Introduction
“The Christian’s chief occupational hazards are depression and discouragement” (John Blanchard, The Complete Gathered Gold: A Treasury of Quotations for Christians [Webster, New York; Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2006], 145).
So writes the Rev. Dr. John R. W. Stott, my favorite Bible commentator.
While all Christians face discouragement, discouragement is especially widespread among ministers and missionaries.
William Carey is known as the “Father of Modern Missions.”
He left England in 1793 and sailed to India to proclaim the gospel.
He set up his base in Serampore, India.
Carey encountered immense cultural and language barriers, hostile attitudes, and personal tragedies, including the death of his young son and the mental illness of his wife, Dorothy.
He began developing dictionaries, grammars, and translations of the Bible, in addition to proclaiming the good news about Jesus.
For seven years, Carey labored without seeing a single convert, which deeply tested his faith and perseverance.
Yet, Carey clung to God’s promises and found encouragement in the truth of Scripture, primarily through verses like Galatians 6:9: "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Eventually, in 1800, he witnessed the first Indian believer baptized—a moment that marked the beginning of a spiritual harvest.
Twelve years later, in 1812, a devastating fire broke out at the Serampore Mission in India, destroying years of his work.
The flames consumed his translations of the Bible, dictionaries, grammars, and printing materials.
Carey was deeply affected but remained steadfast.
Instead of giving in to discouragement, he thanked God for the strength to start over and immediately began rebuilding what was lost.
His perseverance led to even more significant Bible translation and missionary work achievements.
Many commentators believe that Paul was discouraged when he arrived in Corinth.
Years later, Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3).
The city of Corinth was at the heart of an important trade route in the ancient world.
Like many cities that thrived on trade, Corinth had a reputation for sexual immorality, religious diversity, and corruption.
It seems that everywhere Paul went, he encountered significant opposition to the gospel that sometimes included stoning and beating.
But Paul was no half-heart.
He was zealously committed to making Jesus known.
Today, we will learn how God encouraged the servant of God in the city of Corinth.
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 18:1-17:
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. 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. 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. 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.
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.
Lesson
Acts 18:1-17 shows us how God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. Provision through Partnership (18:1-4)
2. Perseverance in Proclamation (18:5-8)
3. Promises in Peril (18:9-11)
4. Protection in Predicaments (18:12-17)
I. Provision through Partnership (18:1-4)
First, God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by provision through partnership.
Paul arrived in Corinth by himself.
He had left Silas and Timothy in Macedonia.
In verses 2-3, we read of Paul, “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, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.”
Likely, when Paul met them in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla were already Christians.
Like Aquila and Priscilla, Paul was a tentmaker.
One commentator notes that “Jewish tradition encouraged rabbis to support themselves with some other occupation, while giving religious instruction (cf. Pirke ?Aboth 2.2; 4.7)” (David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009], 508).
Paul was accustomed to working as a tentmaker to provide an income for himself.
Today, we use the term “tentmaker” to refer to missionaries working in business in a country that is closed to the gospel.
They build relationships with local people and share the good news with those they believe are open to the gospel message.
While working during the week, Luke tells us that Paul “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks” (v. 4).
Every Sabbath, Paul proclaimed the gospel to the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue.
During the week, however, Paul was encouraged by his friendship and working relationship with Aquila and Priscilla.
God encouraged Paul by providing him with partners in the gospel.
What do you do when you face difficulties and discouragement?
Do you try to go it alone?
Do you grit your teeth and tough it out?
Do you feel like “Woe is me,” and nobody knows how hard it is for me?
My dear brother and sister in Christ, you are not meant to face difficulties alone.
Christians “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom were Dutch Christians who were imprisoned in the German concentration camp known as Ravensbruck.
They were imprisoned in World War II for hiding Jews.
Their prison camp was brutal.
You have seen the pictures of the skeletal prisoners when they were found at the end of World War II.
Betsy and Corrie shared a Bible and held secret Bible studies with other female prisoners.
God provided fellow believers to bear one another’s burdens in those terrible conditions.
Do not face difficulties and trials on your own.
God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by provision through partnership.
II. Perseverance in Proclamation (18:5-8)
Second, God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by perseverance in proclamation.
In verse 5, we read, “When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.”
Scholars believe that Silas and Timothy brought funds with them so that Paul did not have to support himself by making tents.
Paul was now free to give himself full-time to the gospel proclamation.
Initially, Paul’s focus was on the Jews.
He shared with them that the Christ, the Messiah, the Deliverer from God, was none other than Jesus of Nazareth.
Luke told us about the reaction in verse 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.’ ”
Paul was innocent because he had shared the truth with them, and they rejected it.
Imagine I came running into your house and shouted, “Your house is on fire! Get out, now!”
Instead of listening to me, you opposed me and told me to get out.
Well, if your house burned down, I would be innocent because I had warned you of your danger.
What did Paul do?
In verse 7, we read, “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.”
Titius Justus undoubtedly heard Paul at the synagogue.
When the Jews opposed and reviled Paul, Titius Justus invited Paul to use his home to continue proclaiming the gospel.
It was not much later that we read in verse 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.”
One day, Paul was disheartened because he had seen no fruit from his labors in the synagogue. Indeed, he had been opposed and reviled.
However, just a short time later, there was fruit from his labors!
Titius Justus, Crispus, his entire household, and many Corinthians believed the gospel and were baptized.
