Do Not be Discouraged June 4th, 2023
God of Wisdom, send your Holy Spirit to give us fresh understanding of your Word in Scripture. Inspire us to respond with renewed commitment to follow Christ Jesus, your Living Word. Amen
This morning in our reading, we find Paul back on the road again and living through the early challenges of sharing God’s message. He’s just left the city of Athens and has moved on to Corinth, which was 50 miles west. And he’s discouraged and alone, having left his fellow missionaries in towns they had recently passed through. And during his time in Athens, things hadn’t gone that well. He had made some believers, but not enough to form the basis of a church and it seemed like this missionary trip was turning out to be a failure. So, he didn’t stay long there, he packed up and he left. And now he’s entered Corinth, a place known for its corruption and vice, so the prospects aren’t looking good there, either.
Later in life, when Paul was writing his first letter to the members of the church in Corinth, he would remind them of his state of mind when he first came to their city. He wrote, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.” (1st Corinthians 2:1-3)
During this entire second missionary trip, and sometimes throughout the first one as well, Paul and his companions had been reviled, physically attacked, and even thrown in jail. But he knew God called him yet further, and so he trudged on alone to the city of Corinth. Now he was entering the largest city yet, which had a reputation of being a den of corruption of all sorts. And he was concerned about his friends which he had left behind. There were no cell phones in those days, so he had no way of knowing if they were dead or alive. And so, he was very anxious over their safety as he came into the city of Corinth that morning. Let’s see how he fairs out.
Through the providence of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit, things immediately took a turn for the better. We’re told, “There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers.” When Paul came to a new place, he always expected God to lead him to someone who would open doors for him so he could introduce the Gospel to the population and this time he met Aquila, a fellow Jew, probably in the marketplace. Aquila, like Paul, was a tentmaker, so they had something in common. This was an opportunity for them to work together and now Paul had a chance to earn some money to support himself and have a roof over his head. Here we see once again that God often used ordinary men to spread his word.
So, during the week Paul works his trade and “Every sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.” Now at this point two of his fellow missionaries, Silas and Timothy, join Paul in Corinth. But unfortunately, they discover that things aren’t going that well for Paul in preaching the Gospel message to his fellow Jews. The apostle Luke, the author of Acts, writes, “When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’” Thus, Paul finally gives up on trying to convince the Jewish people there that Jesus was the true Messiah for Israel and decides to concentrate his efforts on the Gentiles in that city.
And this is what took place, “Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshipper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized.” So, Paul didn’t have to travel too far, he went to the home of a man by the name of Titius, whose house was actually attached to the synagogue. And, in a bit of irony, while there one of the men who came to accept Jesus as his Saviour was the leader of that synagogue, Crispus, who also brought his entire household into the faith.
So, on the surface it seems that things are now going great for Paul, he’s got a place to stay, making many converts and no doubt is still in constant contact with his fellow tentmaking tradesman, Aquila. We know this because a little later in this chapter of Acts we’ll read where, along with Paul, Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, set sail for Syria.
But underneath, things couldn’t have been quite so good for him. Luke tells us, “One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.’” Obviously, God would not have told Paul not to be afraid unless Paul was afraid. He knew that his life was on the line constantly; that anything could happen, and he could die. So, it’s no wonder that, as we heard earlier in 1st Corinthians, Paul says, “I was in your midst in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.” So, the spiritual concerns and discouragement about his ministry, the constant opposition, loneliness, physical pain and weariness, and the lack of funds, were weighing on Paul. We sometimes think of Paul as being so bold, so fearless, after all, we know him as Saint Paul -- yet he suffered just as we do from apprehensions, forebodings, and fears.
But the Lord, through this vision, tells Paul not to be afraid and not to give up on his ministry, for “‘for there are many in this city who are my people.’” They were still pagans, they hadn’t yet become Christians, but the Lord knew they were there. That’s the same thing as Jesus told the Pharisees who would not believe that he was the Son of God and had come to earth as a man to bring people to himself, he said to them, “‘I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd.’” (John 10:16) These sheep were the Gentiles, that is those not part of God’s original chosen people, being those of the Jewish faith. And so, Paul obeyed the command of God and persevered in his ministry there in that corrupt city of Corinth, Luke says, “He stayed there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” Imagine Paul’s faith and the strength he received from God to persevere in those difficult days.
And that’s the perfect example for us to follow. And while God probably won't speak to us in a vision, we don't need a vision, because we have his written word in the Bible promising that he will always be with us. This word passed down over thousands of years reminds us repeatedly to look to God for encouragement and strength. We are told hundreds of times in the Bible to not be afraid because God is with us. As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.'' (Matthew 18:20) Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is surely here with us right now. And we can always count on his presence and love.
Certainly, there will be many times when, like Paul, we will become discouraged. Paul knew his ups and downs, just as you and I know our ups and downs. We are human. We have our good days and bad, but as we know, even the apostles had more than their share of troubles. But through scripture, we know that God is the one who will ultimately care for us in our trials. As we leave here today, be encouraged and be a witness to Jesus Christ in the way you conduct your ordinary, everyday lives. Being God’s people goes beyond words, our actions are also an important way of demonstrating our faith. Through our actions we are showing that we love God and that we are loved by him. In closing, these words from the Bible come to mind: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Let us Pray:
Lord, we are grateful again this morning that our hearts are enriched with your word. Thank you for the witness of Paul and the presence of the Holy Spirit in this study from the book of Acts. Father, we thank you that in the midst of our discouragement, you encourage us; that when we are despondent, you lift us up and when we feel weak, you help us find strength. Thank you, Father, for being the God of all comforts and for always being there for us. Continue to build our faith and strength as we bring your love to others. Amen