The Priorities of the Apostles - and the Cost Acts 18:1-17
At the end of the eighteenth century the city of Cambridge was a miserable place. The roads were full of rubbish, there were no street lights and the moral standards in both the city and university were low. The Wesleyan revival that had spread through the country had largely avoided the city.
A young student, Charles Simeon, who had a very privileged background, went up to King’s College, Cambridge at this time. He had the reputation for being a ‘dandy’, dressing ostentatiously in expensive clothes, but he had little spiritual interest. However it was a college rule that all students had to receive Holy Communion and the Dean sent a note to inform him that this would be expected of him at Easter, three weeks ahead. He made the unusual step of preparing himself for this event and read around the subject avidly. He learned that Communion was based on the Jewish Passover meal, one of the sacrifices in the Old Testament. In these sacrifices an animal symbolically became a substitute for the sins of the people. He read,
“. . . the Jews knew what they did when they transferred their sin to the head of their offering.”
The thought then came to Charles Simeon’s mind,
“What, may I transfer all my guilt to another?”
“Has God provided an offering for me that I may lay my sins on his head? Then, God willing, I will not bear them on my own one moment longer. Accordingly I sought to lay my sins upon the sacred head of Jesus, and on the Wednesday began to have a hope of mercy; on the Thursday that hope increased; on the Friday and Saturday it became more strong; and on the Sunday morning, Easter Day, April 4th, I woke early with these words upon my heart and lips,
“Jesus Christ is risen today! Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”
Charles Simeon was a changed man. His priorities changed. The Lord Jesus now meant more to him than anything else in life. Every day he was his Lord’s servant. He immediately began to share what he was learning. He started a Bible Study group in his rooms to which he invited all he could, including his ‘bed-maker’. In the vacation he started similar groups in his father’s house, meeting both morning and evening with his father’s servants. Even his brother joined this group, although his father never attended. His father did have influential connections that enabled Charles to be ordained into the Church of England in 1782, whilst he was still an undergraduate. He was largely self taught through copious reading and Bible study. He had never been a member of a Bible teaching church, though he became friendly with some non-conformists in Cambridge. Later that same year the vicar of Holy Trinity died and the Bishop, his father’s friend, appointed him as the replacement.
The church members deeply resented the appointment of this young, enthusiastic, gifted and godly clergyman and made life as difficult for him as possible. The church-wardens restricted his admission into the church, locking the gated pews to prevent anyone using them. This ‘old guard’ kept away but quickly the new preacher’s passionate preaching attracted many, both from the university and from the city. These had to stand in the aisles or use makeshift benches that Charles Simeon provided at his own expense. Even these benches were removed by the church-wardens! It took several years for this opposition from the traditionalists to die down.
However this faithful man kept on teaching the Bible despite all the suffering he had to endure. Every Sunday he reasoned in the church, trying to persuade all people about the relevance of Jesus Christ. He behaved like Paul in Corinth.
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 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 Messiah. 6 But when they 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 innocent of it. 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 worshiper of God.8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul 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 in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanour or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever. Acts 18:1-17
The Corinth that Paul came to was even sleazier than Cambridge. It was a major seaport with sailors passing through which provided all the attractions such sailors will pay for. Just outside the city was the temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. It is said that a thousand temple prostitutes, would roam the city at night looking for clients. Corinth was notorious for its immorality.
Paul, as usual headed for such strategic centres but what drove him to do this? Undoubtedly there would have been major social issues in such a city, with poverty and deprivation, yet, like his Lord, he knew that the fundamental problems that needed addressing were the rejection of God and ignorance of the gospel.
1. Proclamation – a Priority
Paul had limited resources and had to work to live. He was a tent-maker by trade and took this up again. It is important to emphasise that this is the usual way God works. The vast majority of God’s workers support themselves in their gospel work. We have jobs to make a living and but also use our time to share the gospel. This has the advantage that Christians are in society and not living on its fringes.
“Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” Acts 18:4
These verbs are so important. Paul didn’t use the heady beat of rhythmic music to soften people up and then use highly emotional rhetoric to induce people to focus on him and so follow whatever he said. No, he reasoned with the people, probably in small groups, trying to persuade them that Jesus was their Messiah.
