1. On Weekends (verses 1-4)
2. All Week Long (verses 5-8)
3. Trusting God’s Protection (verses 9-17)

Many corporations have their "mascots." These are fictional characters that corporations use for their advertising campaigns. I trust that you are familiar with Ronald MacDonald, the clown-like face of McDonalds. These mascots may be personified peanuts (as in Mr. Peanut of Planters Peanuts) or tuna fish that can talk (as in "Charlie" of Starkist) or even a boy made of bread dough, like the Pillbury Dough Boy.

I want for you to consider "The Energizer Bunny” of Energizer batteries. He is the stuffed toy rabbit with a large drum. When you put batteries in this toy, it keeps moving along the ground, banging its drum. The advertises say that “He keeps going and going and going.” Even in pop-ulture, the term, “Energizer Bunny” is a word used for anything that “continues endlessly,” or something that has “immense stamina.”^[1] The apostle Paul was like the energizer bunny. He kept going and going and going.

In recent months, we have been looking at the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul. He went out on the first missionary journey. Nothing could stop him. Nothing could keep him down. When he was persecuted for preaching Jesus, he simply went on to the next town and continued his preaching. Even when he was violently attacked and dragged out of the city, and stoned, and left for dead. he arose and continued his preaching tour (Acts 14:19).

When Paul returned back home from this first missionary journey, he went to Jerusalem to deal with the doctrinal crisis that had arisen about the question of circumcision for those who believe in Jesus. After a time, Paul initiated a second journey, He wanted to return to “visit the brothers in every city where [he] proclaimed the word of the Lord” (Acts 15:36). He wanted to see how they were getting on. You simply could not stop him.

In recent weeks, we have been tracking Paul and his various companions on his second missionary journey. And this journey took him over a thousand miles from home! no small feat in the days of the New Testament. His travels were a demonstration of his great energy, and commitment to the Lord. This morning, we are going to be looking at Acts, chapter 18, which records Paul entering Corinth for the first time. We will continue to see his perseverance.

Paul arrived in Corinth on his second missionary journey, which began some months prior, and over a thousand miles away, in Antioch. The great church in Antioch sent out Paul and Silas for their mission to visit and strengthen churches that Paul planted on his first missionary journey. (Acts 16:5). So, Paul initially headed north through Syria and on into southern Galatia. He visited the churches he planted in Derbe and Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. Along the way, he picked up Timothy, a young disciple with a good reputation among the brothers.

They continued his westward movement, coming to Troas, a city on the Aegean Sea. They crossed over the sea, and came to Macedonia, where they preached the gospel in Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea. After preaching to those in Berea, Paul left Silas and Timothy in that region, while he headed south alone. arriving in Athens. While in Athens, he was provoked by all of the idols in the city, and preached Jesus and the resurrection to the intellectuals. Some mocked him for believing such strange ideas. Some were lukewarm and undecided. But some believed in his words and followed Jesus. And this is where Acts 17 ends. All we can do is assume that a church was started in Athens. But Paul continued on. He continued on to Corinth.

While in Corinth, Paul received a message from the Lord (Acts 18:9), that he should keep on speaking to those in Corinth. This is the title of my message this morning, “Go On Speaking.” This is the heart of our application this morning.

Throughout the book of Acts, we have seen Jesus calling us all to be witnesses. In Acts 1:8, we read Jesus saying to the disciples, “You will be my witnesses.” And the story of the book of Acts is the story of the disciples of Jesus being a witness of him. Telling others of what they have seen and heard in the life and ministry of Jesus. We have seen them constantly talk about the life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the church exploded.

It went from a hundred (or so) followers of Jesus, to this movement, a thousand miles away! And all because the apostles were simply opening their mouths and telling others of Jesus. Being his witness. The call of the book of Acts, for us comes from the lips of Jesus. He is calling us, “Be My Witness.” To speak about him. Tell others of what you have seen and known and experienced of him. The push of our text this morning is simply this, “Don’t stop.” “Keep on going.” Or, to use the phrase from our text, “Go on Speaking.”

Be like the energizer bunny. Never stop speaking of Jesus. Never stop praying for those who don’t know Christ.

