Acts 18

Acts 18:1

Here in chapter 18, Paul arrives in Corinth, where a great work will begin as he gets back to basicspreaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Corinth was an exceedingly wicked city. In the center was a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, from which one thousand prostitutes would emerge each evening to offer themselves to men as an act of worship to the goddess of sensuality. So sinful was Corinth, calling someone a Corinthian was synonymous with calling him a “party animal” or a “lounge lizard.” It is therefore not surprising that Paul wrote the first chapter of the Book of Romansthe passage that traces the devolution of manwhile in Corinth.

Acts 18:2

After Emperor Claudius, an anti-Semite, drove the Jews from Rome, Aquila and Priscilla fled to Corinth, where they would eventually come into contact with Paul.

Acts 18:3

Like all Jewish rabbis, Paul had a trade. To this day, the rabbis teach that every manbe they rabbis, teachers, or business executiveshave a trade to fall back on should something unforeseen happen in their professions. Paul was a tentmaker, but as he sewed tents, he was primarily sowing seeds as he shared the truth of the gospel with Aquila and Priscilla.

Acts 18:4

As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue on the Sabbath.

Acts 18:5

It interests me that although Paul went into the synagogue and shared prophecy and theology, he never specifically said, “Jesus is Messiah” until Timothy and Silas arrived on the scene. Why did he wait to make this declaration? I believe there are two reasons. First, he was emboldened by the presence of his friends. Don’t you find yourself becoming a whole lot bolder when standing by a fellow believer? That’s why Jesus sent His disciples out two by two (Luk_10:1). It’s wonderful to minister with another brother or sister. Second, he was emboldened by the pressure in his heart. He knew he had held back long enough, and that he had to share Jesus or, like a volcano, erupt!

Acts 18:6

When the Jews heard Paul say, “Jesus is Messiah,” they were blasphemously angry because they were looking for a politically powerful personality who would free them from the oppression of Romenot Someone who talked about being poor in spirit, turning the other cheek, and setting one’s heart on things above. The Lord said to Ezekiel, “If you don’t tell people the truth, their blood will be upon your hands” (see Eze_3:17-21). So, too, if we’re not faithful to communicate to the people to whom the Lord has called us to share, their blood will be on our hands, so to speak. There’s a difference, however, between blood on the hands and blood on the head. In Joshua 2, prior to the fall of Jericho, the spies told Rahab that whoever remained in her house would be spared when destruction came upon the city. Blood would be upon the head, however, of anyone who ventured outside her house. Blood on the head means, “I’ve brought judgment on myself.” Blood on the hands means, “I have failed to reach out to others.” Therefore, because Paul was faithful in sharing the gospel with the Jews at Corinth, their blood would not be upon his hands, but upon their own heads if they rejected his message. This statement would have pierced the heart of the Jews. “What? You, Paula Jewish rabbiare going to the Gentiles?” Paul would later write that this was all part of God’s plan to provoke the Jews to jealousy (Rom_11:11).

Acts 18:7

“I’m going to the Gentiles,” said Paul. Where did he go? Next door. Talk about provoking the Jews to jealousy! With Paul right next door, these Jews couldn’t help but see miracles happening, joy abounding, the church growing.

Acts 18:8

What was happening next door to the synagogue was so irresistible and undeniable that even the ruler of the synagogue believed.

Acts 18:9

If the Lord came to Paul at night, saying, “Don’t be afraid,” the implication is that Paul must have, indeed, been afraid. As he saw revival happening, he must have been reminded of the stoning he endured in Antioch and of the beating he received at Philippi. Paul was beginning to realize that wherever he saw external gain, it was followed by personal pain. Thus, as he rejoiced in his heart over what was happening in Corinth, no doubt he was concerned in his mind about what was to come. So the Lord appeared to Paul and gave him the same two gifts He gives to us in the dark seasons of our lives: His promise and His presence.