Adoniram Judson was one of the first American missionaries to Burma (modern-day Myanmar).
He endured incredible hardships—imprisonment, the death of his wife and children, and years of labor with little visible fruit.
His fellow missionaries and his supporting church back in America were crucial in encouraging him.
They sent him letters filled with prayers, Scriptures, and words of affirmation, reminding him that he was not alone in the work.
That is why our Missions Committee urges you to pray for and write to one of our missionaries. They need encouragement in their work.
Judson was eventually imprisoned.
After his release from prison, he found strength in the fellowship of Burmese believers he had discipled.
Their growing faith and commitment to Christ renewed his hope and purpose, even during grief and trials.
Over time, Judson’s labor bore significant fruit, and his work laid the foundation for a thriving Christian community in Burma.
Today, there are almost 4 million Christians in Myanmar.
Let me encourage you to keep telling family, friends, and others about Jesus.
The opposition you and I face is nothing like that faced by Paul, Adoniram Judson, and others.
God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by perseverance in proclamation.
III. Promises in Peril (18:9-11)
Third, God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by promises in peril.
As I studied Paul’s second missionary journey, I was struck by his enormous difficulties.
Perhaps you read about his journey like I did in that Paul went from this town to the next and then to the following city.
But Paul faced massive perils everywhere he went.
Paul was expelled from Pisidian Antioch.
He was threatened with stoning in Iconium.
He was stoned and left for dead in Lystra.
Paul was beaten with rods and imprisoned in Philippi.
Paul experienced a riot in Thessalonica.
He had to leave Berea at night because a mob was calling for him.
Paul saw very little fruit from his labors in Athens.
Now, in Corinth, Paul was opposed and reviled.
C. S. Lewis once said, “If Satan’s arsenal of weapons were restricted to a single one, it would be discouragement.”
Amid perils and discouragement, we read in verses 9-10, “And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 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.’ ”
This is one of six visions Paul received in Acts (9:12; 16:9-10; 22:17-18; 23:11; 27:23-24), and they all came at crucial points in his ministry.
God told Paul five truths in this vision.
First, God said, “Do not be afraid.”God wanted Paul to know that there was nothing to be afraid of.
Second, God said, “Go on speaking, and do not be silent.” God wanted Paul to keep proclaiming that Jesus was the Christ.
Third, God said, “For I am with you.” This is why Paul need not fear. God’s presence was with Paul.
Fourth, God said, “No one will attack you to harm you.” God would protect Paul. He need not fear further beating, stoning, or imprisonment.
Fifth, God said, “For I have many in this city who are my people.” God knows who the elect are. He intended to use Paul to lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
So, it is not surprising to read of Paul in verse 11, “And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
So, what are to make of Paul’s vision?
Should we expect to receive visions from God today?
How does God communicate his promises to us in our times of peril?
Let me share with you how God communicated his promises to me.
I was a recent graduate from the University of Cape Town.
I worked as a Quantity Surveyor for the South African Railways in Cape Town.
One day, my boss told me that his superiors wanted me to know that I would likely be transferred to the head office in Johannesburg.
Now, in the business world, that would have been a promotion.
But, to me, it was devastating news.
I was highly discouraged.
I did not want to live and work in Johannesburg.
After work, I read my Bible every night and prayed for hours.
I started in Genesis and read and read.
In my prayer to God, I asked him to clarify his will.
After about two weeks of reading the Bible and praying for hours each night, I came across Job 2:10, where Job says to his wife, “… Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
Job had encountered terrible trouble.
He lost his entire wealth.
He lost all ten of his children.
Yet, amid terrible suffering, he still trusted God whether good or trouble came his way.
That encouraged me to trust God to take care of me in every circumstance.
The burden I felt was immediately lifted.
Deep in my soul, I knew I could trust God in every situation.
So, what am I saying to you?
Don’t wait for a vision from God.
Go to God’s word.
All God’s promises for you are in his word.
As you sincerely seek God, he will comfort you with his word.
God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by promises in peril.
IV. Protection in Predicaments (18:12-17)
Fourth, God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by protection in predicaments.
In verses 12-13, we read, “But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, ‘This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.’ ”
Gallio was the new proconsul of Achaia.
He served there for only one year, from 51 - 52 AD, and left for health reasons.
This information is very useful in helping us date Paul’s time in Corinth.
When the Jews brought Paul before Gallio, he ruled the matter out of order.
He believed that it was an ecclesiastical matter and not a civil matter.
So, we read in verses 16-17, “And he drove them from the tribunal. 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.”
Gallio’s dismissal of the case against Paul shows us God’s sovereign hand controlling the situation, which allowed the gospel to continue spreading.
I mentioned how Job encouraged me when I was at a low point.
God restored Job’s fortunes, as we read in Job 42:10, “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends.”
Job 42:12 states, “And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.”
You may be going through very difficult circumstances now.
Look to Christ.
Keep trusting in the Lord.
Read God’s word. Lots, if you need to do so.
And seek God in prayer.
God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by protection in predicaments.
Conclusion
God encourages his servants in difficult circumstances by provision through partnership, perseverance in proclamation, promises in peril, and protection in predicaments.
These truths are not only for apostles like Paul, Christians like Corrie Ten Boom, missionaries like Adoniram Judson, and Old Testament saints like Job, but they are also true for you and me.
God will encourage you in difficult circumstances if you put these truths into practice in your life. Amen.
