"Speak...In This City" (Acts 18:9-10)

"Speak...In This City" from Acts 18:9-10 was preached by Dr. Mark McElreath at the City Baptist Church of Atlanta on March 29, 2026.

Find out more about the City Baptist Church of Atlanta at www.mycitybaptist.com.

Transcript

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Welcome to the City Pulpit. Bible messages from the pulpit ministry of the City Baptist Church in Atlanta. Please take your Bibles with me. Let's turn to the book of Acts. Acts chapter 18, and we're working our way through a small passage in Acts chapter 18. In fact, we're focusing on just two verses, one phrase from these verses in this city series. But we'll begin reading in Acts chapter 18, verse number 1, and we'll read this first 11 verses of this chapter to give us context here of what's going on here in the city of Corinth. Acts chapter 18 and verse number 1, the Bible says, After these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth, and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought, for by their occupation they were tent makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean, from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence and entered into a certain man's house named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house, and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. And we've taken these two verses here because verse number nine and verse number ten, because there's a phrase at the end of verse number ten, in this city. And there are six very specific commands that the Lord speaks to Paul that he is to do in this city. We looked previously in verse nine at be not afraid in this city. And this evening we'll take for the theme of the Bible message, speak in this city. Speak in this city. Paul often uses this idea of speaking and having boldness to speak the truth throughout his writings. In fact, in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 19 and 20, he says, And for me that utterance may be given unto me, not just the ability to speak, but the boldness to speak. He says that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. I think it's interesting, he says, verse 20, that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. There is a way in which Christians ought to speak in this world. There's a way in which Christians ought to speak in this city. He says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse number 2, he says, But even after that we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. He says that we were bold in our God. Not bold in the flesh, not bold in our spirit, but bold in the Lord to speak unto you the gospel of God. In this city we are not silent. Some people are silent because they have nothing to say. I'm glad those people stay silent. Some people are silent because they're afraid of what the action or the reaction may be against them if they say certain things. But we speak because we have something to say, and we speak because God has given us a boldness to speak. Now I want you to look back at our passage here in Acts chapter 18. Look at verse number 9. This short passage here opens with, Then spake the Lord to Paul. Do you know why we speak ultimately? Because God has first spoken to us. He is the word. And when he speaks and he gives us a message, we realize we're responsible for that message. And in this city we speak. I want you to make note of some things with me as we consider speak in this city. Number one, we're reasoning from the word of God. We are reasoning from the word of God. Now let's look at these verses. We've read verse 1 through 11, but specifically in verse 4 and 5, I want you to see some words that are used about how Paul is speaking. Look at verse number 4 of Acts chapter 18. The Bible says, and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath. Would you mark that word in verse number 4? Reasoned. In this city we are reasoning from the Word of God. The word reasoned here is the word we get dialogue from. It means to converse or to discourse with or to argue with or discuss. Now, this does not mean we're argumentative. We don't go out looking for a fight. Okay? If we just speak the truth in love, we'll cause enough contention and cause enough issue, we won't have to look for fights, okay? But how often are we arguing for the truth? How often are we standing for the truth? Paul said in Ephesians 4, verse 15, he said, we are speaking the truth in love. If we have the truth, then we must be speaking from the Word of God. Here Paul is discussing with these Jews in the synagogue. It says in verse 4, he's speaking with them in the synagogue every Sabbath. Week after week, he's going back to these Jews and he's going to their place of worship, and he's taking the Bible. Now we realize he doesn't have the New Testament like we have, so he's taking the Old Testament. What is he doing? He's showing them Jesus is the Christ. Here is the truth. We're reasoning from the Word of God. Now, there are many today, they'll say it's not worth taking the Bible and opening it to people because people don't believe the Bible. They're not going to believe what you say in the first place. But here's the thing: it's not just about trying to convince people of something. We realize that when we reason from the Word of God, it is the source of power. It is the place from which we draw all that we need to reason with and convince people. Sometimes when I speak to people, and I'm sure it's the same with you, I'm just trying to give them a Bible verse, and I'm just trying to give them the Word of God because it is the Word of God that breaks the heart of stone. It is the Word of God that penetrates deeper