Acts 18:10

“Paul,” said the Lord, “I’m giving you this promise: I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee.” So, too, the Lord has given over three thousand promises to you and me in His Word. He has already given them. All that remains to be done is for us to believe them. Consequently, we have a choice to make: to freak out in the night, or, like Paul, to continue in the city. You see, contrary to Paul’s typical pattern of making short stops in the cities to which he ministered, Paul stayed in Corinth a year and a half. Why? I suggest he was established because of the Lord’s promise. Gang, we don’t need to be on an emotional roller coasterrejoicing one moment and fearful the next. Like Paul, we can say, “The Lord gave a promise to me. Therefore I will continue on steadfastly.” In Isaiah 7, we see another man who also received a promise from the Lord. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of the ten northern tribes of Israel, formed an alliance and planned an attack against Judah, the two southern tribes. The Lord told Isaiah to speak to Ahaz, king of Judah, who was fearful and upset about the upcoming battle. “Your response to the promise of God will have no effect on the outcome of the battle,” Isaiah told Ahaz, “for God has already determined that Israel and Syria will be unsuccessful. However, your response to God’s promise will have great effect upon you, for if you don’t believe God, you won’t be established. You’ll be unstable. You’ll be emotional. You’ll cave in unnecessarily.” The same is true with us. The Lord says to you and me, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also” (see Joh_14:2-3). Like Paul, we can be established and strengthened in such promises, or, like Ahaz, we can fret and fear needlessly. Whether we choose to claim them or ignore them, God will keep His Word. He will prepare a place for us as believers and return for us whether we consciously and consistently ascribe to this or not. But if we don’t take Him at His Word, we will live a life of instability, inconsistency, and anxietytotally needlessly. “But what if I’m misunderstanding the promises?” you ask. “What if I’m misreading the Bible? What if I’m misinterpreting the context? So often I come across a promise and I believe it’s for mebut what if it’s not?” Consider Isaiah’s words to Ahaz: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa_7:14). The word “you” in this verse is pluralwhich means the sign was not only for Ahaz but for everyone. “Ahaz,” the Lord declared, “a sign will be given to youand not to you only, but to all people. A virgin shall conceive, and a Son shall be born whose name will be Immanuel, or God with us.” God still says to the Ahaz in you and me, “I am Immanuel. I am the ultimate source of stability.” You see, I might question if I understand the Scriptures properly. I might wonder if what I’m reading is applicable to me personally. I might doubt whether I interpret the theology correctly. But the Lord says to me, “Even if you’re not sure if the promises apply to you, I, Immanuel, am with you.” On a trip to Los Angeles years ago, my daughter Mary Elizabeth rode in the front seat between my wife, Tammy, and me. Fascinated by a map of California, she kept busy trying to figure out where we were and where we were going. At five years of age, Mary could barely read. So, even if she was confused about where we were in relationship to her map, or if we were going the right way according to her interpretation of the map, it didn’t matter at all because she wasn’t driving. I, her father, was in the driver’s seat. She could have been reading the map backward and upside down, and it would have had no affect whatsoever on my ability to get her to Los Angeles. So, too, even if we’re not reading the map of God’s Word correctlyeven if sometimes we feel like we’re holding it upside down and backwardthe fact remains that Immanuel is with us, and He’s in the driver’s seat. The only thing that could have gone wrong on our trip to L.A. would have been if Mary suddenly lurched out of her seat and grabbed the wheel, saying, “Let me steer. Let me steer.” You see, gang, anytime we grab the wheel of our lives and say, “Let me steer; I gotta figure this out; I have to make this happen,” our lives begin to careen and swerveand we end up wondering why we crash. Read the Word, saints. Saturate yourselves in Scripture, and look for His promises as you rest in His presence. “I am with you, Paul,” promised the Lord. But where was He when Paul was left for dead at Lystra and thrown in prison at Philippi? As He did with Paul in Corinth, sometimes the Lord keeps us from trouble. Other times, however, the Lord is with us in trouble, as He was with Paul in Lystra and Philippi. Seeing Our City A Topical Study of Act_18:10 It has rightly been said that Europe is looked over by millions of travelers and overlooked by millions of believers. Such was not the case with Paul, who, on his third missionary journey, went to Europe not as a sightseer, but as a soul-winner. Here in chapter 18, however, after meeting opposition in Corinth, Paul was ready to throw in the towel and move out of the region before the Lord spoke to him, saying, “Fear not, Paul. Speak boldly. Don’t hold back, for in this place of moral decay and depravity, I have many people.” It is important to keep in mind that the people of whom the Lord was speaking were not yet Christians. You see, at this point, “His people” were still wandering the streets, frequenting the temples of prostitution, partying, struggling, and straying. Yet in the Lord’s perspective, they were His people nonetheless. Therefore, I can’t help but wonder what He would say about Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, or Jacksonville, Oregon; about the cities in which we live, the schools we attend, the places we work. For although we might be disgusted by them and grieved by what goes on within them, surely the Lord would say to you and to me as He did to Paul, “Don’t pull away. Don’t hold back. I have many people in your city, in your school, in your neighborhood. They’re just not saved yet.” Therefore, I believe the Lord wants us as a