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Acts 18:18-22   PAULS RETURN TO HIS SPONSORING CHURCH 

Introduction:

	At the close of his first missionary tour the Apostle Paul returned to the 
church at Antioch of Syria, the church which had sent him out on the mission 
field.  He returned to give a report of his mission efforts to the church.  In 
this text he closes out his second missionary tour and again returns to his 
sponsoring church to give them a report of his work.  In the opening verse of 
our text he is still at the city of Corinth in Greece.  

I.  Paul’s departure from Corinth 

	V. 18, “And Paul [after this] tarried [there] yet a good while...”  
Perhaps you may recall that Paul had become very depressed at Corinth.  This 
depression had come upon him when the Jews at the synagogue in Corinth rejected 
his message about Jesus being the Christ.  He was on the verge of leaving 
Corinth at that point of time, but apparently not to return and report to his 
sponsoring church.  It appears that he was on the verge of quitting the ministry 
altogether.  
	But God had seen his need and had appeared to him in a vision and had 
given him the encouragement that he needed.  Paul arose the next morning with a 
renewed zeal to do the Lord’s work and so he stayed at Corinth  a good while 
longer and was used of God to strengthen the church at Corinth greatly.  I think 
that most preachers and most Christians, for that matter, can identify with 
this.  We have all gotten down in the dumps at times and have been tempted to 
quit.  I heard Bro. L. Chester Guinn say once, “I have this church  hundreds of 
times.  It was always on Sunday nights between midnight and morning.  By the 
next morning I was ready to get back to work.”  Many good Christians have 
thought about leaving the church which they attend and going somewhere else, or 
perhaps, just stop going anywhere, but the Lord encourages them and they keep on 
keeping on for the Lord.
	But, of course, the day did come when it was time for Paul to leave 
Corinth and to return to Antioch of Syria to give a report to his sponsoring 
church.  (V. 18), “... and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed 
thence into Syria...”  We will note as we proceed to other verses that he did 
not sail directly to Syria.  He made three stops along the way.  But Paul did 
leave the brethren of the church at Corinth and set sail with Syria as his 
destination.  
	(V. 18), “...and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn [his] head in 
Cenchrea: for he had a vow.”  The Christians Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, 
had been of great assistance to Paul at Corinth.  They were tent makers and had 
taken Paul into their home and had given him a job making tents to enable him to 
make a living at a time when mission offerings were insufficient.  They must 
have also been a help to him in reaching the unsaved with the gospel of Jesus 
Christ.  
	Priscilla and Aquila left Corinth on the same boat with Paul.  We will see 
that they did not accompany him all the way to Syria, but the did accompany him 
as fcar as Ephesus.    
	In verse 18 Luke also tells us about an event that he considers to be of 
interest to us and perhaps important to help us to understand some of the things 
that transpired on Paul’s journey back home.  Luke said that at Cenchrea, which 
was the seaport on the eastern side of an isthmus at Corinth.  Technically it 
was a separate city from Corinth, but for all practical purposes the two cities 
were together making one.  
	At Cenchrea Paul shaved his head.  He did this as a result of a vow which 
he had made to the Lord.  In the vow Paul had committed himself to do some kind 
of special service to the Lord for a specified length of time.  The Mosaic law 
required that at the close of the specified time Paul was to shave his head 
signifying that his vow had been kept and that he was now free from that 
commitment.
	In all probability Paul had made that vow shortly after his arrival at 
Corinth.  He would have done so in an effort to convince the Jews of the 
synagogue that he was not opposed to the Law of Moses by his preaching of the 
gospel of Jesus Christ.  Often because Paul preached that one does not get to 
heaven by keeping the law, his Jewish audience would get the impression that he 
was opposed to the law of Moses.  My making and keeping this vow he would hope 
to convince them that he was not opposed to the law of Moses.  
	His effort must not have impressed many of the Jews because most of the 
Jews of the synagogue rejected his message about Christ.  However, his efforts 
were not in vain because some of the Jews there believed his message about 
Jesus, got saved, got baptize and joined the church.  The man who was at that 
time chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth was one of those Jews who believed 
Paul’s message.  So, perhaps it was Paul’s making and keeping his vow that 
impressed him and caused him to be receptive to the gospel message.  At any 
rate, the time period specified in his vow was fulfilled while he was at 
Cenchrea and so Paul shaved his head while there at Cenchrea.

