Down But Not Out - Acts 18:1-17

© November 9th, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts

Most of us have had times where we felt crushed by the weight of life; times when we felt like all the hard things had just added up to more than we can handle. In those times, a deep discouragement can set in, as well as negative thinking that leads to worrying about things that may never happen. Maybe you’ve never been in that place, but most people have. Maybe that’s where you are now.

In our passage today, I think we see Paul get to that place. Fortunately, we also see him get out of that place and find joy again. My hope today is that as we look at Paul’s experience in Corinth, we can find comfort and hope for ourselves, giving us what we need to walk through every season of life with confidence in the Lord’s provision.

Corinth

We pick up our story today in Acts 18, after Paul’s encounter with the philosophers in Athens. He had been shocked by the religious pluralism he had seen in that city, and had done his best to meet the Athenian philosophers where they were and build a bridge to Christ. Even so, he had been mostly rejected by them, seeing only a few converts in his time there.

Paul was alone during this time. He had fled from Thessalonica and Berea after the people there had begun to cause problems for him and had left Silas and Timothy behind with instructions to come as soon as they could. Apparently, he decided not to stay in Athens for a long time and instead headed out toward Corinth, which was about 50 miles away.

Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was. (Acts 18:1-3, NLT)

Corinth was a very different city from Athens. While Athens was an ancient city basking in its former glory and whose population had dwindled to become essentially a large town, Corinth was a modern metropolis. It was bustling and full of life.

Corinth had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC and was rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 46 BC because it was a strategic seaport. So at this time (around 51 AD), the rebuilt city was not even 100 years old. Because of its location on a small strip of land between two bodies of water, it had become an important center of trade. It had also become a true melting pot of a city. There were people from every stripe and background who lived in Corinth. And the city had ballooned in population and at this point there were 650,000 people living there.

Corinth was also an incredibly immoral city. One of its major attractions was its temple to the Greek goddess Aphrodite (whose Roman equivalent was Venus). She was the goddess of love, and the massive temple was filled with (by some estimates) 10,000 temple prostitutes who would descend on the city at night. You would “worship” the goddess by paying to be with one of these prostitutes. Calling someone a Corinthian (who was not from Corinth) had become an insult in the ancient world. It referred to someone who was exceedingly immoral and worldly.

This was the world Paul was stepping into as he walked into Corinth all alone, and probably feeling a little discouraged by his experience in Athens. When we read Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we get a sense of his demeanor when he first arrived.

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:1-4, NLT)

Some have taken Paul’s words here to mean that his approach in Athens was wrong. I don’t think that’s valid. I think Paul’s approach in Athens was correct, but he was among people who were hard-hearted and unwilling to hear what he had to say. When Paul says he came in weakness, timid and trembling, I think it shows his confidence was shaken. He had begun to doubt himself and simply stuck to the basics. This isn’t the Paul we are used to. But he recognized that even in his weakness, the Holy Spirit used him and guided him.

Luke tells us that when Paul got to Corinth he met a husband and wife named Aquila and Priscilla. They had come to Corinth after fleeing Italy when Emperor Claudius had deported all Jews from Rome. This event is recorded by extrabiblical historians as well, and most believe Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome because they had begun to fight with the Christians in the city. At this time, the Romans saw the Jews and Christians as the same, so Claudius may have expelled them all as a way of preserving peace. We don’t know for sure how the gospel had come to Rome, but it’s possible that some had carried the message there after Pentecost.

We don’t know whether Aquila and Priscilla were Christians when they came to Corinth or just fellow Jews, but in either case, they would have been a welcome sight for Paul—people who worshiped the same God he did and viewed the world through a similar lens. It’s no surprise that he joined forces with them in their tentmaking work. They would have been good partners for him and would have surely helped to encourage him.

This is also the first time we learn that Paul was a tentmaker. Today we use the term tentmaker to refer to a missionary that supports themselves by having an additional, non-ministry job. This account is where the term comes from. But it’s surprising that after all of Paul’s travels, this is the first time we hear of him working a job. It’s possible that Paul’s money had run out (or had been left behind with Silas and Timothy), so he was also having to find a way to provide for his financial needs and trying to do his ministry “on the side”.  You can surely begin to see how Paul may have been very discouraged during this time.

