Acts of the Holy Spirit
Acts 18
Pastor Valentine | 10.20.24
A Summary of Acts 18 from Grok
Acts 18 recounts several significant events in the life of Paul the Apostle during his second missionary journey:
Paul arrives in Corinth after leaving Athens. Here, he meets Aquila and Priscilla, Jewish tentmakers recently expelled from Rome. Paul stays with them, working as a tentmaker and preaching in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. His message focuses on Jesus being the Messiah. Initially, there’s resistance from the Jewish community. When they oppose and blaspheme, Paul symbolically shakes out his garments in protest, declaring his intention to go to the Gentiles from then on.
Despite the opposition, many Corinthians believe and are baptized, including Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his household. Encouraged by a vision from God, who tells him to keep speaking and not to be silent, Paul stays in Corinth for a year and six months, teaching the word of God.
The narrative then shifts to an incident where the Jews unitedly attack Paul and bring him before the tribunal, under Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia. They accuse him of persuading people to worship God contrary to the law. However, Gallio dismisses the case before Paul even defends himself, seeing it as a matter of religious law and not of Roman governance, which sets a precedent for how Roman officials might handle disputes involving Christian teaching.
After this, Paul remains in Corinth for some time before deciding to return to Syria, taking Aquila and Priscilla with him. They stop at Ephesus, where Paul briefly argues in the synagogue. The Jews there ask him to stay longer, but he declines, promising to return if God wills. He leaves Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus and sails to Caesarea, visits Jerusalem to greet the church, and then goes back to Antioch, ending his second missionary journey.
In Ephesus, a Jew named Apollos, eloquent and well-versed in the Scriptures, comes to the forefront. He speaks boldly in the synagogue, though he knows only the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla take him aside, explaining the way of God more accurately. Apollos then wishes to cross to Achaia, and the brethren encourage him, writing to the disciples there to welcome him. Upon arrival, he greatly helps those who have believed through grace, for he powerfully refutes the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 18 captures themes of persistence in ministry despite opposition, the spread of the Gospel among both Jews and Gentiles, and the early Christian body community’s interaction with Roman legal systems. It also highlights the collaborative nature of early Christian mission work, with figures like Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos contributing to the spread of Christianity in different but complementary ways. This chapter showcases the expanding geographical and cultural reach of the early Christian movement, facilitated by both divine guidance and the strategic efforts of its leaders.