The Truth comes to Corinth

Paul’s work in the City of Corinth

Introduction:

Paul had just left the city of Athens after making some converts to our Lord Jesus Christ there but not being able to establish a church there. Athens was the city filled with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and the people there worshiped many gods. Paul left that city alone and may have even been somewhat discouraged after not being able to establish a church. However, our Lord Jesus Christ knowing the state or condition of Paul’s heart and mind at the time led him into the city of Corinth where he immediately met Aquila and his wife Priscilla, converts to our Lord Jesus and Roman citizens forced out of Rome and they landed and settled in Corinth. Aquila was a tentmaker like Paul and Paul joined him there in the making of tents for sale to provide for their earthly needs. “Corinth was an important city in that day located between two important seaports: the port of Lechaion on the Gulf of Corinth about two miles to the north and the port of Cenchreae on the Saronic Gulf about six miles east of Corinth. This city too was steeped in pagan idolatrous worship with the most prominent being the cult of Aphrodite. The worship of Aphrodite had flourished in old Corinth before its destruction in 146 B.C. and was revived in Roman Corinth. A temple for the worship of Aphrodite was located on the top of the Acropolis. Strabo wrote concerning this temple. And the temple of Aphrodite was so rich that it owned more than a thousand temple-slaves, courtesans, whom both men and women had dedicated to the goddess. And therefore it was also on account of these women that the city was crowded with people and grew rich; for instance, the ship-captains freely squandered their money, and hence the proverb, ‘Not for every man is the voyage to Corinth.’” Holman’s Bible Dictionary

Despite Corinth being a pagan city it was populated by people of various cultural backgrounds, there were some Jews living there also and they worshiped in their own Synagogue. This is where Paul began his proclamation of the gospel of Christ as Dr. Luke documents for us here, Acts 18:4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. NKJV The English word “reasoning” Dr. Luke uses in this verse is translated by the Greek word dialegomai which means to say thoroughly or to converse, discourse with one, argue, discuss or to preach. Paul would always begin in the Jewish Synagogue proclaiming the gospel of Christ and so he did when he first entered the City of Corinth, but as Paul found quite often the Jews resisted the truth of the gospel and so did these Jews in Corinth as we also have documented for us by Dr. Luke with these words, Acts 18:6-8 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the Synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the Synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. NKJV Paul was blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ with seeing souls saved from sin and hell and brought into the Mystical Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lord wanting to even more buffet Paul and strengthen him to persevere (despite the rejection from the Jews there) visited Paul personally and said these words to him, Acts 18:9-10 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” NKJV Paul had now not only his confidence bolstered that many would hear the gospel and respond in repentance and faith, but Paul had the rock solid word of truth directly from Christ Jesus our Lord and it surely energized Paul to be always abounding in the work of the Lord Jesus not fearing any attacks from satan or any of the human instruments that came against him. Finally, Dr. Luke documents for us the end result of our Lord’s words to Paul and Paul’s trusting in our Lord Jesus and walking it out in boldness, Acts 18:11 And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. NKJV Paul so trusted the words he received from our Lord Jesus in that vision that he put down roots there in the City of Corinth for almost 2 years and he witnessed many pagan men, women, boys, and girls come to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ as they were transferred from spiritual death into eternal life in Christ, as it is written by Paul here, Colossians 1:13-14 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NKJV

“Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ.” A. W. Tozer

“The words of St. Paul, ‘No man can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,’ show us the necessity of eyeing God in our good works, and even in our minutest thoughts; knowing that none are pleasing to Him, but those which He forms in us and with us. From hence we learn that we cannot serve Him, unless He uses our tongue, hands, and heart, to do by Himself and His Spirit whatever He would have us to do.” John Wesley

“And let me tell you, the more labour you have put forth for the Kingdom of Heaven, the more degrees of glory you shall have. As there are degrees of torment in hell, so of glory in heaven (Matthew 23:14). As one star differeth from another in glory, so shall one saint (1 Corinthians 15:41). Though every vessel of mercy shall be full, yet one may hold more than another.” Thomas Watson

“Any true definition of preaching must say that that man is there to deliver the message of God, a message from God to those people. If you prefer the language of Paul, he is ‘an ambassador for Christ.’ That is what he is. He has been sent, he is a commissioned person, and he is standing there as the mouthpiece of God and of Christ to address these people.” Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones

“Paul was always confronted with hate, anger, and even physical violence to his person for proclaiming the truth, but that never made him water down the truth to avoid vicious attacks by satan through human instruments.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…