jewish community and meets up with the Corinthian church. Acts 18:23, 27-28; Psalm 2, 8 Read Transcript

Paul begins his third mission tour and arrives in Lystra. He discovers that little had been done with the tiny church there in Roman Galatia with few gatherings, poor leadership, and little fruit to show for. Acts 18:23, 27-28; Galatians 1:6-9; Galatians 2:4-5; Galatians 2:15-21; Galatians 3:1-4 Read Transcript…

Paul clarifies his next ministry endeavor and prepares for his third missionary trip. Meanwhile, Apollos has a significant “A ha!” moment and discovers Jesus on a whole new level. Acts 18:23, 26; Matthew 11:2-6 Read Transcript

Paul’s burden for ministry continues to increase while Aquila and Priscilla meet up to learn more about Apollos. Acts 18:23, 26; 2 Timothy 4:5-7; Isaiah 55:10-11; Colossians 1:6; Philippians 3:12-14; 21 Read Transcript

As Paul’s third mission trip begins, another prominent and outspoken figure arrives in Ephesus. Acts 18:24-26 Read Transcript

Paul’s second mission trip comes to an end with a brief but eventful layover in Ephesus followed by a boat ride back to Caesarea, Jerusalem and Antioch of Syria. Acts 18:19-22; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 Read Transcript

Paul changes gears as he finalizes his ministry in Corinth for the time and begins to set his sights on heading back home to Jerusalem and Antioch. But his time in Corinth has paid off, especially as the core group he has impacted shows up in a surprise visit in Cenchrea. Acts 18:18-22; Ephesians 1:17-21 Read Transcript…

Acts 18:18-22; 2 Timothy 2:1-6 Paul wraps up his ministry in Corinth. Silas takes his final trip with Paul and returns back to Jerusalem and Antioch. But that doesn’t mean Silas hangs up his ministry shoes and doesn’t keep at it. He does. His role would change. Read Transcript

Gallio gets word of the unsettling conflict taking place within Corinth’s Jewish community. Paul is arrested by a hostile crowd and brought before the city’s governor in an impromptu trial. It's a "No Win" Situation for Paul and Sosthanes. Acts 18:11-21, Luke 22:41-42 Read Transcript

Acts 18:11-21; John 17:9-18; Psalm 91:14-16; Psalm 31:19-24 A pressured Sosthanes makes the hard decision to deal with a Syrian Jewish evangelist named Paul. The efforts to get rid of this troublemaker by some of the more zealous types have not panned out--even to the point of gaining the attention of the city official. Read Transcript…

Paul shares a key message with the first believers in Corinth about what the Law of Moses can and cannot do. Sosthanes, the leader in the Corinthian synagogue, feels the pressure intensify from his own people. Acts 18:7-17; Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 3:19-20 Read Transcript Here

Shifting his focus from Saul to Peter, Luke places us in two Judean villages where God uses Peter as a catalyst for belief (Acts 9:32-43).

Paul ramps up his dedication to the Lord and takes on the Nazarite Vow. Sosthanes confides in his wife and has an unexpected conversation with Crispus. Acts 18:6-10, Numbers 6:1-21 Read Transcript

Paul, Silas, Timothy and Titius Justus encounter some major hostility from certain individuals from the synagogue next door to Titius Justus’ home. While Sosthanes is now fully in charge, he’s feeling the mounting pressure coming from certain special interest groups within a divided synagogue. Meanwhile Paul is having a moment of crisis where Jesus…

(Paul in Corinth, Expelled from Synagogue, Crispus Gets Baptized) Acts 18:6-8; John 6:53-58, 6:66-69; Philippians 3:4-8 In Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus, this experience changed everything for him: His career, his obsession with destroying the early church, his position in the Sanhedrin and his ambition to move up within the ranks of all Je…

(Paul in Corinth, Full Time Ministry, From Synagogue to Titius Justus House) Acts 18:1-5; Romans 1:14-17; Romans 3:21-26 Paul in Corinth becomes public enemy number one in the local synagogue. With Timothy and Silas’ arrival, Paul is able to double down his efforts by going back into full time ministry. Read Transcript…

Acts 18:1-5; Isaiah 45:23-25; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 Two synagogue leaders part ways when the Gospel is explained Paul in Corinth gets acclimated; Paul goes into full time ministry; Paul begins writing 1 Thessalonians The wisdom of God sometimes might seem crazy… moronic… yet, for those who have journeyed with Christ over the …

Acts 18:1-4; Acts 9:13-16; Acts 22:24-29; Philippians 3:7-8, 20-21; 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; 1 Timothy 6:17-18 A Jesus follower's response when things get tense Wherever you may find yourself in society’s structures, Jesus has purchased you with his life-giving sacrifice, and now you are a bond-servant, a volunteer slave, to Jesus himself. Your life …

One key ingredient that will make all the difference Acts 18:1; James 3:7-12; Matthew 15:11, 16-19; Ephesians 4:11-24; Galatians 5:16-26 Paul in Corinth: Paul happens upon a very special couple who share some things in common. Forced out from Rome, this Jewish couple moved to start over in Corinth. What precipitated this turn of events, and what do…

