May 7 – How Do We Spread the News?
By Audrey Bauman
Acts 18 (NLT)
Paul Meets Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth
18 Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. (Athens and Corinth were major cities in Achaia, the region in the southern portion of the Greek peninsula) 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers (leatherworkers) just as he was.
Paul has an occupation that supports him as he travels and preaches. There are many countries today where you can’t get access if you say you are in some kind of full-time religious work. However, immigrating for a work position is possible. That is something the church needs to focus more on. How can we support and encourage people to take full-time jobs around the world where the gospel needs to go? Paul eventually starts preaching full-time when Silas and Timothy arrive, perhaps with a monetary donation from established churches. And again, that allows Paul to devote so much more energy in preaching. But as we support missionaries today, we should look at both opportunities - full-time church planting work, and as well as sending professionals who will be allowed into a country.
Paul’s arrival in Corinth puts him in a major city in Greece. He is now preaching in what we know as Europe. The gospel is spreading beyond Israel and its close neighbours. (Acts 1: 8 – “you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”) As we send missionaries out today, perhaps we need to consider large cities as the destination too. Emigration in our world is huge, and those people tend to go to cities where they can find other people from their country. They still keep in touch with friends and family in their home countries, so what they believe does spread far and wide.
“Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”
7 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”
14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.”16 And he threw them out of the courtroom.
17 The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
Paul Returns to Antioch of Syria
18 Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.”
You might wonder why Paul shaved his head. Intervarsity Press Commentary says:
“At Corinth's eastern port city, Cenchrea, seven miles southeast, Paul cuts his hair, signaling the beginning of the end of a Nazirite vow (Num 6; m. Nazir). Evidently he had begun this vow after either the Macedonian or Corinthian vision, as a sign of earnest beseeching of the Lord for success in the mission to which Paul had been called (Acts 16:9-10; 18:9-10). Now in thanksgiving Paul ends the vow and thus recognizes that the Lord made good on his promises.”
“19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus (the third largest city in the Roman Empire – over 250,000 people), where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21 As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited the church at Jerusalem and then went back to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.
Apollos Instructed at Ephesus
24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28 He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.”
Paul is called to spread the gospel around the world. What I find interesting is that he also takes a lot of time to make sure people are well grounded in their faith. Verse 11 says, “So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.” After the accusations in Gallio’s court, it says in verse 19, “Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that”. In verses 19 to 23, it talks about Paul travelling to places he had been before to “strengthen all the believers”. Making sure new Christians are well founded in their faith is so important. That stops incorrect variations of our Christian faith from starting and spreading. It also underlines how important small groups that study the Bible together are. They can meet and discuss their faith on a weekly basis in a comfortable setting where people would not be afraid to ask questions and find answers.
The story of Apollos is also interesting. He was a studied scholar in the Old Testament, and somewhere he had learned about John the Baptist. But he hadn’t heard about Jesus. From his study of the Old Testament, he had agreed that a Messiah would come, and he was teaching that in the synagogue. Priscilla and Aquila heard about him and took him aside to tell him the full story. His conversion sends another Christian scholar (similar to Paul’s background) to preach to the Jews in that world. In Canada today, we meet people who are not against Christianity. They feel that Jesus set a good example of a person who cared about others. You even hear the phrase, “What would Jesus do?”, as a guide to good behaviour. With those people, we can share that there is so much more – a personal relationship with Jesus.
Our song for today is My Hope is Built on Nothing Less by Hillsong Worship.
