Faithfully Procliaming the King's Message

The map

The Macedonian call - Acts 16:6-10 - through Phrygia and Galatia to Mysia to Troas

From Troas to to Samothrace to Neapolis to Philippi Acts 16:11-15

No synagogue - the woman Lydia

In prison - Acts 16:16-40

Amphipolis to Apollonia to Thessalonica to Berea - Paul in the synagogue - Acts 17:1-15

17:3 - explaining and proving

Acts 17:3 ESV

3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

Paul in Athens - Paul before the gentiles -

Acts 17:23 ESV

23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

Acts 17:30–31 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Paul in Corinth - The Corinth of Paul

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 18

Corinth was 46 miles (74 km) west of Athens. A Roman colony, it was the most influential city of the province of Achaia, both politically and economically

Completely destroyed by the Romans in 146bc and its people sent into slavery., its ruins lay undisturbed for 100 years. But in 44 BC Julius Caesar had it quickly rebuilt as a Roman colony. Because of its location the New Corinth quickly thrived and in 27bc Caest Augustus made Corinth the capital of the province of Achaia. By 50 BC it was a prosperous, thriving and cosmopolitan seaport.

In short, the populace of Corinth was made up of an alloy of peoples drawn from across the Mediterranean. Though no doubt dominated by Greeks and Romans, with its various travelers and minority residents Corinth represented as much of a cross section of the empire as one was likely to find. More Greek than Rome, more Roman than Athens, if any city of the first century deserved the hyphenated designation Greco-Roman, it was Corinth.

For example, even the much emphasized immorality of the city may have been overdone by commentators. Old Corinth was infamous for its licentiousness, but can the same be said of New Corinth? Despite the presence of the cult of Aphrodite, C. K. Barrett wisely concludes that the Corinth of St. Paul’s day “was probably little better and little worse than any other great sea port and commercial center of the age.”19 This is a sound conclusion unless we have clear first-century evidence to the contrary. Thus we will assume nothing more about Corinth than the obvious: it was a Greco-Roman city that partook in an ordinary way of the features of Greco-Roman culture.

The art of persuasion - oratory

The art of oration, the power of the orator. To gain the reward, to hear the praise, to hear well done.

The audience were considered judges, evaluating the manner of speech and the ability to convince and persuade an audience. An effective orator was able to get his audience to believe, to have conviction, to have faith in whatever area he was discussing.

According to this view, Paul was criticized by some in Corinth because his preaching did not measure up to the standards of a culture profoundly influenced by an unparalleled rhetorical heritage.

Paul instead came as a herald, a messenger of the king. His role was to proclaim clearly and truthfully the message of the king, to tell his listeners about King Jesus, the one was the crucified and risen Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 ESV

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 4:1–2 ESV

1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

Persuaders walk into the pulpit seeking a predetermined result (hands raised, decisions made). The biblical herald steps into the pulpit simply seeking to be obedient, to faithfully proclaim the message of his Master and praying that the clear preaching of Christ crucified and the giving of faith by the Holy Spirit to those who are called might glorify the herald's Lord. The true pastor is not results driven but obedience driven. This is the difference between the persuader's stance and the herald's stance, the difference between ministry done in the flesh and ministry done in the power of the Spirit. "It is this difference that constitutes the centerpiece of a Pauline model of ministry."

(1) Paul was not in it for the money

Acts 18:1–3 ESV

1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

(2) Paul was proclaiming (not persuading) Jesus from the scriptures

Acts 18:4–5 ESV

4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

(3) Paul was not in it for fame and comfort

Acts 18:6–7 ESV

6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.

(4) Paul was obedient and faithful to his calling and the Lord opened the hearts of those who were called

Acts 18:8–11 ESV

8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Acts 18:12–17 ESV

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15 But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16 And he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

Two big take aways:

Don’t be so quick to judge whether God is at work in our church or our city.

Our obedience, our faithfulness, our commitment to the true gospel - Jesus came to save sinners.

1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV

5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

God gives the growth. God is sovereign. He has a plan. Will you faithfully serve and obey Him? Will you faithfully proclaim His message and trust Him for the results?

1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Chris Couch was only 16 years old when he first qualified to play golf at its highest level on the PGA Tour. He was quickly declared the next golfing prodigy and a surefire success for years to come.

Life, however, turned out to be more of a grind. Chris did not enjoy a sprint to success but endured a marathon that would take 16 years and 3 different stints on “mini-tours.” Tempted to quit, Couch persevered and finally, at age 32, became a Tour winner for the first time when he captured the New Orleans Open in a thrilling finish. His persistence had paid off, but it had not been easy.

In his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Bible teacher Eugene Peterson reminds us that the Christian life has much more in common with a marathon than with a 100-meter dash. Peterson says we are called to persevere in “the long run, something that makes life worth living.”

With the grace and strength of Christ, we too can “run with endurance” this race of life (Heb. 12:1). And, with our Lord’s example to help and encourage us, we can, like the apostle Paul, run to win the prize of “an imperishable crown” (1 Cor. 9:25).

It’s always too soon to quit.