Dr. Pothana's Teaching

1. Detailed Study on The Book Of Acts
COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies
Hyderabad

2. Chapter 18

3. Ruins of Ancient Corinth

4. Introduction
• From Athens, the educational center of
Greece, Paul goes to Corinth, its commercial
center.
• The people here, as in most metropolitan
cities are more worldly than those in the
smaller cities in the heartland.
• Later, Paul will write two letters to the
Christians in this city, chiefly to correct their
many serious problems.

5. Corinth
Their religious and philosophical
worldview had no adequate basis
for objective moral norms

6. Corinth
• Isthmus with skids built over
• Therefore a trade center
• Very wealthy
• Learning center
• Religious pluralism--
• Demeter & Bacchus cult
• Aphrodite temple
• 1000 + temple prostitutes
• Mystery religions

7. Corinth
Summary:
• Alcohol &Drugs
• Wealth &
materialism
• Occult
• Rampant
sexuality
• Moral anarchy
The emptiness of a life based on self-gratification
leaves us crying out:
Is this all?

8. • Acts 18:1-4
• 18:1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to
Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, who had recently come from
Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius
had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul
went to see them, 3 and because he was a
tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked
with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the
synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

9. • After Paul came to Corinth, the first people he met and joined
in their work were Aquila and his wife Priscilla, tentmakers
like him.
• Aquila was from Pontus, a province in Asia Minor, now in
northern Turkey.
• But Aquila and Priscilla had moved to Rome some time past.
Now they were in Corinth in enforced exile because the
Emperor Claudius had driven all Jews out of Rome.
• This exile will not last long because in the 16th chapter of
Romans we learn they are back in Rome and have a church
in their house.
Suetonius, Claudius, 25:4
Claudius “expelled the Jews from Rome because they were
indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus.”
“Chrestus” could be an alternative spelling for “Christus”

10. • “If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have
it all the more? . . .
• 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who
preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
• 15 But I have not used any of these rights. . .” - 1Cor 9:13-15
(NIV)
v3 Is it OK to pay full time workers?
“Tent-making”
= a valid and often preferred approach to ministry financing
-because it requires no church funds, it should be the norm for all
Christians
-- When the church needs certain people full or part time, they
ought to be paid a reasonable wage
- Although paying selected Christian workers is biblical, this should
never be a means of personal enrichment
- Accounting and handling of funds should be public and beyond
reproach II Cor. 8:21
“For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of
the Lord but also in the eyes of men.”

11. • Paul was proud of the fact that he supported
himself and those who traveled with him,
“working with his own hands,” as he put it. All
Jewish boys were trained in an occupation.
• In his youth, his parents must have been
wealthy enough to send him to Palestine to be
taught the Jewish religion by none other than
Gamaliel, one of the most famous teachers in
Jewish history.
• He must have also attended a Greco-Roman
university to learn the history, culture and
classics of Greece and Rome.

12. • Acts 18:5-6
• 5 When Silas and Timothy came from
Macedonia, Paul devoted himself
exclusively to preaching, testifying to the
Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 But
when the Jews opposed Paul and became
abusive, he shook out his clothes in
protest and said to them, "Your blood be
on your own heads! I am clear of my
responsibility. From now on I will go to the
Gentiles."

13. 4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue
every Sabbath and trying to persuade
Jews and Greeks.
5 But when Silas and Timothy came down
from Macedonia, Paul began devoting
himself completely to the word, solemnly
testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the
Christ.
The Corinthian Ministry
“Tent-making”
= a valid and often preferred
approach to ministry financing
- because it requires no church
funds, it should be the norm
for all Christians

14. • Acts 18:5-6
• 5 When Silas and Timothy came from
Macedonia, Paul devoted himself
exclusively to preaching, testifying to the
Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 But
when the Jews opposed Paul and became
abusive, he shook out his clothes in
protest and said to them, "Your blood be
on your own heads! I am clear of my
responsibility. From now on I will go to the
Gentiles."

