Tag Archive | Corinth

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 338

Dec4

   Day 338—We are in the LAST month of Bible reading for the year and studying The ACTS of the Apostles with the LETTERS of the Apostles.

Day 338 – 2 Corinthians 1 – 4 (Greetings, comfort, delayed coming, forgiving, preaching, Gospel ministers)

This letter follows quite a bit of going and writing to Corinth. Here’s a bit of history. 

  1. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth, living and working with Aquila and Priscilla, preaching and planting the church. 
  2. While in Ephesus, he heard of gross immorality and sent them a confrontational letter (which was lost). 
  3. He then hears about divisions splitting the church and receives a letter from them asking him to clarify some do’s and don’ts.
  4. Paul writes 1 Corinthians to address this, sending it with Timothy. 
  5. News from Timothy describes the arrival of a group of false apostles who “dis” Paul and divide the church. 
  6. Paul immediately goes to Corinth for what is known as “the painful visit.” It was not successful.
  7. After returning to Ephesus, Paul writes what is known as “the severe letter.”  He sends this one to Corinth with Titus (also lost).
  8. After the “silversmith riot” in Ephesus, Paul goes to Troas. Even though there is an open door for ministry there, Paul is too concerned about the Corinthian church to stay.  He leaves for Macedonia (Philippi), hoping to meet Titus there. Titus has good news. The church at Corinth has repented. 
  9. Paul then writes this letter (2 Corinthians) to express his relief, defend his apostleship, and confront any false prophets still there.
  10. Later, he goes to Corinth to pick up their offering for the destitute in Jerusalem.

2 Corinthians 1.

You can hear Paul’s joy in “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings we suffer.  Our hope for you is unshaken….”

2 Corinthians 2.

 After getting the good news about the Corinthian church from Titus, he exclaims, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”

And, in defense of his own ministry, “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”

2 Corinthians 3.

 Paul praises them for being “his” letter of recommendation to others, written not with ink but “with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.”

Paul wants them to go on, then to the higher things of the Lord. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  We all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

2 Corinthians 4.

Paul explains the difference between his ministry and that of the false Apostles.  “Having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s Word, but by the open statement of the truth, we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 

“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for the sake of Jesus.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 332

Nov28

   Day 332—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying The ACTS of the Apostles with the LETTERS of the Apostles.

Day 332 – Acts 18 – 19 (Paul in Corinth, Priscilla & Aquila in Ephesus, Apollos, Paul in Ephesus, riots)

Acts 18.

After a minimal harvest of souls in Athens, Paul went to Corinth. There, he met Aquila & Priscilla, recently ejected from Rome. They were tentmakers and believers, so Paul (also a tentmaker) stayed with them and worked. He also reasoned every Sabbath in the synagogue.

Silas and Timothy finally arrived from Macedonia to help. The Jews rejected Christ, so Paul went exclusively to preach to the Gentiles. Titius Justus, a believer, lived next to the synagogue, so Paul set up headquarters there. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, with his household and many Corinthians, believed and were baptized.  The Lord encouraged Paul in a vision, telling him to remain in Corinth and not be afraid, for He was with Paul, and there were many to be saved. Paul stayed for 18 months.

There was an incident with the Roman authorities, but the proconsul, Gallio, dismissed them (like Pilate did), telling the Jews to take care of their own matters.

Meanwhile, Paul had taken a vow, probably in gratitude to God, which included not cutting his hair. That vow was about to end, so he cut his hair. (The shorn hair needed to be presented in the Temple within 30 days.)  So, taking Aquila & Priscilla, he sailed for Syria. He left the couple in Ephesus, and after preaching a few times in the synagogue, he set sail for Caesarea.  From there, he went up to Jerusalem to fulfill his vow and greet the church there.  Then he returned to his sending church in Antioch for a while.

Later, Paul traveled back by land through Galatia, strengthening the churches he and Barnabas had planted on the first missionary journey.

Meanwhile, back in Ephesus, a Jew from Alexandria arrived. He was eloquent and competent in the scriptures. And he preached “the way” of the Lord, being fervent in spirit. He accurately taught the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John (and his sermons).  Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Then, Apollos felt the call to Achaia (Greece). Priscilla and Aquila wrote the brothers there to welcome him, which they did.  Apollos greatly helped them, for he powerfully refuted the Jews publicly, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah was Jesus.

Acts 19.

So while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and arrived in Ephesus.  He found some disciples there who had been taught by Apollos early on. They hadn’t heard of the Holy Spirit’s work, so Paul caught them up. They all agreed to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit came on them too.

