Acts 18

Acts_18
12/07/08

Acts_18
I. Review
A. Paul had preached his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens and it had born little fruit, though there were some converts in the time he spent in the city.
1. We made the point that what matters is what you and I do in response to the gospel message, and how we let it impact our lives.
2. Now its on to Corinth.
II. Corinth
A. Corinth
Acts 18:1-4 (NKJV)
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.
3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
1. Luke doesn't detail for the circumstance of Paul's departure from Athens only that he left and went on to Corinth which is about fifty miles distance from Athens.
a. Though geographically they were not far apart, they were very different in character.
(1) Athens was known for its culture and learning, Corinth for its commerce, extravagant indulgence and licentiousness.
(2) It was a center for the worship of Aphrodite the goddess of love, which promoted immorality in the name of religion.
(a) The New American commentary on Acts writes:
Among the Greeks the word translated "to live like a Corinthian" (korinthiazesthai) meant to live immorally.
Polhill, John B.: Acts. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1992 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 26), S. 381
2. In his first letter to Corinth Paul writes describing that it was with weakness, fear, and trembling that he came to the city.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NKJV)
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
a. It may be due to the unfruitfulness of ministry in Athens that Paul determined to preach as he states here "Christ, and him crucified" the crucifixion not being something mentioned in his Mars Hill sermon as we noted last time.
b. A couple of things may account for this weakness and fear.
(1) First he arrived alone in this city, which undoubtedly would be a difficult city to minister in especially for a single man.
(a) He hooks up fairly quickly with others who are Godly, likely to provide strength and accountability to each other.
(b) He even baptized some in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 1:14-17) which he normally delegated to others, there is sometimes strength in numbers and so establishing a community of spiritual support may have been all the more important in this city filled with so much outward wickedness.
i) We would learn well from this the importance of involving ourselves in fellowship with believers that can encourage us in Godly living.
(2) Secondly he had already experience much difficulty since coming to Macedonia and this probably added apprehension to him about what might happen in this city.
B. Aquila and Priscilla
1. In Corinth Paul meets a man and his wife Aquila and Priscilla who became faithful friends and co-laborers with Paul in the ministry.
a. They had left Rome because of the order by Claudius, and anti-Semite who drove the Jews out of Rome.
b. They were of the same trade tent makers so they dwelt together.
(1) They worked and ministered together, following Paul's pattern of ministering in the synagogue.
2. The bond of friendship between Priscilla, Aquila, and Paul was life long and full of love and like-mindedness.
a. Let God develop these kinds of relationships for you by submitting yourselves to fellowship, rather than isolating yourself through nonparticipation.
C. The ministry in Corinth becomes more defined
Acts 18:5-8 (NKJV)
5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
1. It would appear that Silas and Timothy brought some financial support with them and so they were able to devote themselves to ministry.
a. Devoting himself to occupying his time with preaching the word is what is meant when it says "Paul was compelled by the Spirit..."
2. Along with this came more opposition, and so Paul shakes out his garments and shifts the primary focus of his ministry toward the gentiles.
a. He begins ministering out of the house of Justus which was right next door to the synagogue, which undoubtedly was designed to provoke the Jews to jealousy.
(1) The life that was in this fellowship of believers eventually impacts the chief of the synagogue (Crispus) who becomes a believer.
(a) Many are now getting saved and being baptized in Corinth.
(b) It is an exciting thing to watch God work through the life of a fellowship.
i) You can't enjoy the wonder of it to the fullest if you are only showing up and not participating.
3. The impact of Crispus being converted, caused others to believe
D. Persecution intensifies as ministry increases.
Acts 18:9-17 (NKJV)
9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,
13 saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you.
15 But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.”
16 And he drove them from the judgment seat.
17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
1. The implication of vv-9 is that Paul was beginning to experience some fear but God comes to him and encourages him.
a. This was not to be a short stop like most of the other cities but Paul would be here 1.5 years and so God gave Paul a promise he could stand on whenever fear began to grip his heart.
(1) And he was there TEACHING the word of God for that time.