I love the story of George Mueller praying for his friends. Mueller was converted in 1825 at the age of 20. When he was 39, he began praying for five of his friends. Listen to what he wrote in his diary.

In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without a single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land, on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be.

Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God for the second, and prayed on for the other three.

Day by day, I continued to pray for them, and six years passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three, and went on praying for the other two. These two remained unconverted.

Thirty-six years later he wrote that the other two, were still not converted. He wrote, “But I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. They are not converted yet, but they will be.” Mueller prayed for these men right up to his death in 1898. That’s fifty-two years that he prayed for his friends to be saved. It was only after he died, that the final two men were converted to Christ.^[2]

The endurance of George Mueller to pray is a similar call of our text this morning to endure in speaking with others. This is the heart of the call of Jesus upon our lives, “Be My Witnesses.” Not just today or tomorrow. Not just next week or next month. Not just next year. But for all of your lives. I want to encourage you all this morning, to “Go On Speaking.” This is what Paul did in Corinth.

Our text begins in Acts 18, verse 1, with these words, "After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth." Let’s just stop there. Remember, Paul was alone, he had left Silas and Timothy in Berea to continue to minister to the believers in that city (and in Thessalonica). He came into Corinth all alone.

We know a lot about Corinth. We know a lot about the church in Corinth. In fact, we probably know more about the church in Corinth than we do any other church, simply because Paul wrote two long letter to the church in Corinth, called 1 and 2 Corinthians. When you measure up those books in length, along with what we have here in Acts, the church in Corinth takes up about 8% of the New Testament. That’s a lot.

It’s only fitting, as Corinth was a key city in the ancient world. In fact, it was Corinth, not Athens, that was the capital city of Achaia. If Athens was known for being the intellectual hub of the ancient world, Corinth was known for being the commercial hub of the ancient world. Geographically, it sat on an Isthmus, that is, a skinny piece of land between two bodies of water, the Gulf of Corinth (to the west) and the Saronic Gulf (to the east). It’s only four miles across. In 1893, construction of the Corinth Canal was completed.

Being on this Isthmus was very strategic for trade. There were ports on either side of the Isthmus. If you know anything about port cities, you know that they are hubs for immorality. as sailors come in and sailors go. And, as sailors came from both the east and the west, the immorality of Corinth was particularly vile. In fact, the city “Corinth” was also used as a verb. “To Corinthianize” was to engage in sexual immorality. To this wickedness, Paul would write in 1 Corinthians 5 of the tolerance of the church in these regards. it was not good.

Further, the church in Corinth was divided, looking to celebrity pastors as their boast and joy. some looked to Paul. others looked to Apollos! bragging about their great wisdom and teaching abilities. To this, Paul said, “You are of the flesh” (1 Corinthians 3:3). Those in Corinth were taking each other to court, rather than resolving issues themselves. Those in Corinth were unloving and rude and boastful. In other words, the church in Corinth was just like the church in America. I look forward, someday, to working through 1 and 2 Corinthians, as they are so applicable to us and our times. I digress.

Anyway, Paul enters Corinth alone. We pick up our text again at verse 2 with some people that Paul meets.

Acts 18:2-17
And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

My first point this morning is this: go on speaking, ...

1. On Weekends (verses 1-4)

This is what we see Paul doing when he first came into Corinth. Look at verse 4, ...

Acts 18:4
He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

The “Sabbath” is Saturday, it’s the day that the Jews met for worship. it was the religious day. it was the most strategic day for Paul to preach to others. Every Sabbath found him in the synagogue, he was speaking to those who had assembled, both Jews and Greeks.

He was trying to “persuade” them. That is, he was trying to persuade them to believe in Jesus. Being in and around the synagogue, certainly, he was talking with them about the Scriptures, and how Jesus was the fulfillment of the Scriptures. how Jesus was the Christ. He suffered and died as was prophesied of the Messiah. He did this for our sins.

We know that this was his message. Later, he would write to those in Corinth, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to [many alive and well to more than 500 people!]" (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).

