When Paul left Athens for Corinth, he had a huge change in venue. Athens was intellectual, cultural and urbane even with all its idols. Corinth was a city of commerce and corruption. Money poured in with the merchant ships and trade crossings. The temple of Aphrodite gave official sanction to a thriving prostitution business. The culture’s focus on money and sex is not too different from our own.

Paul met a couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who would be life-long encouragers and friends in Christ. They were tentmakers and Paul worked along side them. We use the term tentmaker to indicate a Christian worker or missionary who has a secular job to support them. Many countries are closed to official missionaries, but will let Christians in who teach, work on computers or such. The term tentmaker has a good meaning for us. But for Paul, the fact that he was not using his full time to preach the gospel was probably due to the money running out. Notice that when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia (probably with the support money), Paul devoted his time exclusively to preaching and teaching.

Paul kept his pattern of preaching at the town synagogue. This is where the people knew the Scriptures and were looking for the Messiah. We should not neglect clearly sharing the gospel with those who are cultural Christians. Many people have a good feeling toward God, the Church and the Bible, but do not know Jesus. We find, as Paul did, that they are often hard to reach with the gospel. Still we must not neglect them. Paul did not stop preaching and teaching in the synagogue until they threw him out! One of the converts was the leader of the synagogue.

I often think of St. Paul as a super Christian. He certainly had the grace of God flowing through him. Yet he also was discouraged from time to time. He had money troubles. He had opposition. He had people trying to arrest him and even kill him. We do not read specifically that he was discouraged while at Corinth, but the Lord does come to him in a vision to encourage him. We read of this vision in vv 9-10. If Paul needed encouragement, then so do we.

The Lord said, "Do not be afraid." This is what Jesus said to his disciples just after he rose from the dead. They had much reason for fear, but Jesus had conquered them all. We also are stopped from sharing the gospel because of fear. We are afraid that we will be rejected, that someone will ridicule us. We are afraid that we would say the wrong thing. We are afraid we will be asked a question that we cannot answer. Few of us are afraid that someone will throw a rock at us if we talk about Jesus (and that was a real concern of Paul), but we are afraid nonetheless. The Lord tells us "Do not be afraid." God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind.

Keep on speaking, do not be silent. Paul must have felt discouraged from speaking. He received much opposition. Not as many responded as he would have liked. We face the same thing, on a smaller scale. We talk with friends about Jesus and they do not trust in the Savior. We wonder if we are becoming obnoxious, that we are hardening them to the gospel and to us, that our sharing becomes a hindrance to their salvation. We who teach and preach wonder how much of our ministry is getting through. We wonder if we should stop the preaching of the Word and try a different method. Then we are reminded that faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

For I am with you, and no one is going to attack you or harm you. This is another great boost for Paul. Paul can be successful because the Lord is with him. You remember that this is the center and focus of the 23rd psalm. There we are told that we will not lack and need not fear because You (O Lord) are with me. This is also what Jesus told his disciples when he gave them the Great Commission. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).