THE WORD OF GOD SUCCEEDS IN CORINTH

Acts 18:7-11 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Seemingly rejected by the majority of the Jews in Corinth, Paul was first determined to take the message of salvation through Christ Jesus only to those Jews that had an open and receptive heart - those that were willing to examine the scriptures and accept Christ as the Messiah. With limited acceptance by the Jews, Paul began preaching the gospel of Christ unto the Gentiles (Vs. 6). Having taught the gospel of Christ in the synagogue with very little success, it seems that Paul departed in favor of preaching in another, possibly more favorable place. It is doubtful that he left the lodging hospitality of Aquila and Priscilla, but it seems that Paul desired a different venue in which to teach the word of God. He didn't have to go very far. He simply went next door to the synagogue, ...and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus. Whether Justus was a Jew, a Jewish proselyte, or a Gentile convert to Christianity, is not known, but is debated at length by bible scholars. From this text we know only that Justus as one that worshipped God. Certainly the location adjacent to the synagogue was convenient for all Jews that desired to learn more about the promised Messiah. From the residence of Justus, Paul began preaching salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to all that were willing to hear, believe, and obey the Holy Spirit-inspired message, which he was called to preach to the world.

The new location from which Paul preached was convenient enough for Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue to attend and hear the message of salvation proclaimed. Having heard the gospel of Christ, the chief ruler, and his entire household, believed on the Lord. Not only did Crispus completely believe the inspired gospel message of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus, as the apostle delivered it, but he also submitted to baptism for the remission of his sins, which was administered by Paul, himself (1 Cor. 1:14). As chief ruler, he was the administrative leader - the highest non-rabbinical member of the Jewish synagogue in Corinth. He was responsible for the oversight of the worship services and upkeep of the synagogue building. In this important office, he was a very influential member of the Jewish people of Corinth. Certainly with his lofty position, the conversion of Crispus must have had a favorable affect within the Jewish community toward the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah.

With this strong, but limited success, which Paul experienced in Corinth, the Lord gave him these encouraging words: Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. Although Paul's life had been threatened on a number of occasions and would be threatened in this city, the Lord encouraged him to continue to preach the gospel of salvation through Christ Jesus to both Jew and Gentile throughout the known world without fear of harm. The Lord told him that He would never forsake him, assuring him that he would not be harmed by those that opposed his teaching. Persecution would assuredly continue, but the Lord assured Paul that he should not fear for his life - he was in God's hands and his life would be providentially preserved.

One reason given by God for Paul's assured protection from harm was because I have much people in this city - those that had already accepted Christ as their Savior as well as all within the city of Corinth that God knew to have an open and receptive hearts, and were truly seeking eternal life in heaven. Realizing the harvest of souls to Christ is always foremost in the infinite mind of God, the apostle Peter wrote The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). So Paul continued to fulfill his God-given task of preaching the gospel of Christ to Jews and Gentiles alike throughout the world. And in doing so, he remained in Corinth for a year and six months.