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Main Idea
God’s word and presence must be central to our daily lives.
According to Lifeway Research, in a survey conducted in 2017, the Bible is by no means central to everyday life. Here are the sobering statistics:
• Only 20% of Americans have read through the Bible at least one time. (According to the 2021 census, the population of the USA was 331.9 million people, which means that 265.52 million people have never read the whole Bible. That is staggering).
As you would imagine, this level of biblical illiteracy affects how people view biblical truth and doctrine. According to the Lifeway Research survey:
• 47% say the Bible is 100 percent accurate in all it teaches (that it is inerrant).
• 51% say the Bible was written for each person to interpret as he or she chooses.
• 77% say people must contribute their own effort for personal salvation.
• 52% say good deeds help them earn a spot in heaven.
• 45% believe there are many ways to get there.
These paltry percentages exist because the word of God is no longer central… in our nation or in our homes… at least not in 80% of American homes.
The Oxford Dictionary defines an epidemic as a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.
We are living in an epidemic. You heard the stats. 80% of Americans have never read the Bible. We have an epidemic of biblical illiteracy in this nation.
The passage of scripture today is a reminder that the Word of God must remain central in our lives.
Passage
Acts 18:1–17 ESV
After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
Outline
I – Find your place and your people (vv. 1-5)
II – Focus on the mission (vv. 5-8)
III – Obey God’s word (vv. 9-11)
IV – Stand firm in God’s promises and presence (vv. 12-17)
I – Find your place and your people
As we begin, I don’t want us to forget how much Paul has endured. He is nearing the end of his second missionary journey, and I imagine he is pretty tired. He has endured ridicule, shame, and physical attacks. He was human, after all. Wouldn’t you get tired of being treated that way? And, as he entered Corinth, he even admitted being timid and fearful.
1 Corinthians 2:3–4 ESV
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…
As I read this passage, I imagined Paul remembering scriptures like: “Be strong and courageous,” “Fear not,” “I have many who have not bowed the knee to Baal,” and “I am with you, even to the end of the age.” Even Paul needed encouragement at times.
Paul travels to Corinth
He departed Athens after proclaiming Christ to the Athenians, Epicureans, and Stoics.
Corinth is….
a. A Roman colony 45 miles west of Athens.
b. Capital of the Achaia province and political capital of Greece.
c. Very wealthy.
d. Filled with pagan temples, with the temple of Aphrodite being on a towering acropolis, and therefore had hundreds of prostitutes fill the city with their tainted worship practices.
e. Was so sexually immoral and depraved that their name became a verb. To ‘Corinthianize’ is to be sexually immoral. Before Las Vegas, they were the original ‘sin city.’
The synagogue was the first place Paul targeted. There was a heavy Jewish presence in Corinth. The museum of Corinth has a stone inscription that says – synagogue of the Hebrews, dating back to between 100-200 B.C.
Paul connects with other believers
Aquila and Priscilla – fled Rome after the Roman Emperor Claudius kicked all the Jews out of Rome. They were fellow tentmakers and a powerful husband-wife team in scripture. Later, we will see them sharpen an already brilliant evangelist named Apollos. They are highly-esteemed co-laborers with Paul who risked their lives for the gospel. Interestingly, Priscilla is often named before her husband in other passages, which is unusual in Jewish culture, so this likely means she was very gifted and had a high social standing. One commentary even suggests she was from a prominent Roman family in Rome because Priscilla is a form of Prisca (the name of a highly prominent Roman family).
Silas and Timothy – Both of Paul’s beloved traveling companions and developing leaders.
Where is your Corinth (your mission field), and who are your people (other believers who will co-labor alongside you)? We all have the same mission (though the place will vary) and need fellowship and encouragement from other believers.
When you find them, remember to keep the word of God central.
II – Focus on the mission
The word of God is mentioned six times, directly or indirectly.
Reason
Paul reasoned with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks every Sabbath.
This was open dialogue and discussion to review OT scripture and discover how they point to Jesus.
Persuade
Paul moves the discussion from the mind to the heart.
Reasoning helps clarify meaning.
Persuading engages the heart to take the knowledge and believe with your heart.
We can understand this. How many of us were persuaded that something was true when we felt it was true? We might say something like, “I know it because I feel it in my bones.”
Focus
Paul was occupied with the word.
He knew that word needed to get into their minds and hearts.
He began by dividing time between tentmaking and preaching. Now, with the aid packages from Macedonia (see 2 Cor. 11:7-9 and Phil. 4:10-20), he could focus all his efforts on that mission. Why? Because he knew the word of God (Jesus as the logos and the written scriptures) needed to get into the minds and hearts of the people.
Testify
This wasn’t a warm-fuzzy type of testimony. This was a testimony of condemnation.
He shook out his garments, similar to how Jesus instructed His disciples to shake the dust off their sandals when the gospel was rejected, as he had done in 13:51, during his first journey.
He claimed innocence by saying their blood was on their own heads, which was likely a recognizable reference to Ezekiel 33 and God’s prophetic watchman. The person who fails to act when the watchman warns them of coming attacks will be responsible for their own fate. Paul is the watchman, telling them about their messiah, and they are the citizens who fail to listen to his call.
Re-focus
Paul re-focused his efforts on:
1. The Gentiles, specifically Titius Justus, lived next to the synagogue.
2. The Jews who listened to his message, and specifically Crispus, the synagogue ruler and his entire household. Perhaps he is also the one Paul eventually baptized, as mentioned in 1 Cor. 1:14.
Repeat
Paul continued to reason, persuade, and testify, and as a result, many believed and were baptized.