Christian community to be city-takers for Him. How? Three ways. Envisioning Act_18:9 tells us that Paul had a vision from the Lord in the nightin a time of darkness. So, too, when you go downtown to the dark areas of Medford and you cruise by the Sunrise Hotel, what’s your attitude toward the men and women there who will become part of the millions of people this year who will contract a sexually transmitted disease? Some of those very people are the Lord’s peoplethey’re just not saved yet. What about the high-school kids who smoke during lunch hour? How does the Lord view them? I believe He would say to you and to me, “Don’t pull back. Don’t pull away. I have many people in that orchard. They’re Mine. Many of them think they’re seeking some sort of family and some kind of acceptance, but in reality, they’re seeking Me. I’m going to work on them and reach out to them, and I want to use you in the process of praying for them and sharing the truth with them.” What about the guys who sit on the hoods of their cars, waiting for a drug deal to take place? We say, “Let’s clean up those areas. Let’s call in the law.” But the Lord says, “I have many people therepeople who are doing these things because they’re craving Me. I know them; I want to reach out to them. And I want to use you in the process.” Gang, I’m praying that every time you go into a “dark” placeinto an area that tends to turn you off, that your eyes are opened and your heart is deeply touched by the Lord’s perspective of the people there. Invading In Acts 5, we read that the apostles were accused of “filling Jerusalem with their doctrine” (see Act_5:28). How did they do it? I believe the answer lies in the fact that one of the Greek words for “preaching” means “conversing.” You see, “preaching” is not limited to speaking behind a pulpit or into a microphone. Preaching can also mean conversing, talking with people, and filling the city with the doctrine of Jesus Christ. I have found that one of the keys to talking about Jesus is to share with people as if they are already believers. That’s what Jesus did. He treated folks as if they were already part of His kingdom as He spoke to them of heaven. He didn’t come down on them. He didn’t preach at them. He simply shared with them. Be bold, saints, as you invade your home, your school, your neighborhood for the Lord. And listen for His voice as He says to you, “Fear not. Speak outfor I am with you and I have many people on your street or in your community who are waiting to hear about Me.” Enjoying In Acts 8, we read that after Philip shared the gospel with the people of Samaria, there was great joy in the city, for not only did the people of Samaria see miracles, but they heard them as well (Act_8:6). So, too, in a world that is drifting aimlessly and confused incredibly, when you or I speak truth clearly, saying, “This is the fact about that matter,” or “Here’s the big picture,” miracles will follow because people will see changed lives and hear a new perspective. Imagine what would happen if five people in your office, in your neighborhood, or on your campus got saved next week, next month, or next year. You would see parents start parenting again, husbands and wives working out their difficulties, people who were once disenfranchised and disoriented made whole again. As a result, not only would they be filled with joy, but joy would fill your heart as well. “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,” proclaimed the angel the night of Jesus’ birth (Luk_2:10). And we can bear the same message of joy today to the people in our schools, our offices, our communities. How I pray that the Lord will change us to a greater degreethat the people we once looked down upon or were disgusted with might become part of a tremendous harvest of souls for His kingdom. I pray that we might envisionthat we may see people the way the Lord sees them. I pray that we might invadefilling our city with His Good News. I pray that we might enjoy what the Lord is doing as He drives out demons, heals souls, and works wonders in our community. Perhaps you’re saying, “That all sounds great, but how does it happen practically?” There’s only one way I know in which our perspective on our cities, our communities, our schools, or our neighborhoods can be changed. It’s found in Mark 8… After He touched the eyes of a blind man, Jesus asked if he could see. “I see men as trees,” the blind man answered. And Jesus touched his eyes again and made him look up. “Now I see all men clearly,” declared the once-blind man (see Mar_8:22-25). Maybe, like the blind man, you see the people at work, next door, or in the questionable areas of town as trees. They “stump” you. You want to “cut them down.” You wish they would “leave.” Maybe you say, “The people in my city bug me. I want to move away from them to a place where I can find peace and quiet, to a place where I won’t have to deal with depravity, to a place where I can get away from it all.” But I believe, just as He did with the blind man, the Lord desires to make us look up to another treethe tree of Calvary. You see, Jesus was pinned to a tree, saying, “Jon, I’m in love with the person for whom you have no time and in whom you have no interest. And I care deeply about the person you want to chop down.” Gang, Jesus loves the girlfriend who dumped you, the husband who deserted you, and the boss who fired you. He cares about the kids on skateboards who cuss and swear and wear blasphemous T-shirts. He died for the prostitutes and for the drug dealers. But we’ll never come to that realization until we look up and see Jesus on the tree of Calvary. Join in Communion. Eat of His body. Drink of His blood. And be reminded all over again that Jesus loves people. If your perspective on people is a little fuzzy, go to the Lord’s table in brokenness and openness. See Jesus on the Cross of Calvary, and you’ll see people more clearly. Then you will be able to envision what He wants to do. Then you will be able to invade the area in which you live as you share the Good News of His gospel. Then you will be able to enjoy watching Him work in and through you as He takes your city for His glory.

