Paul arrives in the ancient city of Corinth, the most important trade city of ancient Greece. From the non-Christian standpoint Corinth had everything: shipping ports, Aphrodite (pagan goddess of fertility), alcohol, legalized religious prostitution, gambling, unbridled hedonism. It had pottery, bronze works, and shipbuilding yards. From the Christian standpoint, Corinth lacked the only true God and His righteousness. To resolve this, God not only sent Paul to Corinth with the gospel of Jesus Christ, but God had many people there just waiting to be saved and they did not yet know it. This made what lay ahead of Paul, worth the troubles.
The Religious Wrong
Having been invited to share what he believes, Paul proceeded to do so with both respect and logic to this group of men who prided themselves on logic and religion. With all their idols they demonstrated that they were very religious and very wrong about their religion. Paul pointed out that God the Creator was not a lifeless idol, and though unknown to them He was ready to be known. By the time this was over some laughed at Paul, others said “maybe later,” and a few believed. Paul got out of Athens, they were too intelligent to learn the truth about God.
Skilled Unbelievers
Hostile unbelievers chased Paul from one city to the next with violent intentions. Paul escaped them in Berea by boarding a ship to Athens. Upon arrival his soul was deeply disturbed by how much idolatry had engulfed the city. Preaching in the synagogues apparently got nowhere. So he engaged Gentiles wherever he could, finally gaining audience with the Intelligentsia of the city, but these men were skilled in debate and unbelief, reasoning about God was the very thing Paul would discover that they were not interested in.
Skilled Christians
The apostle Paul, as were the other apostles, skilled in their calling as Christians, not because of natural ability or even the work of the Holy Spirit alone. They had to apply themselves to avail themselves of the Lord’s investments in them. Paul used his developed skills in this city of Thessalonica so successfully that Satan mustered anti-missionaries to hunt for him but he was a moving target and headed elsewhere to preach Christ.
What Hell Feared
Having been beaten with canes and locked in a jail, Paul and Silas, likely unable to sleep because of their wounds, began praying then singing to the Lord. Satan could not silence their joy. What Hell feared was that these two men would continue to make converts and cast out demons in Philippi. But beating and jailing them did not work, they continued to reach lost souls. This is what Hell feared, and the two men converted their jailor and his household, baptizing them and leaving the city with a healthy church in Philippi.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- …
- 103
- Next Page »