Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. So glad you could join us today as we continue to study the book of Acts together. I’d like to start off today by sharing with you a brief story I came across involving a very interesting spacecraft.
The Little Satellite That Could— Back [In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. {Some of you may remember Pioneer 10; others of you it may be a bit before you time (as it was mine). But} According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the {Pioneer 10} satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target. But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter's immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun. And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth.” The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible. So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.]
Paul Wouldn’t Quit— Well, Paul was not a quitter. It didn’t matter what difficulties, persecutions, imprisonments, or beatings he faced. He (just like Pioneer 10) just kept plugging away. And through him seeds were being planted that would eventually result in the world becoming turned upside down (or I should say right-side-up) with the good news of the Gospel. It says in…
Acts 18:1 (NKJV)— 1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
Corinth— So we see that Paul has come to Corinth. And he would need all his resilience and grit to start a church here in this place. A city of 200,000 people, [Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance. {But what would make it such a challenge was that} It had a reputation for great wickedness and immorality] that [was known all over the Roman Empire. (Rom. 1:18–32 was written in Corinth!)] And this immorality was largely due to the fact that on a large hill behind the city there was a temple to Aphrodite, goddess of love and war. And the way to show your devotion to her was by giving money to her temple and engaging in illicit sexual acts with male and female temple prostitutes. And that would make Corinth a real challenge for Paul because although there was great opportunity for ministry in Corinth, the church that would be founded there would always be tempted by the immorality that surrounded them on a daily basis. And that is why Paul wrote a series of letters to the Corinthians that dealt in part with the problems of immorality. [First and Second Corinthians are two of those letters.]
Now I don't know about you, but whenever I look around me at the darkness of the world, I am often tempted to get discouraged. The news doesn't help. But, I have found that my time in the Word does. Because it reminds us that the darkness we feel is nothing new. The world has been dark since the fall. And while we are in the midst of the darkness, God has done great things; and He will continue to do great things. No matter how dark things get, God can still use His little Pioneer 10’s to change the world. And as we persevere, God will bring people into our lives who will help encourage us along the way. And that is the first point I want you to remember today. God sends encouragement when we need it most. Paul had come to Corinth alone. And yet it says in…
Acts 18:2 (NKJV)— 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.
Jews Expelled— And this is just another illustration of how God can used a very dark circumstance to work about His plan and purpose; because during this time Emperor Claudius had expelled all the Jews from Rome. And the Roman historian Suetonius wrote (mind you, 70 years later) that Claudius did this because they “were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus”. Now Chrestus was a common misspelling of Christus (the Latin for “Christ”; and so [it is commonly assumed that Suetonius refers to disturbances in the Jewish community sparked by the preaching of Christ. Writing seventy years after the fact, he wrongly assumed Chrestus (Christ) to have been in Rome instigating the riots.] However, we know it was really particular Jews who had set themselves against this new movement of Christianity. But out of this expulsion God brought Aquila and Priscilla to Corinth. And because of that they would become for Paul some of his dearest friends; friends who we read in Romans 16:3-4 would even be willing to risk their lives for him.
Different From The Philosophers— And the way they came together was also important; because remember that Paul had just finished ministering to the philosophers in Athens. But there were many philosophers and itinerant preachers in Corinth as well. And these philosophers and teachers preyed on ignorant and superstitious citizens there. And so it would have been very easy for Paul and his ministry to be lumped in with them and therefore misunderstood. And so it was important for Paul to demonstrate to people that he was different. And one of the ways he did this was by supporting himself as a tentmaker. And that was one of the things that made he and Aquila such a good fit. It says in…
Acts 18:3 (NKJV)— 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
A Tentmaker— Now in Jewish culture, Rabbis [did not accept money from their students but earned their way by practicing a trade. All Jewish boys were expected to learn a trade, no matter what profession they might enter.] The Rabbis used to say, “He who does not teach his son to work, teaches him to steal!” And so every boy would learn a trade that would allow him to earn a living. And Paul and Aquila were no exception. Both had been trained to be tentmakers, which is a rendering of the Greek word skēnopoios. Another possible rending of that word is “leather workers”, which is [a trade that included the making of tents, which were often made out of leather.] And in this time and place [Tents were used to house soldiers, so these tents may have been sold to the Roman army.] But this was an occupation that was well suited to Paul and his ministry because (since he was always traveling) he had to have a business that he could just pick up and move from place to place; and that is what he was able to do as a tentmaker. Now when he wasn’t making tents, Paul was sharing the Gospel. Where? The synagogue. It says in…
Acts 18:4 (NKJV)— 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
Financial Aid Comes— And we know that that was really his main reason and purpose for being there in Corinth to begin with. Now sometime during this time Silas and Timothy re-join him from Macedonia. And 2 Corinthians 11:9 tells us that they did so bringing financial aid. And this freed Paul to devote himself more fully to the preaching of the Gospel. It says in…
Acts 18:5-6 (NKJV)— 5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
When Satan Kicks— Now this brings us to point number 2, which is this: Where Satan brings opposition, God creates opportunity. Now the opposition that Satan created came through unbelieving Jews. Unbelieving Jews had been Paul’s adversaries in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:5-13) and were now (in Corinth) demonstrating the same rejection of the Gospel, beginning to once again stir up trouble for Paul and his friends (see 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). Now this kind of [opposition is usually proof that God is at work, and this ought to encourage us. Spurgeon used to say that “the Devil never kicks a dead horse!”] And here we find Satan kicking because he sees the awesome power of what is happening. Wherever Christianity is going, culture is changing. People are being freed from slavery to sin and fear. They are experiencing restoration into a relationship with God and being freed from his clutches. And so Satan is trying to counteract that. And he’s no doubt hoping that Paul will get discouraged and quit; that his 8 watt strength will finally give out. But Paul remains undaunted. While this kind of opposition had forced him to leave Thessalonica and Berea, we find that here in Corinth he is determined to stay. And next week we will see his response to that opposition.
God’s Word of Encouragement to Paul— But in your own life today, maybe you feel like Pioneer 10; like your 8 watts of energy could give out at any moment. Maybe you feel the attacks of Satan against your life and against your ministry. If so let me encourage you with what Paul said God revealed to him in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Paul says the Lord said to him…
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)— …“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore {(Paul says)} I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Let Christ be your strength this week and use whatever you offer Him to produce great fruit for His kingdom. Amen.
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