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LHIM Everything

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  • 2. Paul Founds the Church at Corinth

    Download: Paul Found the Church at Corinth

    Paul grew up in Tarsus, Cilicia as a zealous practitioner of Judaism. As an adult, he joined the Pharisees, a strict sect focused on living out the Torah meticulously. When Christianity started spreading, Paul did everything he could to stop the new sect. On his way to Damascus to prevent Christianity from spreading, he had a visionary experience in which Jesus appeared to him. Convinced that he had been wrong and that Jesus really was the Jewish Messiah, Paul flipped. He became Christianity’s most zealous evangelist and missionary. On Paul’s second missionary trip, he visited fourteen cities and started little cells of Christianity everywhere he could. After travelling through Macedonia (northern Greece), Paul came down to Corinth by land. Acts 18 records what happened while Paul was there.

    Aquilla and Priscilla’s Expulsion from Rome (Acts 18:2)
    • Suetonius: “Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from the city.”1 (Claudius 25)
    • Cassius Dio: “As for the Jews, who had again increased so greatly that by reason of their multitude it would have been hard without raising a tumult to bar them from the city, he did not drive them out, but ordered them, while continuing their traditional mode of life, not to hold meetings.”2 (History 6.6)
    • Anthony Thiselton: “They were probably freed persons of Jewish origin who left Rome in ad 49 when the Emperor Claudius closed down a Roman synagogue because of continuous disturbances centering on the figure of Christ. They may well have been converted in Rome, and then came directly to the Roman colony of Corinth to set up their small shop in which to sell leathercraft among the commercial developments off the Lechaeum road.”3
      • Tentmaking in Corinth (Acts 18:3)

      Tents and awnings applied to many situations in antiquity.

      • Canvas cloths were used as awnings in theaters (Pliny the Elder, Natural History23).
      • Sailcloth awnings provided shade in the forum (ibid.).
      • Awnings were used in inner courts of houses (ibid. 19.24).
      • Shops had linen awnings projected over the pavement (Juvenal, Satires168).
      • Linen pavilions were used at beaches (Cicero, Against Verres 5.30, 80).
      • Merchants at festivals used heavy canvas booths to sell their wares (Juvenal, Satires 153).
      • People likely slept in leather or canvas tents when crowds flocked to Corinth for the Isthmian games every 2 years.
        • Paul’s Workplace in Corinth
        • The north forum contained 44 shops around a square, surrounded by porticoes.
        • The shops were 13 feet tall by 13 feet deep with widths varying from 9 to 13 feet.
        • Jerome Murphy-O’Connor: “In the back of the shop a series of stone or brick steps was continued by a wooden ladder to a loft lit by an unglazed window centered above the shop entrance. This is where the family that owned the business slept, cooked, and ate. A hired man, such as Paul, would have slept in the workroom. …Each worker had a bench on which tools were laid out, such as straight and curved needles, an awl, a punch, pincers, half-moon knives, shears, and an edge-shaver. They worked seated in leather aprons stained by the wax they used both to roll the flax thread and to protect the hides.”4
        • A shop like this was optimal for evangelism to customers and other shopkeepers.
        • The work was tedious, the hours were long, and the pay was little.
        • Lucian of Samosata: “Their trades, however, were petty, laborious, and barely able to supply them with just enough. … All the men in the workshops … toiling and moiling from morning till night, doubled over their tasks, they merely eke out a bare existence from such wage-earning…”5 (Lucius, Fugitives 13, 17).
        • Paul mentioned his long hours toiling in 1 Thess 2:9 and 2 Thess 3:7-8.
          • Initial Conversions in Corinth (Acts 18:4-8)
          • Initially Paul went to the synagogue to tell them about Jesus. Although he made a couple of converts, they “opposed and reviled him.” He went to the house of Titius Justus next door to the synagogue. Crispus, “the official of the synagogue” was likely a benefactor who had made a sizeable donation. Sosthenes, too, has that title in verse 17.
            • Appearing before Lucius Junius Gallio (Acts 18:9-17)
            • Gallio was the brother of Seneca, the philosopher, whose books have survived. Emperor Claudius appointed Gallio proconsul (a one-year term) of the province of Achaia.
            • Seneca: “All I could say was what my mentor Gallio had said when he was on the point of starting to have a fever in Greece. He immediately boarded a ship, and kept insisting that his sickness was due to the location and not to his body.”6 (Letters 1).
            • Jerome Murphy-O’Connor: “[I]t is natural to assume that Gallio took a dislike to Achaia and used a minor illness as an excuse to leave his post. Such an unreasoning aversion to a place is normally the result of a first impression; it may intensify with the passage of time, but it does not usually begin late. If this assessment is correct, it is unlikely that Gallio remained in Achaia more than four months, i.e., from June to September.”7
            • Gallio left Corinth and stopped at Delphi on his way to Rome. While there he noticed how small the city’s population was. He told Claudius about the situation, which resulted in Claudius sending an official letter to Delphi, which they inscribed in stone. Archeologists have identified nine fragments and, on that basis, reconstructed the entire letter. This is how we know Gallio was proconsul in the year 51-52.
              • Paul’s Departure (Acts 18:18-19)
              • After more than a year and a half in Corinth, Paul journeyed east to the port of Cenchreae from which he sailed to Ephesus. He would remain there for another two or three years.
                • Timeline of Events8
                • 51 Paul visited Corinth.
                • 52 Apollos visited Corinth (Acts 18:27-19:1; 1 Cor 3:5-7)
                • 52 Paul stayed in Ephesus for 2+ years (Acts 19:10)
                • 53 Paul wrote a lost letter to the Corinthians about sexual purity (likely based on a report from Apollos when he returned from Corinth) (1 Cor 5:9).
                • 54 Chloe sent some people (employees or slaves) to Corinth who reported on scandalous behavior in the Corinthian church (1 Cor 1:11).
                • 54 Paul sent Timothy to Corinth to remind them of how to live as a Christian (1 Cor 4:17).
                • 54 Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus of Corinth visited Paul in Ephesus with a letter from the church, requesting instruction (1 Cor 7:1; 16:17).
                • 54 Paul wrote 1 Corinthians9 based on his experience of visiting and founding the church, the report of Apollos, the report of Chloe’s people, and the letter from the Corinthians.
                  •  Bibliography

                  Dio, Cassius. Dio’s Roman History. Translated by Earnest Cary. Vol. 7. Loeb Classical Library. London, England: William Heinemann, 1955.

                  Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archeology. 3rd ed. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002.

                  Samosata, Lucian of. The Runaways (Fugitivi). Translated by A. M. Harmon. Vol. 5. Loeb Classical Library. London, England: William Heinemann, 1962.

                  Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Letters on Ethics. Translated by A. A. Long Margaret Graver. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 2015.

                  Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars. Translated by Robert Graves. London, England: Penguin, 2007.

                  Thiselton, Anthony C. 1 Corinthians: A Shorter Exegetical & Pastoral Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011.

                  Thiselton, Anthony C. The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Vol. 13. Nigtc. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000.

                  1. Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, trans. Robert Graves (London, England: Penguin, 2007), 195.
                  2. Cassius Dio, Dio’s Roman History, trans. Earnest Cary, vol. 7, Loeb Classical Library (London, England: William Heinemann, 1955), 383.
                  3. Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, vol. 13, Nigtc (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), 1343.
                  4. Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archeology, 3rd ed. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002), 194.
                  5. Lucian of Samosata, The Runaways (Fugitivi), trans. A. M. Harmon, vol. 5, Loeb Classical Library (London, England: William Heinemann, 1962), 69, 73.
                  6. Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Letters on Ethics, trans. A. A. Long Margaret Graver (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 2015), 412.
                  7. Murphy-O’Connor, 166.
                  8. I based this timeline on Murphy-O’Connor.
                  9. Thiselton estimates Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in 53 or 54. Anthony C. Thiselton, 1 Corinthians: A Shorter Exegetical & Pastoral Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011), 25.
                  The post 2. Paul Founds the Church at Corinth first appeared on Living Hope.
                  0 min
                • Fruit of the Spirit in Christ 1: The Love of Christ

                  Galatians 5:19-25 The fruit of the spirit are nine behaviors or virtues that we should pursue. Thankfully, Christ exemplified each of these.