Paul’s mission is our mission. The imperative commands in the Great Commission given by Jesus at the end of Matthew’s Gospel are:
1. To make disciples (baptizing them in the trinity and teach them to observe all of Jesus’ commandments).
2. Behold the truth that Jesus is always with us.
So, I have to ask.
Do you invest in your study of the Bible? If you don’t know what Jesus commanded, how will you teach it to others? That is how we make disciples.
Do you behold Jesus’ perpetual presence? That is how you have the power, confidence, and perseverance to carry out the mission.
Paul knew the word of God was central to a life lived for God. The word of God (meaning the scripture and the logos – Jesus as the incarnate word) needed to get into the minds and hearts of the Corinthian people.
Despite Paul’s possible burnout and timidity, he was strong and courageous. He continued in the mission: to know the word of God and lovingly communicate the word of God.
And what happens next? It is the command of God to do these very things.
III – Obey God’s word
Do not be afraid
Remember Paul’s own words in his first letter to this congregation.
Paul had endured a lot of persecution and pain over the years, and now, he was facing the daunting task of proclaiming Christ in a society whose very name was synonymous with sexual promiscuity and idol worship.
There is a reason God told him not to be afraid… mainly because Paul was afraid!
Maybe you need to hear that today. Whatever you are facing… don’t be afraid, even though you are afraid.
Continue speaking and don’t be silent
Courage means you press on despite your fears. Even though you are afraid, don’t be… and continue doing what you are doing.
Don’t look to the external circumstances. Keep your eyes focused on God. He is the sovereign one.
Don’t be the one to put your hand to the plow and look back.
You know the mission, so don’t stop!
“But how?” you might ask. “How can I simply stop being afraid and continue when this fear paralyzes me?”
I am with you
You put the next foot in front of the other, knowing that God is with you. You are not alone in this. You have never been alone.
Isn’t this precisely what Jesus said to His disciples? Isn’t this the very imperative command: to behold the reality of His sustaining presence?
Many of you need to hear that truth today. As we approach Christmas, we can look at the manger and proclaim with Isaiah and Matthew that God is with us. But don’t stop at the baby in the manger. We can also look at the empty tomb and know that until we die or Christ returns… God is with us.
No one will attack or harm you
This isn’t always the case. We can’t take this one verse and apply it to our lives in every circumstance.
But, for Paul — it was true in Corinth. And if God Almighty spoke it, it would come to pass.
Because God spoke it and He was always with Paul, he could continue in the spirit of power, not in the spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7).
I have many people in this city
Notice when God says this. God declares that He had a group of people before Paul’s 1.5-year ministry.
This should tell us two things:
1. God is sovereign over the spiritual life of His people. He knew them before they came to faith in Him.
2. God will not lose a single one of His people. The evil one cannot snatch a single one of them from His divine hand. Those He predestined, he called, justified, and glorified!
Paul obeys
This is one of Paul’s longest stays in the book of Acts.
Able to rest his head on the pillow of God’s sovereign protection, Paul remained in Corinth for 1.5 years. (This is also the timeframe when Paul wrote the two letters to the Thessalonian church).
And clearly, he was successful. We can see this in two ways:
1. In how big the church grew, as seen in the two letters he wrote to them.
2. In the opposition that grew against him.
And as the opposition grew, Paul had to…
IV- Stand firm in God’s promises and presence
The Jews launched a united attack
One and a half years is a lot of time to gather your forces. They didn’t lash out immediately. They schemed. They plotted. They crafted a case against Paul. They allied with Roman leadership. It’s a shame they didn’t hear God’s promise to Paul, or they would have saved themselves a lot of time and effort!
Roman leadership got involved
The Jews brought a case to the proconsul of Achaia—Gallio. A proconsul is the head of the government in a senatorial province.
Gallio had a reputation for being concerned with justice, which is probably why the Jews asked him to intervene. The mention of Gallio’s service as proconsul and Claudius’ expulsion of the Jews from Rome are important mile-markers for the time frame of Paul’s journeys.
So, he sat at the tribunal (the judgment seat on a raised platform) and listened to their case.
Roman leadership refused to be involved
Then, after hearing their case, we get a bit of comedic relief.
After 1.5 years of scheming and plotting against Paul, Gallio simply waves them off!
In God’s Providence, the proconsul basically says, “I’m not getting in the middle of your little tiff. This is a disagreement about Jewish law that is a complete waste of my time. Go away.”
God’s word remained true
God promised Paul that no one would harm him, and so we see that He kept his word.
Paul was able to leave Corinth without a scratch and left a growing and thriving church behind.
But we are also reminded that we are not immune from danger and persecution. God promised Paul that he would not be harmed, but our passage ends with a brother being beaten without any concern on behalf of the proconsul. It’s as if Sosthenes is unjustly beaten behind a man who is more concerned about the cleanliness of his fingernails.
This man, who was the ruler of the synagogue, evidently embraced the word of God — Jesus as Messiah and was willing to receive what Paul did not. His physical well-being was secondary to knowing Christ.
Is that how precious the word of God is to you? Are you willing to face ridicule and physical harm for the sake of Christ? Is He more important than the other important things in your life?
That is what it means to keep the Word of God central to your life. It means that everything else in your life is secondary.
Conclusion
My challenge to you today is to do some soul-searching.
We are living in an epidemic. Remember the stats. 80% of Americans have never read the Bible. The biblical illiteracy in this nation is woefully small. We need the word of God to spark and kindle in people’s hearts once more. The only remedy for our world today is Christ (the word), who is made known by the light of the word (scripture).
2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Let your life be characterized by your love for the Word, the confidence that comes from His presence, and what flows out of you as a result.