15. • He had been making tents all week and going to the
synagogue every Sabbath Day to reason with the
Jews.
• But when Silas and Timothy joined him he quit
making tents and worked full time to make disciples
for Jesus.
• As usual, the Jewish leaders feared that Paul would
take away their followers, so they began to abuse
Paul and oppose his teaching.
• He had gone first to Jews as Jesus commanded.
They rejected the message so he went to the
Gentiles.

16. • “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the
Greek.”-Romans 1:16 (KJV)
Would Paul ever go to the Jews
again?

17. • “When I say to the wicked, `O wicked man, you will
surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade
him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his
sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
9 But if you do warn the wicked man . . . you will
be saved yourself” - Ezekiel 33:8-9 (NIV)
Why would Paul be willing to reach
out to the Gentiles?
“14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your
words, shake the dust off your feet when you
leave that home or town.” Matt 10:14 (NIV)

18. • Acts 18:7-8
• 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next
door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper
of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his
entire household believed in the Lord; and many
of the Corinthians who heard him believed and
were baptized.
• This sounds as if the small congregation Paul
created through the gospel met in the house of
Justus who lived next door to the synagogue.
Church of Paul in Corinth

19. • Each Jewish synagogue had a ruler or president
who assigned duties for the synagogue service.
Crispus was that man in this synagogue. He and
his family became Christians and moved next door
to worship with the new church.
• Many other Corinthians, possibly including some
members of the synagogue, but others as well,
were baptized.
• From inferences in 1 Corinthians 11, I think it was
not long before the church left Justus’ house and
had its own meeting place.
Synagogue Lintel, Corinth, Greece

20. • As in every case of conversion in the Book of Acts,
the converts were baptized in water for the
forgiveness of sins. If a person reads through the
cases he will find that baptism is the one thing that is
always mentioned (See the chart of Conversions in
Acts 2:38;).
• The theory that in Acts there is a transition between
salvation by works and salvation by faith alone is
untenable. Baptism is simply the obedience of faith
and not a work to earn salvation (Romans 6:17).

21. • Acts 18:9-11
• 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a
vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on
speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with
you, and no one is going to attack and
harm you, because I have many people in
this city." 11 So Paul stayed for a year and
a half, teaching them the word of God.
• What a wonderful assurance this must
have been to Paul! Thus he could stay
without fear until his work was
accomplished in this place, a year and a
half.

22. • “I have many people in this city.” “The Lord knows
those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). God, Who
knows the heart, knows who will respond to the
gospel and who will not.
• The value of knowing the gospel, beyond the
forgiveness of sins that the sincere seeker for truth
may already have, is a more complete knowledge of
God.
• It is to know His promises and blessings, a way of
life that is elevated above superstition and anxiety
and the fellowship of a wonderful group of people,
the church.

23. • Acts 18:12-13
• 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the
Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought
him into court. 13 "This man," they charged, "is
persuading the people to worship God in ways
contrary to the law."
• As usual, after a time, the unbelieving Jewish
leaders make their false accusations against
Paul, this time in a Roman court. The Roman
courts, as a matter of policy, will not decide
religious disputes.
Bema (Judgment Seat) at Corinth

24. • Acts 18:14-15
• 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said
to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a
complaint about some misdemeanor or serious
crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to
you. 15 But since it involves questions about
words and names and your own law-settle the
matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such
things.“
• Gallio refused to hear the case since it did not
concern Roman law or involve monetary
damages or physical harm.
Inscription in Delphi mentioning
Gallio as Proconsul of Achaia

25. • Acts 18:16-17
• 16 So he had them
ejected from the court.
17 Then they all turned
on Sosthenes the
synagogue ruler and
beat him in front of the
court. But Gallio
showed no concern
whatever.
Rom. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse.

