Gtcotr/ws111319
This
evening in our continuing study of the Book of the Acts, we will be reading about
the Apostle Paul and his first visit to the city of Corinth. I have chosen only
a few verses in chapter 18 to discuss two truths:
1.
Your best is not in you …
2.
God is bigger than your biggest enemy.
Chapter 16: Recap ---
·
In
about the year AD 52/53, Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke sailed from Turkey to
Greece, (The Bible says: Asia Minor to Macedonia). Paul and Silas were put into
jail in the city of Philippi for casting a spirit of divination out of a young slave
girl who was demonically empowered to make money for her owners by telling
fortunes.
·
Paul
and Silas were stripped naked and beaten yet, in their midnight hour, in the
darkest prison, they prayed and sang praises and God while all of the other
prisoners were listening.
·
Suddenly,
an earthquake shook the ground and opened the prison doors, loosed the chains
and set all the captives free.
·
Instead
of escaping, the prisoners stayed in the prison with Paul and Silas. As a
result …
·
The
jailer and all his household were saved.
·
The
next morning Paul and Silas were released from prison, said goodbye to those
who had received Jesus, and left the city of Philippi.
Chapter
17: Recap ---
·
Paul
and his companions walked from Philippi southwards to the city of Thessalonica
and there they preached the Good News of Jesus in the synagogue for three
sabbaths. They saw many conversions of both Jews and Gentiles.
·
But
… the religious leaders in Thessalonica were envious of Paul and Silas and so
they hired evil men and raised a mob against them.
·
Paul
and his company left Thessalonica and walked to the next little city called
Berea where they preached the Gospel with great success. However, some of those
who had caused problems in Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea and stirred up
the people against him there as well. It got so bad the Paul had to leave
Berea.
·
Silas
and Timothy stayed behind to strengthen and establish the new congregations in
Berea and Thessalonica while he went on to Athens.
·
In
Athens Paul preached one of his most famous sermons to the intellectual elite
of the city. Some mocked but others believed when he told them about their
memorial to the unknown God.
·
From
Athens Paul sent for Silas and Timothy to join him and then he left Athens and
traveled to the city of Corinth.
Acts 18
1 ¶ After these things Paul
departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a certain Jew
named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife
Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome);
and he came to them.
3 So, because he was of the
same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were
tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the
synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
When
Paul arrived in Corinth, he met a Jew named Aquilla. Many scholars imagine Paul
found them as a part of a Jewish guild of tentmakers since the Jewish tradesmen
tended to congregate together throughout the Roman Empire to sustain and manage
work. Since they were both tentmakers Paul, having no other means of support,
began to work together with Aquilla. Most likely Aquilla and his wife were
converted by Paul lodging with them and subsequently were discipled by him.
It
is of importance to note that Paul was unafraid to work with his hands in order
to provide his maintenance.
·
He
had been trained in the liberal sciences as a lawyer under Gamiel in Jerusalem
since about 12 years old. He was very skilled in arguing the tenants of the Law
of Moses against all who contradicted.
·
Nonetheless,
as was the Jewish custom, Paul was also trained in an artful trade for necessities,
as were all Jewish men disposed to do. This being the desire of the culture
that no person be without means to sustain themselves or raised to be at the
mercy of charity when needful times arise.
·
Two
other times we see Paul working to provide his needs and the needs of those who
accompany him: In Ephesus – Acts 20:34; and again in Thessalonica – 2
Thessalonians 3:9-10.
Tent
making in that day could also include tapestry weaving. However it is
reasonable to assume Paul worked cutting out and sewing together tents.
Acts 18: 5 When Silas and Timothy had
come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the
Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
The
coming of Silas and Timothy to join Paul in Corinth was a great blessing. With
the good report from the Thessalonian Church, Paul decides to write his first
Epistle at this point to them from Corinth. We know this letter today as 1
Thessalonians.