II.  Paul’s short stay at Ephesus
  
	V. 19, “And he came to Ephesus...”  Keep in mind that Paul is headed for 
Syria, but his first stop as he journeyed that direction was at Ephesus. The 
boat which he had boarded at Cenchrea took him on his journey to Syria as far as 
Ephesus. The city of Ephesus was a large city on the eastern side of the Aegean 
Sea and was located in what we now call Turkey.  Either the boat was not going 
toward Syria from that point forward or, perhaps, would just linger there for a 
few days to unload some cargo and possibly take on new cargo.  At any rate Paul 
got off the boat at Ephesus and stayed there for a short period of time while 
waiting for passage that would take him on to Syria.      
	(V. 19),  “... and left them there...”  That is, he left Priscilla and 
Aquila there at Ephesus.  They did not accompany him when he left Ephesus to go 
on to Syria.  It would be easy to conclude from Luke’s wording in this text that 
Paul parted company with Priscilla and Aquila immediately after getting off the 
ship and that they were not with him when he went into the Jewish synagogue.  
However, it is not likely that this was the intend of the verse and it is almost 
certain that if they were still in the city when the sabbath day rolled around 
that they would have gone to the Jewish synagogue along with Paul to worship and 
to witness of Jesus as the Christ.  
	(V. 19), “...but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with 
the Jews.”  Whether or not Priscilla and Aquila went into the synagogue with 
Paul, Paul went there and while he was there he reasoned with the people present 
explaining to them that Jesus really is the Christ.  Judging from what he had 
said in synagogues which he had previously visited, Paul acknowledged to them 
all that Jesus had been crucified.  The fact is that many of these Jews to whom 
he witnessed had been in Jerusalem observing the Passover on the very day that 
Jesus was crucified.  So they knew about the crucifixion of Jesus.  But Paul 
testified that Jesus had arisen from the dead and that he had been seen by many 
reliable witnesses who testify that they had seen Jesus after His resurrection.  
Paul referred them to Old Testament Scripture which had foretold that the Christ 
which God would send to the world would be put to death and that He would arise 
from the dead.  Paul said that the resurrection of Jesus from the grave was 
proof positive that Jesus is the Christ whom the Old Testament prophets had said 
would come.  Paul bore witness to them that it is through this man, Jesus, that 
they could be saved.  He quoted Old Testament Scripture to them which said that 
by trusting in Jesus that a guilty sinner can be cleansed from his sin and be 
saved so that he would go to heaven when he dies.  Paul called upon each and 
every Jew in that synagogue to repent of his sins and to place his faith in 
Jesus and be saved.   
	V. 20, “When they desired [him] to tarry longer time with them...”  
Surprisingly enough the Jews of that synagogue were very receptive to Paul and 
to his message about Jesus Christ.  We will see later in the Book of Acts that 
when Paul would return to this city during his third missionary tour that he 
already found a church there awaiting his visit.  So this indicates that there 
were sufficient numbers of Jews who got saved under his witness to them during 
this short visit that when he left Ephesus he left a new church in this city.  
This was a surprisingly good reception by the Jews of this city.  In some places 
he had been forced to turn from the Jewish synagogue and turn to the Gentile 
citizens of the city in order to find a receptive audience.  This had been the 
case back in Corinth, the last city which he had visited.  In some cities the 
Jews had stirred up the Gentile citizens against him.  In one place he had been 
beaten and left for dead.  It must have been a very pleasant surprise to Paul to 
be so well received by the great majority of the Jews of this city.  The people 
actually pled with Paul to stay with them longer and to teach them more about 
Jesus.  
	(V. 20), “...he consented not.”  It is even more surprising Paul did not 
take them up on their invitation to stay.  One would think that Paul would have 
been eager to stay.  But Paul did not consent to stay.  Instead took the next 
boat out that was going toward Jerusalem.