26. • Evidently Sosthenes had become the ruler of
the synagogue after Crispus left. He had talked
these Jews into bringing these charges against
Paul in this venue. Now they were angry with
him and took out their rage on him.
• I think he learned not to make promises he
couldn’t keep and build up expectations that
might not be realized.
• I’ll bet the Jews left Paul alone after that.

27. Man named Sosthenes becomes a
Christian but he was not the same
man!
• “Paul, called to be an apostle of
Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and our brother Sosthenes, 2
To the church of God in Corinth.
. . “ - 1Cor 1:1-2 (NIV)

28. • Acts 18:18-19
• 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then
he left the brothers and sailed for Syria,
accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he
sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea
because of a vow he had taken.
• After a year and a half in Corinth Paul wants to
return to Antioch and report to the church that
had sent him out. Priscilla and Aquila travel with
him as far as Ephesus.
Ruins at Cenchrea

29. Paul’s Vow. Paul might have bound himself with a
temporary Nazirite vow at Corinth or even at Antioch
before he left on this journey. When he left Corinth,
his vow was fulfilled. My belief is that his vow
involved overcoming his fear about staying in Corinth
and speaking out to preach the gospel there.

30. • The hair he had allowed to grow during the
period of his vow at Corinth he cut at
Cenchrea, the seaport of Corinth, where he
embarked for Asia.
• He carried the hair to Jerusalem to be
burned on the altar before God as a
testimony that he had fulfilled his vow.
• See also Acts 21:24 (NIV) “Take these men,
join in their purification rites and pay their
expenses, so that they can have their heads
shaved.” -

31. • For information about the Nazirite and the Nazirite
vow, see Numbers 6.
• Cenchrea was the seaport for Corinth. A church
was later established there and Phoebe was one
called a deacon (Romans 16:1 RSV). The Greek
word transliterated “deacon,” unlike most Greek
nouns is gender neutral.

32. • In the early church, widows who met the
qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:11 (“The women
likewise must be…” RSV and 1 Timothy 5:9-12:
“let a widow be enrolled…”) served the church
doing “woman’s work:” hospitality, teaching
women and children and taking care of widows
and orphans.
• These congregations didn’t need special
orphans’ homes.

33. Acts 18:18-22
• 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and
Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned
with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more
time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he
promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set
sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed ata Caesarea, he
went up and greeted the church and then went down to
Antioch.
Ephesus – Ancient Pier
Sand.
The Latin
word for
sand
is “arena.”
<<<<<<<<

34. • Ephesus was the chief city in the Roman province
of Asia, the province that contained the seven
churches of Revelation. There were at least ten
churches in this province at the time Revelation
was written. But seven is a symbolic number
that represents the universal church. That is why
that number was used.
• Paul leaves his tentmaker friends in Ephesus with
his promise to return if God permits.

35. v21;
James 4:13-16 says that we
should speak of the future in
the terms "if it is God's will".
Why don't we hear this
phrase more often?

36. • From Ephesus he sails to Palestine, landing at
Caesarea. Then he goes up to Jerusalem, visits
the church there, then goes down to Antioch.
• Acts 18:23
• 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set
out from there and traveled from place to place
throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia,
strengthening all the disciples.
• After a while Paul leaves Antioch and visits and
encourages the churches of Asia Minor on his
way to Ephesus.

37. • Acts 18:24-26
• 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of
Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned
man, with a thorough knowledge of the
Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way
of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and
taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew
only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak
boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and
Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home
and explained to him the way of God more
adequately.
A
Pompey’s Pillar – Ancient Alexandria, Egypt

38. Appollos
1)An eloquent man
2)Mighty in the Scriptures
3)Instructed in the way of the Lord
4)Fervent in spirit
5)Spoke and taught accurately the
things of the Lord
6)Except he knew only the baptism of
John (the Immerser).

39. v24 It would be good if we could
be described in similar terms
today,
Why don't more people have a
thorough knowledge of the
scriptures today?
What can we do to improve on
this?

