Podcasts about corinth paul

Before God moves He instructs His prophets to give instructions to His people at various locations throughout biblical history. Old Testament 1.Mount Ararat – Noah was instructed to build the ark (Genesis 6:13-22). 2.Haran – God instructed Abram to leave his country (Genesis 12:1-4). 3.Mount Moriah – Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14). 4.Egypt – Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and gave instructions to store grain (Genesis 41:25-36). 5.Mount Sinai (Horeb) – Moses received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-21). 6.Wilderness of Paran – The 12 spies were sent to explore Canaan (Numbers 13:1-3). 7.Plains of Moab – Moses gave final instructions before Israel entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:1-8). 8.Jericho – Joshua was instructed on how to conquer the city (Joshua 6:2-5). 9.Bethel – Samuel warned Israel against choosing a king (1 Samuel 8:10-18). 10.Zarephath – Elijah instructed the widow to make bread during famine (1 Kings 17:8-16). 11.Mount Carmel – Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and gave instructions for sacrifice (1 Kings 18:30-40). 12.Nineveh – Jonah instructed the people to repent (Jonah 3:1-10). 13.Jerusalem – Jeremiah warned about Babylon's invasion (Jeremiah 25:1-11). 14.Babylon – Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dreams and gave divine guidance (Daniel 2:24-49). 15.Exile in Persia – Ezra and Nehemiah instructed Israel on rebuilding the Temple and the city walls (Nehemiah 2:17-20). New Testament 16.Bethlehem – An angel instructed Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus (Matthew 2:13-15). 17.Jordan River – John the Baptist instructed people to repent and be baptized (Matthew 3:1-12). 18.Galilee – Jesus instructed the disciples on the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). 19.Road to Damascus – Jesus instructed Saul (Paul) to go into the city (Acts 9:3-6). 20.Antioch – The Holy Spirit instructed the church to set apart Paul and Barnabas for mission (Acts 13:2-4). 21.Philippi – Paul instructed the jailer to believe in Christ for salvation (Acts 16:30-34). 22.Corinth – Paul was instructed in a vision to keep preaching despite opposition (Acts 18:9-11). 23.Patmos – John received instructions for the seven churches in Revelation (Revelation 1:10-20).Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.

One of the problems in Corinth Paul had heard about, was “concerning spiritual gifts” [1 Cor. 12 v.1] This chapter and the next two show that the improper use of the gifts by some was a large problem. Of course, with the Gospels not yet in circulation, the existence of spiritual gifts had real purpose. Paul says that “the manifestation of the Spirit (was) for the common good. To one is given the spirit of the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge, according to the same spirit, to another, faith …”[v.7-9]We pondered the inclusion of “faith” as a gift – and recalled the times when Jesus chided his disciples “O you of little faith [Matt.8 v.26 etc] so we conclude that among that first generation of believers it was vital, on occasions, to have a man of firm faith, to steady the ecclesial boat when it was rocking and faith was weakening. Chapter 12 ends by telling us, “But earnestly desire the higher gifts” – those named first would be in this category, they were of the most value for their spiritual health.The last named gifts are tongues and the ability to interpret them (v.30) and Paul warns in Ch, 14 that if these are used in church “and outsiders and unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds” [v.24] – clearly they were to enable those who possessed them to give the message, when they had opportunity, to those of other languages. Acts 2 v.11 describes the impact of this on the day of Pentecost – “”we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God”The final words in Ch. 12 are “And now I show you a still more excellent way” – this brings us to Ch. 13 and its oft quoted words praising the vital role of love. “If I give away all I have …. But have not love, I gain nothing” [v.3] is one of the points Paul makes. He says, “Love never ends … prophecies … will pass away … tongues, they will cease …” [v.8] The final verse tells us, “So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”These words provoked a final thought – when Christ's kingdom is established, faith will be turned to sight and hope fulfilled – but love will last forever. Those who commit themselves to embrace the things that abide today and live with this wonderful future before them will, by God's grace, live forever with love as the dominating factor in their lives..

At Corinth, Paul preaches nothing but Christ crucified. Why? To overcome the stumbling block (to “Jewish” beliefs) of a crucified Messiah who could no longer perform miraculous signs. And to overcome the foolishness (to “Greek” minds) of a crucified leader who lacked power and might. Today's episode features a selection from Tim Harner's book Lighting the World. Find more at https://timharner.com

In this sermon, based on Acts 18:1-17, we will explore Paul's experiences in Corinth, emphasizing God's encouragement and support during difficult times. The sermon highlights the following points: 1. Paul's Ministry in Corinth: Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, reconnects with Silas and Timothy, and receives financial support from the Macedonian churches, allowing him to focus entirely on preaching the gospel. 2. Challenges and Encouragement: Despite initial success, Paul faces opposition and discouragement. God reassures him through a vision, promising His presence, protection, and purpose, leading Paul to continue his ministry for eighteen months. 3. Encouraging Others: The sermon emphasizes the importance of encouraging others as God encourages us, using the example of Priscilla and Aquila who mentor Apollos, a passionate but incomplete teacher of the gospel. Pastor Scott will call on us as believers to recognize our role in ministering to others, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and to continue the cycle of discipleship and encouragement within the church community.

In this episode of the Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick and Kelly Dippolito discuss the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:3 and the role of women in the church. They explore the Wesleyan quadrilateral as a tool for studying scripture and the importance of tradition and theology. They also examine the passage's meaning of the term 'head' and its implications for hierarchical relationships. Dr. Cohick and Kelly highlight the complexity of the verse and the various interpretations, including the possibility that Paul is countering bad teaching by the Corinthians. They emphasize the need to understand the cultural and historical context of the passage and the importance of affirming the equal value and gifting of men and women in the church.Key Takeaways: The Wesleyan quadrilateral, which includes scripture, tradition, experience, and reason, can be a helpful tool for studying scripture and interpreting its meaning.Creeds, such as the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, provide theological guidance and help us understand scripture.The term 'head' in 1 Corinthians 11:3 does not necessarily imply hierarchy but can have various meanings, such as source, preeminence, or representation.The interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:3 is complex, with different perspectives on its meaning. It is important to consider the passage's cultural and historical context. Women are made in the image and likeness of God and have equal value and gifting in the church. It is important to affirm and support women in their roles and contributions.Understanding the complexity of scripture and engaging in thoughtful interpretation can lead to a deeper understanding of God's word and a more inclusive and equitable church. Episode Resources: Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul's Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians by Dr. Lucy Peppiatt The Visual Museum of Women in Christianity  Episode Sponsor:  The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology. Learn more about The Center for Women in Leadership at https://www.leadershipwithoutapology.org/.

ACTS 18:1-11 1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 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, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 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. 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshipper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because i have many people in this city." 11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. FROM THE LESSON: What happens in Corinth, stays in Corinth: Corinth was well-known for its immorality. It was the Las Vegas of its day. From the 5th century BC on, "to corinthianize" meant to be sexually immoral. Discouraged in Corinth: Paul arrives to Corinth greatly discouraged. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:3, "When I first came to you, it was in weakness and fear and much trembling." The Four Horsemen of Discouragement:  Fatigue - worn out by the activities Frustration - weighed down by the challenges  Fear - worked up by the unknowns  Failure - wounded within from the setbacks  Encouraged in Corinth: Paul finds encouragement in Corinth in three specific ways.  He experiences the presence of God through His people (v 2-3, 5) He witnesses the power of God through the transformation of the Holy Spirit (v 6-8) He hears the promises of God through sharing of His word (v 9-10) DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Ice Breaker - when you are feeling discouraged, how do you typically try to manage those feelings? Is there an activity you do or a friend you call? What is your "go-to" form of encouragement when you are feeling discouraged?   2. Can you think of a specific time when you recently felt discouraged? What was the cause of the discouragement? Of the "Four Horsemen of Discouragement" which one tends to be the root cause of your discouragement more than another one? 3. Paul found encouragement in Corinth. The first way he found encouragement was through experiencing the presence of God through His people. How have you recently been encouraged in this way? Share an example with the group. 4 Paul found encouragement in Corinth. The second way he found encouragement was through witnessing the power of God through the transformation of the Holy Spirit. How have you recently been encouraged in this way? Share an example with the group.  5. Paul found encouragement in Corinth. The third way he found encouragement was through hearing the promises of God through the sharing of His Word. How have you recently been encouraged in this way? Share an example with the group.

