Tag Archives: Corinth

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ENTER AQUILA AND PRISCILLA – 40

Bible Study, ,

Dotted all over the known world, God had His people. So, on to Corinth…

“Corinth is a historic city in southern Greece, located on the isthmus connecting the Peloponnese to the mainland, about 80 km west of Athens…

“Inhabited since the Neolithic period, ancient Corinth was a major commercial center during the 7th–6th centuries BC. It was a dominant Greek city-state known for its naval power and as a “mother city” (metropolis) to many colonies…

“The Apostle Paul famously visited Corinth in the 1st century AD, spending 18 months there establishing a church.

The biblical books of 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians are letters written by Paul to the Christian community in this city. 

“Ancient Corinth Includes the 6th-century BC Temple of Apollo, the Roman Forum, and the Bema, where Paul was brought before the proconsul Gallio….” (Source: Google AI)

“Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 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. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.”

Priscilla and Aquila, two people who became  Paul’s close associates…fellow Jews…fellow believers…and fellow craftsmen.  Luke gives us a glimpse into Paul’s everyday life in Corinth. We sometimes use the term “tent making” to describe people who earn their own living as well as preaching the gospel.  Paul was one of these. He claimed not to be a burden to the churches by working to support himself rather than depending on the churches to fund him. 

So, he joined Aquila and Priscilla in their tent-making business, remaining in Corinth for at least eighteen months. This association must have led to close friendship with these two people. At the same time, he preached and taught in the local synagogue until, as usual, the opposition reached the point where he could no longer find an audience in the synagogue. 

“Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 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. 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.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭18‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 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 of the Apostles‬ ‭18‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Unlike his compatriots, the Jews, Paul found the Gentiles open to the gospel and willing to listen to his message. Once again, a church was born in Corinth, people who turned out to be spiritually gifted but immature and somewhat unruly. In more than one letter,  Paul had to address them quite severely for the childish behaviour of some. 

Paul became discouraged. I guess, after years on the road, battling the hardships of travel as well as the mixed reception he received from his hearers, and the care of new believers fresh out of paganism…he must have been exhausted. There was no such thing as “time out”…going home on furlough…or spending a few days at the beach!

So the Lord paid him a personal visit. 

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

In one of few recorded verbal encounters with the Lord, especially when Paul needed encouragement, God told him to persevere because He had many people in this city whom He had chosen. 

However, once again, the Jews rose up to make trouble for Paul.  Gallio, the newly appointed governor of Achia, refused to listen to their false accusations against him and dismissed them with contempt. 

“But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.” 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. 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.” And he threw them out of the courtroom. The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Just for good measure, because they couldn’t get their way, the mob assaulted Sosthenes, leader of the synagogue…but Gallio was indifferent to their hooligan behaviour. He turned his back on them…

By this time, we would surely given up and gone home. Not Paul. His life was not his own. He had a calling…he had a commission…he was determined to remain faithful to the end. 

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, Paul soldiered on, his determined purpose to reach Rome itself, the centre of the “world” to which he was called to take the gospel.  

To be continued

THE BOOK OF ACTS – NO BUM

Bible Study, ,

CHAPTER 18

NO BUM

“After Athens, Paul went to Corinth. That is where he discovered Aquila, a Jew born in Pontus, and his wife, Priscilla. They had just arrived from Italy, part of the general expulsion from Rome ordered by Claudius. Paul moved in with them, and they worked together at their common trade of tent-making. But every Sabbath he was at the meeting place, doing his best to convince both Jews and Greeks about Jesus.” Acts 18:1-4 (The Message).

Paul was a nomad but he certainly was no bum. He had no mission board behind him and no monthly stipend to depend on. He was not ashamed to get his hands dirty to take care of his own needs in the course of his mission. He had not only received a rigorous religious training but he had also learned a skill as a tent-maker, which came in handy to meet his needs and to give him credibility in his ministry.

Having done what he could in Athens to sow the seeds of the gospel, he left behind another small group of believers and moved on to Corinth. God was always one step ahead of him on his journey. Aquila and Priscilla, like-minded fellow-Jews, were already in Corinth and ready to give him a home for as long as he needed to be in the city. They were obviously His provision for Paul during his stay there.

No doubt Paul paid his way during his stay in Corinth and probably used his opportunity to “chat” the gospel to his host and hostess. There is no indication that they were believers when they moved from Rome. To all intents and purposes, the gospel had not yet reached Rome unless through some traveller who had spoken about Jesus in the capital city during a visit there.

