The Other Side of Course Correction
Acts 18:18–19:7
Have you ever realized you're going in the wrong direction and need to course correct?
“You want a different life, but you’re unwilling to change how you're actually living.”
You know your life needs to change, but you keep doing the same things.
You know your marriage is struggling, but you're convinced your spouse is the problem.
You worry that the way you're parenting is pushing your kids away, but you feel stuck and overwhelmed.
You know you need to go to church, but you’ve been burned so bad that you don’t give it a chance.
Sometimes our greatest problem isn’t knowing that we need change. It’s being unwilling to change because of what we’ve experienced in the past.
What if the change you're desperate for is actually right on the other side of that conviction?
What if the conviction you feel is God’s way of correcting the course of your life?
TWO STORIES OF COURSE CORRECTION
In Acts 18 and 19 we find two stories of sincere, well-meaning, deeply spiritual people who needed to change but were unaware of how.
They had people in their lives who loved them enough to tell them the truth.
01. THE INCOMPLETE MISSIONARY
Apollos was:
Sincere
Gifted communicator
Biblically Rooted
On Missional
Theologically Incomplete
Acts 18:24–25
“Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.”
Alexandria:
Region in North Africa
About 140 miles north of Cairo
Major intellectual and cultural center
Large Jewish community
Apollos was “an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.”
“He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.”
Christianity has never been intellectually anemic.
But Apollos knew only the baptism of John.
John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. It prepared people for the coming Messiah.
Apollos had some of the right pieces.
But he lacked the essential message that actually saves people:
FAITH IN JESUS
02. UNFINISHED DISCIPLES
Acts 19:1–4
Paul came to Ephesus and found some disciples.
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
“No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
They were:
Religious
Repentant
Recognized their need
But they didn't know the full message of Jesus.
DISCIPLES WHO WERE UNFINISHED
Acts 2:38
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit isn't some optional aspect to Christianity.
Galatians 4:6–7
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts…”
“So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Ephesians 1:13
“...when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”
SEEING YOUR NEED IS NOT ENOUGH
There are people coming to church because:
They see the moral bankruptcy around them.
They're looking for a better moral foundation for their kids.
They've hit rock bottom and are coming in brokenness and desperation.
But if I wasn't honest with you, I wouldn't really love you.
Simply seeing your need for change is not enough to save you.
You will not be saved because:
You correctly see something broken in yourself.
You see the sins of society.
You voted insanity out of our society.
You joined good causes.
You gave your kids a moral foundation.
You've been around church long enough.
SALVATION IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE, BUT WHO YOU RECEIVE.
We need to:
01. Recognize our need
02. Repent of sin
03. Receive Christ
COURSE CORRECTION
Acts 18:26
“...they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
Priscilla and Aquila loved Apollos enough to correct him.
Acts 18:27–28
“...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed...”
“...he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”
After the correction, Apollos's ministry became even more effective.
THREE WAYS WE HELP EACH OTHER GROW
01. SHARE TRUTH
Priscilla, Aquila, and Paul had the courage to love people enough to speak the truth.
02. ENCOURAGE OBEDIENCE
When Apollos felt called to go to a new region to preach the Gospel, the believers around him encouraged him to step toward obedience.
03. CORRECT LIES
Apollos went to the synagogue and refuted false ideas about Jesus with the Bible.
We too need to be able to correct lies when they come our way.
We need each other.
ACTS 19:5–7
“On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
“...the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.”
“There were about twelve men in all.”
The disciples understood their need, but they didn't know the solution.
Paul explained the gospel → they responded to Jesus → they were baptized → they received the Holy Spirit.
RE-BAPTISM
Some people were baptized as babies because of the faith of their parents.
Infant baptism is in many respects like John’s baptism.
It is preparation for you to come to Christ, but it is not you choosing Christ.
You can honor the past, but own the present moment.
Stop relying on the faith of your family, and make a decision because of your own faith in Jesus.
STRENGTHENING THE DISCIPLES
Acts 18:23
“...he [Paul] departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.”
Paul saw his mission as strengthening the disciples—giving them a foundation they could confidently stand on.
One of the ways God strengthens our faith is through course correction.
What if that moment is actually a gift God is bringing into your life?
What if the change you want to see is actually on the other side of that conviction?
HOW IS GOD CALLING YOU TO COURSE CORRECT?
Maybe God is calling you to:
Humbly receive someone's correction.
Be more active in sharing your faith.
Surrender to Jesus today.