Title: "Conflict, Converts And Commerce In Corinth”

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)