Further, we know from 1 Corinthians 2:2 that this was his only message, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified This was his message: Christ crucified for our sins!" This is the message that he sought to spread "On Weekends." He did this every Sabbath.

The reason why Paul didn’t do this during the week is that he was a working man. He simply didn’t have the time and capacity to preach any more than on the Sabbath. We find out in verse 2 and 3 how he was employed.

Acts 18:2-3
And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

He was employed as a “tentmaker.” This was his trade. The disciples were fishermen. Jesus was a carpenter. Paul was a tentmaker. Paul made tents. More broadly, Paul worked with leather. He linked up with two Jews, Aquila and Priscilla, who also were tentmakers. This married couple will play a prominent role in the book of Acts as we continue on.

We read in verse 2 that they were exiled from Rome by decree of Claudius. This event gives us opportunity to date the time when these things were happening. We know from extra-Biblical literature, that this decree took place in A.D. 49. We are told that Claudius “expelled the Jews because they were continually rioting at the instigation of Chrestus.”^[3] Most scholars believe that this was a reference to “Christ” which Claudius, not being religious at all, had no understanding what was really happening. All he knew was that there were these continual riots because of “Chrestus.” It was probably Christians bringing the gospel to Rome, bringing the message of Jesus into the synagogue, which was causing all sorts of problems. So Claudius commanded the Jews to leave, for the sake of the peace of the city. Thus, these events of Acts 18 took place after A.D. 49.

Anyway, Paul linked up with Priscilla and Aquila, and made tents with them during the week. But during the weekends, he was in the synagogue.

I hope that you all find this as an encouragement. For as much energy and zeal and passion that Paul had, he couldn’t be in the synagogue every day. He had to work. You all are in much the same situation. You can’t be out every day, speaking to others about Jesus. You need to work. You need to provide for your family. Whether that’s in the workplace or whether that’s at home. We all have lives that we need to support. We can’t be out speaking to everybody all the time. God understands.

Now, in verse 5, things change. We read,

Acts 18:5
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

In other words, when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, they picked up his financial support. So, Paul was freed up to preach to others every day. This is my second point, “Go on Speaking” ...

2. All Week Long (verses 5-8)

This is what Silas and Timothy enabled Paul to do. He was able to be fully “occupied with the word.” This means that he was able to speak with others “all week long” about Jesus.

Now, it was important for Paul not to take an income from those in Corinth. Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul would speak about how he could have received money from the Corinthians to whom he was preaching. “Those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). But Paul chose not to take any money from those in Corinth. He didn’t because he wanted the gospel to come freely to those in Corinth. Because the gospel is free.

The costs us nothing to be made right with God. We don’t need to give to the church. We don’t need to give to the preacher. We don’t need to pray so many prayers. We don’t need to do so many religious deeds. We don’t need to light candles, or chant specific words, or sing specific songs. We simply need to come to God, arms stretched out wide, pleading for his mercy to us.

"For you, O LORD, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you" (Psalm 86:5). You simply need to call upon the LORD. He will abound in his steadfast love to you, forgiving all of your iniquity (Psalm 103:3). That’s the point of the message of the Messiah that Paul proclaimed!

Notice again, what verse 5 tells us about the message Paul proclaimed:

Acts 18:5
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

We have seen this before. This is the message that he preached in Thessalonica. Paul was "explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” (Acts 17:3). This is the message of the gospel. The Messiah was to suffer and rise from the dead. and Jesus did that very thing! He suffered and died for our sins. He was raised from the dead and conquered the grave. This is what we need to speak to others “All Week Long.”

Now, it seems as if preaching every day with the people stirred up some persecution.

Acts 18:6
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

This was a regular occurrence for Paul. He often faced opposition. He was often reviled. You name a city where Paul went, he was probably reviled.

Psidian Anioch? Check! "When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him" (Acts 13:45).

Iconium? Check! "An attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone [Paul]" (Acts 14:5).

Lystra? Check! "Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead" (Acts 14:19).

Philippi? Check! "The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison" (Acts 16:22-23).

Thessalonica? Check! "The Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd" (Acts 17:5).

Here in Corinth, Paul took off his garments and shook them out in protest against them (verse 6). This was similar to the practice of many Jews, upon leaving Gentile lands, they would shake the dust off of their feet. Here, Paul took off his garments, signaling to the Jews that he views them as dirty Gentiles. and he doesn’t want any of their dust.

But amidst the persecution, many came to faith.

Acts 18:7-8
And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

What a revival! The neighbors near the synagogue were coming to Christ! The ruler of the synagogue “believed in the Lord!” “Many of the Corinthians believed!” Many of those in Corinth were baptized. Again, I simply point out the Biblical pattern. When people believe in the Lord, they are baptized. It’s never the other way around in the book of Acts. Nowhere do we see anyone in the Bible baptized, and then they believe. It’s always belief, then baptism. Have you been baptized after believing? I’m hoping that we will have another baptism service sometime this summer, for those who have believed in Jesus, but haven’t yet professed their faith in the waters of baptism.

Anyway, there was this great revival in Corinth, in the midst of persecution, This is often what God does in persecution. He grows the church! Never fear when opposition comes against the church. God will always use it to further his kingdom. But notice how it came. It came when Paul was speaking "All Week Long" to those in Corinth. But Paul didn’t stop speaking. We kept going and going and going and going, like the energizer bunny.

Now, normally, in the course of Paul’s ministry. When the persecution came, he normally left the city and fled to the next place. I think that he was ready to do that, until he received a vision in the night. This vision compelled him to stay in Corinth. This is what he did. He stayed as he trusted God's protection upon his life. This is my third point:

3. Trusting God’s Protection (verses 9-17)

Acts 18:9-11
And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Here is where I get the title of my message this morning, “Go on speaking.” This is our application this morning. Go on being a witness for Jesus. I love the two other phrases surrounding this one. “Do not be afraid.” “Do not be silent.”

The fact is, Paul was afraid when speaking in Corinth. He wrote, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, ... I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:1-3). I find this so helpful in speaking with others about Jesus. If Paul was afraid of speaking with others, and if Paul was trembling before others, it’s OK for me to be fearful. it’s OK for you all to be fearful.

Further, if Paul had to be exhorted not to be silent, not to clam up in the persecution that came, it’s OK for me have those feelings and desires as well. it’s OK for you to think that it’s easier, simply not to say anything. Yet, the command still comes, amidst your fear, amidst your desire to stay quiet, “Keep on Speaking!” To these things God gave a promise:

Acts 18:10
for I am with you,

This echoes the words of Jesus in the great commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

This promise is for you too. Jesus is with us. Don’t ever think that your witnessing is a solo job. Jesus is there with you, to help you, to encourage you, to strengthen you. In fact, Paul knew this very well. When he wrote to the Corinthians, telling them of his own labors, he was quick to tell of God’s presence in his life. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

This is the secret to all Christian evangelism and all Christian living. Yes, we work hard to follow after the Lord and seek him in obedience. But at the end of the day, we realize that it is the grace God who is working in us.

This is the only way that you will “Go On Speaking,” if the grace of Christ is with you. This is the importance of prayer in speaking with others about Jesus. Verse 10 has another promise:

Acts 18:10
and no one will attack you to harm you.

Now, this promise hasn’t come to you, personally. Yet, I think it’s quite true for you and for me. If you “Go On Speaking” about Jesus, no one will attack you to harm you. (For those in other lands, this is not the case. But for us, this is probably the case.) No one will attack you to harm you. Sure, you may face some ridicule, or loss of reputation. But, in our day and age, no one will attack you to harm you. So “Go On Speaking!” Don’t fear! Don’t be silent! No one will hurt you.

Now, I love the reason why the Lord made these promises to Paul. This is the gem of the text. He says in verse 10, ...

Acts 18:10
for I have many in this city who are my people.

In other words, Paul had many people in Corinth, chosen from the foundation of the world to believe in Christ. But they hadn’t yet heard. God was going to sustain Paul, so that the gospel might come to these people, that they might believe!