Acts 18:11

The fact remains that the great need in the church and in our homes today is not “encounter sessions” or pie-eating contests, but the teaching of the Scriptures.

Acts 18:12

Gallio was the brother of Seneca, a philosopher in Rome and the tutor of Caesar Nero. When he was appointed governor, the Jews thought, Aha! A change of leadership! Here’s our chance to get rid of Paul. In his own defense, Paul would have said, “I object! I’m not teaching men to worship contrary to the law. I am preaching the fulfillment of the law in the Person of Jesus Christ.” Paul didn’t get the chance to defend himself, however, because Gallio spoke instead. “This is not a question of civil judgment,” Gallio said. “It’s a religious matter for you Jews to figure out among yourselves.”

Acts 18:17

Newer translations say it was the Jews who “took Sosthenes,” the man who replaced Crispus as chief ruler of the synagogue after Crispus got saved. Whether it was the Jews who took Sosthenes because he didn’t argue their case persuasivelyor whether the Greeks took him because he was bugging them about things that didn’t concern themSosthenes was beaten. Later on, in 1Co_1:1, Paul greets Sosthenes. Therefore, guess who got converted! Like Sosthenes, people are often brought to salvation when they get beat up. If someone you care about is in the process of being beaten, don’t try to protect him or her because oftentimes it is through that very process that people finally see their need of the Lord. If you are being beaten up presently, take heart. Blessing will follow, if, like Sosthenes, you allow the beating to draw you closer to Jesus.

Acts 18:18

Paul worked for Aquila and Priscilla when he sewed tents. He worked on Aquila and Priscilla by giving them the gospel. He worked with Aquila and Priscilla as they headed for Ephesus together. When he left Corinth on his way to Jerusalem, Paul got a haircut. Why? He had taken a Nazarite vow to touch no grapes, drink no wine, touch no dead body, and to allow his hair to grow before cutting it off as a sign of purification (Numbers 6). “Wait a minute,” you say. “Why would Paul, the champion of grace, put himself under such bondage?” Consider the mentality of Paul, this one who said, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (see 1Co_9:22). Heading toward Jerusalem, the capital of Judaism, Paul was willing to go with the flow and to fit in with the Jews not because he was under the law, but because he was filled with love for his people.

Acts 18:19

The Ephesians wanted Paul to stick around. Because he was a treasure chest of truth and a storehouse of spiritual knowledge, people always wanted Paul to stay a little longer. Folks enjoyed his company not because of an endearing personality, vivaciousness, or friendlinessbut because he shared with them concerning the kingdom. And I’m convinced the same is still true today. How I love to be around those who are rich in the things of God. Take in the Word, dear people. Give out the Word, and you too will find that others will want you to stick around. With a directive in his heart and determination on his face, Paul was headed for Jerusalem. “I will return, if God wills,” said Paul. James echoed this when he wrote, “Be careful that you don’t say I’m going to do this thing on such and such a day.” Instead, say, “If God wills, I am going to do this thing” (see Jas_4:13-15). There is only One who didn’t have to say, “If God will,” and that One is our Hero, Jesus Christ. He said, “I will come again” (Joh_14:3). Period.