Reunited

Fortunately, Paul would not be alone for much longer.

4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”

7 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized. (Acts 18:4-8, NLT)

Paul continued doing what he had always done: he went to the synagogue and preached to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, trying to convince them that Christ was the long-promised Messiah. We don’t know how long Paul was in Corinth before Silas and Timothy returned, but we do know that something changed when they returned because Luke says after that, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. This would seem to indicate that he no longer had to split his time between tentmaking and preaching but was able to devote his full energies to preaching the gospel.

What changed? It’s possible that Paul had left the majority of the team’s funding with Silas and Timothy, figuring he could manage on his own for a while. But we also know that when Silas and Timothy came, they brought an offering from the church at Philippi, and Paul spoke about how much their gift meant to him. (see 2 Corinthians 11:9 and Philippians 4:15) This influx of support enabled him to stop dividing his efforts and focus fully on preaching.

This is a reminder to us that supporting others in their ministry is a ministry itself! Sometimes people feel as though supporting others who are doing more visible work is not really that important, but this account reminds us how much a simple gift or a bit of encouragement at just the right time can mean. I can tell you, as someone who has been the recipient of such gifts before that they can lift you from a dark place and give you the encouragement to keep going. So be constantly on the lookout for opportunities to serve and encourage those around you in the ministry they are doing!

Though Paul found a renewed vigor as a result of Silas and Timothy’s arrival, he soon began to face a familiar problem: the Jews in the synagogue began to oppose him. This had happened in every synagogue he had visited to this point, so it was no surprise that the same thing happened in Corinth. Paul made one last ditch appeal to them, reminding them that their refusal of the gospel was their own decision, and that he would be innocent of the punishment they were going to bring on themselves. He said that he would shift his focus and go to the Gentiles instead.

Apparently, however, some had believed his message. It seems that Titius Justus, who was a Gentile who worshiped God had come to faith. He lived next door to the synagogue, and it seems that Paul stayed with him for a period of time. Soon, Crispus, the synagogue leader, became a believer along with his whole household! Though Paul had stopped preaching in the synagogue, he would have surely crossed paths with Crispus regularly, since he oversaw the day-to-day affairs of the synagogue. We don’t know exactly how it happened, but we know Crispus and his family became believers, and many others in Corinth also began to believe as well. This is a reminder that sometimes the mission field is in your backyard!

A Vision

We don’t have an exact timeline for the next part of our story, but apparently Paul had a vision in which God spoke to him.

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God. (Acts 18:9-11, NLT)

Why would God tell Paul not to be afraid and to keep speaking out unless he was wavering in this way? Apparently, Paul had started getting afraid and was considering backing down. I suspect Paul had begun to worry about what was coming. After all, he had seen a similar pattern in most places he had gone. He would preach to the Jews, then they would turn against him, after which he would go to the Gentiles, but then the Jews would cause such trouble for him that he’d have to leave town. Paul had been beaten, imprisoned, and stoned and left for dead already. I wonder if he began worrying about when the other shoe was going to drop.

If that’s the case, I can resonate with Paul’s plight. It is easy to begin to psych ourselves out of things when we begin thinking of the worst-case scenarios. It’s easy to begin looking for the boogey-man who may or may not be around the corner. I read a story this week told by Abraham Lincoln of a time when he was riding between towns and had faced troubles crossing several streams due to the high waters. He knew that he would soon reach the Fox River and began to worry how he could possibly cross it, since it was far larger than the streams that had given him such trouble so far.

When Lincoln and his companions stopped for the night, they encountered a Methodist preacher who was accustomed to riding through the area in all sorts of weather. They asked him about the Fox River and expressed their concerns about being able to cross it. He replied, “I know all about the Fox River. I have crossed it often and understand it well. But I have one fixed rule with regard to the Fox River—I never cross it till I reach it.”[1]

What a good reminder. We are apt to borrow trouble from tomorrow, though it may never come. If you find yourself doing that, you’re in good company, as Paul seems to have done the same. But God encouraged Paul to keep moving forward, ensuring him that no harm would come to him, because God “had many people in this city.”

