Acts 18:1-11
18 After this Paul[a] left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he found a Jew named Aquila from Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul[b] went to see them, 3 and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers. 4 Every Sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word,[c] testifying to the Jews that the Messiah[d] was Jesus. 6 When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes[e] and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the gentiles.” 7 Then he left the synagogue[f] and went to the house of a man named Titius[g] Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household, and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” 11 He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
When we read the two letters in the Bible that Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth (I and II Corinthians) we see that his relationship with them was complicated. That is confirmed also by this story in Acts. In Corinth, Paul found a kindred spirit in the tentmaker Aquila. He also found a combination of supporters and sparring partners in and around the synagogue. But he stayed in Corinth for a productive year and a half, because God assured Paul that “many in the city were God’s people.”
That might be what we should look for, wherever we earn our living and call our home. Let’s keep an eye out around us for God’s people.
Prayer
God, I thank you for placing me where I am today. Help me to be alert for your other people who surround and support me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