This passage is by far the most extensive and detailed and intimate expression of love and appreciation in Paul's corpus. In 15:14-33 he focused on his mission of the gospel and ministry to the saints. In chapter 16 he focuses on his relationship to other saints with him in his ministry. He reveals his deep affection for those whom he had served, for those who had served him, and for those who served with him.How does reading/studying a list of greetings compare to reading/studying a long genealogy? Both require some patience, both have some profit. Genealogies are who we're from. Salutations are who we're *with*. # Commendation (verses 1-2) Paul makes a personal recommendation. > I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. (Romans 16:1–2 ESV)Cenchreae was the neighboring port city of Corinth, from where Paul wrote this letter. This is the first time the word **church** is used in Romans, but it appears five times in this final chapter. We remember that the church is identified as *where the people* are, not necessarily a building with a sign (I suppose we could refer to a “church's” building if we wanted to be precise, and yet churches as places were mentioned first sometime in the third century). To **commend** was to endorse or give a favorable reference. Paul's reference for this **sister** as being a **servant** has caused quite a stir in theological circles. The Greek word for servant is *diakanon*, the term from which we get deacon. KJV/NASB/ESV all translate the word here as “servant” (NIV uses “deacon” and notes that it's referring to the office). Paul doesn't just doesn't use the feminine form of “deaconess” (διακόνισσα), a form not found in the NT. Whether or not Pheobe held some official title or not, Paul commended her as a highly-proven servant of Christ and urged the church at Rome to receive her in the Lord.Why is so much attention given to Phoebe? It is almost certain that Phoebe was the one who delivered this letter to the church at Rome, a significant responsibility. Since the letter was hand-written (by Tertius, verse 22) there probably was no second copy. She was to be received into fellowship **in a way worthy of the saints.** There is unreasonable hospitality, and then there is *saints* hospitality. “Welcome one another as Christ as welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).Part of the reason for receiving her was that she had been a helper or **patron**. A “patron” was one who came to the aid of others, especially foreigners, by providing housing and financial aid and sometimes by representing their interests before local authorities when necessary. Phoebe was probably a woman of high social standing and some wealth, who put her status, resources, and time at the services of traveling Christians, like Paul himself, who needed help and support.# Salutations (verses 3-16)Paul offers multiple personal greetings. **Greet** or "salute" is used 13 times in verses 3-16, then 2 more times in verses 22-23. Although he had not yet visited Rome, Paul names twenty-four individuals, seventeen men and seven women, along with many who are unnamed, such as those in the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus. There are Jewish names, Latin names, and Greek names. His greeting of so many specific people also confirms that Paul was aware of the circumstances in the Roman assemblies. The first to be greeted are **Prisca and Aquila**, a husband and wife who were **my fellow workers in Christ Jesus**. This couple is actually mentioned six times in the NT. Paul first met them on his first visit to Corinth, where Prisca (with the diminutive form, Priscilla) and Aquila had fled from Rome when all Jews were driven out by the Emperor Claudius (Acts 18:2). They were tentmakers like Paul, and Paul stayed in their house while he began his ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). After working together in Corinth Paul dropped them off in Ephesus for a lengthy ministry (1 Corinthians 16:19). They were more than fellow workers with Paul, he says they had **risked their necks for my life**. Then apparently sometime after Claudius died (AD 54) they returned to Rome, where they lived and ministered when Paul wrote this letter. By that time one of the congregations was meeting **in their house**. Paul's next greeting is to **my beloved Epaenetus**, who **was the first convert to Christ in Asia**, or “firstfruits” (KJV). He is mentioned nowhere else in the NT. Paul had kept track of him through the years and was pleased that he was now a part of church at Rome.Then, **Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.** Mary was a common name among Jews and Gentiles, so we do not know where this Mary came from, how or when she was converted, or anything else except that she had worked hard for the church in Rome. Paul calls **Andronicus and Junia**, **my kinsmen**, which indicates that they were not only fellow Jews (there were many other Jews in the list who didn't receive this title), but they were probably Paul's relatives, along with Herodian (verse 11) and Jason and Sosipater (verse 21). They apparently were at one point **my fellow prisoners**, which could have been anywhere since Paul was often in prison (or it could simply be saying that they had been imprisoned for the sake of the gospel like Paul). In verse 8 Paul greets **Ampliatus** who was **my beloved in the Lord.** The next two saints were **Urbanus** and **Stachys**. **Apelles** was a relatively rare name. Here Paul says he was the **approved in Christ**. The word “approved” carries the idea of being tried and tested and was used of precious metals that had passed tests for purity. Paul's next greeting was to a group of believers whose names and number we do not know. They are simply identified as **those who belong to the family of Aristobulus**, who himself is not identified. Because he is not greeted, it seems he was probably not a Christian himself. At least one commentator has suggested that Aristobulus may have been the brother of Herod Agrippa I and the grandson of Herod the Great. So maybe this household was a group of believers within the imperial household.As with Andronicus and Junias (verse 7) Paul greets **Herodian** as my **kinsman**, so a relative to Paul. Like Aristobulus, **Narcissus** was probably not a believer, but some of his household were in the Lord.In verse 12 Paul greets and commends three women. The first two, **Tryphaena** and **Tryphosa** were possibly twin sisters (since it was common to give children names form the same Greek root). **Persis** was **the beloved**, suggesting (from the definite article) that she was loved by everyone who knew her and who had been a beneficiary of her hard work in the Lord. **Rufus** was **chosen in the Lord**. This doesn't refer to every Christian's election, but more like we might say an extraordinary Christian – a choice man. The specific greeting to **(Rufus') mother, who has been a mother to me as well** does not mean that Rufus was Paul's natural brother, but that Rufus' mother had somewhere and in some way during Paul's travel and ministry, cared for him as if he were her own son.Paul makes no comment about **Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, and Hermas**. The mention of the brethren with them indicates that the five names here were leaders of one of the many assemblies of believers in Rome. In verse 15 Paul greets another assembly of saints, which included **Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympia**.Finally, verse 16: **Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.** The kiss gesture of greeting seems more cultural, so not required for us, though a gesture of welcome is certainly appropriate. # ConclusionWho doesn't like to hear their name mentioned aloud from up front (only some, ha)? There's nothing wrong with names; *God* included these in His Word. Nothing wrong with expressing thanks for specific people. There were *many* in the network of saints (“in the Lord” - ἐν κυρίῳ - used in verses 8, 11, 12 (x2), 13, and 22; and see “in Christ” - ἐν Χριστῷ - in verses 3, 7, 9, 10). Men and women. Working, suffering, supporting, the kind of people worth standing with. From the end of Romans 15 and into chapter 16, Paul uses 6 different words beginning with the preposition meaning "with."1. συναγωνίσασθαί - sun-agonisasthai (15:30) = with-struggle2. συναναπαύσωμαι - sun-anapousomai (15:32) = with-rest3. Συνίστημι - sun-istemi (16:1) = with-stand4. συνεργούς - sun-ergous (16:3, 9, 21) = with-work5. συγγενεῖς - sun-geneis (16:7, 11, 21) = with-born6. συναιχμαλώτους - sun-aichmalotous (16:7) = with-prisonedWe are IN so we recognize our WITHS. I urge you to be, or to excel still more at being, anti-isolatist. We want to be with you, not *without*. Saints love the saints they're WITH. Saints are stronger because of their WITHS. ----------## ChargeOne of the saints in our body has fought the good fight, finished her race, kept the faith. She has endured and her faith has been an encouragement to all those who have loved the Lord's appearing. Beloved, work with and suffer with and stand with and sing with each other. Our WITHS are our strength.## Benediction:> May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5–6 ESV)