III.  Paul’s trip from Caesarea to Jerusalem

  V. 21, “But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast 
that cometh in Jerusalem...”  Keep in mind that Paul’s destiny when he left 
Corinth was Syria.  Syria is where his sponsoring church was located --- in the 
city of Antioch of Syria.  But now it becomes apparent that Paul, all along, had 
planned to stop first at Jerusalem.  He was anxious to attend one of the 
national religious feasts that was about to take place.  He had just about 
enough time to get there.  To tarry would probably mean that he would miss that 
feast.  It was especially important to Paul to be at Jerusalem to attend this 
feast because of the vow that he had taken and that he had fulfilled.  At 
Cenchrea he had shaved his head in keeping with the law of Moses regarding the 
fulfillment of his vow.  The law of Moses also requited him to burn that hair 
and according to Jewish custom it must be burned at the brazen altar.  
Therefore, Paul could not stay with the new converts and new church at Ephesus 
regardless of how much he wanted to stay.  He was obligated to travel on to 
Jerusalem to burn his hair at the altar.  He was also anxious, no doubt, to go 
on to Antioch of Syria as soon as possible so that he could give his sponsoring 
church a report of his second missionary tour.  
	(V. 21), “...but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed 
from Ephesus.”   But before leaving Ephesus, Paul promised the brethren that if 
it be the Lord’s will he would return.  In the very next chapter we find that 
Paul kept that promise.  Paul had kept his vow to God and Paul kept his promise 
to these men.  Paul set a worthy example for us to follow.  We should keep our 
commitments to God and,  if possible, we should keep our promises to men.  
	V. 22, “ And when he had landed at Caesarea...”  Caesarea was a seaport 
city which was located in Samaria.  This was the city where the Apostle Peter 
had witnessed to the household of Cornelius.  A church had been started in that 
city as a result of the salvation of Cornelius and his household.  But it does 
not appear that this was the church which is mentioned here in this verse.  I 
will tell you why I say that in a minute.  I am confident that Paul would have 
wished to visit that church, but time was of essence if he would get to 
Jerusalem to observe the feast and burn the hair that he had shaved off at 
Cenchrea.  
	(V. 22), “...and gone up, and saluted the church...”  Caesarea was on the 
seacoast and, therefore, was at a very low level.  on a lowland.  In contrast to 
that and to all other places near to it the city of Jerusalem was on high 
elevation and from all directions around it, it was said that one would go up.  
Upon leaving Jerusalem it was always said that he went down.  Now get the 
picture.  Paul left Caesarea and went up.  This would place him in Jerusalem 
where had been so anxious to attend the feast and to burn the hair that he had 
shaved off at Cenchrea.  While he was there it is said that he visited the 
church.  This was not the church at Caesarea, but the church at Jerusalem.  

IV.  Paul’s arrival at Antioch

	(V. 22), “...he went down to Antioch.”   It was after Paul left the high 
elevation of Jerusalem that he went down to Antioch of Syria.  He went there to 
report to the church which had sent him out to do mission work.  
	It was important for Paul to report to the church at Antioch of Syria.  
The Great Commission was not give to an individual man.  It was given to a 
church.  It was a church which had sent Paul out on the mission field.  He owed 
that church and explanation of all that had happened to him on the mission 
field.  He owed them an explanation of both the trials and the successes.  
	All scriptural mission work which is done today is done by a missionary or 
missionaries who are sent out by a local New Testament church.  As noble as it 
may sound for some other kind of organization to send out missionaries it is not 
scriptural for them to do so.  
	This is the chief difference in the mission work which is done by the 
churches of the American Baptist Association and the mission work which is done 
by other associations or conventions.  In our work one the local church can call 
a man to be her missionary and send him out on the mission field.  In most other 
groups the local church has no voice at all in sending out the missionary.  
	In the American Baptist Association the local church calls a man to be her 
missionary and authorizes him to go on the mission field.  He is a scripturally 
sent missionary whether or not the messengers at the associational meeting 
endorse him.  Yet in order to assist the local church in supporting the 
missionary that she has sent out the messengers hear the name of the missionary 
and the name of the local church which has sent him out on the mission field.  
The messengers then hear about the qualifications of the about the local church 
which has sent the missionary to the mission field.  The messengers 
of the churches cannot vote to determine whether or not the man can go on the 
mission field.  What the messengers do is to vote on whether or not the man is 
to be recommended to the churches for support.  If he is approved by the vote of 
the messengers he will be on the list of missionaries which will then be 
supported by the churches of the association.  If he is not approved by the vote 
of the messengers he may still go on the mission, but he will not be supported 
by the cooperating churches of the association.  
	In most other associations and conventions it is not the local church 
which decides whether the man can go on the field nor is the even the vote of 
the messengers of the association.  Rather the messengers elect a mission board 
and all decisions regarding missionaries will be made by the mission board.  	
 	Brethren, to many it may not make any difference who elects and sends out 
missionaries, but it does make a difference to God and it ought to make a 
difference to us.  God has set the pattern for Scriptural mission work and we 
ought to be very careful to follow the pattern which God has set.  

