Paul’s Ministry in Corinth

Memory Text

“One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; 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’” (Acts 18:9, 10, NRSV).

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When we think of Paul, we usually think of words like apostle, missionary, evangelist, theologian, church planter, disciple, and disciple-maker.

And rightly so.

Paul was all of those things.

But when Acts 18 introduces Paul’s ministry in Corinth, it mentions something very ordinary about him.

Acts 18:2–3 NKJV
And he found a certain Jew named Aquila… with his wife Priscilla… and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.

Paul made tents.

That was his trade.

He was an apostle, yes. But he was also a worker. He preached Christ, planted churches, discipled believers, and reasoned from the Scriptures while earning a living with his hands.

This is important because we often assume that disciple-making belongs only to people in “full-time ministry.”

Pastors.
Bible workers.
Missionaries.
Evangelists.
Church employees.

But Paul’s life challenges that idea.

He made tents.
And he made disciples.

He worked.
And he witnessed.

He supported himself.
And he served Christ.

In other words, Paul did not treat work as a hindrance to mission. His work became one of the places where mission happened.

So the question is not, “Am I in full-time ministry?”

The better question is, “Am I faithful to Christ where I am?”

Called and Sent

First Corinthians opens this way:

1 Corinthians 1:1 NKJV
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God…

Before Paul corrects the Corinthian church, before he deals with their divisions, before he addresses their immorality, before he responds to their questions, he begins with identity.

He is called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word apostle carries the idea of someone who is sent. Paul understood himself as a man sent by Jesus. His authority did not come from human appointment. His mission did not begin with personal ambition. His calling was not self-invented. His calling  was not rooted in self but outside of it.

He says the same thing in Galatians:

Galatians 1:1 NKJV
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…

This mattered for Paul because identity shapes mission.

If we do not know who we are, we will not know what we are supposed to do.

Paul knew who he was.

He was not first defined by his past.
He was not first defined by his education.
He was not first defined by his Jewish background.
He was not first defined by his Roman citizenship.
He was not even first defined by his trade as a tentmaker.

He belonged to Jesus.

And because he belonged to Jesus, he was sent by Jesus.

Maybe this is where we need to begin too.

Not with the question, “What title do I have?”
Not with, “What position do people recognize?”
Not with, “Do people see my work?”

But with this:

“Lord, what have You called me to do?”

Of course, we are not apostles in the same foundational sense as Paul. But every disciple of Jesus is still sent in some way.

Jesus said:

John 20:21 NKJV
Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.

Ellen White says it plainly:

“Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary.”¹

That is strong.

Not every true pastor.
Not every true missionary.
Not every true evangelist.

Every true disciple.

So if you are a student, you are called.
If you are a teacher, you are called.
If you are an employee, you are called.
If you are a business owner, you are called.
If you are a parent, you are called.
If you are a church member, you are called.

Wherever Christ has placed you, there is a mission field near you.

The question is not whether God can use you.

The question is whether you are available.

Making Tents and Making Disciples

Paul’s trade was tentmaking, but his life was not centered on tents.

His hands made tents.
His heart made disciples.

That distinction matters.

There is nothing wrong with work. Work is part of God’s original design. Before sin entered the world, Adam was placed in the garden “to tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Work is not a curse. Sin made work painful, but work itself is part of human calling.

So the issue is not whether we should work.

The issue is whether our work belongs to Christ.

Acts tells us that while Paul worked, he also reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath.

Acts 18:4 NKJV
And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

He did not wait for a perfect situation before doing mission. He did not wait until he had no financial concerns. He did not wait until the city became easier. He did not wait until everyone accepted him.

He worked with what he had.

Sometimes we postpone mission because our situation is not ideal.

When I am less busy, I will serve.
When I know more, I will share.
When I am more confident, I will witness.
When I have more time, I will disciple someone.

But Paul made tents in Corinth.

And while making tents, he spoke of Christ.

This does not mean that everyone should preach in the same way. Not everyone has the same gift, role, or opportunity. But everyone can reveal Christ.

A kind word can reveal Christ.
A prayer can reveal Christ.
A Bible invitation can reveal Christ.
A consistent life can reveal Christ.
A faithful friendship can reveal Christ.

Paul later wrote:

Colossians 3:23 NKJV
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.

Whatever you do. That includes preaching, yes.

But it also includes studying, teaching, working, parenting, leading, serving, writing, managing, designing, building, selling, and encouraging.

The Christian life is not divided into sacred and secular compartments, as if Christ owns only Sabbath morning but not Monday morning.

No.

If Jesus is Lord, He is Lord of all.

But Paul’s message remained clear.

1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

That does not mean Paul knew nothing else.

Paul was educated.
Paul knew Scripture.
Paul understood culture.
Paul could reason with philosophers.
Paul could engage both Jews and Gentiles.

But he knew what must remain central.

Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Doctrine without Christ becomes information.
Mission without Christ becomes activity.
Correction without Christ becomes harshness.
Identity without Christ becomes pride.

But when Christ crucified is central, truth becomes life.

Ellen White says that in Corinth Paul determined to avoid “elaborate arguments and discussions.”² His burden was not to display brilliance. His burden was to lift up Christ.

We need methods.
We need strategies.
We need training.

But above all, we need Christ.

Because people are not saved by our cleverness. They are saved by Jesus.

The City Matters

Corinth was not an easy place to do ministry.

It was wealthy.
It was busy.
It was religiously pluralistic.
It was morally corrupt.
It was full of trade, travel, ambition, and idolatry.

