“But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.”
~ Acts 19:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Would you like to be teachers someday? Paul taught for two years in Tyrannus’ lecture hall. Tyrannus was a philosopher. Tyrannus’ lecture hall was located in the city of Ephesus. Teaching around 1970 years ago was usually done during morning’s cool hours. Paul may have done his teaching during the hottest part of the day – which was from eleven in the morning to four in the afternoon. Paul may have used this time to teach in Tyrannus’ lecture hall because the place would have been available and the guys who came to hear Paul teach would not to be working. Your grandpaa thinks that the guys who Paul taught became leaders in the Christ-follower communities of guys and gals that began meeting together during the two years and three months when Paul lived, worked and ministered in the city of Ephesus. Paul would about eight years later send his Ephesians Letter to guys who were the leaders of the Christ-follower communities of guys and gals in the city of Ephesus. Your grandpaa thinks that Timothy may have been in the city of Ephesus when the Ephesians Letter arrived. Timothy was in the city of Ephesus when Paul sent him two Timothy Letters. Your grandpaa thinks that guys who he taught in Tyrannus’ lecture hall were guys who Timothy put his stamp of approval on to be positioned as elders in different emerging Christ-follower communities of guys and gals in the city of Ephesus. Your grandpaa is convinced that when Paul saw the emergence of communal driven Christ-follower fellowships of guys and gals in places where he had visited on his missionary journeys that he used the elder model to insure that each growing Christ-follower community of guys and gals had one mature guy who had been enabled with adequate knowledge and understanding of Biblical truths to oversee the functions of each of the different Christ-follower communities of guys and gals. Your grandpaa is also convinced that possibly most of the emerging Christ-follower communities of guys and gals had guys in ‘elder training’ who would take on the position of an elder in a new Christ-follower community of guys and gals. Your grandpaa does not believe that church planting or the starting up of churches was a focus or an emphasis of Paul’s or of any other New Testament church leader; the emergence of churches – which were actually in reality Christ-follower communities of guys and gals who were probably meeting in a designated building or site and who were following the religiosity tenets of their new faith in Christ – which was being called the Way, was a residual or an organic result from Paul’s teaching, preaching and evangelistic opportunities that he had during his initial three missionary forays.
Doctor Luke in the letter that he couriered to his friend Theophilus, wrote in what is now Acts 19 about Paul’s stay in the city of Ephesus. Jews and Greeks who were living in Asia Province traveled to the city of Ephesus to hear Paul teaching. While in the city of Ephesus, Paul laid hands on guys in order for them to receive the power of the Holy Spirit – which left them speaking in tongues and prophesying. Handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul wore while he did leatherwork to support himself while he was in the city of Ephesus were taken to sick and evil spirit filled guys, gals and kids resulting in guys, gals and kids who were sick being cured and guys, gals and kids who had an evil spirit living in them having the evil spirit leave them. The presence, activity and power of Paul as he did what he did in the city of Ephesus became a threat to some of the community leaders in the city of Ephesus. One of the guys – who was a silversmith and who made sliver shrines for Artemis, was particularly upset. The original Artemis idol god may have been a fallen meteorite that the guys, gals and kids who were living in the city of Ephesus were worshipping. A magnificent temple – which became one of the seven wonders in the known world at that time, had been built for this supposedly ‘great goddess’. Demetrius – the silversmith, called a meeting of workmen who were making a living of making idol gods – to inflame these guys into killing Paul or to get Paul to move on from his city. When it became apparent after a couple of hours of shouting at Paul that Paul was not going to be stopped doing what he was doing – which was simply preaching the Way message and having guys, gals and kids make decisions of faith which had them stop worshipping their idol god Artemis, the city clerk got the mob to be quiet – telling them to use the court and legal system in the city of Ephesus to make their grievances.
Your grandpaa thinks that a minimum of two years of consistent, in-depth Bible education in a formal and/or in an informal teaching setting should be a nonnegotiable for a guy who is led to be a church leader. Verse 9 says what Paul did “But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.” Bolivia leaders of rural Christ-follower communities of guys and gals were grateful for the periodic workshops that a couple of the South American Mission field team missionaries were offering them but during one of the sessions when one the rural church leaders said that the teachings that they received – even though very helpful, were like mosquito bites that had to be scratched and that he really would like a whole lot more Bible teaching than what he was receiving, this motivated and galvanized your grandpaa into thinking seriously about what would be the minimum amount of Bible training or education a guy should receive before being recognized as a Christ-follower community leader. After a couple of ad hoc meetings in which guys on the South American Mission field missionary team shared their thoughts and ideas, your grandpaa was tasked to jumpstart a prototype program for enabling guys in Biblical truths.
Acts 19 (675)