Acts 18:1-22

Upon leaving Athens in Acts 17:33-Acts 18:1 without much apparent success, there is no record of a church being established there although Eusebius (a 3rd-4th century church father) said Dionysius Acts 17:34 was the first bishop of the church in Athens, Paul then went west 60 miles to Corinth, an important trade center and seat of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Paul found a Jewish couple named Aquila and his wife Priscilla who had recently been driven out of Rome by Claudius who commanded the Jews to leave Rome around 50AD because “the Jews were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus.” Claudius apparently thought that “Chrestus” (Christ) was leading these riots when in fact they were about “Chrestus”. In any event God’s providence in Christian persecution led to Paul meeting them and working with them in their common trade of tent making leading to Aquila and Priscilla becoming instrumental in early evangelistic missions. As usual Paul could be found in the Jewish synagogue reasoning and testifying that the Christ was Jesus.

When Paul fled from the danger in Thessalonica and Berea Acts 17:13-15 Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Thessalonica with Paul getting word to them to join him as soon as possible. We see in Acts 18:5 that they did indeed find Paul and that he was indeed “occupied with the word” with few listening in the synagogue he went to the house next to the synagogue and preached there. In verse Acts 18:8 we see that the ruler of the synagogue, a guy named Crispus, along with his family, did believe. And according to 1 Cor 1:14 was one of the few people Paul baptized. Then we see in Acts 18:9-10 Jesus speaking to Paul in a vision that although things are rough and the way is hard Jesus is protecting Paul and he is to continue proclaiming the Gospel in Corinth because that is the means God has ordained to bring His people into the Kingdom. That had it’s desired effect on Paul because he continued in Corinth for another 18 months. This time Paul was in Corinth was the time he wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

1 Thess 3:1-7 “Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.”

When Silas and Timothy joined Paul they brought him encouraging words concerning the church in Thessalonica 1Thess 3:6-7. The fact that Silas and Timothy were now with Paul and the news that their ministry was bearing fruit was evidence that Jesus’ words to him (Acts 18:9-10) were indeed being fulfilled. God is working in and through His people to accomplish His mission for them

1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Colossians 1:29 “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

Philippians 2:12–13 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Do you believe this? Do you trust that God has you where He wants you and is working in and through you to accomplish His will for you? This is the essence of experiential faith.

We see more trouble headed Paul’s way in Acts 18:12-17 where the Jews attacked Paul by bringing him before the Roman proconsul, Gallio, complaining that Paul was telling people to worship God contrary to Jewish law. Gallio saw Christianity as a sect of Judaism and refused to get involved in a religious dispute. Gallio was later involved in a conspiracy to overthrow Nero and was executed or commited suicide but here we see him reacting to Jewish accusations regarding Jesus much the same way Pilate reacted when the Jews brought Jesus before him in John 18: 28-38 I think it is interesting that when Jesus, as He is, is presented to unbelievers the secular people react with indifference, i.e. Pilate and Gallio, and the religious people react with hatred i.e. the Jews. This would seem to be because secular people tend to see Jesus as just a good man who is followed by weak people needing a crutch in order to navigate through life or as Karl Marx said “Religion is the opiate of the masses” while religious people, those who believe they can merit salvation by their acts of righteousness, view a Jesus who says in

John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

as a threat not only to their system of righteousness but also to their system of hierarchy, the notion that they are better then “those” people who do not measure up. When the Bible says that “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” Rom 8:8 and that “None is righteous, no, not one.” Rom 3:10b and that “by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight” Rom 3:20a The religious person hears that and feels his whole system under attack. This reference doesn’t just apply to Jews, Islam, and Hinduism it also applies to a lot of people who claim Christianity as their religion but are ignorant of it’s truth, these people will always try and earn God’s favor by merit no matter how small the merit is. This is not true Christianity. This is the reaction in Acts 18:12-17 and it is still the reaction today - foolishness - (1)a crutch for weak minded people or (2) I am the captain of my soul and do not need any help “but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” 1 Cor 1:24 Those who God has effectually called -regardless of who they are or what they have done- Christ is both power and wisdom and there were many in Corinth just as Jesus told Paul in V10 “I have many in this city who are my people” Now after Gallio drove the Jews out from the tribunal they seized Sosthenes (the new ruler of the synagogue) and beat him apparently out of frustration for not getting Paul in trouble with the Romans. It could be that this Sosthenes is the same Sosthenes spoken of in 1 Corinthians 1:1 “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,” and along with his predecessor Crispus was converted to Christianity, no one is beyond redemption.

Paul stayed many days longer V18 then set sail from Cenchrea, Corinth’s seaport along with Priscilla and Aquila, the order Luke uses putting the wife first in V18 is noteworthy of the six times this couple is mentioned in scripture four put Priscilla before Aquila it would seem that Priscilla had a key role in this couples ministry. Although men and women have different roles in the Church they are equally important and complimentary to each other. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

After arriving in Ephesus Paul left the group and went into the synagogue to reason with the Jews V19. It is as if Paul after saying so many times that he was done with the Jews and was turning to the Gentiles just could not abandon them. We get an insight into Paul heart from Romans 9:1–3 “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” And again in Romans 10:1 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them (the Jews) is that they may be saved.”

Paul deeply desired that his kinsman according to the flesh, the Jews, be saved. When Christianity becomes more than theoretical to you and you see it as the reality behind everything all your priorities change and the temporal becomes just that and eternity takes on a much larger portion of your life, you look at everything from an eternal perspective including your friends and family; your kinsman according to the flesh.

Paul declined an offer to stay in Ephesus and said he would return, God willing. How often do we make plans and promises without recognising that unless God wills it, it will not happen. He then set sail and landed in Caesarea taking a short trip south to greet the church in Jerusalem. He then set sail back up to Antioch, his base church thus completing his second missionary circuit.