Don't Be Afraid, Keep on Speaking

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray walked through Acts 18, which follows Paul's extended stay in Corinth, his partnership with Aquila and Priscilla, and the opposition he faced before the proconsul Gallio. The message ran alongside a send-off for Carl Clemer, who has served on staff for fifteen years and is moving with his family to Huntsville. Those two threads, one from the first century and one from Sunday morning,...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 1:3 quoted during worship as living hope through resurrection of Jesus Christ
2. Micah 6:8 named as the source of the song act justly love mercy walk humbly
3. Acts 18:1 opening verse of the passage being preached, Paul leaving Athens for Corinth
4. Acts 18:2 introduction of Aquila and Priscilla, expelled from Rome under Claudius
5. Acts 18:3 Paul staying with Aquila and Priscilla as fellow tentmakers
6. Acts 18:4 Paul reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath persuading Jews and Greeks
7. Acts 18:5 Silas and Timothy arriving from Macedonia, Paul devoting himself completely to the word
8. Romans 1:16-17 quoted to show Paul's commitment to sharing the gospel to the Jew first and also to the Greek, righteousness revealed from faith to faith
9. Acts 18:7 Paul going to the house of Titius Justus next door to the synagogue
10. Acts 18:8 Crispus the synagogue leader believing with his whole household, many Corinthians believing and being baptized
11. Acts 18:9-10 the Lord telling Paul by night vision not to be afraid, to keep speaking, because God had many people in the city
12. Acts 18:11 Paul settling in Corinth a year and six months teaching the word
13. Acts 18:12-13 Jews bringing Paul before Gallio the proconsul accusing him of inciting worship contrary to the law
14. Acts 18:14-16 Gallio dismissing the case as a matter of Jewish law and driving them away
15. Acts 18:17 the crowd beating Sosthenes the synagogue leader in front of the judgment seat
16. 1 Corinthians 1:1 cited to show Sosthenes later named alongside Paul as a brother
17. 1 Corinthians 1:14 Paul thankful he baptized none except Crispus and Gaius, referenced regarding division in Corinth
18. Jeremiah 29:11 mentioned as a passage preached on the first Sunday, with the point that the verses before it call God's people to settle and put down roots for seventy years

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray talked about Paul settling in Corinth, working as a tentmaker alongside Aquila and Priscilla before shifting his full focus to the word once Silas and Timothy arrived. What do you think that kind of patience and willingness to work a trade while ministering says about how God uses ordinary circumstances to set up something larger?
2. When Paul shook out his garments and told the people in the synagogue that their blood was on their own hands, he was saying he had delivered the message faithfully and the rest was up to them. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you had said what needed to be said and had to leave the outcome with God? How did that feel?
3. The Lord told Paul in a vision, 'Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent, for I have many people in this city.' Pastor Ray pointed out that God was already preparing hearts before Paul ever reached them. How does that change the way you think about sharing your faith in places or with people that feel unlikely or resistant?
4. Crispus was the leader of the synagogue and he believed, and then Sosthenes stepped into that role and also came to believe, even though it cost him a beating. Pastor Ray said that when you take your position of leadership seriously, the weight of it becomes real. Where in your own life do you feel that weight, and how do you carry it?
5. Carl said there was really no good reason to leave First B other than God's divine hand, and that he is leaving with confidence that God who began the good work will finish it. He also said God always fills in the gaps when one part of the body moves away. Have you seen that happen, either here or somewhere else, and what did it look like?