Acts 18 reminds me of moving to Georgia. It was my 3rd assignment in less than 2 years, and again, I did not know a soul. I lived in a seedy hotel while I got settled, and worked long hours managing a restaurant. It was a very lonely time. Today’s lesson is about the role of friends. We begin with the apostle Paul traveling from Athens to Corinth, continuing his missionary trip, but now he was alone. There he met “Jew named Aquila… with his wife Priscilla… he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers”. We can so easily underestimate the importance of the relationships we form with coworkers. Some people go home to no one. Paul, of course, “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath”. He “testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ”, which is the Greek form of Messiah. Though many believed, others opposed and accused him of blasphemy. Here Paul made a declaration, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles”. Since there were no church buildings, Paul went to the house of a man named Justus, who lived next to the Temple. There “Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household”. Friends invited friends, “And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized”. Promotions and transfers can offer opportunities to move up, but how do we know when to say no? God spoke to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city”. Embracing the bonds of brotherhood can be hard for a loner, and sometimes that can take time. Paul “continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them”. Friend, is it time to settle in somewhere?
After friendships develop, we can experience unimaginable support. Some of the Corinthian Jews appealed to the regional Roman proconsul, bringing Paul to “the judgment seat”. This was a location used to make public charges and request swift punishment. The proconsul ruled this was not a matter for Rome. He declared this was a debate about “your own law, look to it yourselves”, “And he drove them from the judgment seat”. Instead of Paul being punished, the local Greeks turned on the false accuser. The crowd beat “Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue… before the judgment seat”. The proconsul “took no notice”, essentially giving Paul official approval. Do you have friends that will fight to protect you in times of need?
When Paul eventually left Corinth, he “sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him”. Together they traveled to Ephesus where Paul “entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews”. This time they asked him “to stay a longer time with them”. He could not stay, explaining that he needed to “keep this coming feast in Jerusalem”. Together they continued their travels, visiting many of the churches he had started, “strengthening all the disciples”. As Paul was fortified by his companions, he became even more effective. True friendship is always two-way. We read of “a certain Jew named Apollos” that was, “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures”. He spoke and taught “boldly in the synagogue”, but his understanding was incomplete. “He knew only the baptism of John”. “Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately”. They taught Apollo what they had learned from Paul. Now he was able to encourage “those who had believed through grace”. Apollos “vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ”. My friend, are you in a lonely place? I have learned there is unity in Christ for the soul that needs to be made whole.