Acts 18:22

Although he was determined to go to Jerusalem, and although he had taken a vow in order to fit in at Jerusalem, Paul didn’t stay in Jerusalem. You see, Paul was not always real popular in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem boysPeter, James, and Johnhad a different flavor than the Antioch boysPaul and Barnabas, Timothy and Silas. James would stress that faith without works is dead (Jas_2:20). John would say, “Children, keep yourself from idols” (1Jn_5:21). Peter would write, “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Pe_5:8). But Paul just went on chapter after chapter celebrating the finished work of the Cross of Calvary. As you read the New Testament, you can feel the healthy tension between the brothers in Antioch and the brothers in Jerusalem. I share this with you not simply as a historical note, but to realize that even today different people will have different flavors within the body of Christ. There will be Pauls and Barnabases who will comfort you by reminding you that you’re perfect in Christ, that the veil is rent, that the work is done. And just when you begin to settle in maybe a bit too much, a James or a Peter will remind you that faith without works is dead, that you must be sober and vigilant. Like the tension on a trampoline, this balance is healthy and important, for without it, we would hit bottom in one extreme or the other.

Acts 18:23

Alexandria was the second largest city in the Roman Empire. One-third of the city was Jewish. It was a city of such intellectual wealth that recent excavations have uncovered an Alexandrian library of seven hundred thousand volumes. Apollos, a man mighty in the Scriptures and eloquent in speech, hailed from the learned city of Alexandria.

Acts 18:25

Apollos was not only brilliant intellectually, but he was fervent of heart spiritually. So charismatic a figure was he that Paul would later chide the Corinthians for priding themselves in being his followers (1Co_3:4). Apollos had never heard about the death of Jesus Christ nor of His Resurrection from the dead. All he knew at this point was what John the Baptist preached. That is, “Repent, Messiah is coming.” This encourages me greatly because, although there was a huge gap in his understanding, Apollos was commended for sharing what little he did know.

Acts 18:26

Who was in the synagogue listening to Apollos? Aquila and Priscilla. Aquila and Priscilla could have said, “We’re beyond this synagogue stuff. We’re more advanced than this,” but they didn’t. You see, even though Aquila and Priscilla were Christians, they went back into the synagogue to see what the Lord would have them do therenot to be ministered unto, but to minister to others. Realizing Apollos didn’t have the full story, Aquila and Priscilla took him aside. They didn’t interrupt the service, but they privately shared with him the message of the gospel. I love Aquila and Priscilla for being there with hearts to serve in humility. And I love Apollos for being teachable. After all, he could have said, “Who are you, you tentmakers? I am a man mighty in the Scriptures, eloquent of speech, fervent of spirit. Read Acts 18 if you don’t believe me.” But that wasn’t his heart. Apollos shared what he had, and the Lord sent Aquila and Priscilla to give him more. How can you know more about the way and heart of the Lord? Share what you already know. I read about an army paratrooper who had completed his twenty-thousandth jump. Asked by one of his students why he got into parachuting, he answered, “I was an infantryman fifteen thousand feet in the air when the third engine on our plane went out. I jumped because I had no other choice.” When do you become a teacher, a Bible student, an evangelist? When you take the jump, knowing you are the person on your street, in your office, or at your school who knows more about the kingdom than does the person next to you. God will give you opportunity to minister tomorrow if you choose to take it because I guarantee you will find yourself next to someone who is dumber than you concerning the things of the Lord. And when He does, you can either say, “I’m not a pastor. I don’t have a lot of knowledge theologically. I don’t know that much about the Bible, so I won’t say anything,“or you can be a Priscilla or an Aquila and say, “I may not be a pastor or a theologian, but I know more than this guy next to me, so I’m going to jump in because his plane is going down.”

Acts 18:27

Apollos went on to use his newfound knowledge of the gospel to prove Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. Isaiah, referring to the Syrian rule of the people of Israel, prophesied this concerning the anointing upon Jesus Christ: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isa_10:27). Gang, the bondage that people are in, the yoke that people are under, is broken not through our understanding of behavior or through counseling, but through the work of the Anointed One. I received this letter one day: Dear Jon, I smoked for thirty-four years and enjoyed every cigarette. I wanted to stop, but the thought of quitting ran chills down my spine. A year ago, I heard your message taken from Joh_5:8, “Take up your bed and walk.” I had no idea how powerful that message was, or how it would change my life. I left the service that Sunday morning, and the Lord took my cigarettes from me that day. I did not need “the patch” or anything else. The Lord is my “patch” and my light. This person understood the reality of Jesus Christthat when He says, “Go your way and sin no more,” it is not a word of warning, but a word of liberation. Folks, the answer to every burden lies not in techniques or counseling, behavior modification or clinical psychology. The Answer is Jesus. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Anointed One. And the yoke of bondage shall be broken because of Him.