PAUL THE APOSTLE ( PART 37 ) | THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY | PAUL AT CORINTH ( PART 4 )

Pastor Christopher Choo

Lesson 3137

PAUL THE APOSTLE ( PART 37 )

THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY
PAUL AT CORINTH ( PART 4 )

FROM CORINTH TO  CENCHREA, EPHESUS, CAESAREA, JERUSALEM, AND ANTIOCH

In Corinth, Paul had taken a vow which had to be completed in the Temple at Jerusalem ( Acts 21:24-27 ).

So he and his teammates ( Silas, Timothy, Priscilla, and Aquila ) went to the port city of Cenchrea and sailed across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus in Asia Minor.

Ephesus was the most flourishing city in Asia Minor. Like Athens, it had many eminent orators and philosophers. The famous Temple of Diana, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world was there.

But they could not stay long in Ephesus to minister so they left Priscilla and Acquilla there to continue the work. However, Paul promised to return which he did, and spent 3 years there ( Acts 19:1; Acts 20:31 ).

Paul, Silas, and Timothy then sailed to Caesarea where they set out for Jerusalem for Paul to complete his vow.

After paying their respects to the church at Jerusalem, they journeyed back to their hometown base of Antioch.

This marked the completion of his lengthy Second Missionary journey that began in Acts 15:35.

Abba Father, Paul left a vibrant church in Corinth that he started. But in his absence, the church started to deteriorate for a number of compelling reasons:

1. Christians at Corinth lived in the midst of an alien culture - both geographically and spiritually.

2. The church at Corinth became disconnected from the Word of God. It embraced elements of the worldly philosophies that abounded in Corinth at that time and mingled them with Christianity. The church became uncertain of what it believed and lost the will and the power to confront evil with the truth.

Soon there was open immorality among the membership, and the church didn't see this as a particular problem. People did not take their marriage vows seriously. People were living in relationships that God's Word condemns.

The church brought worldly practices into its worship, and with them came confusion and disorder. People partook of the Lord's Supper in a pagan manner. They took a sinful approach to the matter of spiritual gifts. There was preacher worship, factionalism, strife, and materialism.

3.Neglect of the Word of God created a spiritual vacuum, and the influences of the unbelieving world rushed in to fill that vacuum.

The Corinthian church actually forgot the content of the Gospel message, and they had to learn it all over again.

That is why Paul had to pen two of his famous letters to the Corinthians.He did the one thing that must be done: Paul dealt with their problems, one by one, from Scripture. He employed the fourfold use of Scripture that we find in 2nd Timothy 3:16.

Paul called the church back to sound doctrine. He reproved their errors from the Word. He corrected them. He instructed them, pleading with them to follow the righteous path once again.

This is the reality of the gospel which may have begun in the spirit but ended in the flesh.

And thus we can understand Paul's injunction in his letter to the Philippians ( and us ) to " work out your own salvation with fear and trembling " ( Phil.2:12).