Acts 18 and verse 1 reads.
Acts 18:1] After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
Still in Greece, Corinth is about 40 miles away. A much smaller area.
Acts 18:2] And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
Amazing how the attitude has never changed against the Jews. His wife will be one of the best teachers of God’s word later.
Acts 18:3] And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
[4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
[5] And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
[6] And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
Now Paul was given a threefold ministry by the Lord, to the kings, the House of Jacob, and the gentiles. Paul did very well with the gentiles, so this was an easy decision for him. But look at what he said to them. This reminds me of Gods warning to his elect. Let’s go to Ezekiel chapter 33 and read.
Eze.33:1] Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[2] Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
[3] If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
[4] Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
[5] He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
[6] But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
I hope we all hear “Well done my good and faithful servant”. Back to Acts and verse 7 reads.
Acts 18:7] 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.
Justis is Titus. And he lived next door to the synagogue.
Acts 18:8] 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.
The whole reason for teaching the gospels is to teach the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Acts 18:9] Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
Hold not thy peace but speak boldly.
Acts 18:10] For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
Don’t worry Paul, I, the Lord speaking, have many people here.
Acts 18:11] And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
[12] And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,
[13] Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
[14] And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:
Why should I care, I’m not a Jew. Nor do I believe what you do.
Acts 18:15] But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.
[16] And he drave them from the judgment seat.
[17] Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.
They beat the Kenite that was persecuting Paul. Remember God told Paul that he had many peoples there.
Acts 18:18] And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.
This is a vow of a Nazarite. Paul’s vow is that he would be in Jerusalem for the High Sabbath. This will play a big part in his trial later.
Acts 18:19] And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
Aquilla and Pricilla are not Jews, but Paul is and was a pharisee. And he will always teach boldly.
Acts 18:20] When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;
[21] But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.
He was well received there, but must keep his vow. This vow was for the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost.
Acts 18:22] And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.
[23] And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
Paul was making the circuit, checking all the churches and making sure they didn’t stray from the truth.
Acts 18:24] And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
[25] This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
How Johns message spread ahead of the coming of Jesus Christ, just how it was prophesied in Isaiah. I want to first go to John 1:19 and read.
John 1:19] And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
[20] And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
[21] And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Are you Elijah, or that prophet Isaiah?
John 1:22] Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
[23] He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Now let’s go to Isaiah 40 and read.
Isa.40:1] Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
[2] Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
[3] The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Prophesied a long time ago the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, would come.
Isa.40:4] Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
[5] And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
[6] The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
[7] The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
[8] The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
What was taught is that man is a sinner, and all will die like the grass in the field. But with the Christ we have forgiveness of sins. John was that one that cried for all to know Jesus was coming. And Apollos was a disciple of John the Baptist. He was sent out to spread the word of repentance, and the coming of the Lord. Back to Acts and verse 26 reads.
Acts 18:26] And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
Told him that it had been fulfilled. That Jesus Christ had paid the price. Can you imagine how this made Apollos feel. Now he will be able to go back and teach to the people that had received him and his message, that the Christ had come, and he paid the price and rose again, and now Salvation had come to the whole world.
Acts 18:27] And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
[28] For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
He became a valuable asset to the church, because he was so well read in the scriptures and knew where in the scriptures it talked about Jesus being our Savior. Now that Apollos had the good news, the Gospels of Jesus, it was now complete and Apollos must have felt very blessed to have received this. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible