Acts 18: A New Church in Corinth
IN OUR LAST FOUR CHAPTERS WE HAVE TAKEN THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY WITH PAUL.
THE BEGINNING WAS POSITIVE AS TIMOTHY JOINED PAUL AS A HELPER AND THE TEAM VISITED CHURCHES PLANTED IN THE 1ST JOURNEY.
PAUL HAD RECEIVED THE VISION CALL BECKONING HIM TO MACEDONIA AND PAUL’S WORK WAS STRONG IN SPREADING THE WORD OF GOD.
LUKE JOINED IN TROAS AND MUCH EFFORT RESULTED IN CHURCHES
IN PHILLIPI, THESSALONICA, BEREA, AND OTHERS.
TROUBLE FOLLOWED PAUL IN PHILLIPI BUT BOTH HE AND SILAS WERE DELIVERED FROM PRISON BY THE LORD’S EARTHQUAKE AND THE JAILER AND HIS FAMILY WERE CONVERTED.
PAUL WAS CHASED OUT OF THESSALONICA AND WELL AS PUSHED OUT OF BEREA.
SOULS WERE BEING SAVED, THE WORD WAS SPREADING, AND OPPOSITION SEEMED TO GAIN STRENGTH.
AFTER FLEEING BEREA, PAUL FOUND HIMSELF ALONE IN ATHENS.
THE MASSIVE IDOLATRY THERE HURT HIS SPIRIT. A FEW SOULS WERE INDEED SAVED, BUT AGAIN PAUL WAS CHASED AWAY, LIKELY TIRED AND DEJECTED.
NOW WE TRAVEL WITH PAUL DURING THE 2ND JOURNEY AS HE ARRIVES IN CORINTH.
HERE HE MEETS AQUILA AND PRISCILLA, WHO WERE TENTMAKERS THAT HAD RECENTLY ARRIVED FROM ROME. PAUL JOINED THEM IN THEIR BUSINESS TO MAKE HIS OWN LIVING AND HE HAS MANY TIMES SHOWN HIS WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY TO TAKE ON MANUAL LABOR TO PAY HIS OWN WAY.
WE NEXT SEE PAUL ENTER THE SYNAGOGUE IN CORINTH AND PREACH JESUS AND HIM CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED.
SILAS AND TIMOTHY ARRIVED WITH GOOD NEWS THAT THE THESSALONIAN CHURCH WAS STRONG AND GROWING. IT WAS DURING PAUL’S TIME IN CORINTH THAT HE WROTE BOTH 1ST & 2ND THESSALONIANS.
CORINTH WAS THE MOST WICKED CITY OF THIS TIME. IT WAS THE CESSPOOL OF EVIL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, A PLACE OF THE TEMPLE OF VENUS THAT BOASTED 1,000 VESTIAL VIRGINS ALL OF WHOM WERE ANYTHING BUT. ALL WERE PROSTITUTES.
TWO OF PAUL’S MOST EFFECTIVE MINISTRIES WERE CORINTH & EPHESUS. EPHESUS WAS A RELIGIOUS CENTER AND CORINTH WAS
A CENTER OF SIN. BOTH WERE STRONG COMMERCIAL CITIES.
THE SYNAGOGUE ELDERS WERE MUCH OPPOSED TO PAUL AND IN VERSE 6 PAUL’S FEELINGS OVERFLOWED AGAINST THESE UNWILLING LISTENERS:
“And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.”
HIS TURN AWAY FROM THE JEWS SEEMED TO GUIDE PAUL FROM THIS MOMENT ONWARD, AS WE SEE IN EPHESUS AND MORE IN ROME.
PAUL NEVER LOST HIS LOVE FOR THE JEWS BUT HE SEES HERE HE HAS LITTLE EFFECT ON THEIR SPIRITUAL POVERTY.
PAUL WENT TO A MAN’S HOUSE WHO WAS NAMED JUSTUS AND THERE THE CHIEF RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE CAME TO FAITH ALONG WITH MANY CORINTHIANS, AND WERE BAPTIZED.
IN ALL, PAUL SPENT ABOUT 18 MONTHS IN CORINTH AND IT WAS HERE THAT THE LORD GAVE PAUL ENCOURAGING NEWS IN A NIGHT VISION AS REVEALED IN VERSE 9-10:
“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.”
HERE GOD SPOKE TO PAUL ALMOST THE SAME WORDS HE GAVE TO ELIJAH WHEN ELIJAH FELT ALL ALONE IN HIS PITY MOMENT AND GOD TOLD HIM THERE WERE 7,000 WHO HAD NOT BENT A KNEE TO BAAL, THE FALSE GOD.
OPPOSITION, HOWEVER, CONTINUED.
VERSE 12 TEACHES THAT THE JEWS ROSE AGAINST PAUL AND FORCED HIM TO APPEAR AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT TO BE ACCUSED.
THE FIRST ACCUSATION WAS THAT PAUL TAUGHT WORSHIP CONTRARY TO THE LAW, MEANING THE LAW OF MOSES.
THE JUDGE, A MAN NAMED GALLIO, REFUSED TO JUDGE PAUL BECAUSE THE DEBATE WAS RELIGIOUS NOT CIVIL.
THEN THE GREEKS TOOK THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE WHO HAD ACCUSED PAUL AND BEAT HIM.
HERE WE SEE A “HANDS OFF” POLICY BY THE CIVILIAN JUDGE CONCERNING RELIGIOUS MATTERS. IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IF OUR OWN JUDGES FOLLOWED THIS EXAMPLE.
SOMETIME AFTER THESE EVENTS PAUL TOOK AQUILA & PRISCILLA WITH HIM AND DEPARTED TO SYRIA, AND TOOK AN OATH WHICH WAS LIKELY HIS VOW FOR A TIME AS A NAZARINE, AS HE SHAVED HIS HEAD.
HIS NEXT STOP WAS EPHESUS AS HE PREACHED AND REASONED WITH THE JEWS THERE AS NOTED IN VERSE 19.
EARLIER THE HOLY GHOST DID NOT ALLOW PAUL TO VISIT EPHESUS BUT HE DOES STOP THERE FOR A TIME ON HIS WAY HOME.
WHILE THOSE THERE ASKED PAUL TO STAY THERE, HE DID NOT AGREE TO DO SO.
PAUL ARRIVED AT CAESAREA, WENT THEN TO JERUSALEM, GAVE HIS REPORT THERE, AND THEN WENT ONWARD TO HIS HOME CHURCH IN ANTIOCH.
HIS 2ND MISSIONARY JOURNEY WAS CONCLUDED.
HIS 3RD MISSIONARY JOURNEY BEGINS AS HE GOES TO GALATIA AND PHRYGIA STRENGTHENING THE DISCIPLES WHO WERE IN THE FAITH.
HE WILL GO TO EPHESUS ON THE NEXT JOURNEY BUT BEFORE HE DOES WE FIND ANOTHER PREACHER HAS ARRIVED THERE, NAMED APOLLOS, A CERTAIN JEW, MIGHTY IN THE SCRIPTURES.
HE WAS FROM ALEXANDRIA WHICH CONTAINED THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPLETE LIBRARY IN THE KNOWN WORLD AND THERE WAS A LARGE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE THERE AS WELL.
WE ARE TOLD HE WAS AN ELOQUENT MAN, WELL TRAINED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND INSTRUCTED IN THE WAY OF THE LORD, BUT KNOWING ONLY THE BAPTISM OF JOHN.
WHEN HE PREACHED HE WAS NOT PREACHING CHRIST AND AQUILA AND PRISCILLA HEARD HIM AND KNEW QUICKLY HE WAS LIMITED IN HIS KNOWLEDGE.
THEY TOOK HIM UNDER THEIR WING AND INTO THEIR OWN HOME AND WE ARE TOLD THEY EXPOUNDED THE WAY OF GOD TO HIM MORE PERFECTLY.
THEIR WORK PAID HELPFUL BENEFITS AS HE PASSED ONWARD INTO ACHAIA, A REPORT CAME BACK THAT HE WAS BRINGING THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION BY GRACE WHICH BROUGHT MANY TO FAITH.
VERSE 28 TEACHES THAT HE THEREAFTER MIGHTILY CONVINCED THE JEWS AND HE PUBLICLY SHOWED BY THE SCRIPTURES THAT JESUS WAS CHRIST.
HIS TRAVELS TOOK HIM TO GREECE, INCLUDING CORINTH AND ATHENS PREACHING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND SAVIOR.
WE HAVE SEEN IN PAUL’S 2ND JOURNEY TIMES OF GOOD SUCCESS AS WELL AS TIMES OF BOTH PERSECUTION AND FAILURE BUT THE LORD WAS FAITHFUL TO THE WORK THE HOLY SPIRIT ASSIGNED TO PAUL.
