Founding the Corinthian Church

INTRO

In Acts 17, Paul and Silas went from Philippi to Thessalonica. Because of persecution, they went to Berea and then Athens. In Acts 18, they left Athens and traveled to Corinth. This was Paul’s second missionary journey. At Corinth, Paul found devoted helpers.

TEACHING

Acts 18:1–3: Corinth was the political capital of Achaia and the center of worship for the goddess of fertility, Aphrodite. The city also housed the major temple of Apollo. It was a city of immorality. To be called a Corinthian was synonymous with being called sexually immoral.¹When Paul came into this community, he found Aquila and his wife Priscilla, who had arrived from Italy because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. God worked through the political actions of the times to bring Paul together with this couple (Acts 17:26). More than likely, Aquila and Priscilla were founding members of the church in Rome. Because they shared the same occupation, Paul stayed with them and worked with them as tentmakers. They risked their lives for Paul and his ministry (Romans 16:3–4). Remember Paul found Timothy in Lystra and Lydia in Thessalonica. As you advance the kingdom of God, He will raise up a remnant, a like-minded group of believers, who will do ministry with you. God puts people in the right place at the right time in order for a team to develop. Aquila and Priscilla also assisted Paul in Ephesus (Acts 18:18). In 1 Corinthians 16:19, Paul said they hosted a church in their home.

Acts 18:4–5: Following his pattern, Paul taught in the synagogue every Sabbath, attempting to persuade both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, they found Paul preaching the message and testifying that Jesus is the Messiah. Paul had a team of people helping him as he traveled from city to city sharing the gospel. These “friends . . . made it possible for Paul to serve the Lord effectively.”²Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “God evidently does not intend us all to be rich or powerful or great, but He does intend us all to be friends.”³

Acts 18:6: Again, Paul faced opposition to the gospel. He then turned from ministering to the Jews to focus on the Gentiles. Like Paul, our job is simply to deliver the good news. And like Paul, we should expect to face opposition. Nehemiah 5:13 and Acts 13:51 both portray God’s people shaking their robes or shaking the dust from their feet as they turned away from those who opposed their message. In Matthew 10:14, Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.”

“But when [the Jews] resisted and blasphemed, [Paul] shook his robe and told them, ‘Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent’” (v. 6). In Joshua 2:19, the spies told Rahab that anyone who left her house (in the coming battle for the city), their blood would be on their own head; the spies would be innocent. They would only be responsible for those who remained in her house. The context for these statements is obedience. In Ezekiel 3:17–21, God called Ezekiel as a watchman over Israel. Whenever Ezekiel heard a word from God, he was responsible to warn them. If Ezekiel failed to deliver God’s word, he would be held responsible for their deaths. But if Ezekiel delivered God’s word, they were responsible for whether or not they received and obeyed the word. This is comparable to Paul in Corinth. He had shared the gospel, fulfilling his requirement. The Corinthians were responsible for their response. This reminds us of Jesus’ statement that if we are ashamed of the gospel, then He will be ashamed of us. This remains true for the church today. We have been told what to do and what to say. The question is: are we actually doing it?

Acts 18:7–11: Paul left them and went to the house of Titius Justus, a worshipper of God whose house was next door to the synagogue (v. 7). In 1 Corinthians 1:14, Paul said he baptized Crispus and Gaius. Crispus was the leader of the synagogue in Corinth, yet he believed in Jesus as Lord. God told Paul in a night vision not to be afraid to speak in Corinth because God was with Paul and would protect him. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching the Word of God. In Genesis 15:1, God told Abram not to be afraid because God would be his shield. In Genesis 26:24, God told Isaac not to be afraid because God was with him. In Genesis 46:3, God said the same thing to Jacob. When God calls us to something, we can walk it out with confidence and authority. In Hebrews 13:5, God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. This helps us take radical leaps of faith.

Acts 18:12–17: The Jews made a “united attack” against Paul and brought him to the judge’s bench while Gallio was the proconsul of Achaia. Gallio was appointed by the Roman senate to govern the province of Achaia (Corinth was in this province). When the Jews said, “This man persuades people to worship God contrary to the law” (v. 13), Gallio refused to hear their case. Nelson’s Commentary said, “God preserved the life of His faithful servant.”⁴The Jews took out their anger on Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue (v. 17).

Acts 18:18–23: After these events, Paul sailed away to Syria. At Cenchreae, he shaved his head because he had taken a vow. This action was taken by those who took a Nazarite vow. When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there. He talked with the Jews in the synagogue, and even though they asked him to stay, Paul declined. He then sailed from Ephesus to Caesarea, greeted the church there, and then continued down to Antioch.

CLOSING

Paul ended his second missionary journey back in Antioch. Despite the earlier split with John Mark and Barnabas, Paul and Silas set out on this trip to strengthen the disciples. The whole goal of advancing the kingdom of God and strengthening the disciples was accomplished because Paul was walking out the authority God had given him through the Holy Spirit.