BAPTISM OF FIRE After Paul's ministry to the Greek philosophers of Athens in Chapter Seventeen Paul left Athens and went to Corinth and met Aquila and his wife Priscilla and lodged with them, working together with them at their common trade of tentmaking. Aquila and Priscilla had just arrived from Italy after being expelled from Rome along with many other Jews by the Roman Emperor Claudius Caesar. For many years the Jews had been exercising political activism and resistance against the Roman oppression wherever it was. This was apparent in the time of Jesus, who had been perceived as the Saviour from the Roman oppression in Judea for many Jews, and this is why so many were disappointed when he declared that his Kingdom was not of this world and told Pilate to crucify him. And the Romans finally killed or scattered over a million Jews and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD.  Then finally Silas and Timothy arrived at Corinth from Macedonia and joined Paul as he preached in the synagogues, but the Jews argued and totally contradicted him at every turn, so Paul left off preaching to the Jews and began preaching to the Corinthian Gentiles and a great many of them believed and were baptized. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a dream and said to him: "Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I'm with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. I have many people with me in this city." That encouraged Paul and he stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians. Then when it was time to leave Corinth Paul sailed with Aquilla and Priscilla across the Aegean Sea to Syria and then journeyed across to Ephesus which was one of the largest and most important cities in the ancient Mediterranean. Priscilla and Aquila decided to stay on there but Paul left them and travelled east to Antioch.  Then a man named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was a Jew, born in Alexandria in Egypt, and a very powerful speaker, accurate in everything he taught about Jesus up to a point, but he only went as far as the baptism of John. When Priscilla and Aquila came across Apollos and heard him preach, they perceived that something was lacking so they took him aside and told him the full story of the power of the Holy Spirit, and about the life of Jesus within. Apollos then left Ephesus and travelled to Corinth to preach there. We now come to Chapter Nineteen, and it so happened that while Apollos was preaching in Corinth, Paul made his way down through the mountains back into Ephesus, and came across some disciples there, and must have perceived something lacking in the way they spoke about their faith in Jesus (presumably the same lack that Aquilla and Priscilla saw in Apollos). The first thing he said to them was, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They told Paul that they had never even heard of having the Holy Spirit within them, so Paul asked them how they were baptized, and they told him they had only received John's baptism. He told them that John preached a baptism of radical life-change – a commitment in their hearts and minds to live for God and to purify their intentions - away from self and towards God. He said this to prepare people to be ready to receive the promised One coming after him, who was Jesus. John the Baptist told people that while he baptised with water the One to come was far greater than himself, John prophesied that ‘He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He will separate the chaff from the wheat, burning the chaff with fire and storing away the good seed in the heart. The good seed is the word that Jesus speaks to us for faith to grow in our heart. As soon as the Ephesian believers heard this - Paul laid hands on them and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. From that moment on, they began to move in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and to proclaim the greatness of God's mighty acts. But when Jesus brings us into the Baptism with the Holy Spirit it is not just about the power of the anointing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit or just about the love of God being spread abroad in our hearts - It is also about being baptised with the fire of the Holy Spirit for the purifying fire of God to burn out of us the self-glorifying and self-serving desires of our hearts.  In the Scriptures fire speaks of purifying, which is the loving chastisement of the Father upon our souls. It is not about punishment, which comes from a different motivation than chastisement. The motive for punishment is retribution and pay back whereas chastisement comes from the loving good will of Godly authority. Chastening develops character and integrity and steadfastness so that we can grow in God to live a settled and productive life of hope and faith, but the experience of chastening in our souls is still unpleasant and difficult to go through.  If people are deprived from the learning experiences of suffering through life's challenges the growth of character and spiritual potential will not happen for them. We currently live in a progressive and permissive culture that lets young people invent their own values and avoid taking personal responsibility of many of life's painful challenges. The ACT even introduced legislation last month for fourteen-year-old children to request euthanasia. Today's teenagers are being taught that they can identify as being who or what they would like to be – male or female or something else – what about a cat? And the government legally protects them so that they can be as free and as happy as they think they will be.  Paul said that he was willing to go through whatever challenges of life he needed to, and to experience the weaknesses and limitations of his own humanity in order that he might know the power of the resurrection life of Jesus within him (Philippian 3:10-14). In other words, he saw this as sharing in the sufferings of Christ – He said bring it on Lord – I want to know why I'm here with you on this planet.  Peter spoke about how this Baptism of fire worked to grow us in our faith. He wrote ‘do not be surprised at the fiery trials that come upon you to test you, as though something strange is happening to you. Sharing in Christ's sufferings is cause for joy, just as it is when his glorious life is on display through you. (1Peter 4:12) We have the choice to get all the useless and ungodly things out in the open before God as he reveals them to us so that we can find his mercy and grace. We let him prune off the deadwood branches and let him regrow us as productive branches drawing from his life, abiding in the vine. This Holy Spirit fire will progressively burn off the dead wood and stubble day by day and purify our hearts and heal and save our souls - or we can let it all pile up like deadwood behind us, but if we collaborate with the Holy Spirit in this burning off we enjoy the sweetness of his life within us here and now and also avoid suffering a fiery sense of loss when we stand before him at the end.  This is stated clearly by Paul. ‘No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (That's a prerequisite). Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Don't you know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone trashes (phtheir??) the temple of God, God will put the heat on them (phtheir??). For the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple. (1Corinthians 3:11) What is this work that we build on this foundation of Jesus Christ that turns trash into gold?  The word 'work' (Greek – ergon) is used in that passage of Scripture four times so it must be an important word to get that much emphasis. Strong's Concordance defines it as anything accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind - any product whatever. In other words, it is an endless list. In this Scripture it is not just about things being done by the mind and the heart and the hands and feet, but it is about the energy that is behind the work that involves having faith and finding grace and mercy in a loving partnership with God. Anything that we do together with God either for our own spiritual edification or as a blessing for someone else, will produce the gold of God's spiritual energy and character that will endure forever. Knowing that Jesus is with us changes our fear into faith, our despair into hope, our indifference into compassion and our selfishness into generous love. That is the work - and each one of us can choose as far as we are able, in whatever we are doing, to say yes to God - for him to live and move and have his being in us.  

In his letter to the church in Corinth Paul expounds at great length about the group of Jesus followers being together in unity- and as parts of a greater whole, also being together in diversity. This was not just diversity in their individual gifts, but also diversity in ethnicity, background, preferences, beliefs and practices. To hammer home his point, he compares this community to the body – a body, which is not their own, but the Body of Christ.  This phrase, which is well-known in Christian circles, points toward an invitation: it invites the reader to recognize we are a part of something far larger than ourselves or any one single local faith community. Paul's metaphor points toward something as infinite as the universe, which is to say, it points to The Christ. What a powerful thought that we, like Jesus, are the flesh and bone manifestation of what has been true since before the foundations of the world. This is not just about us, our tribe, our way of doing things, our particular philosophy of leadership; together we are those who point toward the deepest of all mysteries by the way we live our lives in community.

Paul arrives at Corinth- Paul's friendship with Aquila and Priscilla began at Corinth. God appeared to Paul by a vision with words of reassurance. God will bring comfort to His saints in times of need.

By Jorge de Campos in Dallas, TX, Fort Worth, TX, Lawton, OK - July 12, 2023 - Due to the problems in Corinth Paul explains to them that they need to take corrective actions when necessary. This matter of taking corrective actions (judging) is addressed in this chapter. This study also merges this instruction from Paul with Christ's teachings of Matthew 18.

église AB Lausanne ; KJV Acts 19 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. ...

In the letter to Corinth Paul addresses an issue that needed to be dealt with, there was an absence of love. Join Brennon and Nick as they discuss what it looks like for us to love others instead of keeping score.

