Text: Acts 18 : 1-17

I. The city of Corinth

-A port city in the Mediterranean Sea.
-Known throughout the Roman Empire for its immorality.

II. Paul’s labor (Acts 18:1-8)

A. Paul’s trade.
1. Paul lived with Aquila and Priscilla (Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19).
2. Paul worked as a tentmaker (Acts 20:33-35;
1 Thes. 2:9).
B. Paul’s preaching.
1. Paul ministered to Jews in the synagogue.
2. Paul ministered to Jews and Gentiles in the house of Justus (Matt. 22:1-10; Acts 13:46-47).

III. God encourages Paul (Acts 18:9-11)

A. God’s command for Paul.
1. Fear not (Isa. 41:10; Heb. 13:6; 1 John 4:18).
2. Speak (1 Cor. 9:16).
B. God’s comfort for Paul.
1. He is with Paul (Jer. 1:19; Matt. 28:18-20).
2. He will protect Paul from physical harm.
3. He has many people in Corinth (Rom. 8:28-30;
Eph. 1:3-14).

IV. Legal persecution (Acts 18:12-17)

A. The Jews bring Paul to be judged by Gallio.
B. Gallio sees the matter between Paul and the Jews as an
internal matter and refuses to get involved.
C. Sosthenes, a friend of Paul (1 Cor. 1:1), is beaten.

V. The church of Corinth.

A. Good qualities:
-They asked questions when they were unsure
(1 Cor. 7:1).
-They were repentant (2 Cor. 7:8-12).
B. Bad qualities:
-They were divisive (1 Cor. 1:10-13; 11:17-19).
-They were immoral (1 Cor. 5:1-5).
-They were selfish (1 Cor. 11:17-22).
-They were proud (1 Cor. 12:20-26).
C. Most important quality:
-They belonged to God (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 13:11).

Today’s Key Insight! If you were to share a key insight from today’s sermon with a friend, what would you say?

Today’s Lunch Discussion: Do you see labor as a gift from God? Do you see the value of both manual labor and spiritual labor? How would you rate yourself as a “watchman”? What things make you afraid? In what ways do you usually need the most encouragement?