Paul stayed in Ephesus for two years, speaking boldly in the synagogue and reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.  Some believed, but others were stubborn in their unbelief.  Paul simply moved the meeting place to the Hall f Tyrannus.  “All the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”

Now, seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva lived there. They were “itinerant Jewish exorcists.”  They saw the miracles God performed through Paul and were jealous. They tried doing the same things but the evil spirits fought back, saying, “Jesus, I know, and Paul, I recognize… BUT WHO ARE YOU?”   The seven “wannabes” were then attacked and stripped naked, so they ran away wounded.  This caused the residents to become afraid, and the name of Jesus was extolled.

Many of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in the sight of all.  So, the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily in Ephesus and surroundings.

.

After about two years, Paul resolved in the Spirit to travel up through Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, & Berea), down to Achaia (Athens, Corinth), and afterward go to Jerusalem.  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”  He sent Timothy and Erastus ahead to Macedonia and stayed a bit longer in Ephesus.

However, a disturbance about the teachings of “the Way” (the Gospel) arose in Ephesus, led by a silversmith named Demetrius, whose business was faltering because fewer people were buying his statues. He went to the “union hall” of artisans. and riled them up, saying,

“Men, you know that from this business, we have our wealth. But in Ephesus and almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.  He is endangering our trade. Our great temple of Artemis may even be discounted as “nothing.”  What should we do??”  

Enraged at these words, they shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”  The mob rushed everywhere in the city with this cry.  They dragged Paul’s companions into the arena. (Paul’s close friends convinced him NOT to go there.)  There was so much confusion and shouting that some in the crowd did not even know what was happening.

Alexander, a leader, tried to stop the crowd, but when they recognized him as a Jew, they shouted even louder for two hours. Finally, the town clerk quieted them down by saying that if they continued, the Romans would come and accuse them of rioting. Everyone knew that Artemis was sacred and that the temple was great, so they ought to be quiet.  “Let Demetrius and the craftsmen take these men to court in an orderly fashion.”

Finally, the crowd settled and dispersed.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 330

Nov26

   Day 330—We are in the ELEVENTH month of Bible reading and studying The ACTS of the Apostles with the LETTERS of the Apostles.

Day 330 – Acts 17 (Paul & Silas, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens)

After being beaten and jailed, loosed in an earthquake, preached to a jailor, and apologized to by the magistrates, Paul and Silas left Philippi. The team (Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke) went through Amphipolis and Apollonia to the city of Thessalonica.

As was Paul’s pattern, he preached in the Jewish synagogue for three Sabbaths, explaining how the scriptures pointed to Christ’s death and resurrection. Some Jews were persuaded, plus many devout Greeks and leading women.

But the majority of the Jews were jealous, mobbed him, and set the city in an uproar, saying they preached against Caesar. The mob attacked Jason’s house, where Paul was staying. After the magistrates took security from him to assure Paul would cause no more trouble, Paul and his team left town that very night.

They went to Berea, and Paul immediately went to the synagogue. “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word eagerly, examining the Scriptures daily to see if the things Paul preached were so.” 

(Can you imagine them taking down the scrolls of the scriptures Paul mentioned, turning to the passages, and verifying what he preached? They would read and nod their heads and eagerly look up for more!)

As a consequence, many of them believed, including many Greek women of high standing. (Faith comes by hearing the Word, Romans 10:17.) However, when the Jews from Thessalonica heard of this, they came to Berea and agitated the crowds against Paul.  The Bereans immediately sent Paul (and Luke?) off by sea.  Silas and Timothy stayed there to continue teaching. But when Paul got to Athens, he sent a message for the two men to come to him as soon as possible.  (But they were delayed.)

Meanwhile, while Paul was waiting for them, his spirit was provoked as he saw all the idols in the city.  He reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, as usual.  And every day, he spoke with the devout people in the marketplace. He also argued with some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.  They took Paul to the Areopagus to defend his teaching, for they thought he was preaching “some foreign divinities.”  They enjoyed it immensely, for all the Athenians and foreigners loved to spend time telling or hearing “something new.”

Paul tried. He looked at the one statue dedicated to “the Unknown God” and pointed them towards God, the Lord of heaven and earth, creator of everything.

Paul waxed eloquent, as that’s what his listeners wanted. (Paul was all things to all men, so he could win some to the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:22) “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed; and of this, He had given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.” (verses 30-31)

Now, when they heard about the resurrection of the dead, they mocked Paul.  But some said, “Oh, we’ll hear you another time.”   Only a few believed: Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and a handful of others.

Perhaps discouraged at the lack of response, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.