Episode 161 – Paul’s Places – Part 2: When in Rome Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news … This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people. Romans, chapter 1, verses 1 and 7, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re very grateful that we are able to be with you today as we continue forward with our new series on Anchored by Truth. We’ve entitled this series “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul” we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, of course, started out life named “Saul.” But the “fire breathing” rebel Saul was converted on the road to Damascus by an encounter with the risen Christ. Then in Acts, chapter 13, verse 9, the writer of Acts, Luke, tells us that “Saul” was also called “Paul.” To help us learn more about “Paul’s Places” we have RD Fierro back in the studio. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, why did you want to call this series “Paul’s Places?” RD: Well, before I comment on that I would like to add to your thanks to the listeners for tuning in today – whether they’re listening on the broadcast or podcast. We’re grateful for anyone who devotes part of their day or week with us. We wanted to do this series because while most Christians know that several of the books in the New Testament are named after places … VK: 9 books to be exact – and among those 9 books there are 7 different places named because two of the named cities received two letters from Paul. RD: Right. 21 of the books of the New Testament are essentially just letters that the writer sent either to a person or to a group such as a particular church. You often hear those letters referred to as “epistles” – but those epistles really are just a form of letter not any different from the same kind of letters sent today. VK: Though none of those letters were sent by email. RD: Right again. The best scholarship tells us that all of the books in the New Testament were written in the 1st century AD with the majority probably written between 45 to 65 AD. So, those 21 letters were sent by three different writers. The Apostle John wrote 3 epistles. The Apostle Peter wrote 2 epistles. 2 epistles were sent by Jesus’ half-brothers Jude and James. Paul wrote 13 of the remaining 14 epistles or letters and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews is not named. Many scholars think Paul also wrote it but since Hebrews does not name its writer that isn’t a certainty. And some scholars believe another figure from the early church such as Apollos or Barnabas may have written Hebrews. VK: And 9 of Paul’s 13 epistles are named in the Bible by the destination to which the epistle was sent. And there are 7 different destinations. RD: Yes. In the order in which they are included in the New Testament those so-called Pauline epistles were sent to churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Colossae. VK: 6 of the 7 destinations named are cities and 1, Galatia, was a region similar in size to a small American state. 3 of those cities are located in what would be the nation of Greece today. 2 of those cities and Galatia are located in what would be the nation of Turkey Greece today. And Rome, of course, was located in the same place then as it was today in Italy. RD: Yes. Corinth, Philippi, and Thessalonica are located in modern day Greece. But in Paul’s day Philippi and Thessalonica were located in a region called Macedonia and Corinth was located in a region called Achaia. Ephesus, Colossae, and Galatia were all located in modern day Turkey. And, as you said, Rome is right where Rome has always been. VK: And today we want to focus on the epistle to the Romans. So, what are we hoping to see as we examine each of these epistles in turn? RD: Well, first of all I want people to focus on the fact that, contrary to some uniformed critics, the Bible is not filled with “myths and fairy tales.” It is true that the Bible reports on supernatural events in the same way that it reports on mundane or secular matters. And as we often say on Anchored by Truth we can have confidence in the Bible’s reports about supernatural matters because in areas where we can directly test the Bible’s historical and geographic accuracy we see that the Bible writers were accurate. VK: It’s a very simple principle. If we have a friend who we know to be honest and truthful and then one day that friend tells us they saw something extraordinary our first impulse should be to trust their report. We can trust their report because we have a track record and history with that person that tells us that person consistently tells the truth. Naturally, the opposite might be true. If we know somebody who consistently lies then we might have reason to doubt them, even if occasionally they tell us something that is true. RD: Right. Character matters. And when the Bible’s character is tested in ways we can verify it always stands up to the test. VK: So, one of the reasons we are doing this series is to help people see that the geography of the Bible is real, reliable geography. That is not true with some books that claim to have come from God, is it? RD: No. But in keeping with our long-standing practice on Anchored by Truth we do not normally criticize other works by name. Our practice is to proclaim the truth of the Bible, the Word of God, for the same reason new bank tellers are trained to recognize counterfeit bills by being handed lots of genuine ones. When you know what’s genuine you can spot the counterfeits. Also, frankly, the time we have for these shows is limited so we’re not going to give any time to discussing the errors of others. We focus on demonstrating that Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. VK: But the basic point stands. As we will see throughout this series not only can you find the locations to which the epistles were sent on maps of the time, the situations discussed within the individual letter correspond to what we know about the character and culture of the location. RD: Exactly. So, we are starting with the epistle, the letter, to the church in Rome because it is the first in order in most modern Bibles after the 4 gospels and the book of Acts. Now no one holds that the order of the epistles as they appear in the New Testament is inspired. But the order, nevertheless, helps us see how the earthly church fathers felt about that book. And Romans occupies the first position not because it was the first one written but because of its importance and the importance of the church that was located in what was the most important city in the Roman Empire. VK: The book of Romans has been placed first pretty much since the time the New Testament was assembled in the 4th century AD. It has held this place in the sacred canon, even though many commentators believe that the Galatians, First Corinthians, and perhaps First and Second Thessalonians were written before it. RD: Right. Romans contains the most complete treatment of the major doctrines of the Christian faith that is found in any of the epistles. In Romans Paul discussed the doctrines of regeneration, justification, sanctification, and the need for evangelism. He discussed such weighty themes as judgment, God’s wrath against sin, man’s universal rebellion, and the primacy of faith for reconciliation between man and God to be possible. Yet with all the weighty matters he undertook in the book of Romans Paul still made sure that he provided some of the most comforting language that is found in the entire Bible. VK: I’m sure you’re thinking of that famous section from chapter 8 of Romans, especially the part contained in verses 31 through 39. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. … in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s from the New International Version. RD: Yes. So, in and amongst all the principles and doctrine Paul included in Romans he never lost sight of the need to be encouraging to his readers. So, the book of Romans includes some of the most sobering observations in all of scripture … VK: Like, “There is none who does good, no, not one.” That’s Romans 3:12 in the New King James Version. RD: Yes. In that line Paul was quoting Psalm 14:3. But in addition to all the sobering language Paul also gave us so much encouragement like the assurance that nothing can separate us from God’s love and we are more than conquerors through the God that loves us. So, Romans contains these great discussions of these great themes but in Romans Paul also took great pains to discuss the relationship between gentiles and Jews with respect to Christianity. Chapters 9 through 11 contain one of the most thorough explanations in the Bible of the Jewish roots of Christianity and how God now views Jews and Gentiles with respect to the church. VK: And essentially Paul tells us that anyone who places their faith in Jesus for salvation, whether they are a Jew or Gentile, will be saved. Paul notes that even though Israel was God’s “chosen people” and was the original recipient of God’s word that even in the Old Testament there was the promise that someday God’s plan of salvation would include the gentiles. RD: Yes. Paul took more time in the book of Romans to discuss the interaction between Jews, gentiles, the church, and the history of salvation than in any other book. VK: So, we can be sure that one reason he did that was because the Roman church was composed of Jewish and gentile believers. But Rome, of course, was a long way from the Holy Land. Why would there have been so many Jews in Rome? RD: In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey the Great overran Judea. When he did he sent a large number of Jewish prisoners to Rome to be sold as slaves. But the Romans found out it was not easy to control them. The Jews persevered resolutely and obstinately in adhering to their faith and rites of their religion. Eventually the Romans chose to give them their freedom and assigned them a place in the vicinity of the city across the Tiber River. They built a town which was principally inhabited by Jews. And we know from history that Judaism was even one of the religions that the Romans accepted officially – so much so that the Jews were exempt from worshipping Caesar which most citizens of the empire were not. So, in Rome there were plenty of Jews, some of whom obviously came to accept Christ as the Messiah. These believers along with the gentile converts comprised the Roman church in Paul’s time. VK: So, this explains why Paul would have taken such pains to go into the relationship between Jews, gentiles, and the church. There were probably lots of discussions within the Roman church as to “who had to do what” or “who was to blame for what.” This was long before the New Testament existed. Undoubtedly, there was a great deal of confusion about some issues that today we almost take for granted. RD: Right. And Paul either knew about the differences from reports he received or quite likely he could have guessed that any church comprised of Jewish and gentile believers would have had certain questions. It’s apparent from Romans that at the time Paul wrote to the church he had not yet personally been there. VK: Although later he would go to Rome in person after he was arrested in Jerusalem and, as a Roman citizen, he appealed to the emperor to hear his case. We hear about that episode in chapters 24 through 28 of the book of Acts. RD: Yes. Most commentators believe Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans between 55 and 57 AD with many believing it was in 57 AD. VK: Why is that? RD: Around 52 or 54 AD the Roman Emperor Claudius banished all Jews from Rome. Acts 18:2 tells us that Paul first met a husband and wife named Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. Acts 18:2 tells us that Paul met Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth and that they had left Rome because of that decree. So, this had to have occurred after the year 52 ad. In Acts 18:19, we are told that Paul left Corinth accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla and subsequently Paul left them at Ephesus. Paul then made a journey through the neighboring regions, and then returned to Ephesus. That’s reported in Acts 19:1. Paul then remained at Ephesus at least two years. In the Epistle to the Romans Paul sends his salutation to Aquila and Priscilla. So, by the time Paul wrote Romans Aquila and Priscilla had returned at Rome. So, Romans could not have been written until after Aquila and Priscilla had left Ephesus and returned to Rome. That would have to have been at least three years after the decree of Claudius in 52 or 54 AD. VK: But we also have some other clues as to the timing of Romans. We know that when Paul wrote this Epistle to Romans, he was about to depart for Jerusalem to take them a collection taken up by the churches in Macedonia and Achaia which had been made for the poor. That’s in Romans 15:25-26. And Paul said that when he had done this, he intended to go to Rome. That’s Romans 15:28. So, that gives us further clues as to the timing of when Romans was written. RD: Right. Now, by looking at the book of Acts again, we can determine when this occurred. In Acts Paul said he sent Timothy and Erastus ahead of him into Macedonia, while he remained in Asia for a while. That’s Acts 19:22. After this (Acts 20:1-2), Paul himself went into Macedonia, passed through Greece, and remained there about three months. On this journey it is almost certain that Paul went to Corinth, the capital of Achaia. Romans was written at Corinth. After Paul was in Corinth Paul set out for Jerusalem where he arrested and became a prisoner. He remained a prisoner for two years. That’s Acts 24:27. Then after those 2 years he was sent to Rome about 60 AD. Allowing all of the time for traveling and his 2 year imprisonment, it must have been about three years after he finished Romans until the time when he actually reached Rome. Taken all together this means the Epistle to the Romans must have been written about 57 AD. VK: How do we know Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans while he was in Corinth? RD: The Epistle to the Romans mentions, Phoebe, a member of the church at Cenchrea. Cenchrea was the port of the city of Corinth, about seven or eight miles from the Corinth. Paul commends Phoebe to the Roman Christians. Phoebe probably carried the letter. Remember in Romans Paul sends his greetings to Aquila and Priscilla, two people he knew very well. Paul could easily have told Phoebe that when she went to Rome to seek out Aquila and Priscilla and give them the letter. At a minimum Phoebe accompanied those who had the letter. Furthermore, in Romans 16:23, Gaius is spoken of as the host of Paul. Gaius lived in Corinth and Paul had baptized him. Erastus is also mentioned as the chamberlain of the city where the Epistle to the Romans was written. And in 2 Timothy Erastus is mentioned as having his home at Corinth. Put all this together and there is strong evidence that Romans was written at Corinth about the year 57 AD. VK: And at that time Rome was pretty much at the peak of its power. So Paul wrote the most complete description of the doctrines and principles of the Christian faith to a church located in the most important city in the Roman Empire. And, of course, the Roman Empire was where God began the distribution of the gospel. Later and throughout history, including today, the gospel has spread far beyond the boundaries of the old Roman Empire but God chose to begin the gospel’s spread within the Roman Empire. So, at the time Paul wrote Romans we can be very sure he knew he was writing an important letter to the church located in the most important city of his time. All that fits together very well. Paul knew his letters would circulate beyond his initial recipient or audience. And he knew people from all over the empire would travel to and through Rome. So, it was simply good common sense for him to ensure that the epistle, the letter, he wrote to the church in Rome was a thorough discussion of the foundations of the Christian faith. But we don’t really know what prompted Paul to write the letter, do we? RD: No. Paul does not give us the specifics of his initial impulse. But I think we can use what Dr. John Gerstner used to call our “sanctified imagination” and come up with a plausible scenario. VK: Well, you are a fiction writer. RD: I am. So, in my imaginative world here is at least one possible scenario. We know from Acts, chapter 18 that after Paul had met Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth they all travelled to Ephesus together. That made sense. They were all tent makers and in addition to their ministry needs they may have been looking for a good place for Aquila and Priscilla to re-establish their business. Ephesus was one of the primary business centers within the Roman Empire and it was the primary business center for what the Romans called Asia. We know from Acts 18:19 that Paul left them in Ephesus when he went back to Israel to conclude what is called his second missionary journey. Well, sometime after Paul left them Aquila in Ephesus they returned to Rome. Likely after Claudius was no longer emperor (he died in October 54 AD) things calmed down in Rome enough for them to return. VK: And having spent a year or two with Paul they were now well trained in the Christian faith. So much so, that in Acts 18:24 through 27 we hear, “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor a and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. … When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” That’s the New International Version. RD: Right. So, after Aquila and Priscilla returned to Rome naturally they would have found other believers and joined a church. Well, sometime later they probably learned that Paul was on his 3rd missionary journey and was going to be in Corinth. So, it’s entirely possible they asked him if he could come to Rome. Corinth is a relatively short boat ride away from Rome so from a travel standpoint that would make sense. VK: And Paul wanted to go to Rome but right then he couldn’t. In Acts, chapter 18, verses 23 through 26 we hear “I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.” RD: Exactly. So, Paul couldn’t go to Rome at that point. So, he did the next best thing. He sat down and wrote a comprehensive letter to the church where his good friends and former ministry partners were located. And Paul had a reliable person he could trust with the letter: Phoebe. VK: And Phoebe lived in a port city so she may very well have travelled frequently, even to Rome. She may have had her own business since in Romans, chapter 16, verses 1 and 2 Paul says, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you…” RD: Right. The point is when you look at the details of the people, the places, the larger political and cultural setting, Paul’s writing the letter he did to the church in Rome makes perfect sense. VK: Sometimes I think people may think that when the Bible writers were inspired to write the books that are in Bible they get the impression that the writer heard a voice from the clouds, had a bright light shined on them, and heard the command “Write.” God sometimes deals with people that way, but more often God does his work through ordinary people using ordinary means. RD: Right. The letter to the church in Rome was a real letter written by a real man to real people – people just like us. Next time we’re going to expand on this theme a bit more but for today we want people to realize that, like all of the Bible, Paul’s letter are perfectly consistent with what we know about the larger context in which they were written. VK: This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today, let’s listen to a prayer for the missionaries of our time – the people that today carry the gospel to the farthest corners of the world just as the Apostle Paul carried it to corners of the world he knew. ---- PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quote from the Contemporary English Version) Romans, chapter 1, verses 1 and 7, Contemporary English Version Romans 1 Barnes' Notes (biblehub.com)

