Paul then Apollos in Corinth via Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:1-28)
Introduction
There are many different types of Christian teaching ministries. There is the ‘settled local’ pastoral ministry, the ‘itinerant’ ministry, the ‘episcopal’ ministry, and what I might call the ‘back office’ teaching ministry, necessary for teaching the teachers. The normal one you mostly see is the settled local pastoral ministry. That’s when a Christian missionary or minister lives in an area and teaches and preaches the gospel in that town, city or area. They stay there for quite a while. Eventually they move or die. But it is a ministry of months, years and decades, rather than days or weeks. That was Paul in today’s passage. That’s most of the Rectors you’ve had, except for Thomas Hassall, who was an itinerant.
The itinerant preacher doesn’t live among his people, at least, he doesn’t for very long. The itinerant’s ministry is days or weeks, it is in and out. There may be good reason why the itinerant moves on. He might be evangelizing many areas. Perhaps he is such a good preacher or teacher that we need to share him around. That was John Chapman. Perhaps the teaching ministry is one of training up lots of Christians. In that case, this word minister must move around, to make sure that many people are trained. That’s Col Marshall and Trellis and Vine. Or it might be because if you stay there, you’ll get injured or killed. That’s what it might be like in some muslim or communist countries. That was Paul in Thessalonika and Berea. So you have to leave quick.
Which leads to the next sort of word ministry, which we might call ‘episcopal’. Think for example, of the Archbishop of Sydney. That ministry has certain features of both the settled local ministry and also of the itinerant’s ministry. It is settled, in that the bishop has oversight of a certain area. The Archbishop of Sydney is responsible for ministry in all of the Sydney Diocese. And he pastors by public preaching in the diocese. But as he can’t be in every suburb or area at once, the ministry is also of overseeing others doing their ministry. So it is also characterized by public ordination to ministry.
And while we don’t always see what bishops do, boy we are glad they are there when there’s a problem. When a friend of mine, part of a church with a congregational structure, talked about the impossibility of dealing with a sin and personality problem in the leadership team of his church, I thought, it is good to have bishops.
Apostles usually performed that function in New Testament times. Paul often acted like a modern bishop in his later years, and so did his delegates, Titus and Timothy. They exercised oversight over a geographically large area, appointing and disciplining deacons and presbyters or overseers.
But there is also what I might call a ‘back office’ teaching ministry. It is necessary to keep the Christian gospel going, but it is not seen by all. It is not in the public space, in the same way that teaching in a church building or a public square is. That is the sort of ministry that families do with their kids. Or one-on-one discipleship over coffee, or a mentoring relationship Or perhaps a bible study in a home… although we want to see these having newcomers or outsiders join. Or something like a bible college or Next Gen up at Katoomba, which is there to train, equip and encourage Christian leaders, and is not really geared up to preach the gospel to newcomers. And that is what Priscilla and Aquila do in our passage with Apollos.
All of these different roles are important. All of them have their place.
Context
Paul has journeyed from Philippi, through Thessalonika, Berea and Athens. He has preached the gospel in each of those cities, but he has only stayed a short time. He is engaging in an itinerant ministry. He is only there for days and weeks, not months and years.
But when Paul arrives in the port city of Corinth in Greece, the pattern changes. Paul adopts a more settled ministry. He stays there for around two years, preaching the gospel and explaining from the Old Testament that Jesus was indeed the Christ.
Arriving at Corinth (verse 1)
Verse 1: After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
Paul probably arrives in Corinth in AD 50[1]. Let me tell you a bit about Corinth. That will be helpful not just for now, but for next term, when we look together at 1 Corinthians, God willing.
Corinth is located some 60km overland from Athens. Corinth, not Athens, was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. Corinth is located on a narrow isthmus, with a ports to the West and East.
http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery-detail.asp?name=corinth http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/6000/6997/corinth_ast_2005129_lrg.jpg
http://www.worldof1corinthians.com/Maps_and_Diagrams.php
In fact, boats were regularly taken out of the water and regularly dragged on wooden carts from one port to the other along what was called the diolkos. On one side was the port of Cenchreae to the east[2], with a town of around 5000. And on the west was the other the Port of Lechaion
http://www.worldof1corinthians.com/Photos.php
The diolkos between the ports of Cenchraea and Lechaion. The city Paul visited was a Roman city just over 100 years old, rebuilt at the command of Julius Caesar. It was a prosperous and wealthy modern trading city. It had a maritime gateway to either side of Greece, so it had long been a commercial and naval hub.
