Transcribed and edited excerpt from sermon preached from Acts 18:1–11 on May 15, 2022
We’re in a pretty happy occasion in the life of our church. We’re trying to help plant churches and see men raised up. And we need to have not just men with breathing bodies, but specific kinds of men as exemplified by Paul. Now, I don’t think any of us on this side of heaven are ever going to match what Paul was, but his example ought to speak to the type of man we seek to cultivate, recognize, and send out for ministry. …
In the case of the history of the Corinthian church in the city of Corinth, it was in a strategic place within Greece. It had about 200,000 people and was on an important trade route. As John Stott observes, “Paul must have seen [Corinth’s] strategic importance. If trade could radiate from Corinth in all directions, so could the gospel.” Paul was not the kind of church planters that only went to cities – he went to cities, rural areas, places with rich people, and places with poor people. He went wherever the Spirit of God directed him to go with the message of God; namely, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31). As the epistles to Corinth show, the church had a lot of issues that Paul had to address. If Athens represented the center for sins of the intellect, Corinth represented the center for sins of the flesh. Plato used the term “Corinthian girl” as a synonym for a prostitute. To “play the Corinthian” meant to fornicate. From the 5th century BC onward, the city housed the temple of Aphrodite or Venus [the goddess of beauty and romance], and on a nightly basis, a thousand temple prostitutes would descend on the city to practice their trade. It doesn’t sound like this would be a conducive place to build a church, but since the apostle is directed by God to go there, of course it was a conducive place to build a church! As John Gill says, “And as the Gospel was to be preached to the worst of sinners, among whom God’s chosen ones lay, the apostle was directed to come hither.” So Corinth wasn’t a friendly or welcoming place. It wasn’t a place that says, “Oh, yes, we’d like to have several Christian churches here.” In light of that, what are we supposed to do? If the people aren’t absolutely welcoming, does that mean we just pass by? No, Jesus says, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). We seek to go where sinners are. In short, we go everywhere with the message of the gospel, to make disciples, and to plant churches. And that is precisely what Paul does on his missionary journeys. …
In Acts 18:4, we see the apostle’s custom: “he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.” That’s a common theme in the book of Acts. When Jesus issues the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20, we’re not to simply sit down and wait for sinners to come to us. There needs to be this active involvement on the part of the church, to go, to send, to plant, to make, to build, and to do the things commanded by the blessed Saviour. When Paul goes to various cities in the Roman Empire, the first place he goes to is the synagogue. He knows that both Jews and Greeks or Gentiles will be there including those God-fearing Greeks or Gentiles that were interested in the God of Israel. Paul preached Christ at these synagogues on the Sabbath day. He would speak concerning the Old Testament prophets, the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the significance of these things. Why did Jesus lived die and rise again? Was it simply for an example? Was it simply to show us a higher and nobler way? No, it was to bring salvation to sinners. All those who look to Jesus Christ in faith benefit from his life. What does that mean? It means that when sinners believe the gospel, they receive His righteousness and benefit from his death. What does that mean? It means they are cleansed in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and benefit from our Savior’s resurrection (Rom. 4:25). …
We need men that are fit not only in terms of virtue but in terms of giftedness. These men need to be able to open the Word of God, to explain the significance of the scriptures, to reason, dispute, and ultimately, to confound the enemies of Christ. Christian preaching ought to include reasoning and persuading when the “Word of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16b). Preaching isn’t about little happy talks, stories, autobiographical sketches, or fireside chats. The Word of God must be proclaimed because it is the means by which God saves sinners. As 1 Corinthians 1:21b explains, “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” That doesn’t mean you can’t read your Bible and come to saving faith. That doesn’t mean you can’t hear the gospel from a friend and come to saving faith. But the primary means that God ordains as the delivery system is the proclamation of the truth. …
We have work to do in the church today in terms of extending the kingdom of Jesus Christ. It is His mission and task for us. We are His Eve as his helper with reference to proclamation and worship. We ought to emphasize the practice of the church as church: preaching the gospel, making disciples, and then baptizing them.
Free Books by Charles H. Spurgeon
We offer free copies of Spurgeon’s Advice for Seekers and Around the Wicket Gate. Feel free to take a copy to read or to share with your friends and family. These works have proven to be especially helpful and profitable. You can find them in the shelves at the back of the church. Help yourself to a copy!
