Title: “Conflict, Converts and Commerce in Corinth”
Subject: How did Paul and the Holy Spirit begin the church in Corinth?
Complement: by providing Paul with ministry partners
Big idea: God calls his people into partnership to advance the mission.
Acts 18 - Paul plants a church…
1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. n 6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." 11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
INTRODUCTION - The Story Of How we planting a church in Toronto…(1987, Toronto)
a. No mother church …
b. No experience
c. No team…
d. No facility
e. No money
f. Knocking on doors…
God provided partners to come alongside us.
2. What a Challenge – to plant a church in corrupt Corinth;(7)
Corinth had a Population of 200,000 people
Corinth was on a plateau - overlooking the isthmus ( 5 kms wide) connecting central Greece to the north with Corinth and the Peninsula to the south.
Corinth was also the Capital city of the province - Much prosperity, paganism and vice.
It was a city with 2 ports!
**Smaller ships were actually dragged over wooden rollers across the isthmus for the three and one-half miles between Cenchrea and Lechaeum in order to avoid the long and dangerous trip around Cape Malea at the southern tip of the Peloponnesus, while cargoes of larger ships were carried overland from port to port.
Because of it's strategic location – the convergence of land and sea trade routes, Corinth became a prosperous city-state.
Yes...Corinth had 2 seaports!!!
It was built on the north side of the Acro-Corinth, an acropolis rising precipitously to 1,886 feet and providing an almost impregnable fortress for the city.
the city was re-founded as a Roman colony in 44 BC…in 27 BC it became the capital of the Roman province of Achaia.
...when Paul arrives it is 50 AD ( we are certain of the date because we know from roman history when Gallio arrived there as “proconsul/premier”)
The population of Corinth in NT times was probably over 200,000
(a very Cosmopolitan city)
• made up of local Greeks,
• freedmen from Italy,
• Roman army veterans,
• businessmen and governmental officials,
• and Orientals from the Levant—
• including a large number of Jews.
•
But along with its wealth and luxury, there was immorality of every kind.
**Corinth was the center for the worship of the goddess Aphrodite, whose temple with its 1000 prostitutes crowned the Acro-corinth.
Beginning with the 5th C. BC , the verb “to Corinthianize” meant to be sexually immoral, a reputation that continued to be well-deserved in Paul’s day.
At the foot of the Acro-corinth stood the Temple Of Melicertes - the god of sailors.
• Temples to Apollo and to Asclepius, the god of healing, have also been found in the ruins of the first-century city, and
• there were undoubtedly many more such pagan shrines there.
• The city became a favorite of the Roman emperors.
• **Every two years the Pan-Hellenic Isthmian Games were held in the city
What a challenging place to plant a church...
Paul came… “in weakness and fear, and with much trembling” (1 Cor 2:3). …preached Christ and him crucified.
But God doesn’t ask Paul to fly solo… he provides partners!
3. Paul’s first partnership…(v. 2)
Acts 18:2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them… (Tent-makers)
The Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in AD 49
c. Why?...due to the growing tension between Jews and Christians
d. Aquila & Priscilla – recently come from Rome – talk about strategic timing!
• TENT-makers ( from Rome…)
• Paul moves in with them (3)
• Paul works with them (3) …sewing tents!
In Romans 16 they are back in Rome – Paul calls them “fellow-workers”
1 Corinthians 16:19: " 19 The churches in the province of Asia (Turkey?) send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
e. Paul begins his ministry in Corinth as usual - in the synagogue…(4)
However, most jews in Corinth rejected his message …Paul has to leave… he goes next door! (v. 7)
4. So, expelled from the synagogue - Paul Plants A Church – With His Business Partners Priscilla And Aquila.
• His preaching is centred on the person of Jesus - he is the Christ/Messiah)/anointed one: (5)
This partnership continues for many years and helps establish other churches.
Then comes a BIG Moment **Crispus - the synagogue ruler, converts!!! (8) …and his family too!
He leaves the synagogue and joins Paul!
Amazing conversion stories are so encouraging - George FOREMAN died a couple of days ago (age 76)
• Heavyweight BOXER
• promoter of the George Foreman grill
• he became a Pastor
George Foreman had a Dramatic conversion!!
In his youth, Foreman grew up largely without the presence of religion in his life. After a boxing match with heavyweight Jimmy Young, Foreman was in the locker room and suddenly felt that he was dying. Wanting to survive, he prayerfully offered "to devote his boxing prize money to charity" when he heard a voice saying "I don't want your money...I want you."… The New York Times reported:
Then a "giant hand" plucked him into consciousness. Foreman found himself on a locker room table, surrounded by friends and staff members. He felt as if he were physically filled with the presence of a dying Christ. He felt his forehead bleed, punctured by a crown of thorns; his wrists, he believed, had been pierced by nails of the cross. "I knew that Jesus Christ was coming alive in me," Foreman said. "I ran into the shower and turned on the water and — hallelujah! — I was born again. I kissed everybody in the dressing room and told them I loved them. That happened in March 1977, and I never have been the same again."
Amazing!!
…Corinth had many more converts too… (8)…many baptisms!!!
(see 1 Cor 1:14 …Paul says ...I didn’t baptize any …OK, I did baptize Crispus!
5. Next, Paul Has A Timely Vision… (9) … Why?? (See V. 12)
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
a. Why now??? … we will discover that soon…
b. Has God ever spoken to you? ( …Yes!!!)
c. Spiritual promptings…
Story of going to NL – almost to Ukraine.
6. (v. 12)…Now we see the timing of this vision … “the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul…
…the Jews bring him to the roman official – Gallio
**Gallio fails to rule in favour of the Jews – and this becomes precedent setting as a ruling from the R Empire
**Gallio’s refusal to act (i.e. side with the protestors) in the matter, was de facto recognition of Christianity !!
**and the decision would carry weight wherever the issue arose again
-- and give pause to those who might want to oppose the Christian movement.
**Later, in the sixties, Rome’s policy toward both Judaism and Christianity would be reversed.
But for now the window is open! … for the coming decade or so, the Christian message could be proclaimed in the provinces of the empire without fear of coming into conflict with Roman law, thanks largely to Gallio’s decision.
...The Jews decide to beat Sosthenes ( see 1 Corinthians 1:1)
**Larger Jewish synagogues sometimes had more than one leader or ruler and Sosthenes may have served jointly with Crispus (before his conversion) in the local synagogue chapter at Corinth.
Or perhaps he took Crispus’s place after the latter’s conversion
7. …Finally, Let’s look quickly at Paul’s letter to Corinth – 5 years later - (AD 55?)
a. Sosthenes is Paul's ministry partner... and “co-author” of this letter,
**1 Cor 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
**Sosthenes is now a ministry partner with Paul.
**Even though Paul spent considerable time there the church has a number of serious problems…
• Division
• Worldliness
• Misuse of spiritual gifts
• Sexual immorality
• Abuse of the Lord’s Supper
**… yet, Paul’s letter to Corinth has served countless churches down through the centuries of time facing similar issues.
Application… God is building his church...and wants to partner with us!!!
Big idea: God calls his people into partnership to advance the mission.
Partners with God!!!
Big idea: God calls his people into partnership to advance the mission.
Our church... Partnerships – at home/abroad – today we celebrate these
• Big Door
• Hanover Youth Unlimited…
• Mom’s group…
• Food bank
• Missions – PAOC!
• Ministry depts… TODAY is our annual Meeting to celebrate ministry advancement
• will you partner with us in the advance of the gospel... “taking ownership”
• Taking membership
• Serving in ministry
• Praying…inviting…giving…
