Acts 18:23-20:38 (1, 2 Corinthians)

Out of the Comfort Zone

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had a talent or a skill, and you thought you were pretty good—until you ran into somebody who was actually really good? In that moment, you realize you aren’t nearly as good as you thought you were. You realize you have to take it to the next level, and you start wondering if you actually have what it takes.

A couple of weeks ago, I went back to my old alma mater, Clovis West High School, to speak to their football team. It was one of those pregame speeches where you want to get them fired up—the kind of speech where you almost want to rip your shirt off and scream, “Yeah! Let’s go get ’em!” I kept my shirt on, but being there reminded me of what it felt like to be in that era of my life. Back then, I felt like a big fish in a relatively small pond. I was a big boy, I played pretty good high school football, and I was convinced I was going to get a major scholarship. I ended up receiving about a hundred letters from universities, none of which meant a whole lot because when it came right down to it, only one school gave me an offer: Fresno State.

All those years as a kid, I had sat on the grassy berm by the end zones before they filled them in, wearing my Dry Creek Elementary jersey, looking at those college players and thinking, Man, these guys are monsters. Maybe one day. When I finally got the scholarship, I thought I was a pretty big deal—until I showed up for rookie camp on my eighteenth birthday, August 5. I was walking down the street by the dorms, fresh out of wrestling season, weighing about 210 pounds and planning to play defensive line. I looked up at this guy walking toward me. He was 6’4“ and probably 240 pounds of solid muscle. I tried to puff my chest out, look as swole as possible, and said, “Hey man, what position do you play?” He looked down at me and said, “I’m a quarterback.” I thought to myself, If that’s the quarterback, I’m going to get killed out here. And sure enough, I got handed my lunch. You think you’re good until your skills are truly tested at the next level.

What is fascinating as we read through the Book of Acts is that the gospel is now breaking out of what was comfortable and familiar. The message of Jesus is moving out of Jerusalem, out of its traditional religious context, and stepping directly into the darkness of the pagan Roman world. Everyone who heard about Jesus was wondering: Can this message compete with the philosophy of our day? Can it compete with the academic standards of Ephesus or the intellectual philosophies of Athens? Can the simplicity and purity of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior of the world have any relevance in the Roman Empire? We are about to find out.

Finding Footing in Corinth

The gospel moved from Jerusalem into modern-day Turkey and then jumped across the water into modern-day Greece, producing tremendous fruit. On that second missionary journey, Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians about living with the end in mind. As Paul traveled through Macedonia, he visited Philippi, where ministry started with an unimpressive prayer meeting of about ten people. He went to Thessalonica and got run out of town. He went to Athens, where the philosophers were merely politely amused by his message about the “unknown God.” Paul left those three cities and arrived in Corinth feeling battered, wondering, Can this gospel really change the hearts of people in these massive cultural centers?

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that when he arrived in Corinth, he came in weakness, fear, and much trembling. There was no parade for him, no confetti. Nobody knew who he was, and nobody cared. But then, in Acts 18, the tide began to turn.

Acts 18:8 (NASB)

Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, came to faith in Christ along with his entire household. For the first time on this leg of the journey, Paul experienced significant encouragement. Remember, on his first missionary journey, he was stoned and left for dead. On this second journey, he felt like he had three strikes against him. He was in Corinth licking his wounds. Then Crispus gets saved, and the Lord Jesus gives Paul a direct revelation.

Acts 18:9-10 (NASB)

And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid [any longer], but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.’

When the Lord tells you, “Do not be afraid,” what does that tell you about how you were feeling right before He said it? Isn’t it encouraging to know that even the bulldog Apostle Paul needed the Lord to tell him not to be afraid? Jesus told him, “Quit throwing a pity party, Paul. Get up and preach the gospel. It will compete at this level. Stop being insecure; get out there and see what happens.” And Paul went for it.