I love what John Stott says about this verse, “The expression is reminiscent of the Good Shepherd’s statement that he had ‘other sheep not of this sheep pen (Israel), i.e. Gentiles. They had not yet believe in him, but they would do so, because already according to his purpose they belonged to him. This conviction is the greatest of all encouragements to an evangelist.”^[4]

Indeed, this is true. Verse 10 is the hope of the evangelist: “I have many people in this city.” Wherever you go, whenever you speak, this is your hope, that God has many people where you are going.

Such a trust in God's working has implications about how you speak. Paul said to those in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 1:26-29
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

None of us can boast that we were smart enough to figure it all out. Nor can any preacher claim how winsome and wise he was to convince people to come to faith in Jesus. Nobody can claim that they knew exactly what they knew needed to be said to persuade a heart to believe in Jesus. No one can boast about that before the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”:

This is our hope: that God has his people. We throw stammering words at them with sweaty palms in nervousness and we speak in fear. We feel weak and inadequate. Yet, God still works in it all.

This is the hope of anyone who speaks to unbelievers about Jesus: that God has his people. So when you go into a place where there are a load of unbelievers, hope and pray that God has his people there. Pray that your speech would filter into the hearts and lives of those who hear you. Paul continues,

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

It’s because God doesn’t choose the mighty or the powerful or the strong or noble or wise of this world. He chooses the weak and the low and despised in this world to give him all the glory (1 Corinthians 1:18-31). Your message may not come with great wisdom and insight and tact and strategy. But if it lands on one of God’s people, on good soil, it will bear fruit in belief.

Verse 11, then, is easy to understand.

Acts 18:11
And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

He remained in Corinth, bringing the gospel to God’s people, who were in the city.

Finally, we need to run through verses 12-17. They are the example of God’s protection.

Acts 18:12
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal,

At first glance, that might sound troubling. After all, the Lord had promised Paul that no one would attack him to harm him. And yet, here he is being attacked. But the key point is this: they attacked him, but they did not harm him. God kept His word.

They brought Paul before a secular tribunal and accused him,

Acts 18:13
saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”

Remember, Paul was preaching that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, that Jesus is the Messiah. The Jews rejected that claim and insisted that worshiping Jesus contradicted the law. In their view, Paul was promoting something illegal and dangerous.

Verse 14 tells us that Paul was about to defend himself. But before he could speak, God intervened. In effect, God said, “There’s no need for you to defend yourself. I will protect you during this time of persecution. I promised that no one would attack you to harm you, and I will keep that promise.”

Acts 18:14-16
Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal.

In other words, if Paul were guilty of some real crime, Gallio would have taken the case seriously. But he goes on to say that since the dispute was about questions of words and names and their own law, they should see to it themselves. He refused to be a judge in such matters.

Here we have a secular ruler essentially saying, “You’re arguing about religious issues and interpretations of Scripture. That’s your problem, not mine.” In many ways, this sounds very much like our society today, where secular authorities often say, “That’s religion. Deal with it yourselves.”

Then we come to verse 17, which I think has a surprising amount of humor in it.

Acts 18:17
And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

It’s almost like a child playing the game, “I don’t see it, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sosthenes is getting beaten right in front of him, and Gallio simply ignores it. He wants nothing to do with the dispute. And through it all, Paul is protected. No one attacks him to harm him. Not a single hair on his head perishes. God’s promise stands firm.

Paul remains in Corinth without trouble, and after about eighteen months, it becomes time for him to move on. Verse 18 tells us that Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. We’ll pick that up next time as we look at the conclusion of his second missionary journey.

But before we move on, I want to encourage you to see the big picture. The Lord had commanded Paul to go on speaking, and that is exactly what we see happening here in Corinth. God did a great work in that city, and he faithfully protected his servant as the gospel went forward.

May God give us boldness to keep on speaking.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on May 1, 2022 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energizer_Bunny.
 
[2] https://www.georgemuller.org/devotional/george-muller-persistent-prayer-for-5-individuals.

[3] Suetonius Claudius 25.4 as quoted by Simon Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary, Acts (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990), 649. An English translation of the original source can be found here: https://droitromain.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/Anglica/Suetonius5_engl.gr.htm.

[4] John Stott, The Message of Acts (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 298.