Application Point:
Believers should continually seek to build relationships
for the purpose of shared ministry.
what did Paul hav in common with Aquila and Priscilla?
1 After this, he left Athens and went to Corinth,
2 where he found 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 came to them,
3 and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade,
he stayed with them and worked.
4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.
Corinth
The largest Greek city in the first century,
Corinth was located near the isthmus that connects southern Greece to the northern mainland,
Corinth also sat between two prime seaports.
Due to its position, Corinth essentially controlled the east-west trade route
between the two ports, as well as traffic on the isthmus between the northern and southern regions of the country.
Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC,
but it was later rebuilt as a Roman colony
and repopulated by Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
Despite the heavy Roman influence, Corinthian Gentiles were devoted to the gods of the Greek pantheon.
The city was home to many shrines, including the temple of Asclepius,
the god of healing.
The buildings around the temple served as a hospital of sorts,
and patients would leave clay replicas of body parts that had been treated there.
Corinth’s most prominent temple was dedicated to Aphrodite.
Scholars believe the temple was home to at least a thousand cultic prostitutes,
highlighting Corinth’s fascination with sexual immorality.
Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers or, possibly, leather workers.
Since this was also Paul’s trade, “he stayed with them and worked” with them.
Paul practiced a trade so he would not have to rely solely on the financial support of others.
Aquila and Priscilla were a Jewish married couple.
Originally from the area of Pontus in northern Asia Minor (modern Turkey),
they moved to Rome at some point.
This may have been where they heard the gospel and became believers.
However, it is also possible that they accepted Christ
after meeting Paul in the city of Corinth.
They were among the Jews who were expelled from Rome
by Emperor Claudius around AD 49.
Claudius was suspicious of the Jews
and believed they were determined to cause civil unrest.
When a group of devout Jews began persecuting Jewish Christians,
Claudius used the ensuing riot as an excuse
to ban all Jews from the city.
Aquila and Priscilla moved to the city of Corinth (Acts 18:2).
During their stay, they met the apostle Paul.
Since all three were tentmakers by trade, Paul lived and worked
with Aquila and Priscilla during his time in the city.
These tents may have been leather canvases
used by the Roman army
or linen coverings that merchants would use to cover
their booths in the marketplace.
In addition to providing for their physical needs,
Paul used the money he earned to support his missionary work.
read and reflect silently on Acts 18:1-4.
spend a moment praying this Scripture
Thank God for fellow believers who support your ministry-even as you support them.
Ask Him to show you how you can use your vocation to make a difference for God’s kingdom.
Paul usually started in a city’s synagogues.
But he never ignored chances to minister to Gentiles, as well as Jews.