into the spirit of man than any argument, any apologetic array can do. He's reasoning from the Word of God. In fact, let me give you an example of this. Would you go back just one chapter? Go to Acts chapter 17. And when we come to Acts chapter 17, the previous chapter, look with me at verse number one. The Bible says, now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, and there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, okay, he says he normally goes to the synagogue, and as his manner is, he went unto them in the synagogue three Sabbath days. And what did he do? He reasoned with them out of what? Out of the scriptures. He takes the Bible and he opens a Bible and he says, here's what the Bible says. Now, could Paul articulate a very fine argument from the Old Testament? I'm sure he could. And I'm sure none of us here could stand against any argument Paul could make. But why does he go to the scriptures? Because he's going all the way back to the authority. He is rooting his argument in the authority of the Word of God. We find in verse 16 it says he's in Athens. And then it says in Acts 17, 17, therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. We find here this word disputed here as he's reasoning from the word of God. It says that he disputes with who? Those in the synagogue of the Jews. And then who else? And with devout persons. These are religious people. What are we going to say to these people? They believe another religion. We're going to take the word of God and expound the word of God to them. He also says in verse 17, and in the market daily with them that met with him. What is he doing in the market? Remember, Paul's a tent maker. No doubt he's applying his trade and making his tents, making a way for him to support himself. And there are people coming to him. And what is he doing? He's taking the word of God and he's speaking the word of God, reasoning from the word of God with them. Skip with me past chapter 18 and look at chapter 19. Acts chapter 19 and verse number 8. What does the Bible say? And he went into the what? The synagogue. There he goes. And spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. Look at verse 9. It says, and when diverse were hardened and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, disputing how often? Daily in the school of one Tyrannus. What is he doing? He is taking the Word of God. He's reasoning with people from it. Those that are Jews, those that are devout, those that are in the market. What is that? It's taking the Word of God everywhere in the city. Why would we take gospel tracts and take them out in our daily business, in our daily market? And we speak to people about the Word of God and leave a gospel tract. We were just in a store the other day. We struck up a conversation with a lady, and she has a church home that's very far from here. And she said, I'm so glad you've talked to me because I have this person that's in the hospital and they need prayer. And we we carried out our business. And before we went, she said, Would you just pray for me before we go? We stood right there in the middle of the store and we just all prayed together. Why? Because we're in the market, we're sharing the word of God, reasoning from the word of God, just as Paul did. In this city, we are not silent, in this city we speak. Did you make note of a second thing back in our passage, Acts chapter 18, we're reasoning from the Word of God, but also, would you look at verse 4? It says he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Secondly, would you write this down? In this city, we're persuading some to follow God. Now we're reasoning from the Word of God, but we understand not everyone is going to follow the truth. We're persuading some to follow God. This word here that's used in verse number four, persuaded, is from a word that we get the word knowledge from. It means to induce one to believe or to win one over. Do we see any persuading work as we speak the truth? If we're faithful to speak the word of God, to reason from the word of God, to preach and teach the Bible, there should be some fruit of persuasion going on in our teaching and preaching work. There should be some fruit of persuasion. Now, this is not manipulation. This is not some icky thing where we're just trying to force someone to make some decision. That's not how God works. That's not how his Holy Spirit works. Go back with me again to Acts chapter 17, because we see this carried out in Paul's ministry. Acts chapter 17, look at verse 4. It says here, and some of them believed. Now, the word believe there is the same word used in Acts chapter 18 for the word persuaded. We could say in verse 4, and some of them were persuaded. Not their arm was put behind them, and they were forced to pray some prayer. That's not what we're saying. But they heard the word of God, the Spirit works in their heart, and they're persuaded, convinced of the truth of the Word of God, and they place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, and some of them believed. It says, and they consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women, not a few. These are intellectual people, these are devout people, these are leaders in the city. Chapter 19 and verse 26. Paul is in Ephesus here. And here in this context, there are people getting saved, and the silversmiths outside the temple of Diana are losing business because people aren't buying as many idols as they once did. By the way, you want to stir up, you want to stir up a city, start start seeing so many people get saved, they're not engaging in sin, and people start losing money because of it, and you'll start, you'll start really