                  Mark 12:28-31 Jesus clearly taught us to love God and love our neighbors. However, what he said about each was different. He set the bar much higher for the kind of love we should have for God compared to how he expects us to treat our neighbors.

                  1 John 4:9-10 We love God because He first loved us. Love always needs an initiator. Until you experience God’s love, it’s hard to love Him. But once you do, it’s easy.

                  1 John 4:11 Because God has loved us, we should love our neighbors. This is a pleasure and joy for us when loving easy people and a real challenge for those who are difficult, mean, or annoying.

                  Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus told Peter that he had to continue to love someone who had wronged him. Although this isn’t exclusive to spouses and children, for many of us, they are the ones we interact with most.

                  1 John 4:19-21 When it comes to loving brothers and sisters, this does not necessarily mean whipping up emotions of affection for them. It may simply mean acting for that person’s well-being.

                  Jesus showed us how to do this over and over. (1) He loved the rich young ruler when he told him what was keeping him from eternal life. (2) He allowed himself to be inconvenienced because of the crowds that wanted his attention. (3) He even healed Malchus’ ear when he was being arrested.

                  The post Fruit of the Spirit in Christ 1: The Love of Christ first appeared on Living Hope.
                  47 min
                • Compassion Completed

                  The Apostle Paul’s love for God’s people shines brightly in his communication with Philemon, offering us an exemplary model of Christian love and leadership to emulate. This letter, penned towards the end of Paul’s life, exemplifies his unwavering love and faithfulness to the very end.

                  Luke 10:25-37 A powerful story illustrating compassion to completeness

                  The epistle of Philemon is not merely a parable, but a true account showcasing profound compassion in its fullest form.

                  Philemon 1:1 Philemon was a church leader in Colossae. Onesimus was his runaway slave who had become a believer under Paul’s guidance. This letter, penned towards the end of Paul’s life, exemplifies his unwavering love and faithfulness to the very end.

                  2 Apphia is thought to be Philemon’s wife, and Archippus is either Philemon’s son or a fellow leader in the church.

                  3-4 Paul prayed often – Romans 1:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians; 1:3-4; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:3

                  7 Epaphras, likely the founder and influential leader of this church, was in Rome with Paul and must have informed Paul about Philemon whose leadership was vital.

                  9 Paul demonstrates the importance of voluntary, heartfelt actions.

                  11 Paul may be engaging in a clever play on words by contrasting “useless” and “useful,” as the name Onesimus actually means “useful”.

                  16 Paul’s loving intercession for Onesimus as communicated was designed to touch the core of Philemon’s heart, evoking his love, mercy, and spiritual understanding.

                  19 Paul asks Philemon to accept Onesimus as he would accept Paul and not as he was before his conversion. He offers to take on any debt that Onesimus may have incurred.

                  21 Paul conveys his confidence in Philemon’s obedience and willingness to go above and beyond what is being asked.

                  25 Paul’s personal involvement in this situation is a great example of true compassion.

                  The post Compassion Completed first appeared on Living Hope.
                  46 min
                • State of the Church

                  At the end of 2024, we want to take a moment and review what has happened over the past year. Additionally, we’d like to look forward to 2025 with you and share what God is putting on our hearts.

                  1. People

                  Romans 12:4-5, 15-16 We are a community of believers who weep together and rejoice together, supporting each other through the ups and downs of life.

                  2. Events

                  Mark 6:30-32 Getting away for a time to be with God and His people is an ancient practice that, if anything, is even more needy in our hectic times.

                  3. Leadership

                  Proverbs 11:14; Matthew 20:25-28 Leadership is a team sport, carried out by those who understand what Jesus taught about service.

