ONE MORE TIME
ACTS 18:1-17
We are going to wrap up our look at the early church in Acts for now. Maybe we will look at more of what happened later, but this will be our last look at Acts for a while.
We see Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a husband and wife named Aquilla and Priscilla. They had moved to Corinth because Claudius, emperor of Rome, had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Apparently, Claudius had become so tired of the problems Jews were causing in Rome, he wanted them out. As had been the case at his other recent stops, Paul went the synagogue on every Sabbath and tried to convince both Jews and Greeks of who Jesus is and what he had done. Once Timothy and Silas arrived in town, it says Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching the Word to the Jews. But when the Jews opposed him, he symbolically shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood be on your heads.” He said, “I have tried my best. I am done with you. I am going to preach the word to the Gentiles from now on.” It is obvious that while most of the Jews rejected the message, some received it. We read Crispus, a synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord and many others in Corinth also believed and were baptized.
We saw Paul, Silas and Timothy had not stayed in the other cities long. However, on this occasion, God, in a vision, encouraged them to stay in Corinth where they would be safe. We see they stayed for a year and a half teaching and proclaiming the word. The Jews that had rejected his message in Corinth did not forget about Paul. They came against him using the legal system of the day and took him to court. They argued Paul was trying to convince Jews in Corinth to believe things contrary to the law. The prosecuting attorney in Corinth, however, said that this has nothing to do with the region’s laws. It has to do with Jewish rules and laws and that is not my problem. In other words, you settle this yourselves. Do not bother us with it in Corinth courts.
What happened next is a typical reaction when people feel they have been made to look bad. The Jews that made a big deal in court got mad at the Jewish synagogue ruler at this time. They were so mad that the Corinthian prosecutor threw out their complaint that right there on the spot they grabbed Sosthenes, the synagogue ruler, and beat him in front of the court because they felt he had made them look like fools.
So, what lessons can we learn from what happened at Corinth? First, we see Paul wanted to give the Jews one more chance at receiving the gospel. After all, Paul was also a Jew and he had a special place in his heart for his fellow Jews. But when they refused to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading through Paul’s teaching, what was his reaction? He said, “I will no longer waste my time on people that refuse to hear anything I am saying.”
What about us? Some of you have probably tried time and again to convince people of things. All of us have at different times. Whether it is the gospel or something else, you probably have had good compelling arguments, but they have refused to listen. What is God saying to us then? As much as we might not want to, we see God saying that it is alright to move on. I am sure Paul never stopped loving his fellow Jews, but he came to realize there comes a time I can be more useful to God elsewhere. If we have conflicts and disagreements with friends or family especially, I am convinced God does not want us to stop loving them, but maybe it is time to fully turn it over to God and move on to other opportunities that God puts before us.
We are also reminded in the verses we read today that some people may try to do ugly things to us over the disagreements we have. They tried dragging Paul into court over the things they were not happy about. We see God’s hand of protection was with Paul on this occasion and not only was he let go, but those who were accusing him of something wrong, when it did not go the way they wanted, turned on each other. We should be reminded of the fact when we do things, to make sure we are doing whatever it might be for the right reasons. Things have a way of coming back around to bite us when we are not on solid ground.
The message today is entitled “One More Time”. I am convinced there are times God wants us to give some things one more try, one more time. If we see God bringing the success we are praying for, rejoice that your patience has been rewarded. If not, God is telling us it is time to move on. If you have done your best, that is all God ever asks of you. Always leave the door open as best you can for future opportunities, however. We must always remember that with God all things are possible. God may be asking some of us today to try something one more time. At times when we are feeling discouraged and thinking what is the use, that is the time God will bring the victory.
Larry
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