Paul was convinced that that Jesus was the Messiah, prophesied about in the Jewish Scriptures. He knew that Jesus had performed those extraordinary miracles. He had heard the evidence of those who had travelled with Jesus for three years. Even the Jewish authorities had acknowledged that those miracles really had happened. The Jewish historian, Josephus, had written about those ‘extraordinary works’. Jesus did die by crucifixion, as the Scriptures had foretold, and then he had risen again. His body did not decay when he was put in the tomb, but he had risen on the third day, just as the Scriptures had foretold. Such evidence, together with the content of His teaching proved that Jesus really was God come in the flesh.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, where they had been supporting the young churches, Paul was able to devote himself to full-time Christian work. It is likely that they brought some money with them which freed the gifted Paul for full time ministry. Alternatively Silas and Timothy might have been able to work in order to support Paul. The gospel will never make much headway without Christians finding ways to spread the word that Jesus is God’s Messiah.
Now interest in the gospel was growing. Paul was now preaching in front of larger crowds. He would teach the Scriptures, relate the experiences of those witnesses who had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry and share his own testimony. Nothing changes. Christians have done this ever since those early church times. Note what he was trying to convince the Jews about,
“. . . testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.” Acts 18:5
The Greek word ‘Christ’ means the same as the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’. Both mean ‘God’s chosen king’. One of the joys of our church is to regularly run Christianity Explored groups to help those who are unconvinced about Jesus to investigate His claims and see what He and his apostles taught.
What drove Paul to behave like this? A clue is given in the next verse,
“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.’” Acts 18:6
When Orthodox Jews returned to Jerusalem from a trip abroad, shaking out their clothes was a common ritual, as if foreign soil somehow contaminated them. Paul symbolically rejects these Jews because they have rebelled against the kingdom of God, against their Messiah and were therefore defiled.
The responsibility Paul talks of could refer to the commission Jesus gave to his church,
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them . . ., teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20
This commission to evangelise and teach is for all God’s people, for all time.
The responsibility could also refer to the specific commission Jesus gave to Paul (then Saul) when he had had first met him when he was travelling to persecute Christians in Damascus. Paul told of this encounter at his trial before the Roman Governor Festus. He said that at this encounter he had asked the glorious Lord for his name,
“’I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you back to them to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” Acts 26:15-18
However the specific wording used seems to come from the Old Testament. The Lord had told Ezekiel that when a city was under siege, the watchmen were responsible for warning people of any attack. If he did so then the responsibility to respond lay with the people.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will be saved yourself.” Ezekiel 33:7-9
We became Christians when we recognised the truth of Christ. This choice results in our being given our eternal life. When we have been enrolled into the Kingdom of God we have also been commissioned as watchmen.
We may say,
“I find it so difficult to talk about Jesus or to invite people to come to church or Christian group.”
I went to an all boys school and then to an all male college at university. Then I went down to the London Hospital for clinical training as a doctor. Soon I found myself on a gynaecology firm and had to take histories from ladies about intimate matters. I was out of my depth and so embarrassed. It was so difficult to naturally talk about such matters. But because I had to, as part of my training, I persevered and gradually it became easier. So it is with talking about Jesus. We will not find it easy at first but with help and perseverance it does become easier.
The first time I went as a leader on a children’s summer camp I was allocated to talk to a thirteen year old boy to learn how he was getting on and whether he had understood the gospel. One senior leader advised me how to go about this daunting task. He suggested that one evening I invite the lad to come for a stroll around the beautiful grounds and ask him how he was enjoying camp. He then suggested I move onto the camp talks and then specifically ask about what he thought of the talk about how to become a Christian. I followed this scheme and, although I was embarrassed, the boy seemed surprisingly interested in talking about spiritual matters. I had started.
2. Persecution – a Problem
This passage not only emphasises the importance of proclaiming the gospel, it also keeps referring to the persecution Christians face when they talk about Jesus.
a. The passage begins with the problems Priscilla and Aquila had faced.
“There he (Paul) 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.” Acts 18:2
Some years ago I bought a book by the Roman historian Suetonius, called ‘The Twelve Caesars’. One of the short biographies it contains is about the Roman Emperor Claudius who was the Roman Emperor from 41-54 AD. This contains the following sentence,
“Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus (i.e. Christ), he expelled them from the city.”
It appears that similar riots to those that had happened in Philippi and in Thessalonica had occurred earlier in Rome. All over the empire Jews were trying to disrupt any who were teaching about Jesus Christ. Some authorities consider it likely that it was these problems in Rome that stimulated Paul to write his epistle to the Romans which emphasises that all, Jews and Gentiles alike, have fallen short of God’s standards and need a Saviour.
Although the problems in Rome closed one door, they resulted in other doors being opened in Corinth. Aquila and Priscilla work with Paul and undoubtedly would have learned from him. They are all active in sharing the news about Jesus.
