Written ~ 06-26-2024
Read Acts Chapter Eighteen
Acts 18
Paul did not stay in Athens for very long (Acts 17:16-34) and when he left he made his way to Corinth. Later in the New Testament we have two letters that Paul wrote to the church of the Corinthians. It was nearly 50 miles from Athens to Corinth, so it would have taken Paul a couple of very long days of walking to get to Corinth.
Acts 18:1-3…
1 “Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There 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. 3Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.”
With all the traveling Paul did during his missionary journeys, many times, actually most of the time there wouldn’t be any notice of his arrival, if it was a new city he was coming into it was quite possible he would not have known anyone. Where do you think he stayed? How did he introduce himself? “Hi, I’m the Apostle Paul!” No, I can’t see him drawing that kind of attention to himself. But he did go to the local synagogue immediately every time he reached a new city. For example in Thessalonica it says in Acts 17:2, “As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service…” Then in city of Berea it says in Acts 17:10, “When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.” Then again in Athens, Acts 17:17a, “…He went to the synagogue…” So when he reached Corinth it would be no different. Maybe that’s where he became acquainted with Aquila and Priscilla. One thing I learned, or took notice to for the first time, in verse 18:3 it says that Paul was a tentmaker, or leatherworker. I thought that little detail was neat to learn. It made me think that this must have been the way Paul made a living for himself as he made his way through each of these different towns.
Acts 18:4-6…
4Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5And 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.6But 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.”
As expected Paul taught in the synagogue every Sabbath. We learn that Silas and Timothy have finally joined him – Silas and Timothy had stayed in Berea when Paul went on to Athens (Acts 17:13-15).
Do you see a change in Paul’s response to the Jews he was preaching to? It seems to me like this is a turning point for Paul, he had been focusing on turning his Jewish brothers to the Lord. Even though most would oppose him, I think he was still hopeful and that’s why he would return to the synagogue week after week to try and convince them of who Jesus Christ was. But this time, it was different, and verse 18:6 says it all…
6But 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.”
The practice of shaking the dust off the clothes or feet was an instruction given to the disciples by Jesus. When Jesus was sending His disciples out to spread the Gospel Message this was one of the things He said, it is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke…
Matthew 10:14…
14“If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.”
Mark 6:11…
11“But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
Luke 9:5…
5“And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”
So this action of shaking the dust off oneself and leaving those who refuse the Message of Jesus Christ was significant. It showed everyone that the fate of that town, household or person would now be subject to the judgement of God Himself.
Acts 18:7-8…
7“Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8Crispus, 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.”
And there you have it, we have the beginnings of the Corinthian church. The following is what was said about Crispus from the “Expositors Bible Commentary…”
- One of the first to accept Paul’s message at Corinth was Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, who, together with his whole household, “believed in the Lord.” He was certainly one of the most prominent believers, and his conversion must have made a great impact and led to other conversions. Paul lists him first in 1 Corinthians 1:14-16 among the few that he had baptized.
Even though Paul received opposition and insults, those things did not keep him from sharing the gospel message. People were coming to Christ through his message and that must have been the most pleasing reward to see Salvation coming to the people of Corinth.
Acts 18:9-11…
9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to Me.” 11So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
What I learned from reading parts of the “Expositors Bible Commentary” is that when Paul arrived in Corinth he was in a discouraged state of mind, he was feeling a bit dejected. He had encountered such problems in Macedonia, which lead to an abrupt dismissal in Athens, he probably wondered if the same would happen in Corinth. So the vision from the Lord couldn’t have come at a better time. Yes, more trouble would come while he was in Corinth, but the Lord encouraged Paul to continue on.
After a lengthy stay in Corinth he left and continued on his journey. He stopped over in Ephesus, just long enough to go to the synagogue, but he did not stay, though promised to return. Aquila and Priscilla, whom Paul had become acquainted in Corinth came with him, they wound up staying in Ephesus as Paul made his way back to Antioch.
In Ephesus Aquila and Priscilla heard the bold teaching by a man named Apollos…
Acts 18:24-26…
24“Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25He 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. 26When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.”
I do want to add how the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary expounds on these few verses:
- Between the time of Paul’s stopover at Ephesus (Acts 18:19-21) and his return to the city on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1), Apollos came to Ephesus. A native of Alexandria, he was a highly educated man and possessed a thorough knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures. Somewhere and somehow he had received instruction about Jesus, and to that extent he knew the Gospel “accurately” and “spoke with great fervor” concerning Jesus. When Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos in the synagogue, they recognized some deficiencies in his understanding of the Christian message. So they invited him to their home and explained “the way of God” to him “more accurately.”
- Apollos’s knowledge of Jesus seems to have come through disciples of John the Baptist, perhaps when he was in Alexandria. Presumably he knew that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and knew something of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but that is all. When instructed further by Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos readily accepted all God had done in the death and resurrection of Jesus and in sending the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The reason I added this excerpt was to give us more of an insight as to how important it is to get further understanding of the Scriptures when you are questioning it’s message. It might be that you know parts of what the Bible says, but overall the bits and pieces you have heard, have you longing for more. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask someone who you know has more knowledge of the Scriptures than you do and start getting some of your questions answered. Having an incomplete understanding of why you believe in Jesus might hinder your growth. It could even hinder the faith God wants to pour out on you.
In the above verses, Apollos was teaching about Jesus with great fervor, which was awesome! But he was lacking the knowledge of what God had done through Christ’s death and resurrection and he knew nothing about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Luckily, Aquila and Priscilla had the wisdom to pull him aside and explain more specific details to the Gospel message. And it shows in verses 18:27-28, equipped with this new knowledge he had a very powerful ministry.
Acts 18:27-28…
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. 28He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.”
I love verse 18:28… it makes me feel like Apollos was able to go into battle now with both barrels loaded and he stepped into his ministry role with a renewed confidence and boldness. “…he refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah…”
That’s what each of us needs. Like Paul, coming into Corinth, he was feeling discouraged and defeated. Apollos only had part of the Gospel message. But when we are recharged by the presence of the Holy Spirt and we ask for His specific guidance and help, we can be renewed in our thinking. We can receive the message from the Lord…
“Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!” (Acts 18:9)
My prayer is that we seek the Lord in every moment of our day so we can step out with a confidence and a boldness that we have never experienced before.
“Using the Scriptures… explain to everyone… that Jesus is the Messiah!”
~AMEN~