The Corinthians loved their sport. Corinth hosted the Isthmian games every two years.
And it was a large city by Ancient standards. Probably 100,000 people lived in greater Corinth[3].
The city was devoted to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Her temple took pride of place on the Acrocorinthus, a citadel or fortress built on the mountain close to the city. Melicertes, the god of seafarers, was also worshipped as well as Poseidon, the god of the sea and a pantheon of other gods. The Emperor was also worshiped by the Roman elite.
The Acrocorinth with walled defences, on which Aphrodites temple stood. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Corinth
Like many port cities, Corinth was linked with sexual immorality that was infamous even in the Graeco-Roman world. A secular historian reported that the temple of Aphrodite had 1000 prostitutes. In fact, the word to ‘Corinthianize’, meant to be ‘sexually immoral’ or fornicate[4]
So it was a wealthy city, due to it’s location and it’s importance for trade. In many ways, it was very like modern Sydney: a wealthy multicultural port city, that loved it’s sport, and that accepted sexual sin as normal and acceptable.
New Fellow-Workers: Paul meets Aquilla & Priscilla (verses 2-4)
Now, Paul may well have been alone when he left Athens. He had previously left Silas and Timothy in Berea. But if he was alone, it wasn’t for long, after he got to Corinth. For in Corinth, he met life-long friends, fellow-workers, and kindred spirits. Verses 2 to 3:
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. (NIV)
Paul met Aquila and Priscilla. Aquila and Priscilla are a highly mobile couple[5] that just keep popping up. At different times for the next 15 years, they will live in Rome, Corinth and Ephesus and back again. Aquila was a native of Pontus, in modern day Turkey on the coast of the Black Sea. They had lived in Rome, and probably first heard the gospel there. In other words, Priscilla and Aquilla were the first Christians in Corinth, and at least they were there before Paul. They have probably been in Corinth about a year (Acts 18:2-3). Paul gets to Corinth without Silas and Timothy, but God has provided new friends, so he stays with them. Not only do they have a common Lord, but they share a common trade. Priscilla and Aquila are small business owners in the tentmaking profession, who have set up their business in Corinth. This and their mobility suggests they had some wealth. Maybe they had no kids. That would explain why they are so mobile.
The expulsion of Jews from Rome brought Paul, Aquila and Priscilla together. Secular history also tells us about this expulsion[6].
Here are two bad things. Not being able to have kids is bad. Being kicked out of your house is bad. But God uses them to bring about good things. They remind us of the sovereignty of God. Suppose a couple can’t have kids. Suppose a Christian is unfairly booted out of house or job because of the prejudice of the government. God is still in control. He has his own mission plan. And those sad tragedies will serve God’s purposes.
And God’s purpose was this. Aquila and Priscilla met Paul, and they became his life long friends, colleagues and coworkers. And they were the hosts and patrons of churches in Rome, Ephesus and Corinth. And here we are, talking about them.
Both Paul, and Aquila and Priscilla were tent makers. They worked with leather. The Ancient Greeks were a bit snobby and their aristocrats tended to look down on manual labour. The Jews, in contrast to the Greeks, regarded work with the hands as noble and fitting, even for their religious teachers. And thus we get the idea of tent making. It is a phrase used even now. It is where Christians use their secular trade or vocation to support themselves while they preach the gospel part time. And Christian ministers and missionaries do that so they are not a financial burden on the small and struggling church. And Paul did that at times.
And this is how we should regard our tent makers. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12 to 13:
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
Paul will say later to the Ephesians elders, Acts chapter 20 verses 34-35:
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (NIV)
And he will say to the Thessalonian Christians, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 9:
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you (NIV)[7].
