“ After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
—-And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, —Paul was pressed in the spirit—, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.—-
And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, ‘Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.’
And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and —many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.—
—-Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision
“—Be not afraid—, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.”
And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
—- Acts 18:1-11 ( KJV )
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The Man with 2 Names - The Corinthian Church
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The Areopagus area in Athens is approximately 100 feet above sea level. It is a little outcropping of rock, overshadowed by the Acropolis/ Parthenon which is another 200 feet above it. It offers a nice view of the city, and is probably the reason the people of Athens still hang out there in the cool of the evening...
Today, a metal plaque there bears witness to the sermon preached at that spot by Paul almost 2000 years ago.... ironic when you think it was a plaque to an “ Unknown God “ there at that time that kicked off that talk....
We have been studying that discourse over the last 3 weeks and that 100 ft high Mars Hill has transported us to breathe the crisp cool air of the lofty mountain peaks of —- the knowledge and presence of God —- through the Words Paul was given to speak, and that were recorded for our edification!
It has been a profound experience, and it probably left the apostle Paul shaken and stirred as well.... even though he was the one speaking them! What thoughts must have gone through his head after saying what he did?
Did it bring home to him the enormity of the task before him? Did he realise that this was not something one man could accomplish even in several lifetimes? Did it dawn on him that he could expect more beatings and opposition in the future?
We say this because the scripture says... “After these things...” ... Paul did not stay on in Athens.... He went low profile....almost incognito...Maybe his ( & Lukes ) money had run out, and he got tired of waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy....
We see him going to Corinth, and meeting up with Aquila and Priscilla. ( Luke notes that they had returned because of Claudius’ edict re: the expulsion of the Jews in Rome... an important historical detail, dating this time to some time shortly after... 41-53 A.D.)
He appears to have joined them purely for income. The text notes no other reason for him to stay with them other than they were fellow Jews, and fellow tent makers.... as opposed to the notes it makes about Justus and Crispus as believers. We know that they ( Aquila and Priscilla ) do become believers... but wanted to point this out as interesting....
He speaks in the synagogue... but —DOES NOT—-preach the Gospel !!! It’s only when he is joined by Silas and Timothy that he seems to need to be CONVICTED into doing so!!
Why? ...... He is afraid..... ! {wouldn’t you be?}
The vision makes it clear.... The LORDs vision opens with ... “ ... Be not afraid ...”.
The apostle is a human being..., and just like us, prone to seasons of spiritual assaults of doubt and uncertainty... after the theological heights of Mars Hill, it must have been galling to get back to the Gospel preaching grind ... it almost seems like the apostle wanted ( or needed ) a timeout!
Depression, Anxiety, Fear, uncertainty about future provision, financial want, doubt - these are things we all have to deal with ... there is no FastPass or shortcut because you are doing the Lords work ... on the contrary... you can EXPECT to be treated as He was.... despised and rejected of men, acquainted with grief and sorrow ... and met with opposition for simply doing the right thing! That is reality —- and the truth —- harsh though it may sound..... but the real enemy is something else...
Fear is a tool the devil uses to enslave us.
“ Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he {Christ} also himself likewise took part of the same; that —through death— he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
And deliver them who through —-fear of death—- were all their lifetime —subject to bondage.—- “ : Hebrews 2:14-15
Christ took on being a human, as we have earlier said, to put up a HUGE NEON FLASHING sign to the world, that something, that was an ALL-TIME-UNIQUE event was happening here by conquering Death and Hades... and in so doing —- completely DESTROYING the power of the devil ! He ( not the devil ) has those Keys now ! Hallelujah!
Christians are released from the FEAR of death ( ...not from death itself ) , and thus, from the bondage the devil used to have them in.... e.g. YOLO, Die young and leave behind a good looking corpse, hedonism, materialism.... it is a long list of attitudes that drive very destructive behaviors.
Death has no sting for us, but that -doesn’t- mean our lives have no meaning anymore & we should just go to heaven now.... we have work to do till it is time!
Fear of death in the face of a pandemic is crippling the world and our nation today.
It is -wise- to be concerned... and to take sensible steps that reduce the stress on scarce healthcare professionals and the hospital system. That... is common sense.
Do not put the Lord to a test by knowingly exposing yourselves to harm... use the faculties He has provided to protect yourselves as best as you can, and trust Him to keep the plague from your door! If you are in harms way on the frontline ... just pray, have faith, and leave it to Him, He WILL keep you!
That is also the assurance given to the apostle ... no MAN ( spiritual attacks aside ) will set upon him to physically hurt him ( maybe that was his biggest concern ).... but please note...
The assurance was given AFTER the apostle “caved” to conviction and many Corinthians were baptized. The apostle had to pass through the crucible, being obedient, and then he received the promise!
We will not see Paul afraid again. In fact, later, even when the Spirit will prophesy that he will be imprisoned if he goes to Jerusalem - “Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. “ - Acts 21:13
Believing in Jesus will cost you your opinions, your will, and maybe even your life. That is where the rubber meets the road! Faith ... to works...
It’s one thing to say the sinners prayer, it’s quite another thing altogether to walk out your beliefs on a daily,moment by moment basis - and particularly- when standing up for these beliefs could cost you your job, your partner, life!
The Lord tells Paul some things we all should be mindful of....
1. Don’t be afraid.... : we’ve looked at this
2. Speak, Don’t be quiet/hold your peace : Repeated for emphasis, in two different ways. Obviously it applied pretty directly to the apostle then, but we can take some things away. Do we keep quiet when we should be speaking up? Are we ashamed of Christ and His words in this generation? .... something to think about...
3. I am with you : Paul has just delivered a sermon on God’s omnipresence, does he needed to be REMINDED and ASSURED.... that God was WITH Him ? ... ? ... no that’s not it.... it meant that God would ever be His Partner, Provider, Friend, Mentor... “ And Samuel grew, and the LORD was —with him—, and did let —none of his words fall to the ground.—- And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. “ - 1 Samuel 3:19-20
4. No man .... will hurt thee... - A promise of protection. Evil has to go through God’s filter before it can lay a finger on us!
5. For I have much people in this city : True for Paul... true for us! The Lord has His elect in every generation, and a lot of them are in your city, and the Lord would like to use your feet and mouth to reach them! You don’t have to go anywhere, just be willing and obedient to speak when and where He leads, and watch what happens!!! ?
The Word was confirmed. This turbulent Corinthian church will give us the marriage chapter ( 1 Cor 13 )... as well as guidance for right living, and understanding about Spiritual gifts ( 1 Cor 12:4- ) Aquila & Priscilla, Dionysius and Damaris from Athens, Justus and Crispus .... these are just a few names.... many were baptized!
We will leave Paul in Corinth, in peace for a while, getting in about 3-4 semesters worth of teaching in Corinth - growing stronger day by day!
Hallelujah!