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. So glad you could join us today as we study the Word of God together. You know, I don't know how you are in the are of gratitude, but I have had the Lord point out to me numerous times how poor I often am in this area. I don't usually forget to thank people. But for some reason I do often forget to thank God for both answered prayers, but also even just the everyday blessings. You know, devout Jews thank God every morning for the gift of life. And lately I have been trying to change the way I start my day; to thank God for His gift of life and acknowledge my dependence on Him the moment I wake up in the morning. Now I mention this because when it comes to the life of Paul, I am amazed how much he always managed to live in that grateful orientation of heart. Here in Acts chapter 18 we find him leaving the city of Corinth for Syria (where Palestine is). And he does so with his companions Pricilla and Aquila. But when they reach Cenchrea (the port town of Corinth) Paul has his hair cut on account of the fact that he had taken a Nazirite vow, which was a vow of special devotion to God that Jews would sometimes take as a symbol of thanksgiving to God for a special blessing they had received from Him. And Paul had received a special blessing; the fulfillment of God's promise to both protect him and bless his ministry in Corinth. But now that his vow has been completed, he has his hair ceremonially cut and will eventually complete the ceremony (where you would burn the hair) when he eventually arrives at Jerusalem. But what is remarkable to me is that, as he's moving around from place to place now, he is carrying around this lump of hair with him (a symbol of his thanksgiving towards God) which he hopes to be able to offer at the temple in Jerusalem. And this week that caused me to stop and ask myself what symbols there are in your life and in mine to remind us to live in constant awareness and thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Something to think about. Now in verse 19 it says… Acts 18:19a (NKJV)— 19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; Dropped Off— Left who there? Priscilla and Aquila. It's funny how Paul always seems to be dropping people off. It must've been such an adventure to follow Paul, because you never knew where he might place you. He's dropping off Timothy and Silas here and there; and Priscilla and Aquila are getting dropped off places and then picked back up later. You never knew where you were going to be when you were with Paul and where Paul might place you and then leave you to carry on the work. And here he places them in Ephesus. It is about the year 52 and its not until year 57 that they appear again in Rome. So they could have remained here as long as five years. But what is awesome to see is that Paul writes back to the Corinthians, saying, “The church has been established in their house.” So once again, we see how effective Paul's ministry strategy was. Now while Paul is here in Ephesus, it says… Acts 18:19b-23 (NKJV)— but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, 21 but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; {(and now we know why Paul is in such a hurry to get back to Jerusalem. There is a festival in Jerusalem; during which he wants to complete his vow as an expression of thanks to God. We don't know what feast it was; very possibly the Feast of Pentecost, which would be extraordinarily significant because it was also during Pentecost that the Holy Spirit had been given, who would empower all Christians to live in such a way that the Nazirite vow only anticipated. But whatever feast it was, Paul no doubt turns these new Ephesian converts over to Priscilla and Aquila for further discipleship and then says)} but I will return again to you, God willing.” {And he leaves. But he does keep that promise to return, which we will see later. But for now it says:} And he sailed from Ephesus. 22 And when he had landed at Caesarea {(that's the Mediterranean seaport west and just a little north of Jerusalem)}, and gone up and greeted the church {by which Luke means “the church in Jerusalem”, because you always go up to Jerusalem because of how much higher it is than everything around it. You don't have to mention the city; the preposition gives it away. And it is here in Jerusalem that Paul no doubt went through all the rituals related to his vow, after which it says}, he went down to Antioch. 23 After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey— And what this means is that Paul has now started his third missionary journey. Where did he go? All the places he went on his second missionary journey? Where were those places? Well, they were all the places he went on his first missionary journey. Start With A Few— A famous missionary once said this: “No man has the right to hear the gospel twice until every man has heard it once.” Let me tell you, that is absolutely false. Paul (not to mention Jesus) would totally disagree with that principle. Paul went back to the same group of people three times. And that's because the kingdom of God isn't built by people running all over the globe, frantically trying to quickly share an overly simplified version of the Gospel at least once to every person. No, the way you change the world is like Jesus did; like His apostles did. Start with a few, pour into them. Give them the full Gospel; declare (as Paul says in Acts 20:27) the whole counsel of God. Take time to show them how to bring all of their lives under the authority of Christ; train them to disciple others. And then they will go and do likewise. And God's kingdom will grow not a mile wide and an inch deep, but will grow exponentially both in scope, but also in depth. Back To Ephesus— Now, as I said, this marks the beginning of Paul's third missionary journey. But at this point the narrative shifts away from Paul back to Ephesus, from which he had recently departed and left Priscilla and Aquila to carry on the ministry there. And Ephesus was a very pagan city, as it was the center of worship of the Greek goddess Artemis, whose Roman name was Diana; a multi-breasted fertility god whose temple there in Ephesus was so magnificent, it [was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.] However, during Paul's time we see that while the city had been an important political and commercial center, at this time it had lost some of that importance and [was turning more to the temple to support its economy.] Apollos— Now it is in Ephesus that we meet an extraordinary man; a man who happened to come there at the right time for Priscilla and Aquila to minister to and lead to Christ; a man by the name of Apollos. It says in… Acts 18:24a (ESV)— 24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. Alexandria— And so we see that Apollos is from Alexandria, which of course is in Egypt. There was actually a very large group of Jews living in Egypt during this time, estimates running in at around 1 million. You had four different sections/quarters of the city that were populated by Jews. And it is important to remember this whenever we think about the flight of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus into Egypt. We always have this image like they were strangers in a foreign land, when in reality (although they were outside of Israel) they were living in and amongst a very significant Jewish population. And this is relevant to our discussion of Apollos, because although he was in Egypt, we will see that he is still very much a part of Jewish society and education. And Alexandria in general was an Egyptian city that was very much centered on education. In fact it was [the most learned city in the Greco-Roman world.] It boasted of both a university and a library; the library containing almost 700,000 volumes. And we're not talking printed, but hand-copied volumes; a massive treasury of very valued knowledge. And this man Apollos had been raised there in Alexandria and we see was very educated, being especially grounded in the principles and practices of Judaism and especially in the scriptures. It says in... Acts 18:24b (ESV)— He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. an eloquent man— And the phrase “eloquent man” is actually a translation of a very unique word in the Greek; in fact it doesn't occur anywhere else in scripture. It is a word that combines the idea of learning with eloquence. And so what it tells us is that not only was the content of his preaching rock solid, but his presentation (his skills and giftedness as an orator) were tremendous. In fact, he may have been a much better speaker than Paul was, which might be inferred from 2 Corinthians 10:10, in which Paul says… 2 Corinthians 10:10 (ESV)— 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” δυνατὸς— And so it seems that Paul's writing was where he shined best. His physical presence wasn't very impressive and his oratory skills even less so. Now that's not to put down Paul. But it does help us to understand the power and might of this man Apollos. He was a very gifted speaker, but even more so, he was (the text says) competent in the Scriptures. Now that is a very boring translating of a powerful Greek word. The word translated “competent” is actually the word δυνατὸς. It means “mighty”. In fact δυνατὸς is where we get our English word “dynamite”. And so here is a man who knows how to rightly divide the Word of Truth, but also how to deliver that truth in a powerful and compelling way. He is eloquent, dramatic and dynamic. You never fell asleep and fell out of a window, and died on impact while listening to Apollos. By the way, that actually happened during one of Paul's messages, which we will see when we come to chapter 20. But nothing like that ever happened with Apollos. You were wide awake for every one of his messages. He was eloquent and mighty in the scriptures. Mighty In The Word— And let me tell you, we need more men and women of God who are mighty in the scriptures; who have saturated themselves with the Word of God and can accurately teach it, defend its truth and be able to safeguard it against those who might want to twist it to their own ends. Now you and I want to be able to do that, but that kind of knowledge and ability comes at a cost. Give The World— There was once a [young man who came to a Bible teacher after he taught and he was so overawed by the teaching and the strength of the man and his teaching and the – and the ability and the power and the knowledge. And he said to him, he said, “I just was so thrilled by your teaching.” He said, “I'd give the world to be able to teach the Bible like that.” And the man said, “Good, because that's exactly what it will cost you.”] And you know, he's right. Christ can use anybody, but the extent to which He can use you may be limited by your dedication and willingness to pursue the knowledge He has already made available to you in His Word. If we want to be effective, we must first know Him; and the only way to know Him is in and through prayerful engagement with His Word. And so let that be our challenge this week. Let's be intentional about making time to engage with God in and through His Word so that He might equip us with everything we need for life and for ministry. Amen.