                  4. Online Reach

                  2 Timothy 3:14-17 The Scripture is useful for teaching. We do this in-person as well as online.

                  5. Publishing

                  Colossians 1:9-11; Matthew 28:19-20 Our books fulfill our mission to make disciples of all nations—both in reaching the lost and encouraging the saved to persevere.

                  6. Beyond New York

                  Romans 10:13-15 We seek to empower individuals and communities all over the world to preach the gospel and develop disciples.

                  7. Building Improvements and Future

                  Psalm 127:1 We steward what God has already given us while looking forward to what He has for us next.

                  The post State of the Church first appeared on Living Hope.
                  47 min
                • Birth of Christ 3: The Messiah is Born

                  Jesus was born in Bethlehem in accordance with the prophecies of the Old Testament. The first to come and give honor to Jesus as the Messiah were shepherds and wise men. We celebrate with them in the coming of the Savior and the joy and hope that he brings to the world.

                  1. Jesus was born!

                  Luke 2:1-7

                  Mary and Joseph left Nazareth in Galilee and traveled to Bethlehem where Jesus was then born.

                  Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloth and was placed in a manager. A manger was not an outdoor animal shack as is popularly depicted in Christmas manger scenes but was a small space inside the house for animals.

                  2. The shepherds were the first to know!

                  Luke 2:8-20

                  The angel announced to the shepherds the birth of the Savior, who is Messiah and Lord. The sign for them was that a baby would be wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger.

                  3. Wise men from far away came to honor the birth of the King!

                  Matthew 2:1-12

                  The wise men were magi from the east who were trained at reading the planetary and astral movements in the sky. They traveled immense distances to honor the birth of Jesus, the King of the Jews. They apparently were well-versed in the Old Testament prophecies because they knew exactly where Jesus was going to be born–Bethlehem.

                  The Scripture does not say how many magi there were, but it says that they brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and they paid homage to him as the King.

                  The post Birth of Christ 3: The Messiah is Born first appeared on Living Hope.
                  45 min
                • Birth of Christ 2: Saving the World through Humans

                  When we read the birth narratives of Jesus, we see that God chooses to work through human beings to bring about His plan of salvation. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph are the stars of the show. When the child comes, he is a human being too. Strikingly absent from Scripture is any indication that the baby had dual natures or was a hybrid “God-man.” Instead, God ordained that a man would be born to save mankind—an exciting truth worth celebrating!

                  Luke 1:5-10 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and blameless according to the Law. Zechariah encountered the angel Gabriel who told him that he would have a child and to name him John.

                  Luke 1:26-33 While Elizabeth was pregnant, Gabriel made a visit to Mary and prophesied that she would give birth to the Messiah.

                  Luke 1:34-36 Although we would prefer a more specific explanation of precisely how Mary became pregnant by divine intervention, the angel just says God’s power would overshadow her.

                  Luke 1:37-45 Mary visited Elizabeth who greatly encouraged her right from the start. Elizabeth recognized that Mary was carrying her lord, a term used of many other humans throughout the Bible (Gen 18:12; 33:8; 42:10; Num 11:28; 1 Sam 24:8; 1 Kgs 1:31; 18:7; Ruth 2:13).

                  Luke 1:46-57 This poetic statement of praise was Mary’s response to Elizabeth. In it she focused on how God had humbled the powerful and exalted the weak. She would bear the Messiah—the most important human who had ever lived.

                  Matthew 1:18-22 Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, first decided to divorce her, but after a nocturnal angelic visit, he came to believe that “the child conceived in her is from the holy spirit.” This child, just like the boy born in Isaiah’s time, signified that God had not abandoned His people, instead the child’s birth meant “God is with us.”

                  The post Birth of Christ 2: Saving the World through Humans first appeared on Living Hope.
                  49 min
                • Birth of Christ 1: Messianic Prophecy

                  The Messianic prophecies when compared with the historical events that occurred have impact in several ways. They validate the Messiah; affirm God’s integrity; encourage hope; reveal Yahweh’s eternal plan; and unite the Old and New Testaments.