And here, in Corinth, Paul makes tents with his new friends, Aquilla and Priscilla, who shared both Paul’s trade in tentmaking and his trade of preaching Christ and him Crucified. And so by being a tentmaker, Paul provided for himself, and was then able to use his Saturdays to preach the gospel. Verse 4:
Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. (NIV)
Again, Paul adopted the ministry strategy, to the Jew first, then the Greek. And he could kill two birds with one stone, because in attendance at the synagogue were plenty of god-fearing Greeks that Paul could evangelise.
Reuniting Co-workers: Silas and Timothy from Macedonia (verse 5)
But while Paul did make tents, he didn’t always. He only did it when he had to. It is good to tentmake and do ministry. But it is better just to do ministry and not to have to tentmake. Verse 5:
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. (NIV)
Timothy and Silas have been left in Berea in Macedonia. They now meet up with Paul in Corinth and re-connect. But it is their return which enables Paul to give away the tent making. After Silas and Timothy come, Paul preaches the gospel full time, and still eats. How?
Because Silas and Timothy brought Paul money from the churches in Macedonia. The churches Paul had just planted in Philippi, Thessalonika[8], and Berea paid for him.
Paul pointedly reminds the Corinthians about this. In 2 Corinthians 11 verses 8 to 9, Paul defends his preaching the gospel to them free of charge by saying:
I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. (NIV)
So sometimes Paul was a tentmaker. At other times he exercised his right of being supported by the churches. Sometimes, established churches, even newly established ones, would help find evangelism in an even newer area. And when Paul received such support, he gave himself fully to the work of preaching Christ in that area. And the result was even greater success, because Paul could devote himself to teaching and preaching. So many Corinthians believed.
More preaching, more Jewish opposition (verse 6)
But the more gospel preaching, the more opposition. Verse 6:
But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." (NIV)
Actually, the Jews weren’t just abusive. They started to blaspheme. They were blaspheming Christ.
How do you feel when Jesus is blasphemed? Sad? Offended? Outraged? Angry?
This is how Paul the rich young Jewish ruler used to speak about Christ (1 Timothy 1:13). This is what Paul the active Persecutor of Christians tried to make the Christians do (Acts 26:11): to blaspheme Christ.
Note, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. You may have blasphemed Christ in the past. Now that must stop. And the same offended Christ still offers forgiveness to anyone who turns to him. He doesn’t squish them flat in his outrage. He offers forgiveness.
Paul hears the blasphemy against Christ in the Corinthian synagogue and takes that as the signal to stop pursuing ministry there. Later to the Corinthians he would say in 1 Corinthians 12:3:
No-one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no-one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. (NIV)
Because sadly Paul had heard Jesus cursed in the Jewish Synagogue. Paul is not going to cast his pearls before swine. There is a time to preach, and a time to leave. For Paul, the time to leave was blasphemy of Jesus in the Jewish synagogue. There may be an opportunity in the future, but not here and not now.
Synagogue and Church Separate… a little (verses 7-11)
Paul will still speak to individual jews, but not in the synagogue. But when one door closes, the risen Jesus can open another one. He can even open the new door next door. Verses 7 to 11:
Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshipper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptised. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no-one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. (NIV)
Imagine if the Muslims or the Catholics or the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons set up shop next door. While we meet here in our buildings, they meet next door, across the road, preaching something utterly different, utterly offensive to us. How would we feel?
That’s how Paul’s enemies in the synagogue felt. In Corinth, there is no lightning mission and then escape. No quickly in and quickly out again. There was a settled pattern of teaching and evangelism. Paul sets up shop next door to the synagogue, confidently proclaiming his annoying message for not just the 18 months mentioned in verse 11, but also the many days that follow his victory in the abortive court case brought against him (verse 18)[9].
Jesus’ vision gave Paul boldness. The Lord Jesus’ assurance that many belonged to him in the city[10] told Paul that many would become Christians. And this gave Paul, who originally came to Corinth with much trepidation (1 Corinthians 2:3), great boldness and courage. Those appointed to eternal life will believe (cf Acts 13:48). God has his elect out there, even if we don’t yet know their names. But we will, at least on the last day, and we’ll meet them on our way there. And many, both Jews and Greeks, flock to Titius Justus’ house to hear it, day in and day out[11]. The Synagogue loses at least two synagogue rulers to Paul’s message, Crispus and Sosthenes[12]. And no doubt more Jews joined Paul over the next 18 months. He would still have welcomed ministry to Jews; he would just not use the synagogue. And Paul also intentionally turned his preaching to the Gentiles.