(a) God had many people in Corinth, this city known for its wickedness and they needed to be established in the Word of God.
(b) So it is in our world and in our day!
(2) Today we focus so much attention on the external building of the church, activities etc.
(a) There are times when I consider the intensity of the warfare we have experienced, that I and others close to me have experienced, I get perplexed wondering where is the great or intense ministry at that would merit such opposition.
i) But then I stop and realize that it is a fleshly measure to look at what this world calls success.
ii) I am convinced more that ever that the success and life of ministry here @ St. Joe is happening on the inside of people, and that one day it will work itself out in ways that would surprise us if we could see it.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians
Ephesians 3:14-19 (NKJV)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
2. With Crispus getting saved there was a change in leadership at the synagogue and the Jews thought they could get rid of Paul by taking him before the proconsul of Achaia Gallio charging him with propagating a new religion which Rome did not allow.
a. Gallio was the brother of Seneca; Seneca was a philosopher as well as a tutor to Nero.
b. Gallio throws them out basically telling them that the issue is not a civil matter but a religious matter and they would have to figure that out for themselves, he wasn't going to get involved.
(1) He saw Christianity as an aspect of Judaism which was recognized as a legitimate religion by Rome, the significance of this was almost the equivalent of legitimizing Christianity in the eyes of Roman law.

3. Verse-17 says "Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things."
a. Sosthenes was evidently the man who replaced Crispus as the ruler of the synagogue and we are told that the Greeks took him and beat him before the judgment seat.
(1) Newer translation say the Jews (not the Greeks) beat him
(2) Whether it was Jews who did so because his stand against Paul wasn't strong enough, or the Greeks because Sosthenes and the Jews were being to much trouble with their complaints it is interesting to note that we read in 1Cor. 1:1 where Paul writes "Greet Sosthenes", (and while we don't know for sure it was him) guess who may eventually have become a Christian!
(a) Sometimes those that seem the hardest or most hostile are really the closest.
b. When we read "But Gallio took no notice of these things." it is not indicating his indifference to religion, but simply that he chose not to get involved.
E. Heading to Jerusalem
Acts 18:18-23 (NKJV)
18 So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.
19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent,
21 but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.
22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch.
23 After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

1. So after a long period of establishing the church in Corinth Paul heads to Jerusalem.
a. Aquila and Priscilla now traveling with him.
2. Why the haircut?
a. Evidently Paul had taken a Nazarite vow.
a) Touch no grapes
b) Drink no wine
c) Touch no dead body
d) And allow his hair to grow before cutting it off as a sign of purification.
b. Undoubtedly so he might minister to the Jews in Jerusalem once he arrived.
1 Corinthians 9:22 (NKJV)
22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
3. Stopping in Ephesus they wanted Paul to hang out for awhile (primarily to hear his teaching…)
a. But Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem by a certain date and so went on promising to return again God willing.
b. Sailing from Ephesus to Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem (that is the meaning of the words "gone up and greeted the church") and then home to Antioch a short visit.
III. Verse-23 introduces the beginning of Paul's third missionary journey.
A. Paul is on his way back to Ephesus and Luke is going to emphasize Paul's ministry in Ephesus,
1. For this reason with brevity Luke lets us know that on the first part of the journey Paul traveled through Galatia, and Phrygia strengthening the brethren.
IV. In Ephesus Paul had left Aquila and Priscilla behind and in vv-24-28 we are introduced to Apollos.
Acts 18:24-28 (NKJV)
24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;
28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
A. Apollos was a Jew born in Alexandria which was the second largest city in the Roman Empire and 1/3 of the population was Jewish.
1. Alexandria was a city of such intellectual wealth that an Alexandrian Library that was uncovered contained 700k volumes.
2. Apollos was not only intellectually brilliant, he had a fervent heart spiritually.
a. He evidently had not heard of the death and resurrection of Jesus, but was familiar with the message of John the Baptist, repent, Messiah is coming.
(1) He didn't know much, but what he knew he shared.
b. Notice when Aquila and Priscilla heard him they did not look at him with an heir of superiority (we are advanced above that), but realizing he didn't have the whole story privately shared the gospel with him.
(1) They were humble servants sharing the gospel to any who would listen.

c. And look at the humility of Apollo’s, he was teachable and correctable, he did not look at them and say you are only a couple of tent makers why should I listen to you.
(1) And he took what he learned and what he knew and he put it to use.
B.