Acts 18:11 (NASB)

And he settled [there] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Paul stayed in Corinth for eighteen months, and during that time, the city and its people captured his heart. He would later write them two major epistles, displaying a deep and enduring pastoral affection.

Eventually, Paul left Corinth to head back toward his sending base in Antioch. Traveling with him were Priscilla and Aquila, a phenomenal husband-and-wife ministry team and fellow tentmakers. They stopped in Ephesus, where Paul had his hair cut to fulfill a vow—likely a Nazarite vow similar to what we see in the Old Testament—before leaving Priscilla and Aquila there and continuing on to Antioch.

Acts 18:24-28 (NASB)

Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

While in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila met Apollos, an eloquent Alexandrian who was mighty in the Scriptures and fervent in spirit. However, Apollos only knew the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila pulled him aside, explained the way of God more accurately, and sent him on to Corinth, where he became a powerful teacher.

Power and Riots in Ephesus

Paul launched his third missionary journey by traveling through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples, before arriving back in Ephesus.

Acts 19:1-7 (NASB)

It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they [said] to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ And they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they [began] speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about twelve men.

In Ephesus, Paul encountered believers who had not received the Holy Spirit because they had only experienced John’s baptism of repentance and did not know the fullness of Christ’s finished work. Paul baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus, laid hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. Paul remained in Ephesus for over two years, teaching daily, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Acts 19:11-16 (NASB)

God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

During this time, God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Some itinerant Jewish exorcists, including the seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva, attempted to cast out demons by saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” But the evil spirit replied, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” The possessed man overpowered all seven of them, beat them severely, and sent them running out of the house naked and wounded. You cannot counterfeit the power of the living God.

The gospel took such deep root in Ephesus that people began burning their occult magic books and turning away from idol worship. This created an economic crisis for a silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines for the goddess Artemis. Seeing his profits plummet, Demetrius gathered the craftsmen and stirred up the entire city into a massive riot. They dragged Paul’s companions into the theater, and for two full hours, the mob chanted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

Acts 19:30 (NASB)

And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him.

Paul wanted to walk right into that hostile mob of thousands to preach Jesus, but the disciples and local officials refused to let him. That is who Paul was. Can the gospel compete in a pagan world? Absolutely—especially through people who are completely fearless for the name of Christ.

Confronting Compromise: First Corinthians

While Paul was ministering in Ephesus, his heart remained tethered to the church in Corinth. Hearing reports of trouble, he penned the letter we know as 1 Corinthians. Corinth was the Las Vegas of the ancient world. Atop the acropolis stood the temple of Aphrodite, home to thousands of temple priestesses who engaged in ritual prostitution. To be called a “Corinthian” in antiquity was a slur meaning you were sexually immoral and debauched. Yet right in the middle of that darkness, a church was born.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul systematically addresses three main sources of information: reports from Chloe’s household, a delegation bringing troubling news, and a letter of questions sent by the church itself.

In chapters 1 through 4, Paul deals with petty divisions. The believers were forming cliques around their favorite teachers: “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas.” Paul had to remind them that Christ is not divided and that human communicators are merely servants through whom they believed.

In chapters 5 and 6, things get messy. A man in the church was living in incest with his father’s wife, and instead of mourning and exercising church discipline, the congregation boasted of their tolerance. Paul rebukes them sharply, demanding they remove the unrepentant man from their fellowship. He then confronts them in chapter 6 for taking each other to secular, pagan courts over personal disputes, telling them it is a total defeat for the gospel when Christians cannot settle matters among themselves under the lordship of Christ. He finishes chapter 6 with a direct command regarding Christian freedom and sexuality.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NASB)

Flee immorality. Every [other] sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Starting in chapter 7, Paul answers their specific questions: marriage, divorce, and remarriage in chapter 7; Christian liberty and laying down rights for the sake of weaker brothers in chapter 8; proper order in public worship and stopping the drunken abuses at the Lord’s Table in chapter 11; spiritual gifts and the supreme priority of love in chapters 12 through 14; the essential truth of Christ’s bodily resurrection in chapter 15; and instructions on generous giving and future travel plans in chapter 16.