The Corinthian synagogue also lost their wealthy Roman patron, Titius Justus, who conveniently (or now, inconveniently) lived next door[13].
And during the next 18 months, other Greeks and Latins would have joined the new Christian church at Titius Justus’ home, like Erastus.
Erastus is described in Romans 16:23 as Corinth’s ‘’director of Public works’. An inscription was found in Corinth in 1929, reads: ‘Erastus in return for his aedileship [an elected political office][14] laid [the pavement] at his own expense’. It is probably the same Erastus[15] mentioned three times in the New Testament. In other words a prominent local politician, one of the ministers of the city government, became a Christian.
And Erastus actually became a co-worker with Paul. Paul sent him with Timothy from the province of Asia to Macedonia (Acts 19:22), as one of his delegates. And even 15 years later, towards the end of Paul’s ministry, Paul mentions that ‘Erastus stayed in Corinth’ (2 Timothy 4:20), no doubt still ministering the gospel in his native city.
Notice too that Paul is able to engage in a settled ministry. He can stay and teach for longer periods. You might not think 2 years would be very long for one of your Rectors, and I would agree. But two years was one of Paul’s longer incumbencies as a missionary. Only in Ephesus is he recorded to have spent a longer period.
And a settled ministry is good, because it allows the church to send down deep roots through teaching over a longer period. It allowed Paul to lay a solid foundation as an expert builder of ‘Christ crucified and risen as Lord’. Mind you, short ministry might be good too, because the Risen Jesus is the mission controller, and he might have other good plans. And so Philippi, Thessalonika, Berea and Athens had to make do with short ministry stays, persecution, visits by delegates, teaching by Paul’s assistants, and speedily trained local leadership. Maybe the Lord Jesus considered the needs in Corinth were greater, and so Corinth got Paul for longer than anyone else in Greece.
Paul taken to Court (verses 12-17)
After 18 months, the Jews in Corinth attempted an unsuccessful court action against Paul. It happens sometimes that Christians are taken to court just because they proclaim the Christian gospel. As Christians, we don’t want to go to court and be litigious (cf 1 Corinthians 6:1-8). We would prepare to settle with our adversary along the way (Matthew 5:25; Luke 12:58-59).
But getting dragged off to court sometimes seems to happen to Christians doing a good job. It happened with the anti-vilification case in Victoria of the two Daniels. It happened in the libel case recently of a bishop and Anglican minister in Sydney who wanted to protect the young women of his parish from the unwelcome comments of a middle aged man. And it happened again and again to Paul. In Corinth, Paul was taken before the Roman Proconsul[16], the highest Roman official in that Province. Verses 12 to 17:
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanour or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you [or more literally, put up with you] But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law - settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." So he had them ejected from the court. [literally, And he drove them away from the judgment seat.] Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.
Gallio, a man known to secular history[17], doesn’t want to touch it. He can see it is a religious controversy, a theological debate, within Judaism, one of the approved religions of the empire. How can he, a Roman Aristocrate, judge such things? He closes the whole thing down, driving them all from his court. Gallio, like Pontius Pilate, doesn’t care if the Jews lay into their Synagogue ruler, Sosthenes and punch him up.
And why do they punch up their synagogue ruler? Probably because Sosthenes, too, has become a Christian. If I’m right, a couple of years later, this Sosthenes will be in Ephesus, perhaps bringing some questions to Paul from Corinth, and helping Paul write his responses in the first letter to the Corinthian church, and maybe even taking them back.
In the court, it was Sosthenes turn to ‘take one for the team’. Jesus promised that Paul would be safe here, but it’s not the case for Sosthenes. Sosthenes was thus counted worthy of being punched up for Christ’s name, and Paul was given a two year reprieve. The Lord Jesus has been faithful to his promise that Paul would not be attacked or harmed. But that promise didn’t extend to Sosthenes. And it won’t extend to Paul beyond his stay in this city
The Risen Jesus has indeed now after almost two years, many people in the city of Corinth. And the secular power will not take action against Paul. So he stays at his leisure, and leaves when he wants. Paul is ministering as a free man.