40. “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so
that the others may take warning.”- 1Tim
5:20 (NIV)
Can we learn from them today?
“Let your conversation be always full of
grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may
know how to answer everyone.” Col 4:6
“. speaking the truth in love, we will in all
things grow up into him who is the Head,
that is, Christ.” - Ephesians 4:15;
Why didn't they oppose him in the
Synagogue as described in 1Tim 5:20?

41. • Apollos became one of the great teachers of the
churches of Ephesus, Corinth and many others.
He knew some things about Jesus but lacked
some important information about His teachings.
He knew about the baptism of John but not the
baptism in the name of Jesus.
• John had taught that his baptism was for a limited
time, ending with the death and resurrection of
Jesus. It was to prepare the Jews for their coming
Messiah.
• Christian baptism is a reenactment of the death,
burial and resurrection of Christ.

42. Christian baptism is to put the alien sinner into the
Body of Christ, to bring God’s forgiveness of sins
to him and to enable him to receive the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism into Christ in N.T. times even enabled the
new disciple to receive the miraculous gifts of the
Spirit if an Apostle laid his hands on him.
Many things like this Apollos did not know so
Priscilla and her husband took him aside and
“taught him the way of the Lord more adequately”
or completely.

43. • Acts 18:27-28
• 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia
[Corinth], the brothers encouraged him and
wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
On arriving, he was a great help to those who
by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously
refuted the Jews in public debate, proving
from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
• Apollos was from Alexandria, Egypt, that from
the time of Alexander the Great was a seat of
Jewish learning famous throughout the world.
Excavations at Alexandria

44. What we know about Acquila and Priscilla is
found in =
What we know about Apollos is found in =
Romans 16:3-4;
1 Cor 16:19
2 Tim 4:19
1Cor 1:12 “What I mean is this: One of you
says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow
Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still
another, "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ
divided? . . . “

45. Conclusion
• Paul has completed his second missionary
journey. He has returned to the church at
Antioch whence he had left on both of his
missionary journeys. He has established
many churches in Asia and in Europe. He has
made many good friends.
• But after a while he gets restless to return and
visit the churches and his friends in them.
• In our next chapter he will leave for Ephesus.

46. • Ephesus will become the next center for
missionary work among the Gentiles. It
was traditionally the last residence of
John the Apostle and Mary the mother of
Jesus whose care had been entrusted to
John.
• John’s tomb and a small stone house said
to be the home of Jesus’ mother are at
Ephesus.
Street in Ancient Ephesus (excavated)

47. Foreknowledge and Predestination
by Ellis Jones
Known to God are all His works,
From eternity past.[1]
He’s with each generation,
From the first to the last.[2]
•
[1] Acts 15:18
• [2] Isaiah 41:4
Images are from the Hubble Space Telescope

48. The end from the beginning,
In omniscience, He knows,[1]
And how to save
His children,
While destroying
His foes.[2]
[1] Isaiah 46:10
[2] 2 Peter 2:9

49. He chose the saved in Jesus,
Before the world was made.[1]
Even before creation,
Redemption’s plan was laid.[2]
•
[1] Ephesians 1:4
• [2] Acts 2:23

50. All names were in His Book,
And were there from the start.[1]
But your name can be removed
If sin corrupts your heart.[2]
•
[1] Revelation 17:8
• [2] Exodus 32:33

51. He predestines and predicts
The things that serve His plan.[1]
He brought all things together
To center in One Man.[2]
•
[1] Ephesians 3:9-11
• [2] Ephesians 2:21 & 22

52. Sacrificed before the world
And time and space began,
That Lamb of God was Jesus;
He executes God’s plan.[1]
•
[1] Revelation 13:8
In the rectangle is a “blowup” of a distant object.

53. God knows who are His own,
Who will obey or won’t-
All those who honor Him
And all those who don’t.[1]
•
[1] 2 Timothy 2:19

54. But all men have a choice.
He knows what choice you’ll make.
Before you start your journey
He knows what road you’ll take.