The class is devoted to showing that the various gifts of the Spirit, conversions, and miraculous works point to fulfillment of prophecy. At issue is not the presence of various works of power and signs, but their significance. False signs and wonders may be powerful signs from a spiritual source. How we know that they are truly from God is found in whether they testify of the truth, or the lie. The truth is about the person and work of Christ. The lie is the message of Antichrist. We discuss laying on of hands, healings, tongues, gifts, revivals and other related topics. Those who are converted will grow through God's grace and will ultimately be glorified. Not everyone who claims to be from Christ and have power is a genuine convert.

The class is devoted to showing that the various gifts of the Spirit, conversions, and miraculous works point to fulfillment of prophecy. At issue is not the presence of various works of power and signs, but their significance. False signs and wonders may be powerful signs from a spiritual source. How we know that they are truly from God is found in whether they testify of the truth, or the lie. The truth is about the person and work of Christ. The lie is the message of Antichrist. We discuss laying on of hands, healings, tongues, gifts, revivals and other related topics. Those who are converted will grow through God's grace and will ultimately be glorified. Not everyone who claims to be from Christ and have power is a genuine convert.

As Apollos is in Corinth, Paul encounters disciples of John the Baptist (JTB) in Ephesus who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. We look at the material in Luke/Acts to help understand whether these disciples of John the Baptist understood the gospel and needed to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

As Apollos is in Corinth, Paul encounters disciples of John the Baptist (JTB) in Ephesus who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. We look at the material in Luke/Acts to help understand whether these disciples of John the Baptist understood the gospel and needed to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

It is important to understand the role and the true significance of the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon people in Luke/Acts (and elsewhere) they declare accurately the mighty work of God and point to Christ. Those who “welcome” the truth are those who learn, grow and receive forgiveness of sin.

There are many truth's in God's Kingdom that don't make sense at first glance. Like "the last will be first", "the poor are rich", and today's focus in 2 Corinthians 12... "When I am weak, I am strong." Listen to this week's message as Pastor Kamron walks through a situation in Corinth Paul is speaking about in our passage. It doesn't makes sense that he boasts about his weakness, but in the Kingdom of God... it becomes the key to God's power in life.

Dr. Craig Blomberg joins Michael to share insights about the book of 1 Corinthians and discuss its application for the Church today. In this conversation, Michael and Dr. Blomberg discuss: Paul's corrections to the church at Corinth Paul's use of anecdotes in his instruction Division and unity in the church Judgment What it means to inherit the Kingdom of God "The more we focus on a crucified Jesus, the harder it's going to be for us to fight one another. Click Here for Show Notes.

By Mike Phelps in Ann Arbor, MI, Detroit, MI, Flint, MI - February 6, 2021 - During this time of the year, we should deeply consider the life we have lived over the past year. Without this examination and proper consideration, we risk taking the Passover in an "unworthy manner" as the apostle Paul taught in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. In both his letters to the church in Corinth Paul expresses that individually and collectively each of us, with God's Spirit dwelling in us, are the temple of God. How is our temple? Do strongholds exist that need to come down? When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were presented with many strongholds that had to be overcome. But we know the Israelites didn't overcome these strongholds on their own. God's people have always been overcomers, not by their own strength, but by the might hand of God. With God's Spirit dwelling inside our heart and mind, we have the power to be overcomers today!