So, verse 18: Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time.
Long term, settled ministry is good. For Paul, that meant something like two years in Corinth. Paul got to stay and strengthen the church over a longer period of time. And the Risen Jesus enabled it all to happen.
Paul Going Back to Base (verses 18-22)
But after about two years[18], Paul leaves to return to Jerusalem and Antioch. Paul will return to Corinth[19], but for now, 2 years is enough. Verse 18 to 22:
Then he [Paul] left the brothers and sailed for Syria[20], accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea…
[Cenchrea is the eastern port of Corinth, located 11km from the city centre]
…because of a vow he had taken …
[and thus taking a vow, Paul himself is a pious Jew, though he does not enforce these Jewish practises on Gentile believers. Probably the vow is in thanks for Jesus keeping Paul from harm as promised in the vision of Jesus in verses 9-10. Paul may then offer thank offerings at the temple (compare Acts 21:20-24)].
… They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. …
[Indeed, Priscilla and Aquilla will now host a house church in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19].
He [Paul] himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will."
[And it indeed was God’s will, for Paul will spend most of his third missionary journey in Ephesus (Acts 19). For now Paul is whetting their appetite.]
Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea [a sea port close to Jerusalem], he went up [implied, to Jerusalem[21]]. and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
[As Antioch, not Jerusalem, was now Paul’s home base]23
And after a short stay in Antioch, Paul will do follow up visits to Galatia that lead to his third missionary journey in Asia Minor and back into Greece (verse 23)[22].
Apollos In Corinth: with help from Priscilla and Aquila (verses 24-28)
But the mission to Corinth is not all about Paul. Indeed, the planting of the Corinthian church is not all about Paul. Yes, he is apostle to the Gentiles, appointed by Jesus. He is a key human player. But the mission is much bigger than Paul. It is the risen Lord Jesus’ mission, which is growing and expanding, and Jesus can and does use whoever he likes.
The last section of Acts chapter 18 verses 24 to 28 tells us about how Jesus used Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila to strengthen the church in Corinth, Chenchrea and all Achaia.
Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria in Egypt, the second biggest city in the Empire. Aledandria had a massive museum and library, and was the leading cultural and intellectual centre. He was learned in the Old Testament scriptures and taught accurately about Jesus. Moreover, Apollos was a powerful public speaker and debater[23].
Apollos came to the Jewish synagogue in Ephesus. He spoke with eloquence and Holy Spirit-given fervour about Jesus (verse 25). Apollos at this stage was almost certainly a Christian[24].
However, there were some things Apollos didn’t know. It seems he only knew the baptism of John. Perhaps he was baptised by John the Baptist himself, and he did not baptise in Jesus’ name, or the name of the Trinity, as Jesus taught the disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20).
Apollos is an example that you don’t need to know everything to speak. And the truth Apollos had, he sred. And we should take heart. We should be silent about what we are ignorant. But what we know about Jesus, we should speak.
But that is where Priscilla and Aquila come in. They heard him, a great speaker, a formidable bible knowledge, a fearsome debater. But he was deficient in an area. Some things he was saying weren’t quite correct any longer. So Priscilla and Aquila acted. Verse 26:
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. (NIV)
Priscilla and Aquila were perhaps not the great speakers that Apollos was. But they knew the way of God better. And they had a house. Aquila and Priscilla were smart enough not to correct him publicly, but did so privately. And Apollos was humble enough to accept their instruction and hospitality.
And so a good man was made better. Apollos, a man who showed lots of potential but was deficient, was brought to complete understanding. This husband and wife team, who have moved from Rome to Corinth and now to Ephesus, by their kindness, hospitality, and willingness to share the depth of their knowledge of Christ’s gospel, were still equipping and serving the Church in Corinth that they had just left. Priscilla and Aquila served it by instructing it’s next pastor after Paul. They engaged in the vital ‘back office’ teaching ministry necessary for the instructing of Christian leadership.