While we may not be able to claim that promise for ourselves, and there may indeed be hardships on our horizons, we can be sure that God is still in control, even in those situations. We can rest confidently in His arms, no matter what may come.

Paul apparently took that to heart, because he stayed in Corinth for another year and a half! This is the longest we have seen him stay anywhere yet. He became convinced the Lord had work for him to do here still, so he should keep doing what he was doing.

Conflict

Eventually, however, the Jews did begin to try to cause problems for Paul again.

12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.” 14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 And he threw them out of the courtroom. 17 The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention. (Acts 18:12-17, NLT)

When the region got a new governor (Gallio, who was the brother of the famous orator Seneca), the Jews in Corinth sensed a chance to silence Paul. Paul may have begun to think, here we go again! But, he also surely remembered that God had promised that no harm would come to him.

And God was right! When the Jews made their appeal to Gallio, he heard their arguments and dismissed the case! He said these things were not anything for Rome to concern itself with, and he simply told them to leave. He recognized Christianity as essentially another sect of Judaism, which was an accepted religion in Rome. This ruling afforded the Christians protected status in Rome for quite some time!

There is a strange footnote at the end of this story, however, that the crowd who had gathered grabbed Sosthenes (who must have taken over for Crispus once he became a believer) and began to beat him there in the courtroom. Gallio did nothing and simply allowed it to happen.

Why did they beat this poor man? We can’t be sure, but I wonder if it’s because the trial was his idea. Maybe he was the one who had spearheaded this effort to silence Paul, and therefore he bore the wrath of the crowd for their failure. Interestingly, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said that the letter was from himself and Sosthenes. Was that the same man? We don’t know. I like the idea that it was, because it is a reminder that God can change anyone’s heart—even someone who once opposed the gospel with all they had.

Conclusion

This passage has much to teach us about how we should approach life in all circumstances. First, we should not be dissuaded from what we know is right by hard times. We are often quick to give up at the first sign of resistance. When things get hard, we feel like it is time to cut bait and run away. And other times we become anxious or contemplate quitting over issues that haven’t even happened yet (and may never happen!) The remedy to these things is to remember that God is in control and it’s never wrong to do what we know is right. While God’s promise to protect Paul from hardship may not always apply to us, the reminder that He is in control of all things does. We should rest in that truth and allow that to carry us through hard times.

Second, mundane experiences can often lead to unique ministry opportunities. Paul became acquainted with Priscilla and Aquila through his work as a tentmaker. He may not have liked the fact that he had to resort to tentmaking to make ends meet, but he also saw the opportunity for ministry even in the mundane things of life. Similarly, I suspect he chose to live near the synagogue on purpose. He knew he would often cross paths with Crispus and seized upon those opportunities to share the gospel. Be alert to the mundane things in your life that might open doors to ministry. There may be opportunities to minister to others when you’re mowing your lawn, shoveling your drive, going about your work, sitting at a ballgame, shopping, or sitting in a waiting room. Pay attention to the people God puts in your path and enables you to build relationships with. These are things God can use to reach people. Everywhere you go is a mission field if you have the right mindset!

Finally, God can change even the hardest of hearts. We don’t know if Sosthenes became a believer or not, but I would have no problem believing God could do that. He had done the same thing with Crispus and with Paul! Don’t ever write someone off as too far gone. You don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes and how He might be softening someone’s heart. Sometimes people are hostile to the gospel because they are trying to resist the changes God is making in them. Keep loving people and pointing them to Christ; you may be surprised at what happens.

We will all face times of discouragement in life. Sometimes life is hard. But even in those times, we can be sure that God is in control and that should give us the courage to keep doing the things we know are right. Even when you’re down, remember that with God on your side, you’re never out.

© November 9th, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts

[1] Hughes, R. Kent. Acts: The Church Afire. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1996.