HE NEVER LEFT HIM NOR FORSOOK HIM. HE WAS WITH HIM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY AND EVEN ARRANGED FOR CHARGES BY THE JEWS TO BE DROPPED BY A CIVILIAN GOVERNOR.
WE SAW THE GREATER EDUCATION TO AN ELOQUENT PREACHER BY TWO TENTMAKERS WHO WERE KNOWN OF PAUL AND EVEN TRAVELED WITH PAUL AT TIMES.
WE SEE THAT APOLLOS BECAME SUCH A POWERFUL VOICE FOR THE LORD THAT A SEGMENT OF THE CHURCH MEMBERS AT CORINTH FORMED A PARTY DEDICATED TO FOLLOWING HIM. (1ST COR 1:12)
THE LORD CONTINUED TO IMPLEMENT HIS PLAN, UNFOLDING IT ACROSS THE GENTILE AREAS, EXACTLY AS JESUS HAD TOLD ANANIAS WOULD BE THE ASSIGNMENT TO HIS CHOSEN VESSEL PAUL.
CHAPTER 18 ENDS WITH AN INTERESTING NARRATIVE THAT CAN BE HELPFUL TO US IN THE MODERN CHURCH.
PAUL HAD LEFT AQUILA AND PRISCILLA IN EPHESUS AND LUKE INTRODUCED US TO A CERTAIN JEW NAMED APOLLOS.
THIS MAN HAD NOT BEEN EVEN MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE BEFORE.
HERE HE IS SEEN SERVING THE LORD IN EPHESUS AND IN CHAPTER 19 WE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN IN CORINTH AND LATER HE WAS THE ONE PAUL ASKED TITUS TO HELP (TITUS 3:13).
APOLLOS KNEW THE LORD. HE WAS INSTRUCTED IN THE WAY OF THE LORD AND WAS A ZEALOUS BELIEVER AND PREACHED AND TAUGHT DILIGENTLY.
BUT HIS KNOWLEDGE WAS INCOMPLETE AND AQUILA AND PRICILLA READILY UNDERSTOOD THAT WHEN THEY HEARD HIM SPEAK.
HIS EDUCATION IN ALEXANDRIA WAS EXCELLENT AND HE SPOKE WITH ELOQUENCE, BUT HE ONLY UNDERSTOOD THE BAPTISM OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THAT IS WHAT HE PREACHED IN THE SYNAGOGUE.
THEY TOOK APOLLOS UNTO THEMSELVES AND EXPOUNDED TO HIM THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST WHICH ARRIVED AFTER THE GOSPEL TAUGHT BY JOHN THE BAPTIST.
HE THEN REVEALED WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN HIS BEST GIFT WHICH WAS THE WILLINGNESS TO LEARN MORE.
THE ISSUE WITH HIM WAS THAT HE KNEW THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST BUT DID NOT KNOW THE GOSPEL OF GRACE THAT WAS THE FOUNDATION OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION WHICH ARE THE PILLARS OF GOSPEL PREACHING.
THIS LOVING COUPLE GAVE OF THEIR TIME & KNOWLEDGE TO COMPLETE THE EDUCATION OF THIS BELIEVER AND HE THEN BECAME A COMPLETE AND FINISHED PRODUCT OF THE COMPLETE GOSPEL MESSAGE.
HE RESOLVED TO GO TO ACHAIA AND PREACH AND THE COUPLE AND OTHERS IN EPHESUS WROTE A LETTER OF INTRODUCTION RECOMMENDING HIM TO THE BRETHREN THERE.
LUKE RECORDED HIS RECEPTION WHICH WAS STRONG AND HE MINISTERED MIGHTILY TO BOTH THE JEWS AND PUBLICLY WHICH MEANT HE DEFEATED THE JEWS IN PUBLIC DEBATE AND IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE WE ARE TOLD HE CONTINUED TO DO SO.
HE BECAME SO POWERFUL IN HIS PREACHING AND DEBATE THAT WE FIND LATER A GROUP ON THE CHURCH AT CORINTH DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO HIS TEACHING (1ST COR 1:12).
HIS CHANGES CAME FROM LOVE OF THE COUPLE WHO HELPED HIM TO KNOW MORE AND THEREBY BECAME A MUCH BETTER SERVANT OF THE LORD.
WHEN WE MEET OTHERS WHO MAY NOT YET FULLY UNDERSTAND THE GOSPEL WE SHOULD PATTERN OURSELVES AFTER THIS FAITHFUL COUPLE AND HELP THOSE IN NEED WITH LOVE AND KIND DEVOTION.