Look at verses 27 to 28:
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia [the province of which Corinth was the capital], the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Apollos and Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, each preached the same message, and were on the same team. But Paul at this stage had not met Apollos. Paul was on his way from Corinth to Jerusalem, and then Antioch. Apollos was moving in the opposite direction, to Corinth. But Priscilla and Aquila were the link between both Paul and Apollos. This Christian couple showed hospitality to both men. They worked with both Paul and Apollos for the good of the Corinthian church. They used their home, their understanding, their mobility, their trade, their time, and their nationality, for promoting the gospel.
No wonder we are told to practice hospitality (Romans 12:13) Or as the author to the Hebrews says, ‘you may be entertaining angels unawares’ (Hebrews 13:2). Use whatever you have got to serve God’s people, equipping and enable them to live the Christian life.
Who knows what kid in your SRE class or youth group or kid’s church may be a great evangelist or missionary or pastor. Who knows what that young man or woman whom you help or pastor or encourage or rebuke might do in the future. Or maybe they might be in the back office, just as Priscilla and Aquila corrected a mighty Apollos.
Conclusion
When Paul looks back on his ministry to the Corinthians, this is what he says: 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 6:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (NIV)
Paul ‘planted the seed’. That was the word of Christ, the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul laid the foundation of the church in Corinth as the expert builder. That foundation was Christ. Even though Priscilla and Aquila were there first, Paul started the church in Corinth.
Apollos watered the seed. He pulverized the Jews in public debate. He demonstrated from Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ, suring up the Corinthian church’s foundations and building up the church. He added his own building materials to the foundation, gold, silver and precious stones.
And in the back room is Priscilla and Aquila, correcting the mighty Apollos’ understanding of the Christian message, supporting ministry by their tentmaking, and hosting the church in their houses across the Roman empire.
But it is God who makes things grow. Remember, Apollos was a great help to those who ‘by grace had believed’ (Acts 18:27). The mission of making Christ Lord of hearts and lives is God’s work. God must go before, graciously opening and changing sinful hearts. God must granting repentance . Apart from God’s work in our hearts by his Holy Spirit, we would never have repented and believed. God gives the growth. It is by grace that we believe in Christ for salvation. It is by grace that we continue in Christ. It is God who works in us so that we will grow as Christians. It is by grace from beginning to end.
Let’s pray.
[1] Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 2:1181
[2] The deacon Phoebe, who probably delivered Paul’s letter to the Romans from Corinth (Romans 16:1-2)
[3] Schnabel, Early Christian Mission , 2:1183
[4] ‘Corinth was known as an especially "wild” city and had a reputation for licentiousness. Paul was faced with a city that was used to coin one of the Greek words for "fornicate”, which was korinthiazomai ! This reputation was based, in part, on the ancient Greek historian Strabo's report that there were 1,000 sacred prostitutes in the temple of Aphrodite on the Acrocorinth, which was an 1,886-foot hill that rises above the City of Corinth to the south. The wealth of Corinth rested largely on control of trade in western Mediterranean.’: http://www.ancientcorinth.net
[5] They are in Ephesus with Paul when he writes 1 Corinthians, in 53-54 AD. (1 Corinthians 16:19), and there is a church meeting in their house.
Then they are back in Rome hosting a church when Paul writes to the Romans in 56AD. (Romans 16:3-5) By 65 AD they have returned to Ephesus with Timothy (2 Timothy 4:19).
[6] The Roman Historian Seutonius (Claud 25:4) tells us, ‘since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.’ Peterson, Acts: Pillar, 507-8; Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 2:1187. Chrestus is probably a corrupted form of Christus, although we cannot be sure. If Chrestus was indeed Christus, then the Jews were arguing with the Christian Jews long before Paul got to Rome. It is likely that the edict of Expulsion occurred in AD 49.
[7] And again, compare 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12: We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. (NIV)
[8] ‘1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 suggests that Timothy at least joined Paul in Athens and was sent off from there to Thessalonica again. Luke makes no mention of this, but there would certainly have been time for one or both of Paul’s assistants to visit him in Athens, return to Macedonia, and then meet him in Corinth’: Peterson, Acts: Pillar, 510. The Thessalonian correspondence was probably written from Corinth during Paul’s time there narrated in Acts 18:1-11. Compare Acts 18:5 with 1 Thessalonians 3:6: But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you (NIV). So Carson, Moo, Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament, 347. Schnabel says ‘they brought financial aid from the Macedonian churches’.