Silas
and Timothy’s arrival in Corinth so invigorates Paul that he feels a special
unction to turn his full attention to sharing the Gospel of Christ with the
Jews where he has been worshipping. We do not know if he had been so busy or
focused on working and discipling Aquilla and Priscilla or perhaps resting or
waiting on a word from the Lord, but it seems Paul had not yet fully focused
his attention on bringing the message of Jesus to the Corinthian Jews until
Silas and Timothy joined him in Corinth.
It
can be difficult when you’re alone and when you’re responsible for everything
from work to worship to witness. The Bible says that two are better than
one and, in this case, we can find a reasonable argument for that. Although
Paul was no doubt discipling Aquila and his wife Priscilla, yet he was
strengthened and encouraged by his own team.
·
Point #1: Your best is not in you … it’s in a
team.
o Even if your name is
Jesus … lasting success is in a team.
o Secondary leadership,
and team support are essential to any lasting success.
o Jesus spent His
earthly life raising up and working with a team.
o He gave His life for
them and they, in turn, gave their lives for Him.
o Paul was greatly
increased with vision and strength when Silas and Timothy arrived. Two are
better than one … and …
o Although we are
always filled with the same Spirit, we are not always under the same level of
influence from the Holy Spirit.
On
top of being alone for a while, we must also realize that Paul was living and
working in the most a licentious city in the Roman Empire. Corinth was filled
with idolatry and sexual immorality. The Temple of Venus promoted lewd worship
of a pagan god enjoined with such open sexual perversion known only to Corinth.
To be called a Corinthian in that day was to be equally known as an immoral
person controlled by carnal appetites. It was the pure indulgence of sin that fueled
this great city and brought merchants from all over the world to experience
pleasures only afforded in this place.
This
made Corinth one of the best places to share the Gospel of Christ. Where had
you rather fish than in an ocean filled with potential catches. The potential for
conversion in Corinth was enormous. However, Corinth was also one of the most
difficult places to share Christ and for this, no doubt, Paul needed his team.
Silas and Timothy provided exactly what Paul needed in order for him to fully
devote his time to birthing the Church at Corinth.
Perhaps
it was the gifts sent to Paul from the new Believers in Macedonia or the
physical contributions of the added labor from Silas and Timothy that allowed
Paul to be set free from his daily tent making work and to fully focus on
sharing the Gospel with those in Corinth. Like I said, “It can be difficult
when you’re the only one to carry the load for “work, worship and witness”.
However, now Paul was not alone … he had his seasoned team …
Side
Note:
From verse 5 of Acts 18 onward, we hear no more of Silas. Many imagine he must
have died in Corinth or soon for he is never mentioned, either good or bad, by
Paul again. This is rare but obvious.
Point
number two:
Paul preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews and Greeks and some
believed but many began to persecute him. Paul was concerned but the Lord spoke
to him and gave Him a promise:
Acts 18
9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul
in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;
10 “for I am with you, and no
one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
11 And he continued there
a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
·
Point #2: God is bigger than your biggest
enemy.
o Verse 8 says that
Paul led a Jew named Crispus, who was the chief ruler of the synagogue, to
Christ.
o Evidently this so
offended and enraged the Jews that they chose another man named Sosthenes to
replace Crispus as the chief ruler of the synagogue.
o Then all the Jewish
leaders rose up with their new leader and brought Paul to trial before the
judgement seat of the Roman proconsul. When the Roman proconsul dismissed the
case …
o The enraged Jews
took their new chief ruler and … well …
Acts 18
17 Then all the Greeks took
Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment
seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
18 ¶ So Paul still remained a
good while …
What
ever happened to Sosthenes? It seems that Sosthenes was later converted to
Christianity and became a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Paul. We
find him mentioned again some years later when Paul writes his first letter
back to the Church in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1
1 ¶ Paul, called to be
an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our
brother,
2 To the church of God which
is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be
saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
both theirs and ours:
God
has a plan. He will provide, protect and prosper us.
·
Your
best is not in you … it’s in the team on which God has placed you.
·
God
is bigger than your biggest enemy.
Instead
of telling God how big your problem is, why not tell your problem how big your
God is.
God
believes in you.
Faith
makes things possible; it does not make things easy.
You
can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