At the end of this chapter in Acts we read that Priscilla and Aquila had moved to Ephesus. There they met the gifted Apollos who was teaching people about Jesus accurately, even though he had not understood that Jesus had completed the work of salvation. Eventually Apollos went to Corinth where he was a great help to the young church, vigorously refuting the Jews from the Scriptures (Acts 18:27-28).
b. Abuse from the religious
It must have been so hurtful for Paul when leaders of his own Jewish people opposed and abused him. But it has been the same since these early times. When reformers such as Martin Luther and Nicholas Ridley tried to bring the medieval church back to apostolic teaching they were abused and persecuted by the religious. It is still the same today. We are also called to emphasise apostolic teaching about the centrality of Scripture, the uniqueness of Jesus, His substitutionary death for our sin and the necessity of being sold out to Him. But those who try to do this risk being ostracised by the religious.
c. The Courts of Law
“The Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him to court.” Acts 18:12
There is great stress whenever a court appearance lies ahead. The time and emotional energy that are spent after charges have been filed and attempts made to refute them are draining. The pending case lingers like a dark cloud. Paul was accused of a form of treason that could potentially be a capital offence,
“’This man,’ they charged, ‘is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” Acts 18:13
Yet, when the case opened, the senior judge, Gallio, decides that there is no case to answer. This meant that Christianity was acquitted of the charge that it was contrary to Roman law. This set a precedent for all the Roman Empire. It was a passport for the gospel.
After his judgment Gallio had the Jews ejected from the court. This sparked off mob violence. Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue was beaten up, but the authorities took no action. The gospel may have freedom but it is not protected. It may be that the Jews were rounding on their leader for giving Paul a platform to speak. It is notable that when Paul writes later to the Corinthian church, the letter starts by saying that it was from Paul and ‘our brother Sosthenes’. It would appear that Sosthenes was the second synagogue ruler to have become a Christian, first there was Crispus and his entire family and now Sosthenes.
The transfer of tithes from the synagogue to the young church will undoubtedly have increased the opposition to the church.
3. Persistence is prescribed
Whatever the problem, it is so encouraging that the Lord Jesus still remains deeply involved in all that happens to his people. It must have been hard for Paul and the young Christians in Corinth to keep facing such abuse and opposition. One night Paul had a vision of the Lord, speaking to him,
“’Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no-one is going to harm you, because I have many people in this city.’” Acts 18:9-10
There are inevitably times when the going is tough. At times Paul ran away from persecution but it was always because he felt this was the best way to advance his Lord’s kingdom. When he did leave a young church he did all he could to ensure that he provided them with someone else to guide them. However, wherever Paul went, he remained faithful and kept sharing the good news with all who would listen. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians later he again emphasised that it was for all Christians to persevere in proclaiming the gospel,
“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18
All who are reconciled have been commissioned.
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
The gospel is the same for all people,
“God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Today, Christians face a similar temptation - to keep quiet about the gospel. We don’t enjoy people being critical of us. We fear people gossiping about us and saying, ‘He’s a Bible basher’ or ‘She talks so much about religion’. Admittedly a few Christians do need to learn to be more sensitive and ensure that any offence is the offence of the gospel and not the offensive way they act. However we must persevere in speaking well for Jesus. We must not be afraid of learning to speak out.
Joshua faced a daunting life ahead when he was told to go and capture the Promised Land. The Lord said to him,
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
This great verse is well worth all Christians learning by heart. The phrase, ‘Do not be afraid’, comes 366 times in the Bible, once for every day of the year including leap years. We do need to be reminded daily that our Lord is intimately concerned that we persevere in living for Him. Our Lord is so encouraging and his support is promised.
“So Paul stayed for a year and a half teaching them the word of God.” Acts 18:11
The Lord had ordered and encouraged him, SO Paul obeyed.
The scholar C.S.Lewis wrote in his book, ‘Mere Christianity’
“Faith . . . is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”
Whatever the pressures, Christians must keep on living with and for the Lord Jesus.
Let us all ensure, as much as possible, that like Paul, we can say,
“I am clear of my responsibility.” Acts 18:6
If one door closes, move elsewhere for Jesus. Paul said to the hardened Jews in Corinth,
“From now on, I go to the Gentiles.” Acts 18:6
Thank God that Paul did, as this opening up of the gospel to all people has meant that you and I have heard the gospel about Jesus. Thank God for those who, throughout the generations, risked much in order to pass the message on.
Proclamation is a priority, Persecution is a problem but Persistence is still prescribed.
BVP