[9] Peterson, Acts: Pillar, 515
[10] ‘This formulation indicates divine foreknowledge of the success of Paul’s missionary work in Corinth, and it describes the divine election fo people as members of the (new) people of God.’: Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 2: 1191.
[11] By 53/4 AD, Paul recalls in 1 Corinthians 1:14-16 that: I am thankful that I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no-one can say that you were baptised into my name. (Yes, I also baptised the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptised anyone else.). Perhaps Stephanas walked in or spoke up as Paul dictated that bit, because it seems from 1 Corinthians 16 that Stephanas had visited Paul. In 1 Corinthians 16:15-18, Paul says: ‘You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labours at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.’ (NIV) By 56 AD, Paul is able to write from Corinth in Romans 16:21-23: ‘Timothy, my fellow-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. (NIV)
[12] Sosthenes is probably he who assisted the writing of 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (1 Corinthians 1:1), perhaps as amenuensis and reporter. He was clearly known to the Corinthians because he is simply called ‘the brother’. As a synagogue ruler he was also bashed up for his troubles (Acts 18:17).
[13] Some suggest Gaius and Titius Justus were the same person as the Gaius mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14 as converted in Corinth. Gaius is the host of the church and Paul in Corinth when Paul writes Romans in 56AD (Romans 16:23). In Acts 19:29, ‘Gaius and Aristarchus’ are described as ‘Paul's travelling companions from Macedonia’ and are with Paul in Ephesus and are mistreated by the crowd; however, a later reference in Acts 20:4 which lists Paul’s travelling companions states ‘He [Paul] was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica [which are in Macedonia], Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also [who was from Lystra, geographically close to Derbe in Galatia]. A ‘Gaius’ is also mentioned in 3 John 1:1 by John, a letter probably sent to the Ephesus area by the 90s.
[14] The ‘aedile’ was an elected official who was responsible for the maintenance of public buildings and the regulation of festivals; also supervised markets and the supply of grain and water: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aedile
[15] Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 2:1185
[16] The emperor Augustus divided the Roman provinces into senatorial and imperial. The former such as Achaia, were presided over by proconsuls; the latter were administered by legates of the emperor, sometimes called also propraetors: Thayer. Gallio was Proconsul of Achaia (verse 12).
[17] Gallio was Lucius Annaeus Novatus, the eldest son of M Annaeus Seneca (the Elder) and thus the brother of Seneca, the Philosopher and teacher of Nero. He changed his name because of his adoption by the Senator Lucius Junius Gallio, and Emperor Claudius appointed him Proconsul for the province of Achaia for one year (July AD 51-June AD 52), as was the custom: Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 1192-3
[18] Peterson and Bruce are of this opinion: 18 months + 6 months more until the Agean was open for sailing after the winter of 51-2 AD: Peterson, Acts: Pillar, 519
[19] Paul’s letter to the Romans was written from Corinth in AD 56 (cf Romans 15:26; 16:21-23). He again passes through Achaia in Acts 19:21-22: ‘After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.’ Probably Paul wrote his letter to the Romans during that visit. It is probably described in Acts 20:1-3.
[20] That it, Paul’s return trip home to Antioch, via Cenchrea (the Eastern port city of Corinth), Ephesus, Caesarea (and Jerusalem), indicates that Antioch, not Jerusalem, is Paul’s home base.
[21] The verbs ‘going up, coming down’, suggest that Paul went down ‘from Jerusalem’ to Antioch, although the text doesn’t mention a visit to Jerusalem: Barrett 2:881, Johnson, 330; Witherington, 559. The place of Jerusalem [and the 12 and James] thus fades into the background with the progress of the Gentile mission.
[22] After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and travelled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. (Acts 18:23 NIV)
[23] Probably, the Corinthian church would compare Paul’s preaching ministry to Apollos, and probably unfairly infer that Apollos was the better speaker, and the super-apostles better than both (compare 1 Corinthians 1:12 with 2 Corinthians 10:10-11; 11:6).
[24] In contrast to the 12 disciples of John the Baptist we meet in Acts 19:1-7.