“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
(Acts 18:9–10, NKJV)
THE UNDERDOG
Have you ever been the underdog?
When watching sports, if you don’t know either team, you may not know much more than the rankings.
Sometimes in the NCAA tournament, a lower-ranked team starts beating teams nobody expected them to beat. They call those Cinderella teams. Don’t you want to root for the underdog in those moments? It’s exciting to see them win.
That’s the situation we find the Apostle Paul in Acts 18.
KEEP PREACHING
When Paul traveled, he often stayed for a short time to establish a church and then left once elders were appointed to care for it. He stayed longer in Corinth than usual, though.
Paul knew there was very real danger there as he had encountered before, being beaten and left for dead. But God told Paul he didn’t have to fear. He told him nobody would hurt him because He had many people in that city. He was telling Paul that there were people in the congregation he didn’t know about and people who, if they could hear the gospel, would come to Christ.
He always did as the Lord instructed, even if others were warning him against it. So he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half teaching the Word of God among them.
As a hospice chaplain, I often went to nursing homes. Sometimes while visiting someone, I just talked with them and provided comfort. Other times, I was able to share the gospel.
One time, the man I was supposed to see wasn’t in his room, so I went down to the common area. There were about six people there, and I found him sitting in his wheelchair. I spoke with him and asked about his church background. He told me he didn’t have one, but he listened as I talked about the Bible. I went over the verse in Romans that says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” He said he knew that meant him and he believed it was true. I came to the part where it says the wages of sin is death. In other words, the penalty for sin is death. He nodded yes.
I said, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And I asked him if he would like to do that. He said, “Yes.” I prayed a sample prayer and he prayed along with me. I then invited him to pray in his own words, and he accepted the Lord that day.
You see, he was sitting in that common area in his wheelchair that day waiting and ready to hear how to be saved.
Only God knows how many are in your city waiting for someone to tell them about Jesus.
The ones already active with Paul were part of the many in the city. But there were many who would come to accept Christ while Paul was there, and there were also those who were already believers that Paul had not met yet.
It’s kind of like what happened with Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah stood before the 450 prophets of Baal and challenged them to call on their god to send fire to their sacrifice. They cried out to Baal all morning, danced around the altar, and even cut themselves, but nothing happened. Elijah mocked them, suggesting their god was busy or asleep. But when Elijah called upon God for fire, He sent fire!
When Queen Jezebel heard what had happened, she threatened Elijah’s life. He fled into the wilderness and became discouraged, telling God that he was the only one left who was serving Him. But God told him he wasn’t alone. There were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
Just like Elijah, Paul knew there were people who were serving God that he didn’t know about. God told Elijah there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and He told Paul, “I have many people in this city.” Because Paul believed God’s promise, he stayed at Corinth longer than he stayed at most places.
KEEP MOVING
(Verses 18-23) So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.
And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
I want you to notice all the movements going on here. When God impresses upon us that it’s time to move, we need to move. If He impresses upon us to stay, we should stay. Difficulties happening around you are not always a reason to leave.
What matters is obeying what God has put on your heart, just as Paul did here.
There was a tribe in Africa that always believed there must be a creator just by looking at the sky. When someone came to teach them about evolution, the tribe just laughed!
But when a missionary, sent by God, visited this tribe, they asked him, “Are you the one that’s going to come with the words that help us understand the Creator of the universe?” He answered, “Yes.”
The tribe, who had never even seen a Bible, were captivated as the missionary spoke. He began in Genesis telling stories all the way to the New Testament, the life of Jesus, and then the crucifixion. It was so vivid in their minds that they began to weep! They were left in remorse waiting until morning when the missionary came to finish the story.
He told them how Jesus had risen from the dead, and the whole tribe got excited! As was their custom, they got up, jumping up and down on one foot and celebrated the risen King!
KEEP LEARNING
(Verses 24-26) Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
John the Baptist’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Aquila and Priscilla explained to him, “you need to be preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as repentance.” He did not get upset when they corrected him. He received it and went on to help others greatly.
An older pastor went to a young seminary graduate with a doctorate degree with a question. He said, “I don’t understand the meaning of just one word in John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world.’ It’s the word ‘so.’”
The young man looked up at his degree and it couldn’t help him answer the pastor.
As you go through life, the longer you live, the more you find out you don’t know. But you should keep learning. Get in the Scriptures and let the Word of God teach you new things. There is always something more to learn, even in the verses you think you know well.
CONCLUSION
When God tells you to do so, keep preaching. Keep teaching. Move when He tells you to move and stay when He tells you to stay.
Most of all, keep learning.
Have you at least learned that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? And that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus!
If you repent of your sins, believe in Jesus, trust in Him, and call upon Him, He will bring you salvation.
If you haven’t done that, I would encourage you to come to Christ today.
