Application Point:
Partnerships with other believers provide a solid foundation for ministry.
how did God guide and encourage Paul?
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia,
Paul devoted himself to preaching the word and testified to the Jews
that Jesus is the Messiah.
6 When they resisted and blasphemed,
he shook out his clothes and told them,
“Your blood is on your own heads!
I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus,
a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord,
along with his whole household.
Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision,
“Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent.
10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you,
because I have many people in this city.”
11 He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them.
Silas and Timothy’s arrival changed Paul’s approach to ministering in Corinth.
Paul had been on his own for a while.
After the uproar in Berea (17:10-15),
Paul had left Silas and Timothy there while he went to Athens.
His ministry partners finally caught up with him in Corinth.
Many scholars believe they came with a financial gift from the Macedonian churches
that would allow Paul to reduce his tentmaking and focus more on his primary ministry.
consider the significance of Paul’s leaving the synagogue and moving to a Gentile’s house.
the Jews would have understood Paul’s actions and words as a rebuke.
Discuss the impact that the conversion of the synagogue leader would have on the community.
Note Paul’s vision in verses 9-11.
identify three points of encouragement Jesus gave him.
“Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent.
10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you,
because I have many people in this city.”
Highlight the commands not to fear and to continue preaching, along with a promise of His presence.