Stay!

“After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 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. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 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.’ 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. 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. 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.’ And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” [1]

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!” That was the overwhelming sentiment in my mind upon arrival in Vancouver. It was May 1980, and I quickly experienced a sense of foreignness compared to all that I had known previously. After two years of diligent effort, the church I had come to pastor had grown slowly. During that time I had witnessed many fellow Americans come to Canada to pastor, only to leave shortly after they had arrived. The work was difficult, made more difficult still due to the need to adjust to a new culture. I was feeling discouraged, disoriented, and discontented. I was ready to leave.

At that time, in my private devotions I was reading the Book of Acts, and I read the account of Paul’s ministry in Corinth with fresh eyes. It was as though I was reading the account for the first time, and what I saw proved to be a source of rich encouragement. Paul was discouraged and fearful; every indication is that he was prepared to forsake the city and leave for greener pastures. Paul stayed, and the reason he stayed is revealed in the message this day.

THE BACKGROUND FOR OUR STUDY — “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth” [ACTS 18:1]. This initial verse of our text serves as more than a mere introduction meant to get things moving with an opening sentence before transitioning to the account of what happened in Corinth. “After this,” should lead the perceptive reader to ask, “After what?” What happened that induced the Apostle to leave Athens to go to Corinth? The implication is that some event was sufficiently significant that it played a part in Paul’s decision-making. Something made him willing to leave Athens to go to Corinth.

The seventeenth chapter recites movement of the missionaries in the first foray into European territory. Though we look back at that initial penetration of the European continent as phenomenally successful, I suspect it felt like an abject failure to Paul as he led this missionary band. Having trekked through Phrygia and Galatia, intending to turn toward Asia, the Spirit of Christ forbade the Apostle to go that direction [see ACTS 16:6].

I can speak with some certainty that a missionary can plan, believing he has freedom to pursue a particular course. Then, when God’s Spirit gives no rest, it is disconcerting, almost traumatic at times. There is a sense of confusion as the missionary’s plans are thrown aside and he is left with a degree of uncertainty. He trusts God, but the immediate direction for his service is left in seeming disarray. For a man of action, the uncertainty he experiences is foreign and deeply disorienting.

Having been prohibited by the Spirit of Christ from moving into Bithynia, the missionaries moved down to Troas, uncertain where they were to go next. One night, as the others lay sleeping, Paul had a vision. He clearly saw “a man of Macedonia … standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’ [ACTS 16:9]. Sharing the vision with the others, they agreed that it seemed clear that God was directing them to go into Macedonia. So, they booked passage across the Hellespont, setting foot on European soil for the first time as missionaries of the Risen Son of God.