THE KING’S BUSINESS
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synagogue that Paul had left received the truth, and with him his whole house. Many others believed also and openly confessed their; faith by being baptized. The true order of Christian experience is given in v. 8 and is very suggestive: (1) They heard, (2) they believed, (3) they were baptized. The Lord Jesus had commanded the disciples to go and baptize all nations (Matt. 28:19), and Paul now understood that baptism was for Gentiles as well as Jews. Tuesday, March 6. Acts 18 : 9 - 11 . Evidently there was still much opposition- to the Gospel in Corinth. Indeed, the opposition doubtless increased with Paul’s success. In the midst of this opposition the Lord Jesus came to Paul in the night by a vision.^. That is just like the Lord. Paul had had a pretty hard time of itin Corinth and was to have a still harder time, and the Lord appears and comforts and strengthens him for the coming trial. The Lord often spoke to Paul in this way (ch. 22:18; 23 :11; 27:23-25). He is ready to speak in the same vyay to us if occasion arises, but we do not need visions as much as Paul did, for we have the written Word, whereas Paul was writing the Word. We can carry the-voice of God around with us in our pocket and have Him speak to us whenso ever we will. Furthermore, few of us are placed in such places of trial as was Paul. Perhaps if we would endure more hard ship for the Lord Jesus He would come and give Us more frequent interviews with Himself. Certainly such interviews would far more than compensate for the hard ship. Note very carefully what the Lord’s message to Paul was, "Be not afraid.” That is one of the Lord’s favorite messages. Some one has said that the words “fear not” are found in every book of the Bible. This is not exactly so, but they are found with surprising frequency. The Lord wishes no frightened soldiers. The Lord tells Paul plainly that there is to be opposi tion, but in spite of that he must throw all fear to the winds and speak right out the
message of God. He gave to Paul an all-sufficient reason for not being afraid, “for.
I am with thee” (cf. Ps. 23:4). Of course then Paul could not be afraid, for all Corinth was no match for Jesus Christ. It is no use telling a man not to be afraid unless you give him some reason for fear lessness; but there is an all-sufficient reason for every child of God who is obeying Christ; and going out to do His work, exactly the same reason given here, “for I am with thee” (cf. Matt. 28:19, 20; ch. Josh. 1 :5, 9; Isa. 41:10; 43:1, 2). Paul was to continue speaking in the face of all opposition and not hold his peace, and the Lord Jesus tells him why he should speak and not hold his peace, “for I have much people in this city:” the Lord had people there, and the Lord’s people were to be called out by the spoken Word. The fact that the Lord had much people in that city was not merely a reason for Paul speak ing and not holding his peace, it was also a reason for men not setting on Paul to harm him: there was work that Paul must do, and the Lord would not allow His servant to be hindered in His work. The Lord only allows us to he hurt when both we and the work will be helped by our being hurt. He never allows us to be really harmed (Rom. 8:31; Isa. 54:17; Jer. 15:20, 21). Corinth, famous for its wealth, its luxury, its profligacy, and its vileness, did not seem like a place where the Lord had much people but so it was. Let us take courage concerning our modern cities and speak and hold not our peace, for in spite of all the hindrances to faith, the Lord may have’much people in them. So Paul went right on preaching. He con- tinued there a year and six .months. And notice what he taught, “the Word of God.” He did not teach sociology, though Corinth would have been a rich field for that. He did not preach-municipal reform, though Corinth sorely needed that; not literature and art,- though Greece always had a ready ear for that. No, just “the Word of God.”
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