Paul Needed Help in Athens
- Paul needed help because the city was given wholly to idolatry Acts 17:16
- Paul’s spirit was stirred in Athens while waiting for Timothy & Silas Acts 17:16
- Paul sends for Timothy & Silas for help right away Acts 17:15
- Paul sends for Timothy because Timothy had the power too I Cor 16:10
The Idolatry Of The City Of Athens
- Athens was the chief city of Greece famed for its learning Acts 17:15 Ref C
- There is no record that Paul established a church in Athens
- Even though the city had Paul & two powerhouses (Timothy & Silas), they still couldn’t get a breakthrough in the whole city
- This was because of the satanic powers
- The satanic powers had a stronghold over education
- One can rely on education so much that they don’t pray
- Education is good because, Paul had a Ph.D. but, he knew he needed the power of God
- However, they were able to start a church in Corinth nearby
- Paul wrought no special miracles in Athens, for they did not believe Acts 19:11-12
- The ground in Athens was harder to break than in Corinth, and Corinth had problems mentioned in two epistles
We Need Help To Fight This Good Fight of Faith
- You may need help in your local church, jurisdiction, & organization
- We need help to fight this good fight of faith I Tim 6:12
- It is a spiritual battle, be strong in the Lord Eph 6:10
- You cannot fight this battle by yourself
- You got to have help in your church & jurisdiction because of these strong holds Eph 6:12
- One can chase a thousand & two can chase ten thousand Deut 32:30
- We need strong elders James 5:14
- Strong means you can pray in the Spirit when you pray Jude 20
- We have a system of bishops, elders, and pastors to help one another
- We are helpers one to another
- We need help in the church I Cor 12:28
The Opposition in Ephesus Was Idolatry
- We need the power of God to fight against principalities Eph 6:12
- They worshipped the idol Diana in Ephesus Acts 19:24
- This idol had breasts all over her body Acts 19:27RefN
- Those who worshipped her believed she was the mother and a nourisher of all creation
- Witchcraft, voodoo, & burning incense comes with these idols
- This was church work, fighting against all this idolatry Eph 6:10-12
Our Opposition Today Is COVID19
- Our satanic opposition today is COVID19
- Satan is using the virus to come against the church
- Staying home to have church online is not the same as in-person
- All churches (denominations) are having trouble getting people back into the church
- You have to pray to not get that mind
- Satan wants the churches to shut down
- Ask the Lord to keep you
- Through all this, we need to have a spiritual mind and watch the attack of the enemy against you and against the church
Paul’s Method In Starting Churches
- Paul receives the vision of a man in Macedonia saying, come over into Macedonia and help us Acts 16:9
- This church in Macedonia (Philippi) was during his 2nd missionary tour
- Paul often visited churches to see how they were doing
- Church work is spiritual work
- Once again, they had opposition through the fortune teller Acts 16:16
- The city was under the influence of the spirit of divination (fortune-telling)
- Paul leaves Corinth to Ephesus Acts 19:1-2
- Paul would go to the synagogues because he knew they knew the scripture & he would start with the Jews first
We Need The Power of God To Fight Against The Principalities
- My preaching and teaching came not only with enticing words I Cor 2:1-5
- An anointing should come with the title Eph 4:11-12
- If there is no anointing with the title, that is coming up short
- Obedient means to convince them to believe Rom 15:18-19
- You got to teach and preach with a made-up mind
- You got to be convinced first before convincing others
- If you become obedient to the faith, you become a believer
- What causes believers to believe? Mighty signs and miracles
- Special miracles make believers