                  Genesis 3:15 A brief introduction to the rest of the Bible and history Seed of the woman – Matthew 1:16 Joseph, the husband [father] of Mary

                  Matthew 1:17 42 generations but not if it ends with Joseph, Mary’s husband

                  Luke 3:23 Eli is the father of Joseph – Matthew1:16 Jacob is the father of Joseph.

                  Luke 3:31 Nathan, son David – Matthew 1:6 Solomon, son of David

                  Matthew 1:19-24; Isaiah 7:14

                  Isaiah 7:1-16 There was a child born in the time of Ahaz who was called “Immanuel”. This is dual prophecy as it also relates to Jesus.

                  Revelation 3:12 states Jesus will have a new name; perhaps then he will be called “Immanuel”.

                  Luke 1:26-38 Throne of David

                  REV Luke 1:34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, seeing I do not know a man sexually?”

                  KJV Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

                  2 Samuel 7:12-13; Isaiah 11:1-2

                  Isaiah 9:1-7 Dual prophecy regarding Hezekiah and Jesus

                   

                  The post Birth of Christ 1: Messianic Prophecy first appeared on Living Hope.
                  47 min
                • Thankfulness: Happy Thoughts

                  Revelation 6:8; 9:15 Catastrophic events and judgments will affect the earth and its inhabitants, leading to widespread destruction and loss of life.

                  Revelation 6:12-21; 20:11 Catastrophic destruction of the earth’s surface

                  Revelation 16:16 “Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”

                  Acts 1:11; Matthew 24:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Philippians 2:11

                  When Jesus returns, the Millennial Kingdom begins. It marks the start of a thousand-year worldwide reign of peace, justice, and righteousness.

                  Isaiah 65:17; 66:22 I will create new heavens and a new earth.

                  Revelation 20:1-3 During this time, the devil will be locked in the “abyss”.

                  Zechariah 14 Jerusalem will finally be the city of God from where King Jesus will rule the world.

                  Isaiah 35:1-10 Arabah is a desert, 103 miles long and 15.5 miles wide.

                  Isaiah 41:18; 43:19

                  Ezekiel 47:1-12 The Dead Sea has no life.

                  Ezekiel 36:35 This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden.

                  Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:3; Ezekiel 39:9-10 Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.

                  Isaiah 11:1-10 Jesus will be the king.

                  Isaiah 32:1-6, 18 Then My people will live in a peaceful habitation, and in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.

                  Revelation 1:6; 5:10 Apostles judge the 12 tribes; David will be king again; saints will rule the world with Jesus.

                  The post Thankfulness: Happy Thoughts first appeared on Living Hope.
                  43 min
                • It’s All About Love 5: Love the Family of God

                  Galatians 6:9-10

                  We are supposed to do what is good toward everyone but do what is extra good toward

                  fellow believers.

                  Doing good is easy when everyone is being nice, but it can be challenging when there is

                  tension or conflict.

                  Acts 15:36-41

                  Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement. To resolve the issue, their mutual decision was to

                  continue the work of the ministry independently.

                  Sometimes, if we have disagreements, we can just choose to do things separately. Nothing in

                  Scripture says that we are commanded to always work together alongside each other in
                  everything. Sometimes, loving another person is knowing what to do in order to get along
                  and continue serving the Lord. Nevertheless, all our work is to be aligned with God’s
                  purposes and with a heart to honor and please the Lord in all things.

                  Colossians 4:10

                  2 Timothy 4:11

                  1 Peter 5:13

                  1 Samuel 25:2-35

                  Abigail navigated the circumstances with Nabal and David with exceptional discernment

                  and character. She demonstrated how to de-escalate a situation and deal effectively with
                  difficult people.

                  Proverbs 15:1; 17:27; 12:18

                  The post It’s All About Love 5: Love the Family of God first appeared on Living Hope.
                  43 min

                About LHIM Everything

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                A weekly podcast featuring the engaging and life-changing Bible teachings of Sean Finnegan and the team at Living Hope International Ministries.