Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Have you ever found yourself in a period of your life when you felt you had both the time and liberty to finally pursue something you had long desired? Perhaps it was an anticipated but not well-planned period of vacation, or a sabbatical, or maybe it was your first few weeks of retirement.
In our ongoing journey with the apostle Paul, we’re in the year 51ad, and Paul is in the great city of Corinth. Yesterday we looked at a remarkable event recorded for us in Acts 18:12-17. The result of that event provided Paul with a season of time where he had perhaps the greatest degree of freedom, to proclaim the Gospel in a major city, that he’d ever experienced. Knowing Paul as you do, what do you suppose he did with that new found freedom? We only have one, brief statement in Scripture: “Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time.” (Acts 19:1)
Ancient Corinth was an amazing city! Its unusual geographical location provided an excellent port serving ships from almost everywhere in the world. Ships bring crew looking for action and entertainment, need I say more? Corinth, even in 50ad, might have been like many major cities today, referred to as a ‘city that never sleeps’. Corinth was also a city of education and business, the arts and great architecture, and a wide array of religions with temples and shrines. Corinth was a bustling, busy, big, active place, just the kind of place Paul loved. Paul had a passion to make known the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and watch the power of the Gospel change lives, especially in cities where the Gospel was previously unknown.
While our Bible makes no mention of this great city and the Greek region of the world BEFORE the arrival of the apostle Paul, we must understand recorded history traces notable events and recognizable historical names in Greece going back several millennia. This great city of ancient Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146bc. But then 100 years later rebuilt again by Julius Caesar in 44bc. By the time of Paul’s arrival here on his second missionary journey, Paul found Corinth to be a city ready to hear about Jesus!
The event we reviewed yesterday, and newly arrived Roman proconsul Gallio’s decision to not involve himself in religious disputes, paved the way for Paul to have a remarkable season of freedom and effective ministry during the 18 months he lived in Corinth. (Acts 18:11)
While a great theologian, Paul was also a very practical man. As he was putting down some roots in Corinth, Paul needed a roof over his head, food on his table, and occasionally new sandals, because his feet covered thousands of miles, one step at a time. In Corinth, Paul had met Aquila and Priscilla, and he joined them in their tent making business to provide for himself financially. (Acts 18:1-3)
I think it’s safe for us to assume Paul, and Silas who had joined him, were making every effort to maximize these months in Corinth teaching the truths of Jesus to any and all who would hear them. Especially since Paul had been assured through a vision, that God would protect him and that the Holy Spirit was stirring a spiritual hunger in the hearts of many people whom Paul would find wide open to his teachings. (Acts 18:9,10) I wonder how this compares to the spiritual hunger and freedom from opposition the Christians in your city are experiencing in 2023?
Paul, you may recall, had sent Timothy to Thessalonica with the first letter Paul had written to them. After several weeks, maybe even months, Timothy returned to Corinth, from Thessalonica, with a fresh report for Paul. It’s not difficult for me to imagine Paul and Silas sitting and listening intently as Timothy gave his report. Stopping him often with questions, asking about specific people they remembered in Thessalonica, pressing Timothy to explain WHY certain things were happening, can you see it? I’m sure it was far more than one long conversation. I imagine it was a nightly dinner and late into the night ‘debriefing’ session. I can even imagine all through the day, as Paul worked on tents or walked around Corinth meeting with people, Paul was thinking of more questions for Timothy.
Finally, the Spirit of God was stirring so deeply in Paul it became evident a second letter, to the Thessalonians from Paul, was immediately needed, addressing the things Timothy had seen. It’s a powerful, short letter, dealing with some issues which are very relevant to our day, so let’s spend the next several days listening as Paul writes his sequel letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, and let’s see how it pertains to your city and mine.
Paul begins this second letter by making sure they know who this letter is from and to whom it is written: “Paul, Silas and Timothy; To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess. 1:1) That doesn’t leave any ambiguity, does it? These are exactly the same words with which Paul opened his first letter. If Paul was the writer, why would Paul add Silas and Timothy as senders of this letter? The Holy Spirit wanted the Thessalonian Christians to understand that the information they would read originates from God,but is NOT communicated on earth by only one voice, Paul, rather the Thessalonians are hearing from a team of missionaries who brought them the Gospel. It’s a picture of the reality that the communication of the Gospel of Jesus is NOT restricted ONLY to Seminary trained, ordained, credentialed, certified men with lots of earned theological degrees.
The Gospel of Jesus is available to be EXPERIENCED by anyone who is willing to recognize their need for a Savior and trust Jesus Christ to be their Savior! The Gospel of Jesus is available to be PROCLAIMED by anyone who has experienced the life transforming work of the Holy Spirit, as He implements the truths of the Gospel into their life. That excites me, what about you?
I love traveling to remote places of the world so I can spend time with people who are very different from me, and who have experienced the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforming their lives! Usually those people don’t look like me, they don’t speak English, and have never been to America. In many cases they have come to understand things about God and the Gospel that I had not thought about or experienced. That, my friends, is the miracle of the individual, personal, private work of the Holy Spirit in a human being who has trusted Jesus Christ completely to be their Savior and their Lord. I have no doubt I would hear some exciting things from you if you told me the story of the transforming work of the Gospel of Jesus in YOUR life!!
Let’s pause here for today my friends and consider these questions.
1. If you have trusted Jesus Christ to be your Savior, what is the life transforming work the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in you as the Spirit applies the truths of the Gospel to your life? How have those changes prepared you to explain the truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus to someone else?
2. Who are the people God has placed in your network of relationships that, as far as you can discern, have NOT trusted Jesus Christ to be their Savior and therefore they have not experienced the Holy Spirit miracle work of life transformation? What are those people seeing in you that will help them understand the big difference Jesus might make in their life?
Those questions were motivating Paul, Silas and Timothy everyday in Corinth to live as ambassadors of Jesus, watching for any and every opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus and help those who trust Jesus to fully understand the work of God in their transformation. At the same time all three of them wanted to help those in Thessalonica do the same in their city. I wonder how you see this happening where you live and what is your part in this?
Now here’s a song to help us reflect on this my friends…
Today’s Scripture is 2 Thess 1:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.