Why study 1 Corinthians?   Because it is part of God’s Word, the Bible Because it is highly relevant to our lives as individuals and to the church today It teaches us important lessons about:   The secret of true wisdom The importance of unity The seriousness of immorality The nature of marriage, including the right person to marry! The right use of freedom The way we should worship The correct use of spiritual gifts The overriding supremacy of love The certainty of resurrection   Before we start to look at the text, I’m going to give you some basic background information on:   The city of Corinth Paul’s letters to the Corinthians How the Corinthian church was started   The city of Corinth Corinth is in Greece. It’s on the Isthmus, a narrow strip of land - just over 4 miles wide - joining the northern and southern parts of Greece.   It was a very important trading city.  Goods were transported overland to avoid the lengthy sea-voyage around the Peloponnese (the southern part of Greece).   The old Greek city had been destroyed in 146BC and refounded by Julius Caesar as a Roman colony in 46BC.  As a result, there were both Greeks and Romans living there as well as Jews (Acts 18:4).    A cosmopolitan city, Corinth was intellectually alert, materially prosperous, and morally corrupt.  It was possibly because of its influential position that Paul stayed there 18 months (Acts 18:11).   Paul’s letters to the Corinthians We will be studying the letter we know as 1 Corinthians But actually Paul wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians   How do we know this?   Letter 1 A problem of immorality had arisen in the church. Paul wrote to them about this. This letter is referred to in 1 Cor. 5:9..   I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people   Letter 2 (1 Corinthians)   Letter 3   2 Corinthians 7:8-9 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while-- 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.   Compare 2 Corinthians 2:2-4   Letter 4 (2 Corinthians)   When was 1 Corinthians written?   Acts 18 records Paul’s appearance before Gallio who was proconsul in charge of Achaea probably from the summer of AD 51. (The dates of Gallio’s proconsulship are given by an inscription found at Delphi). Paul, therefore, probably reached Corinth in about March AD 50 and stayed there until about September AD 51.  From this, following the chronology of Acts, Barrett concludes that the most probable date for the letter is early 54 or late 53.  Fee comes to a similar conclusion, dating Paul’s departure from Corinth some time in AD 51-52 and the writing of the letter some three years later (i.e. 54-55AD).   How the Corinthian Church started   This is recorded in Acts 18:1-20   Paul is on his second missionary journey. He has had much to encourage him:           the conversion of Lydia           of the fortune-teller           of the Philippian jailor   but he’s had his discouragements too:           disagreement with Barnabas (15:37-40)           beating and imprisonment (16:22-24)           Jewish opposition at Thessalonica and Berea (17:5-13)           apparent lack of success at Athens (17:32-34).   By the time he reached Corinth he was in weakness and in fear and in much trembling (1 Corinthians 2:3).   v2      There he met a Jew named Aquila .... Priscilla   Aquila and Priscilla were Jews who had been living in Rome.  They had moved to Corinth because Claudius Caesar had expelled all Jews from the city (18:2).  Paul stayed with them when he arrived at Corinth because they were fellow-Jews and also tent-makers.  We do not know if they were already Christians.   v3      and worked   Note Paul’s willingness to work with his hands, although an apostle – cf. 1 Corinthians 9:1-14.   v4      he reasoned   Although Paul placed great emphasis on the power of the Spirit in the proclamation of the gospel (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 - see also Romans 15:19-20) he also sought to persuade his hearers by reasoning with them from the Scriptures.   v5      Silas and Timothy   When Paul had left Thessalonica it looked as though his attempts to plant a church there had failed (17:5-10).  Now Silas and Timothy arrive with news that the church is going on (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:1ff).  So Paul is encouraged by this and renews his efforts to win the Jews for Christ.   v6      I will go to the Gentiles   Rejected by the Jews, Paul washes his hands of them and turns to the Gentiles.   v7      went next door   Paul leaves the synagogue and moves next door!  He starts a meeting in the house of Justus.   v8      Crispus, the synagogue ruler   Paul’s move next door seems to have made an issue of things.  Crispus is confronted with the all-important question, and decides for Christ.  Many then follow his example.   v9      a vision   The Lord assures Paul that he has many people in this city.  He knew that there would be many who would receive the Gospel if Paul would stay and preach it to them.    (Note that this was a specific statement to a specific person about a particular city at a particular time.  Christians should beware of generalising such specific statements).   v11    So Paul stayed there   After all the opposition he had faced it might have been easy for Paul to have given up in despair.  But God has encouraged him.  By divine revelation he was to stay in Corinth for a year and a half.  He has reasoned (v4) and testified (v5), but people must be taught the word.   Eventually Paul left Corinth and came to Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla (vv18-19), where he left them while he journeyed to Jerusalem (v21).    While they were there Apollos arrived in Ephesus (v24).  Recognising the divine potential in him, Aquila and Priscilla explained to him the way of God more adequately (v26).    Consequently, when he moved on to Corinth (cf. 18:27 and 19:1) he was greatly used in building up the young converts (v 27) and in winning many Jews to Christ (v28).  In this connection he was possibly even more successful than Paul.

Day 240 of the Holy Bible One Year CHALLENGE. Hezekiah dies in Glory. Evil King Manasseh is captured by Assyria. 2 Corinth: Paul teaches forgiveness Support the show at Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/storymaster Join our Facebook group for further discussion: https://www.facebook.com/the1yearbiblechallenge 2 Chronicles 31:2-21 2 Chronicles 32 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 2 Corinthians 1:23-24 2 Corinthians 2: 1-11 Proverbs 21:5-16 You're listening to the "Holy Bible One Year CHALLENGE" with Master Storyteller, Michael Wood. Featuring the Holy Bible Easy-to-Read version and used by permission from Bible League International --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/1yearbible/message

"SO NOW FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE ABIDE" Feb 28 One of the problems in Corinth Paul had heard about, was “concerning spiritual gifts” [1 Cor. 12 v.1] This chapter and the next two show that the improper use of the gifts by some was a large problem. Of course, with the Gospels not yet in circulation, the existence of spiritual gifts had real purpose. Paul says that “the manifestation of the Spirit (was) for the common good. To one is given the spirit of the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge, according to the same spirit, to another, faith …” [v.7-9] We pondered the inclusion of “faith” as a gift – and recalled the times when Jesus chided his disciples “O you of little faith [Matt.8 v.26 etc] so we conclude that among that first generation of believers it was vital, on occasions, to have a man of firm faith, to steady the ecclesial boat when it was rocking and faith was weakening. Chapter 12 ends by telling us, “But earnestly desire the higher gifts” - those named first would be in this category, they were of the most value for their spiritual health. The last named gifts are tongues and the ability to interpret them (v.30) and Paul warns in Ch, 14 that if these are used in church “and outsiders and unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds” [v.24] – clearly they were to enable those who possessed them to give the message, when they had opportunity, to those of other languages. Acts 2 v.11 describes the impact of this on the day of Pentecost - “”we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God” The final words in Ch. 12 are “And now I show you a still more excellent way” – this brings us to Ch. 13 and its oft quoted words praising the vital role of love. “If I give away all I have …. But have not love, I gain nothing” [v.3] is one of the points Paul makes. He says, “Love never ends … prophecies … will pass away … tongues, they will cease …” [v.8] The final verse tells us, “So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” These words provoked a final thought – when Christ’s kingdom is established, faith will be turned to sight and hope fulfilled – but love will last forever. Those who commit themselves to embrace the things that abide today and live with this wonderful future before them will, by God’s grace, live forever with love as the dominating factor in their lives..

Day 240 of the One Year Audio Bible Experience. Hezekiah dies in Glory. Evil King Manasseh is captured by Assyria. 2 Corinth: Paul teaches forgiveness 2 Chronicles 31:2-21 2 Chronicles 32 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 2 Corinthians 1:23-24 2 Corinthians 2: 1-11 Proverbs 21:5-16 CLICK HERE to support this podcast. Your donation will keep this podcast FREE for everyone around the world. Your support helps us add new episodes, add more music, and more voice actors! Come back to earlier episodes for a new Bible Experience! Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2014 by Bible League International and used by permission. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/1yearbible/message