Ministry and Suffering: Second Corinthians

After the riot in Ephesus subsided, Paul traveled back through Macedonia, visiting Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. From there, he wrote 2 Corinthians. While 1 Corinthians is structured, logical, and systematic, 2 Corinthians reads like an open personal journal. It is raw, emotional, and deeply pastoral.

Paul defends the integrity of his apostolic ministry against false teachers who were trying to seduce the church. In chapters 4 and 5, he speaks about the nature of gospel ministry and perseverance in suffering. Even though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NASB)

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

That is the heart of the Christian life: we no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf.

In chapters 8 and 9, Paul gives profound instruction on Christian stewardship and generosity. He describes how the Macedonian churches gave out of their extreme poverty with overflowing joy. He emphasizes the need for total financial integrity, using trusted leaders to handle funds with full accountability. He reminds them of the spiritual principle of giving.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NASB)

Now this [I say], he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one [must do] just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

When Paul’s opponents questioned his credentials, he did not point to his resume, his eloquence, or his titles. He pointed to his scars.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NASB)

Are they servants of Christ?– I speak as if insane– I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine [lashes]. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. [I have been] on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from [my] countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; [I have been] in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from [such] external things, there is the daily pressure on me [of] concern for all the churches.

Five times whipped, three times beaten with rods, once stoned, three times shipwrecked, constantly in danger, sleepless, hungry, cold, and carrying daily anxiety for all the churches. That is what genuine commitment to Jesus looks like. In chapter 12, Paul mentions being caught up to the third heaven, but explains that God gave him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to keep him from becoming conceited. God’s answer to his prayers for removal was clear: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Living Morally in an Amoral World

When you step back and look at both 1 and 2 Corinthians, you see a pastor pouring out his soul for a church living in a sex-saturated, idol-worshiping, amoral culture. The tragedy of Corinth was not that the church was failing to influence the culture; it was that the culture was completely infiltrating the church.

When I study Corinth, I feel like I am studying our own culture today. The Corinthian believers struggled with unchecked tolerance and distorted grace. They had discarded moral boundaries under the guise of being progressive and accepting. People said, “I’m under grace, I was born this way, don’t judge me,” while continuing to indulge in blatant sin. And the church responded by patting them on the back and saying, “We accept everybody here.”

It sounds identical to modern Christianity. When holiness, obedience, and righteous living are treated as outdated relics, and tolerance is elevated as the supreme virtue, we have lost our way. People say, “I know what the Bible says about purity, but everyone is doing it.” Or, “I know what the Bible says about marriage, but I’m just not happy anymore, and God wants me to be happy.” Where does Scripture ever promise that God’s primary goal is your temporal happiness? God calls us to be holy, faithful, obedient, and humble.

We live in Corinth. How do we live morally in an amoral world? We return to the Word of God. When the Book speaks, we obey—even when it hurts, even when it costs us friendships, even when society calls us old-fashioned, intolerant, or crazy. I would rather be considered crazy by the world and walk faithfully with Jesus than be celebrated by culture while walking in disobedience.

Paul tells us that we are called to be the aroma of Christ in every place. When people interact with your life, your marriage, your integrity, and your choices, what do they smell? Do they encounter the fragrance of Christ, or the stench of cultural compromise?

If you find yourself living in compromise today, repent. Turn back to the Savior who came to seek and save the lost. Confess your sin to Him, because He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Submit your whole life to King Jesus, and let us stand firm together as His holy people in this generation.

Prayer

Father, show us today how to pursue You with undivided hearts. Teach us to live rightly before You, not for our own glory, but for Yours. Give us the courage to live morally in an amoral world through the power of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. May our lives be a pleasing aroma of Your grace and truth. We commit ourselves to You afresh today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.