WE SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THERE IS NO SIN IN BEING IGNORANT. THE ONLY SIN IS STAYING THAT WAY.
WE SHOULD ALSO SEEK A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORDS GOD SPOKE DIRECTLY TO PAUL IN THE VISION REPORTED BY LUKE IN CHAPTER 18, VERSES 9 & 10:
“Then spake the Lord unto 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.”
WE CAREFULLY NOTICE THAT LUKE DOES NOT REVEAL IN CHAPTER 18 THAT PAUL IS AFRAID. HIS TESTIMONY WAS FORCEFUL AND DIRECT AS WE SEE IN VERSE 6 THAT DISPLAYS HIS ANGER.
WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE BY THIS MOMENT?
THE ACCOUNT OF PAUL’S TIME IN CORINTH IS NOT ONLY A RECORD OF HOW THE SPIRIT MINISTERED THROUGH HIM BUT IS ALSO A STIRRING DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE SPIRIT MINISTERED TO HIM.
THE LORD CLEARLY IS WELL AWARE OF PAUL NEARING
DISCOURAGEMENT AND HAVING FEAR IN HIS HEART, AND THEREFORE THE VERY FIRST THING GOD SAID TO PAUL IN THE VISION WAS “BE NOT AFRAID”.
EVEN THOUGH LUKE ALLOWS NO MENTION OF PAUL’S FEAR, WE KNOW IT WAS TRUE AND KNOWN BY GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT PAUL SAID TO THE PEOPLE OF CORINTH IN 1ST CORINTHIANS 2.
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.”
THERE WERE GOOD REASONS FOR PAUL TO BECOME DISCOURAGED IN THAT MOMENT.
HIS 50 MILE WALK FROM ATHENS TO CORINTH GAVE HIM MUCH TIME TO PONDER OVER THE SMALL BIT OF SUCCESS HE FOUND IN ATHENS, THE INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL OF THAT PORTION OF THE WORLD IN HIS DAY.
HE HAD BEEN DRIVEN OUT OF MACEDONIA AND BARELY TOLERATED IN ATHENS AND IN CORINTH HE MET THE SAME TYPE OF HOSTILITY HE HAD FOUND BEFORE FROM THE JEWS. HE DECLARED IN VERSE 6 HIS ANGER OVER THEIR HARD HEARTEDNESS.
GOD PROVIDED PAUL WITH SEVERAL CURES FOR ANY DISCOURAGEMENT.
HE GAVE PAUL NEW FRIENDS WHO SHARED PAUL’S LOVE FOR THE LORD. THESE WERE TENT MAKERS LIKE PAUL, AND WERE HEBREW CHRISTIANS DRIVEN OUT OF ROME BY CLAUDIUS.
HE GAVE PAUL A WONDERFUL SUCCESS IN CORINTH WHEN THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE, A MAN NAMED CRISPUS, WAS SAVED WITH THIS HOUSEHOLD.
GOD ASSURED PAUL THAT HIS FEAR SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND BY THE ONE THING THAT COULD CURE SUCH A THING, THE LOVE OF GOD FOR HIS CHOSEN VESSEL.
A DEEPER LOVE REPLACED ANY FEAR IN HIS MINISTRY.
A GIFT OF COURAGE TO REPLACE ANY CAUTION. AND
A FREEDOM FROM THINKING HE MAY BE ALONE WITH FELLOWSHIP OF FRIENDS OF JESUS CHRIST.
THE LORD HAD SURROUNDED PAUL WITH A STRONG FORCE OF FAITHFUL PEOPLE, SILAS, TIMOTHY, AND LUKE, AS WELL AS AQUILA & PRISCILLA AS WELL AS JUSTUS WHO BEFRIENDED PAUL.
THE LORD WAS GATHERING HIS PEOPLE IN SUPPORT OF HIS CHOSEN AND APPOINTED VESSEL.
WE SEE THAT AS PAUL LATER LEFT CORINTH, TAKING WITH HIM AQUILA AND PRISCILLA TO THE PORT OF CENCHERA TO MAKE HIS WAY TO JERUSALEM, PAUL HAD HIS HAIR CUT BEFORE HE BOARDED HIS SHIP TO BEGIN A 30 DAY VOW OF REPLENISHING HIS FAITH.
NEXT WEEK WE STUDY THE MIGHTY WORK DONE IN EPHESUS.
