'Ac 18:1-4

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Across to Corinth (Ac 18:1-4)

Corinth was a strategic commercial centre situated on a well used Roman road. It was also an important port, and like many ports it was full of all sorts of vice. Its reputation was so bad that people referred to a person of loose morals as one who ‘behaved like a Corinthian’. Yet Paul planted a church there and, not surprisingly, it became one of the most colourful and unorthodox churches of all.

As he often did on his travels, Paul earned his living in Corinth by working for a time at his trade of tentmaking (cf. 1 Thess 2:9; 2 Thess 3:8).

In so doing he met a Jewish married couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who were also tentmakers and who were to become his lifelong friends. They, along with other Jews, had recently been forced to leave Rome by command of the Emperor (Ac 18:1-3). No doubt they went with Paul to the synagogue, where he preached the gospel (Ac 18:4).

Paul writes to the Thessalonians

At that time Silas and Timothy returned from Macedonia, bringing with them gifts of money for Paul from the Macedonian churches. This provision released Paul from his tentmaking and enabled him to spend all his time preaching (see Ac 18:5; cf. 2 Cor 11:8-9; Phil 4:15).

Paul was so pleased with the good news that Timothy brought from Thessalonica that he wrote and sent off a letter which we know as First Thessalonians (1 Thess 3:6).

Paul was particularly pleased to hear that his hasty departure from Thessalonica had not hindered the progress of God’s work there. Despite constant persecution, the church continued to grow, and within a short time had spread the gospel throughout the surrounding districts (1 Thess 1:6-8; 2:13-14).

Sadly, some criticized Paul for leaving the new converts in Thessalonica to face the anti-Christian trouble that initially had been stirred up through him. Paul defended himself against these accusations and at the same time encouraged the Christians to stand firm amid the opposition (1 Thess 2:1-8,17-18; 3:3-5).

He also gave instruction concerning certain aspects of Christian behaviour and cleared up some misunderstandings concerning the return of Jesus Christ (1 Thess 4:1,9,13; 5:1-2).

Within a short time, perhaps only a few weeks, Paul heard that some of the Thessalonians had misunderstood parts of his letter, particularly those parts dealing with Christ’s return. He therefore sent off a second letter, which is known to us as Second Thessalonians.

Some mistakenly thought that when Paul said Jesus Christ would return ‘suddenly’ he meant ‘immediately’. There were even those who thought that if Christ was about to return, there was no purpose in working any longer.

As a result they became idle and a burden to others. Paul corrected the misunderstandings (2 Thess 2:1-3), rebuked the idle (2 Thess 3:6-12), gave further encouragement to the persecuted (2 Thess 1:4-5) and urged all to stand firm in the truth (2 Thess 2:15).