The Living One - Week 25: Encouragement

Awake Us Now

God’s word teaches endurance: how to face the difficulties and challenges of life. The Bible doesn’t tell us we will get through life without difficult days and trials. God’s Word gives us encouragement because God’s word is true, it is genuine and it speaks directly into our lives.

Paul at Corinth is a story that shows us how God gives His children encouragement even in the most difficult of times, difficult of places and the most trying of circumstances.

Paul went on missionary journey to Corinth (in Greece) a very corrupt seaport city. They had a temple to Aphrodites and Paul found himself very discouraged at the evil he found there. But God brings encouragement in a way that teaches us to see the ways that God ministers to us in the darkest of days.

Observations: Provision: Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla - God provides as he brings people into our lives who will minister and encourage us. Support: Silas and Timothy - God’s support through colleagues that helped Paul be able to devote full time effort into preaching the Gospel. Opportunity: Jews from the synagogue didn’t want Paul teaching any longer in the synagogue, so Paul went to a man’s house next door to the synagogue and there he preached the gospel to the gentiles. Even in the difficulty of being rejected by the Jewish community, God gave Paul an opportunity to teach Gentiles. Assurance: Corinth was a difficult city to share the Gospel, but Jesus speaks by a vision to Paul, saying, “Do not be afraid - Keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you and no one is going to attack or harm you because I have many people in this city.” God says this to you and me as well, “Don’t give up because I am with you!” So Paul stayed in Corinth a year and a half teaching them the Word of God. Protection: There is dissension between the Jews going to synagogue and the Jews and Gentiles that believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Consequently, after teaching for 1 1/2 years, Paul was arrested and charged with the crime of practicing an illegal cult. They wanted him imprisoned or killed. But Gallia - the court judge - says the one bringing Paul to trial needed to figure things out on their own and that he would not rule on the charges, nor would he punish Paul and Gallia dismissed the case. God knows how to deliver His people! He did it for us at the cross! And the final victory is now ours. We win!

Surprise!: Surprisingly, following the dismissal of the case against Paul, the Jews from the synagogue attack the synagogue leader and beat him up instead of Paul! God’s additional surprise is that in 1 Corinthians 1:1 we read that this synagogue leader, Sethenese, becomes a believer in Jesus and part of the house church in Corinth.

And God has surprises for us in the difficult times, too, because our God is a good and gracious God. He loves His children. He is always with us in difficult times and easy times. He brings joy and hope, endurance and assurance to those who call on Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior!

Scripture: Acts 18:1-17, Romans 15:4

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