At this

point Paul confined his preaching to the Sabbath at the local synagogue. During the week he and his hosts worked together on their tent making, forging close ties of friendship and love that lasted a lifetime.

We have travelled with Paul since his pre-conversion days and walked with him through the shattering experience of a personal encounter with Jesus and the days that followed. He was a man just like us. He made his mistakes, misjudging John Mark, falling out with Barnabas, and had to change his mind in the end, but he was also a man of extraordinary courage and perseverance. Never did he renege on his commitment to follow Jesus and to carry out His commission.

Corinth was a particularly wicked city, as we glean from Luke’s story and from Paul’s letters. The infant church tolerated unacceptable behaviour among its members, probably because it was woven into their culture and they thought nothing of sexual perversion, drunkenness and factions within the church.

No doubt Paul needed to spend an extended period of time with them to teach the church the standards of godliness demanded by their new life. They had no background knowledge of the Scriptures and it fell to Paul to instruct them painstakingly in the ABC’s of the gospel; hence the home of these amicable Jews provided a base for him to operate.

Corinth must have been a learning experience for Paul as well. He learned to be a gracious guest as well as a loving and caring pastor of a church growing in the heart of “Sodom”. He needed patience, tolerance and perseverance to guide the believers away from their old lives of self-indulgence and debauchery to the newness of Christ-indwelt children of God.

We will read Paul’s letters to this church with new understanding when we recognise what he was up against in this city of Satan. God had provided an oasis for him in Aquila and Priscilla’s home and a skill which he shared with his hosts. With that as a jumping off ground, he was able to live out and minister Jesus to the new believers there.

No Bum!

Bible Study, , ,

NO BUM!

“After Athens, Paul went to Corinth. That is where he discovered Aquila, a Jew born in Pontus, and his wife, Priscilla. They had just arrived from Italy, part of the general expulsion from Rome ordered by Claudius. Paul moved in with them, and they worked together at their common trade of tent-making. But every Sabbath he was at the meeting place, doing his best to convince both Jews and Greeks about Jesus.” Acts 18:1-4 (The Message).

Paul was a nomad but he certainly was no bum. He had no mission board behind him and no monthly stipend to depend on. He was not ashamed to get his hands dirty to take care of his own needs in the course of his mission. He had not only received a rigorous religious training but he had also learned a skill as a tent-maker, which came in handy to meet his needs and to give him credibility in his ministry.

Having done what he could in Athens to sow the seeds of the gospel, he left behind another small group of believers and moved on to Corinth. God was always one step ahead for him on his journey. Aquila and Priscilla, like-minded fellow-Jews, were already in Corinth and ready to give him a home for as long as he needed to be in the city. They were obviously His provision for Paul during his stay there.

No doubt Paul paid his way during his stay in Corinth and probably used his opportunity to “chat” the gospel to his host and hostess. There is no indication that they were believers when they moved from Rome. To all intents and purposes, the gospel had not yet reached Rome unless through some traveller who had spoken about Jesus in the capital city during a visit there.

At this point Paul confined his preaching to the Sabbath at the local synagogue. During the week he and his hosts worked together on their tent making, forging close ties of friendship and love that lasted a lifetime.

We have travelled with Paul since his pre-conversion days and walked with him through the shattering experience of a personal encounter with Jesus and the days that followed. He was a man just like us. He made his mistakes, misjudging John Mark, falling out with Barnabas, and had to change his mind in the end, but he was also a man of extraordinary courage and perseverance. Never did he renege on his commitment to follow Jesus and to carry out His commission.

Corinth was a particularly wicked city, as we glean from Luke’s story and from Paul’s letters. The infant church tolerated unacceptable behaviour among its members, probably because it was woven into their culture and they thought nothing of sexual perversion, drunkenness and factions within the church.

No doubt Paul needed to spend an extended period of time with them to teach the church the standards of godliness demanded by their new life. They had no background knowledge of the Scriptures and it fell to Paul to instruct them painstakingly in the ABC’s of the gospel; hence the home of these amicable Jews to provide a base for him to operate.

Corinth must have been a learning experience for Paul as well. He learned to be a gracious guest as well as a loving and caring pastor of a church growing in the heart of “Sodom”. He needed patience, tolerance and perseverance to guide the believers away from their old lives of self-indulgence and debauchery to the newness of Christ-indwelt children of God.

We will read Paul’s letters to this church with new understanding when we recognise what he was up against in this city of Satan. God had provided an oasis for him in Aquila and Priscilla’s home and a skill which he shared with his hosts. With that as a jumping off ground, he was able to live out and minister Jesus to the new believers there.