The Corinthian Culture:
- Prosperous due to it’s
- Melting pot of
- The “
Birth of the Corinthian Church (Acts 18):
- Paul goes where people
- Paul doesn’t work
- Paul
- Many get saved & are
- Paul stays at least 1 and 1/2
“Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” —Acts 18:4
“There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them… When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.” —Acts 18:2-3, 5
“But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.” —Acts 18:6-7
“You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people.” —I Corinthians 16:15
“Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.” —Acts 18:8
“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes.” —I Corinthians 1:1
“Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household[d] of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints—” —1 Corinthians 16:15
“So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” —Acts 18:11
Why Paul needed to write 1 Corinthians:
“9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” —I Corinthians 6:9-11**
Three Common Strategies for Living in a Corinthian Culture:
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The only way to infiltrate the world is to