This week’s Learning Guide on is broken up into 3 sections. You can do them all at once, or in three different sittings.
Section 1: Learn the Background
During this second half of Acts we will be almost exclusively concerned with the Apostle Paul and his travels. When we read of Paul’s trailblazing ministry in these different cities, it is extremely helpful to have some background on the cities so you can get a feel for what Paul (and the gospel) encountered. Remember, Paul isn’t going into cultural vacuums, but real cities with real people and real culture, just like today. Read the following to get a feel for Corinth and some other cities.
“The city of Corinth was at the very narrow bridge of land (only 3 and a half
miles wide) that connected the Peloponnese peninsula with the mainland of
Greece to the north. It not only was at the center of the north-south trade
route, but also of the east-west route. Goods could be brought to a port just to
the east of Corinth and transported over land a few miles to a port to the west
— this saved a 200 mile journey by ship around the south of the peninsula. As
result, Corinth was a major commercial and finance center. Like many urban
centers based on business and wealth — Corinth became famous for a degree
of corruption and immorality that was remarkable even for the ancient world. In
classical Greek korintheazdo (literally, to “Corintheanize”) became a synonym
for fornication. At the center of Corinth was the temple of Aphrodite, which
employed thousands of female slave/priestesses who roamed the city as
prostitutes.
These cities were immense, especially by the standards of the time. In 1850
there were only four cities in the world with over 1,000,000 inhabitants, yet in
Paul’s day, we believe that Ephesus was over a half a million, Corinth nearly
750,000, and Rome over a million. To put things in perspective, it may be
helpful to think of Athens as the intellectual center of the empire (like Boston in
the U.S.), of Corinth as the commercial center (like New York City), of Ephesus
as the popular culture/occult center (like Los Angeles), and of Rome as the
political power center (like Washington, DC).”
(Redeemer Acts Study on Evangelism. © Timothy J Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2006)
If you are not familiar with 1 Corinthians (Paul’s first letter to the people in Corinth), take a few minutes to glance over the headings throughout the letter. Do you see ways in which the culture of Corinth described in the section above played a role in some of the things Paul had to teach the church in Corinth about?
Ex. In 1 Cor 1, there is a section heading “Divisions in the Church”. I can see how if Corinth was the center of trading routes, there would be people from all over the world there. If they didn’t stay close to the gospel, it would make divisions in the church really easy.
Section 2: Learn God’s Faithfulness
In the middle of his ministry in Corinth, Paul receives an encouraging word from Jesus, himself. Read the account of Paul’s vision in Acts 18:9-11.
1. When people in the Bible get a vision of God (Theophany), they are almost always first told to not be afraid. This account with Paul is no different in that regard as Jesus begins with “Do not be afraid.” However, usually they are told to not be afraid of the angel or presence of God. If an angel or Jesus was suddenly standing before you, you would probably be pretty scared. But it seems like Paul is told to not be afraid for a different reason. Why?
2. Paul was in a scary situation and would remain there for many more months. He needed to hear the words of Jesus here. Are you in a situation where you need the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the words of Jesus to embolden you to continue on? If not, why not?
3. Luke makes it very clear that Jesus’ words are true. When Jesus promises that Paul would not be harmed in Corinth, he kept his word. A year and a half later when Paul is attacked, the proconsul Gallio defends him (Acts 18:12-17). Commentator Beverly Roberts Gaventa explains how Luke highlights the sovereignty of God in this section, “Gallio happens to rule in Paul’s favor, but his indifference to Jewish complaints renders him equally indifferent to the abuse of a Jewish synagogue leader… It is God who ensures that no harm comes to Paul in Corinth.” No doubt Paul would look back on God’s powerful faithfulness in Corinth down the road when further suffering would come. What are the evidences of God’s powerful faithfulness to save in your life that you can look back on?
Section 3: Learn to Study Online
Find your desktop, laptop, iPhone, or iPad. Or borrow someone else’s. We are going to use the internet to do some research on Acts 18. In this chapter we are introduced to 3 companions of Paul: Aquila and Priscilla (18:1-5) and Apollos (18:24-28).
Go to www.biblestudytools.com.
Simply type one of the three names into the Search box.
It will pull up all the references to that person in the NT. Take some time to click through some of those references and see what you can learn about them.
Next notice the tabs: Bibles, References, Bible Study, Pastoral Resources. Click through some of the other tabs to find more resources and articles on these topics.
What did you learn?