working up some people against the Bible. And so they start getting upset because people aren't buying as many silver idols of Diana as they once did. Look at verse 24 of Acts 19. For a certain man named Demetrius the silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain under the craftsmen, whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, you know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover, verse 26, you see and hear that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath what? Persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods which are made with hands. What's happened here? Paul has taken the word of God, and he's gone out into the city of Ephesus, and he's preached, and he's been teaching the Bible, and people are convinced of the truth through the work of the Holy Spirit. They put their faith in Jesus Christ, they turn from idolatry, and all of those silversmiths start losing money because of it. And they say, you know what? They've gone out, verse number 26, and they have persuaded them, and they have turned away much people. Now, how are we going to turn people away from idolatry? How are we going to turn people away from sin? By turning them to Christ. That's the order. When they turn to Christ, you realize lots of other things start falling away. When they turn to Christ, in fact, I think it's in 1 Corinthians, Paul said, Ye turned to God from idols. That's always the order. We'll get it out of order if we try to get people to first turn away from their idols. No, first they turn to Christ, and God turns them away from their idols. They persuaded them, and they've turned away much people, saying there be no gods which are made with hands. Skip ahead with me, please, as we think about this persuading work. Look at chapter 26 of the book of Acts. Chapter 26. Paul is in bonds here. And though he is in bonds, the word of God is free, and the word of God is working. Look at Acts chapter 26. And would you look with me, please, at verse 21? For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple and went about to kill me, having therefore obtained help and you unto this day, witnessing both the small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad. Now Festus, and we're going to speak to King Agrippa in a moment. These are local Roman leaders. And Paul says here, he speaks to small and great. That's true. And here he's speaking to Festus, who says, You've lost your mind. And he's speaking to Agrippa. Look at me, please, at verse 25. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. You realize these leaders that he's speaking to have the very power in their own hands to keep him bound or to free him. But Paul realizes, my freedom is not what hangs in the balance. It's the souls of these men that hang in the balance. And so, verse 24, he says, or verse 25, he says, that he speaks the words of truth and soberness. Look at verse 26. For the king knoweth of thee, of these things, before whom I also speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this thing was not done in a corner. Now, Paul says, I am persuaded of some things. Paul says, I am persuaded that all this has been done, it wasn't done in a corner. It means it wasn't done secretly. People know what's going on here, but most of all, God knows what's going on here. By the way, if we're going to persuade people of the truth, convince people of the truth, we've got to be persuaded in our own hearts and in our own minds of the truth ourselves. We're not going to convince anyone of the truth of the Bible and the validity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Christian faith if we're not sold out and convinced of it ourselves and live like it. Now look what he says in verse 27. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. And here's what Agrippa says. He says, Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. He says, You almost have convinced me of it, Paul says, verse 29. I would to God, not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, we're both almost and altogether such as I am, accept these bonds. He says, I wish I could convince you of these truths. But here's the thing, we can't force anyone to believe something they don't want to believe. He says, I'm trying to convince you of these things. As we speak and we wield the word of God, we pray that God will allow us to see some persuaded to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. And so in this city, we speak. What are we doing? We're reasoning from the Word of God, and we're persuading some to follow God. But there's a third thing we're also doing as we speak. Would you go back with me, please, to Acts chapter 18? Look at our passage. And look with me, please, at verse number 5. Acts chapter 18, verse 5, it says, And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit. So these two that Paul knows and loves, Silas, his missionary team partner, and Timotheus, his son in the faith, they've come from Macedonia. This is where Philippi is, Macedonian. And it says in the second part of verse 5, Paul was pressed in the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. We are reasoning from the Word of God, we're persuading some to follow God. That word is used here in verse number 5 that he testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. Now, this word testified here is the same word we get the word martyr from. It means attesting to something, solemnly affirming or confirming a thing by testimony. You know what the word testifying does? It puts us in the courtroom. We must give a testimony on the witness stand. We are a witness. And I ask you this evening, what have each and every one of us witnessed? If