Sermons
A Message by the Rev. Harvey G. Throop
Palisades Presbyterian Church
San Diego, California
(11) The Apostle: When the Going Gets Tough
(Acts 18:1-11 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
“ 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.”
(Acts 18:9-10)
Whenever you have experienced some kind of failure in your life – be it at work, at school, at home or on some project, what has helped you to “pick up the pieces” and move on?
The Apostle Paul had been preaching the Gospel of Christ in Athens at the Areopagus, the prestigious setting where Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had also once spoken. Paul had given it his best effort. His was a fine sermon. But when he had finished, the citizens of Athens did not break out in revival as they had in other cities. Instead, many who heard his sermon scoffed at Paul. They called him a “babbler” – a seed-picker. Disappointed by the response, Paul left town and headed for Corinth, a distance of about fifty miles.
Fifty miles is a long walk, certainly long enough to feel the sting of things not having gone so well in the intellectual center of Western society. Athens was the birthplace of classical civilization, democracy and Greek philosophy. It had represented Paul's one chance at converting the most intellectual people he would ever meet. The best and the brightest had gathered to listen to what Paul had to say. But when he had mentioned the resurrection of Jesus, they laughed at him. And even though some who listened to him became believers, it is always negative comments that we remember most.
When Paul later wrote his first letter to the church in Corinth, he described his arrival there. I was with you in weakness, and fear, and much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:3-4).
That's discouragement talking. When you are discouraged, as Paul was at this point on the journey, you ask yourself questions like, "Why did I ever go into what I am doing?" You wonder, "What could God have been thinking when he gave me this job?" Then you start to think that no one really understands what you are trying to accomplish. You are the only one.
We've all been there at one time or another. We've worked hard, done our best and hit the proverbial wall. For every step forward, we seem to have taken two steps backwards. We feel like banging our head against the wall, except we don't have the energy to fix the wall after we've hit it. We're tired, frustrated and tempted to throw in the towel.
But Corinth represented a new opportunity and Paul was hopeful that things would be better for him there.
Corinth was the chief commercial city of Greece. Strategically located guarding the narrow isthmus that connects southern Greece to the mainland, it was a powerful commercial center near two seaports only 5 miles apart.
Towering above the city was the temple of Aphrodite, a temple that was said to have had one thousand consecrated prostitutes. Greek writers in the 5th-4th centuries B.C. characterized Corinth as a city of commercialized love. Any reference to a "Corinthian girl" meant a prostitute.
When Paul went to the synagogue in Corinth to preach his message, he was met with the same opposition to which he had become all too accustomed. Luke writes that, “When ( Jews) 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” (Acts 18:6).
To put his words into language we understand, he was simply saying to them, “To hell with you! I've tried to share good news with you and you've shut the door in my face repeatedly. Now, I'm going to people who will give me an open hearing – the Gentiles!” Enough was enough! (Ogilvie, Drumbeat of Love , Word [Waco, 1976], p. 220).
Paul left the synagogue and went to stay at the home of a man by the name of Titius Justus, a worshipper of God (Acts 18:7). It was while Paul was there that 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” (Acts 18:9,10).
I think those words should be memorized in our minds and kept in our hearts. We should place them on our desktops and tape to our refrigerator doors. They are words of comfort – words that God would say to us in our low times, as well.
In other words, God was telling Paul, “Stop being afraid; no matter how discouraged you become, trust me. I am with you. I will give you people to be with you.”
We all need other people. People are our support system – our community. None of us can do it alone. That's one of the reasons we join the church – to be part of a community that believes in us, supports us, encourages us and helps us to keep going.
Paul didn't work alone. Everywhere he went, he brought together believers and created community – churches – to bring support and encouragement to one another. Yes, God lived up to his promise to Paul to give him people – fellow believers.
I think we all have a need for those kinds of words of reassurance. We all have down periods. We all lose perspective and faith at times. In his vision, Paul was being assured that God would not allow more difficulty to come to him than he could handle.
From this point on, then, Paul had decided to talk about Jesus Christ and him crucified. As he later wrote, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19).
That was a major turnaround! Later on, Paul wrote to his friends in Corinth words that you and I need always to remember: “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Paul had experienced this in Corinth.
It may have been during this same vision that God also communicated to Paul what he later wrote: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The second thing God said to Paul in his vision was this: “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent” (Acts 18:9). God was giving to Paul the confidence to continue.
When we depend upon ourselves, we often fail, but when we let God use us, we succeed. We need to learn to turn troubles into our friend. They are oftentimes a means God uses to get through to us.
Then God assured Paul, “I am with you” (Acts 18:10). Those were the same words promised by our Lord to his disciples in a time of uncertainty, “Lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). And God is faithful!
The assurance of the Lord's presence was the only way Paul could face his challenge in Corinth. He is our strength, as well.
When the going gets tough, we often think, “What's going to happen next?” That is the moment when you and I need to remember God's promise, “I am with you.” But God's promise is not a warranty of unlimited protection” (Ibid, Ogilvie , p. 226).
The last thing God promised Paul in Corinth was, “There are many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:10). In other words, Paul would not be alone in Corinth.
Paul needed reminding that Corinth was not an ominous city filled with hostile people. Rather, it was a city filled with potential converts who would join him in his movement. It was as if the Lord was saying to Paul, “Hang in there!”
Luke tells us that Paul remained in Corinth for a year and a half, preaching and teaching the Gospel unhindered. Everywhere Paul went, he found those ready to join him. No one was excluded from the possibility of becoming a fellow believer.
I think we fail to give God enough credit to work through us when we try to witness to our faith. I believe that everywhere you and I go, there are people searching for something that will give purpose, meaning and hope to their lives.
Wherever you and I spend our days, I firmly believe that we are not there by accident. I believe that God has strategically placed us where our lives can touch other lives. If we view our place in life as simply fate, we've got every reason to be bored. But if we view our situation as a divine appointment, it takes on significant implications.
I believe that God has strategically placed each of us in our life's circumstances. God has a reason for you being right where you today.
Not only does God want to bring a sense of urgency to our everyday routines, God may also want to inject into those routines some additional tasks of which we may never thought before. Perhaps you don't think you have any particular abilities. In your mind, you're just an average person.
God doesn't view you that way. To God, you are a very special person … a gifted person. You are the only person who can work out his will for you where you are. You are the only person who can relate to the people God has entrusted to you. Have you discovered that worthwhile task? Now is the time to do it.
Perhaps, God wants you to share your faith or to do something for someone else that will alleviate their suffering, their pain and their hurt. Now is the time!
Think about it. What would God have you do that you are not doing? It's all a matter of perspective. If you and I are going to make the most of our days, our perspective must change and we must realize that our lives are filled with opportunity.
As Paul went about his work in Corinth, he found people who were hungry for the Gospel and ready for fellowship. And as we continue to follow Paul throughout the rest of his life, we never again find him experiencing the fear and frustration he knew before his encounter with the Lord in Corinth. Paul was now free of fear!
Whenever you and I feel that our difficulties are endless and our problems are threatening to overtake us, we need to remember the Lord's promise to be with us always.
When we turn our fears and disappointments over to him, he will give us his grace to strengthen us. He will show us new ways to overcome our weakness. We don't have to be strong – just obedient. Our weakness can become our strength. With the Apostle Paul, we can learn to say, “ Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 121:10).
With that assurance, we can move onward in faith.
