Opposition in Corinth

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Acts 18:1-17

 

Acts 18:9-10

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

(ESV)

 

When we find something we like and have passion for, it is difficult when we meet someone who opposes what we like.  I happen to like auto racing and have met those who believe it is boring to watch a bunch of cars go in a circle around a track.  My comeback to these individuals is usually that an auto race must be experienced in person to be appreciated.  This is because the sound, the crowd, and the smell of the tires cannot be experienced on TV and are what make the race exciting.  However, there will always be those that do not share my passion for auto racing. 

 

The Apostle Paul had both a passion for the Lord Jesus and his fellow Jews.  This is why he would spend time going to the synagogues in each city he visited and spent time trying to persuade both Jews and Greeks that Jesus was the Christ.  Paul must have been highly persuasive in Corinth for even the ruler of the synagogue and his household believed (Acts 18:8).  Perhaps feeling some anxiety at having the ruler of the synagogue convert to Christianity, the Lord gives Paul a vision where the Lord tells him not to fear and to continue speaking (Acts 18:9). 

 

If Paul was thinking there would be potentially dangerous opposition, he was correct for the Jews made a united attack against Paul, dragging him to the tribunal of Gallio (Acts 18:12).  The hope was that they would be able to convince the tribunal Paul was persuading people to worship God contrary to Roman law (Acts 18:13).  In accordance with the promise made by the Lord, Gallio sees through the scheme of the Jews and determines Paul is not stirring up any insurgency against Roman law but is presenting words and promoting the name of Jesus which is not contrary to Roman law but a theological dispute between Paul and the Jews, something he was not authorized to rule on (Acts 18:14-15).  The Apostle Paul obeyed the Lord and did not remain silent, staying in Corinth for a year and one-half teaching the Word of God. 

 

This has application to the Church today, especially in nations like the United States where constitutional law prohibits state-sponsored persecution of people based on religion.  While this has prevented hard persecution of Churches that results in physical harm, relegating persecution to soft persecution or rejection by friends and family, government leaders are considering legal statutes requiring Churches to engage in activities prohibited by God’s Word or face criminal charges.  One such proposed legal statute is H.R.5 that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now under consideration in the U.S Senate.  Under this legislation facilities, including Church facilities, cannot discriminate against entry into the facility due to sexual orientation.  While the Church is an open place for all to come and hear about Jesus and study the Bible from all sexual orientations, the law also prohibits discrimination for employment.  This means Churches may be required to hire people with a sexual orientation violating the principles of God’s Word (Romans 1:26-27).  This could also require Churches to conduct gay weddings or face legal repercussions.  These repercussions may not necessarily be time in jail or a fine but could involve loss of the tax-exempt status for Churches, something that could be financially devastating for some Churches. 

Since the U.S. Senate is currently split 50-50, striking down this legislation only requires all 50 Republican Senators standing firm in voting against this unconstitutional legislation and convincing at least 1 Democrat Senator to vote no.  I therefore urge everyone reading this to write their senator, urging them to vote no on H.R.5.  You can use the link in the right pane of this page to find your senator and write or call them.  It is time for God’s people to take a stand against this attempt at state-sponsored persecution of the Church, so I urge everyone reading this to take a moment and take a stand. 

We live in a fallen world and opposition to the Word of God is something believers must expect.  While no one likes to have someone oppose something they are passionate about, believers must, like Paul, become proficient at persuading people to believe in Christ.  Fortunately, this does not require a high level of theological education, unless you are addressing religious intellectuals like Paul for the Samaritan woman was effective due to her passion (John 4:39). 

 

The fallen world in which we live needs revival and a return to Godliness.  Opposition to revival will always exist, requiring the Church to be,

 

1)      Fearless (2 Timothy 1:7)

2)      Speaking truth (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)

3)      Not silent (Acts 4:18-20)

 

May God bless everyone reading this post.