you were to put our life on the witness stand and we can but speak the things which we have seen and heard, that's really all the witness does. A witness does not make things up on the witness stand. If you are in a courtroom and you're put on the witness stand, all they want you to do is tell what you have seen or what you have heard. And that's exactly what we're doing in our Christian life. We cannot speak anything that we have not experienced ourselves. And he says here, he's testifying to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. He is a Jew. He has not just seen Christ, he's experienced a changed life because of Jesus Christ. And this is what he's testifying of. What have we witnessed in our Christian life? Let me ask you this: what have others witnessed about us? This word here is where we get the word martyr. A martyr is on display. A martyr was sent to the stocks or was sent to the pyre to be burned or whatever it was that they were to be killed for their faith. That was a public thing. It was something to be watched and something to be seen. And our own life, we may not die a martyr's death, but our own life is speaking of the truths of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our life is testifying something about Jesus Christ. Would you go with me to Acts chapter 20? Look with me in Acts chapter 20. This is a special passage where Paul is going to be leaving Ephesus. He's never going to see this group of leaders in the church of Ephesus again. Acts chapter 20, look with me, please, at verse 17. We think about testifying of the grace. Of God, he says in verse 17, and from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying and wait of the Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. Look what he says in verse 21. What's the first word? Testifying. He's saying, I've witnessed to you of something, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, You know I've been with you at all seasons. You know I've labored among you. It's one thing to talk the talk. But Paul is saying, I have walked the walk in front of you. You've seen it, and I've testified to you, Jews, I've testified to you, Gentiles. Look what he says in verse 22. Now behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, knowing the things that shall be befall me there. Verse 23, he says, Say that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city. That's our word, witnesseth. The Holy Ghost testifies in every city. Do you know why we speak in this city? Because the Holy Ghost has gone before us, and the Holy Ghost is speaking in this city. We are not alone. We do not work by ourselves. The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city. We are just getting in on what God is already doing. He says in verse 24, but none of these things move me. Neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to do what? To testify, there's our word, the gospel of the grace of God. To testify the gospel of the grace of God. That's what we're speaking in this city. Are there great speeches to be made? Maybe there are. Is there great oratory to be done? Maybe so. But you know what the job of every Christian day in and day out is to do? Is to give a testimony and to testify of the grace of God that's been shown in each and every one of our lives. We are giving a witness of the grace of God in our lives, and we're sharing with others what he can do in theirs. That's what we're doing. We are speaking. There's a story many years ago, nearly a hundred years ago at this point, 1933, when Adolf Hitler came to near total power in Germany as Chancellor. There was a preacher, a Christian pastor named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He would later die a martyr's death. Bonhoeffer preached a message on the radio called the Fuhrer Principle. And his main thrust was that no man should have absolute control. And those who put themselves up as God think they are God and are making a mockery of God. He was preaching, he was speaking what he saw. As he began to come to a close, the radio feed was cut off mid-sentence. And it's up for debate up to this day, whether it was a technical difficulty or whether it was intentional censorship. But nonetheless, I think the devil knew he had to be silenced. He chose to speak and not let evil go unchecked. He went on to say, silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Bonhoeffer said, not to speak is to speak. And we have a choice in this city. We have a choice whether we will stand with the truth and speak the truth, or whether we will be silent, we will clam up, we will allow all the evil to go on around us, and we will do nothing about it. In this city we speak, we reason from the word of God. Remember, we have the authority of God's word on our side. We persuade some to follow God. We understand that if we are faithful to follow the Lord, there will be some measure of persuading work through our teaching and preaching that people will come to know Christ. And we understand ultimately we're just testifying of the grace of God in our own lives. We follow this pattern that was given to us years ago in the New Testament, through Paul and through the New Testament believers, just speaking to others of what God's done in our life. Look, has God done anything in your life? Has he changed your life? Has he worked in your life? Then we have something to say. Then we have a message that we can give. And we speak in this city. Let us not be silent. Let us be a vocal group of Christians that know what the Lord's done for us. Thank you for listening to the City Pulpit. For more information about the City Baptist Church of Atlanta, please visit www.mycitybaptist.com.