Acts 18:1; Luke 6:6-11; Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6 What is the internal flaw within me that feels like I’ve got to prove myself to others? I know just enough to be dangerous. The even bigger problem comes when I grow over confident in my understanding of a subject, which when further analyzed only reveals a deeper insecurity within. Call it lazine…

What's makes this resurrection so different? Acts 17:19-33; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; Deuteronomy 19:15-21 Picking up in today’s episode, we see Paul addressing a crowd of philosophers, elite thinkers, and even a judge at the Areopagus… You may know it as Mars Hill. How is his teaching received? How do folks regard his message concerning the resurrecti…

Three unintended consequences that emerge within us when feeling threatened Acts 17:16-21; Matthew 5:3-14; Psalm 26 Picking up with today’s episode, we find Paul teaching to a growing crowd of people in an Athenian marketplace. Some philosophers have observed Paul to be encroaching on their territory and feel that something needs to be done about i…

Two realities we encounter when trying to experience “The God life.” Acts 17:16-19, Joshua 24:15, Luke 16:13, Mark 10:45, Ephesians 4:15-16 We long to know and connect with God, but we don’t seem to know how to do it. We often find ourselves stuck. While connecting with God isn’t necessarily difficult, we should understand that knowing Him will com…

Four realities that confront the Christian way of life... and what to do about them Acts 17:15-34, Matthew 13:24-30 In real life, the good seeds, the God-inspired seeds, we plant into others are seeds that inspire, encourage and motivate others to move closer to Him. Our challenge? We’re not always the good seed. In fact, sometimes we can relate a …

Though Not Everybody Wants to Hear Us... Acts 17:11-15, Romans 10:14-21 Some warnings… we just don’t want to hear. We ignore them, until… What’s even worse is when we ignore and even fight against the warnings. This was the issue with the prophets. They warned Israel time and time again, but listening? Nope. This was also the issue with how many pe…

Acts 17:11-13; Matthew 23:29-36; 1 Kings 22:1-28; Isaiah 53:1-6 Picking up in today’s episode, we meet up with the Berean synagogue leaders who have afforded Paul a hearing with them to make his case about Messiah--who showed up and was rejected by his own. The idea that God’s conquering king would be rejected by those who were waiting for him soun…

Acts 17:10-15; 2 John 7-11 Instead of just writing somebody off and not valuing her as a human being, be willing to listen to her concerns or thoughts. Then, on your own time, perform the due diligence needed to validate or invalidate the claims she is making. Jumping into today’s message, we meet up with Paul and Silas, as they flee Thessalonica b…

Acts 17:6-10; Philippians 2:9-11, Philippians 3:20-21 Jumping into today’s episode, we’ll see what has unfolded in Thessalonica, as Paul and Silas have once again stepped on a hornet’s nest of their own, causing no small amount of disruption within the city. Stick around for the end notes to explore more as to why their visits were so controversial…

Acts 17:4-10; Matthew 21:43-46; Ephesians 3:6-9 Economy… we think of the word “economics,” and money comes to mind. But there’s much more to the word “economy” than just money. The fusion of Oikia, meaning house, and Nomos, meaning Law. The law of the house speaks of how an administration carries out the way it rules over a family, a people, an org…

Acts 17:1-9; Matthew 21:43-45; Matthew 10:32-36; 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4 Blogs, podcasts, livestreaming, social media, email, text, instant messaging, endless websites and apps, youtube and other video platforms--in addition to more traditional television, radio, books, and yes the town crier--have afforded anyone and everyone to have a voice. What i…

Acts 17:1-4; Philippians 3:7-8; Matthew 16:24-27 Our episode begins right after Paul presents his case to a packed room in a synagogue. What was the nature of his message? Paul shared his own story about how he was confronted by a risen Jesus while walking on the road to Damascus to destroy the newly formed Christ follower communities. It’s likely …

Acts 17:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-10 The last we heard from Paul and Silas, they were just beaten, imprisoned and nearly died. But God had other plans. In an absolutely crazy turn of events, Paul and Silas were freed from jail as well as their likely execution. They helped get the church in Philippi off the ground, and people were being reconciled w…

Acts 16:37-40; 1 Peter 3:8-15; Romans 12:17-21; Luke 6:27-31 We want others to pay for the hurt they’ve caused us. We want others to be punished for their mistreatment of us. We’ve been hurt, so when given the chance, we aim to make them pay for their wrong doing. Of course, here there is the added dimension that the secret admirer didn’t internall…

Acts 16:33-37; Galatians 5:16, 22-24; 2 Corinthians 11:23-30; Matthew 16:24-27 If we’re all self-serving in nature... if we’re all deserving of the label, “Chumps of the Decade,” then what might happen if we choose to put others first? What might happen if we prioritized the needs of God’s Kingdom first? Picking up from last time, we see Paul and S…

Acts 16:27-40; Acts 17:24-27; Matthew 7:24-27; 1 Corinthians 2:14 I say this somewhat tongue and cheek, but with our world “on fire” right now--the virus, the tanking economy on a global scale, the protests, and the polarization of our country--we can’t help but wonder… “God, what are you doing here?” Our world is like a supervolcano. While this qu…