V.  Paul a great example for us today

	I have already pointed out to you that Paul is an example of how to send 
out mission work and I will not spend more time on that point in this message.  
But I do wish to point out to you some practical lessons for all of us who are 
present here in this assembly.  
	First of all let me point out to you that Paul was a worthy example of a 
Christian who carried the gospel message to those who were his own kinsmen.  
Paul had a special love for all people who were of the Israelite race of people.  
In every city the people of Israel were the first people that Paul went to and 
presented the gospel message telling them how to be saved.  In Romans 10:9 Paul 
said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they 
might be saved.”  In Romans 9:3 Paul said, “For I could wish that myself were 
accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”  Oh 
that all Christians had that much concern for their own kinsmen who are lost in 
sin.  May God help that Christians here in this service will carry the gospel to 
their own kinsmen that they might be saved.  
	Paul was a worthy example of a Christian who is interested in carrying the 
gospel message to people who are strangers.  It is great to witness to loved 
ones and kinfolk, but it is an even greater love which is eager to carry the 
gospel message to those whom you do not know.  They, too, are lost in sin and 
bound for everlasting torment if they do not know Jesus Christ as Savior.  Paul 
went into cities and villages and homes where the people were of a different 
nationality.  They were of a different language.  They were of a different 
culture.  They were of a different set of moral standards.  But Paul loved them 
and told them about Jesus who saved a man whom he considered to be the very 
chief of sinners.  Therefore, Paul did not hesitate to tell anybody that Jesus 
would save him if that person would call upon Jesus in repentance of sin and 
trust in Jesus for salvation.  
	Paul was a worthy example of one who was loyal to the church.  It was the 
church at Antioch of Syria which had sent him out to preach the word of God.  
Paul always showed the very highest respect for that church.  Even so we should 
show the very highest respect for the church of our membership.  Let us not be 
men and women who would tear the church down with slanderous words.  Let us not 
be men and women who would berate and criticize .  Rather wherein there is human 
fault and failure, let us pray and let us seek to help.  Let us seek to build 
up.  Let us especially seek to correct our own faults and failures and., thereby 
be a spiritual help to others.  
	Paul was a worthy example of one who labored on for the Lord even when he 
got discouraged and felt like quitting.  Paul was attentive to the word of the 
Lord and let allowed the word of God to speak to his own heart and lift him up 
and strengthen him and challenge him to continue to be faithful to the Lord.  
	Paul is a worthy example of one who has been called of God to preach the 
word to lost sinners and to teach and train those who have been saved.  There 
just may be someone here in this service who already knows that God is dealing 
with you and that God wants you to be a preacher.  
	Paul is a worthy example of one who woke up to his own sinfulness and 
repented of his sin and placed his faith in the Lord to save his lost soul.  
There just may be somebody in this very congregation who needs to follow that 
example and turn to the Lord right here and right now while there is still time 
and opportunity to be saved.  

Conclusion:

	Who will come?  Who will come without delay?  Who will come now?