Find all the messages from this series here: http://www.faithinchandler.com/corinthians/ This past week Rusty was telling me that on their vacation he decided to try body boarding and that he got caught in the wave. I told him I refer to that as the spin cycle. I experienced that in a big way when I was 14 or 15. There was a hurricane that came through the Virginia Beach area and it brought huge waves and surf. I had never been in waves life that… When you’re surfing or body boarding, you’ve got to be going fast enough to “Catch the wave” or it will go right under you, or if you are a little ahead of it, it will crash down on you. One crashed on me and then tumbled me over and over. I lost all perspective of what was up and down. The next thing I knew, I was dumped onto the beach and my board was trying to wash away a little further down. I stood up and said, whoa. That was crazy powerful. Occasionally a passage of scripture will hit me like that- it will be so much more powerful than I was expecting and send me tumbling. This passage has done that to me this week. I hope it hits you hard today, not that you wind up sore, but that you’ll walk away saying, wow that was powerful Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Underline that phrase in verse 23. For the gospel’s sake. Brian- What are you doing? Um, I don’t know… Now Paul has just recently talked to them about Money, Meat offered in pagan temples, Marriage, Sex, and each one of those scenarios Paul has explained the issue, then said, now this is what I do, or this is how I’ve chosen to live my life. Here in this passage he explains WHY For example he said that it’s right that the church would provide financial support to their leaders, then Paul explains that he doesn’t take any financial support because he can go further faster for the gospel. Before that he talked about Marriage- that it was a good thing, that people should get married, that it was especially better than to live in immorality, but then Paul explains that he has chosen to remain single because he believes that he is able to give more of himself to the ministry of the gospel that way. In these instances he doesn’t say that they need to be just like him, but that he has chosen to live this way For the Sake of the Gospel. Here’s the first main truth this morning-  Paul devoted his life to the communication of the gospel. This wasn’t just something that Paul claimed in his letters, it’s what he lived out as recorded by Luke in his history of the early church. What we read about Paul is that he tirelessly went from city to city proclaiming the gospel. He would preach until he was thrown in prison or had planted a church, often he would do both. Then once he was thrown out of a city, he would go to the next city and start sharing the gospel to establish a church there. Paul didn’t just ride in and preach the gospel and ride out, he developed leaders and elders. He set up Bible Studies and Small Groups, he organized a team that would carry on the work once he was gone to the next city. In Acts 17 we read that Paul was establishing the church in Thessalonica and some people got upset and ran him out of town. So he went to a place called Berea and started establishing a church there. The people in Thessalonica heard that Paul was in the next city doing the same thing so they came to Thessalonica and went before the officials of that city and began to stir up crowds, so Paul was run out of Berea but he was separated from the rest of his team, they stayed there to continue the work because they were much less noticeable. Paul is sent to Athens to wait for them. 16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.  17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Paul’s just been run out of two towns and separated from his team. They tell him to wait in Athens and they’ll be there shortly. But Paul can not simply wait. His Spirit Provokes him. He must preach! Do you remember what we read in verse 16 last week. The end of verse 16 Paul says, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” Paul was so  dedicated  to the communication of the gospel because he was so  passionate  about the gospel. In verse 23 Paul tells us this, he says, I do all of this because of the gospel. I do all of this for the sake of the gospel. There’s the passion. There’s the drive. There’s the why. So you need to understand how Paul came to know the gospel. Paul was a religious leader in the Jewish tradition. He was the type that believed in his God and was willing to compel others to believe as well through violence. When the disciples of Jesus began to share the message of the gospel- that Jesus was not a criminal who had been executed but instead Jesus is the Son of God who died for the purpose of forgiving our sin and offering us new life and now He has risen from the dead demonstrating that He is able to offer forgiveness and restore lives- When the disciples began to preach this and people were believing in Jesus by the thousands, Paul began rounding up anyone they knew to be a Christian. He threw people in prison. He stood by while people were executed. He was a hatchet man. He was an old school terrorist. Then he gets permission to expand his mission, he’s going bigger and better after more Christians in other cities and Jesus appears to Paul. Paul is gripped by the power of God’s grace and this angry, judgmental, cynical, violent man is overwhelmed by the mercy of Jesus- it picks him up and tumbles him over and before he know it, he’s in the dirt of that dirt road asking what he must do to be forgiven of the horrible things that he has done. Paul’s experience was powerful, but no more powerful than the experience people in this room have had when the love and mercy of Jesus knocked them backwards and left them on their knees asking for forgiveness and restoration. Paul’s experience was like mine, when God gripped the heart of an angry, arrogant, rebellious teenager and left me on my knees asking God to forgive me and fix me. Paul’s experience was like that of any sinner who is made a saint by God’s grace. Because it was so powerful, Paul was dedicated to share it with everyone. Now this is crazy- Look at what verse 19 says. Though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all. When Paul met Jesus he was headed to another city because he had gotten permission from his bosses. Paul had been living in a system where he was told what to do. Paul had been living in a system that was full of rules and yet he had never done enough. Paul had not been free. Now he was. He was now free from the rules and the to do lists and even though he was no longer living to please those masters, he felt more at peace than he ever had before… So he was free. But he chose to live as a servant to take the gospel to all people. Not because he had to in order to feel worthy- but because he had been freed from that life he wanted everyone to be free. Paul viewed his God given freedom as an opportunity to free others. So, Paul never made a decision based merely on what he wanted but rather he based his life upon a simple question: What will give me the greatest opportunity to free the sinner with the gospel? So when it came to the question of whether or not to eat meat that had been offered in the temple, Paul was asking what will work best for the spread of the gospel? When it came to the question of whether or not to get married, Paul’s question was which manner of life will best serve the gospel? When it came to the question of offerings, Pau’s question was what will best serve the communication of the gospel? Paul was not as concerned with these issues-  to him they were petty religious and cultural issues. Paul was concerned with reaching people with the gospel! “We are not keepers of the aquarium. We are fishers of men!” -Mountain View Church So that’s the why of what Paul was doing,  let’s talk a minute about how Paul was doing this. There were some Jews in Corinth, but not many. So perhaps in Corinth Paul had done things that would have made it difficult for a Jew to accept as normal behavior, and then when Paul was ministering to Jews he was following their customs and traditions and when this got back to the Corinthians, they were confused. They were wondering why Paul was being a hypocrite. They wondered why he acted one way with them and another way with other people. Paul wasn't being a hypocrite, but he was attempting to respect the culture and traditions of the people that he was trying to reach with the gospel. Paul wasn’t sinning- Paul wasn’t participating in sin just to put people at ease, but when it came to cultural and religious issues, he made the gospel the main issue. Paul never changed the message or faltered in his mission, but he adapted his methods to the culture. by the way, Paul was uniquely qualified to do this. He was a Jew. A Pharisee of the Pharisees he once said of himself. He was an educated Jew so he was familiar with the Old Testament and Jewish customs. Did you notice what we read about him from when he was in Athens? He reasoned daily in the synagogue. He could be a Jew to the Jews. Paul was a Roman Citizen, which many Jews were not. He was a Jew, but he had some exposure to the greek culture and way of life. He knew how to talk with Jews and Romans. He knew where to start with each of them. Paul says, to the Jew I am a Jew. To the weak, I am weak. To the strong, I am strong. I am all things to all men so that by all means I might win some. The Message is sealed in blood. The Mission is engraved in stone. The Methods are sketched in pencil. In Acts 17, when Paul is in Athens and starts sharing with them because his heart is provoked. He shares in the synagogue, which had done before. Then he shares in the marketplace, which he had done before, then he notices all of these idols. They even had an idol to the unknown God. So he called people to this little amphitheater type place to talk to them about the unknown God. Paul had preached in the synagogue before. He had preached to greeks in the marketplace before. He had never preached like this. This was new. To reach people who had never heard the gospel before,  Paul did something he had never done before. So what does this look like for us? Several year ago Jim Collins put together a research team that studied companies that were good companies that became top performing, great companies. They put out a book with their findings. One of the principles that they found in each of the companies that made the leap had a similar characteristic. They found the convergence of 3 attributes. What they were good at- What they were passionate about- What was profitable- Companies that had something they were good at, they were passionate about, and was profitable were incredibly successful. I think that’s just merely a secular illustration of the way God made us. I believe that God has uniquely gifted all of us, given us all a passion, and a mission to share the message of the gospel. I believe that whenever we find the convergence of 3 attributes we are effective as a church- What we are uniquely gifted to do- what we are passionate about- what we are called to do. Let me give you an example. Our church is unique in the fact that we have many young kids. We have like 6 kids that are starting kindergarten this year, for a church our size, that’s pretty crazy. So we’ve got young families. We are passionate for young families and about teaching the Bible to children. And we are called to train the next generation- so we’ve been effective at reaching and impacting other young families. Our church is unique in the fast that we have several people who have been saved from a life of addiction. We are passionate about reaching addicts. We are called to reach addicts… In the convergence of those 3, we’ve found an effective opportunity to reach addicts with the gospel… We are all called. We are all uniquely gifted. But we are not all passionate. Paul wasn’t more gifted or more called than others, Paul was more passionate. Passion beats polish! (Paul devoted his life to the communication of the gospel) Paul devoted his life to the application of the gospel. Quickly lets look at verses 24-27 i think Paul was worried about the Corinthians. If they were not willing to make changes in their lives for the sake of the communication of the gospel, would they willing to make changes in their lives for the sake of the application of the gospel? Would they change when God called them to live differently because it’s what he expected? Paul gives them an illustration. He points to the greek games. He says, look at how disciplined and passionate they are! What if we worked as hard to apply the gospel as they work to train for the games? Paul says, only one of them is going to win and the prize he wins doesn’t even last! Our reward lasts forever. Even their fitness goes away! Paul was passionate about the communication of the gospel because he was still active in the application of the gospel in his own life. When was the last time God restored a broken piece of your heart? When was the last time that the gospel reshaped you and molded you? Paul says here that he isn’t living his life haphazardly or accidentally, but he is intentionally, persistently pursuing the work of God in his own life. Paul says, God forbid that though I’ve preached to others that I myself would become a castaway-. God forbid that I would forget the very truth I proclaim. If you’re not passionate about the gospel touching new hearts, it’s been too long since it touched yours.

The principal of Westminster Theological Centre on  two books relating to leadership: Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul's Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians 11-14, and The Disciple: On Becoming Truly Human

Փոլ եւ նրա companions ուսուցանել է Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paulus och hans följeslagare undervisa i Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paulus och hans följeslagare undervisa i Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paulus och hans följeslagare undervisa i Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul และสหายของเขาสอนใน Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.

Paul và đồng hành của ông giảng dạy tại Corinth - Paul and his companions teach in Corinth.