John Stott notes how Corinth’s reputation became almost proverbial. He writes that “it was an immoral city, so that Aristophanes coined the verb ‘to corinthianize’, meaning ‘to live a licentious life.’”³

That is how Corinth was known.

To “Corinthianize” was not a compliment. It meant to live loosely. To live without moral restraint. To live as if desire had no Lord over it.

In many ways, Corinth sounds familiar.

It sounds like our cities.

People were going in and out. Merchants, travelers, workers, Jews, Greeks, Romans, and people from different backgrounds passed through the city. Corinth was not just a place where people lived. It was a place where people moved.

That is why Corinth mattered.

If the gospel reached Corinth, the gospel could travel through Corinth.

Ellen White wrote:

“Once established at Corinth, it would be readily communicated to all parts of the world.”⁴

That is strategic.

Paul did not choose Corinth because it was easy. He chose it because it was important.

If we want to reach the world, we must reach where the world gathers.

Cities matter.
Campuses matter.
Workplaces matter.
Digital spaces matter.
Homes matter.
Communities matter.

We should not only complain that cities are difficult. We should ask how God wants us to reach them.

Yes, cities have temptations.
Yes, cities have distractions.
Yes, cities have pride, idolatry, immorality, and unbelief.

But cities also have people Jesus died for.

When Jesus saw people, He did not merely see problems. He saw sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36 NKJV
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Maybe that is where mission must begin.

Not with irritation.
Not with superiority.
Not with disgust.
Not with complaint.

But with compassion.

Ellen White’s summary of Christ’s method is still needed:

“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people.”⁵

Christ came close to people. He desired their good. He ministered to their needs. He won their confidence. Then He invited them to follow Him.

That is not weakness.

That is mission.

Do Not Be Afraid

One of the most comforting parts of this lesson is that Paul was not made of stone.

He was courageous, yes.

But he was not fearless in the sense that he never felt fear.

Paul later wrote:

1 Corinthians 2:3 NKJV
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

That is Paul.

The apostle.
The missionary.
The church planter.
The tentmaker.
The man who preached Christ in city after city.

And yet he says he was in fear and much trembling.

This should encourage us.

Sometimes we think that if we are afraid, we are not called.

But fear does not always mean the absence of calling. Sometimes fear is simply what we feel while obeying the call.

Paul’s weakness did not disqualify him. It made him more dependent on God.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary says, “Such an attitude leads him to place greater reliance upon God for strength and wisdom to do His work.” Then it adds Ellen White’s statement: “Our greatest strength is realized when we feel and acknowledge our weakness.”⁶

That is not how the world usually thinks.

The world says, “Hide your weakness.”
Christ says, “Bring your weakness to Me.”

The world says, “Prove that you are strong.”
Christ says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul would later testify:

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul had reasons to be afraid. He had already faced opposition in other places. In Corinth, the Jews opposed him and blasphemed. The work was difficult. The city was morally complicated.

Paul could have left.

Ellen White says he considered Corinth “a very questionable field of labor.”⁷

But then Jesus spoke.

Acts 18:9–10 NKJV
Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you…

Notice what Jesus did not say.

He did not say, “Paul, there is nothing scary here.”

No.

There were real reasons to be afraid.

But Jesus said, “I am with you.”

That is the difference.

Christian courage is not the absence of danger. It is the presence of Christ.

Then Jesus said something else:

Acts 18:10 NKJV
…for I have many people in this city.

That sentence is full of hope.

Before Paul saw them, God already knew them.

Before they believed, God already desired them.

Before there was a church in Corinth, God already saw people who could belong to Christ.

That changes the way we look at mission.

We may see resistance.
God sees seekers.

We may see immorality.
God sees people He loves.

We may see secularism.
God sees future disciples.

We may see opposition.
God sees a harvest.

This does not mean everyone will respond. But it does mean we should not assume that a place is hopeless simply because it is hard.

God has people in the city.

God has people in the campus.
God has people in the workplace.
God has people in the neighborhood.
God has people in places we are tempted to avoid.

So do not be silent.

Speak.

Not harshly.
Not proudly.
Not carelessly.
Not as someone better than others.

But speak of Christ.

Speak with compassion.
Speak with humility.
Speak with courage.

Speak because Jesus is with you.

Conclusion

Paul entered Corinth as a tentmaker.

But he stayed there as a man sent by God.

He knew who he was.
He knew who called him.
He knew what message he carried.
He knew the city mattered.
He knew the work was difficult.
He knew fear was real.

But above all, he knew Christ was with him.

That was enough.

The same Christ who told Paul, “Do not be afraid,” still speaks to His people today. The same Christ who had many people in Corinth still has many people in our cities, campuses, workplaces, homes, and communities.

So wherever God has placed you, do not think your life is too ordinary for mission.

Paul made tents.

But through that life, he made disciples.

You may not be in full-time ministry.
You may not stand behind a pulpit.
You may not hold a church position.
You may not feel ready.

But if you are a disciple of Jesus, you are called to make Him known.

Do not be afraid.

Christ is with you.

And He still has many people in this city.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to understand that every true disciple is also called to mission?
2. How can your work, studies, family life, or daily responsibilities become a place where Christ is revealed?
3. What does Paul’s focus on “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” teach us about the center of all ministry?
4. Why do cities, campuses, and workplaces matter in mission?
5. What fears keep you from speaking of Christ, and how does Acts 18:9–10 answer those fears?

Endnotes

1. Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1905), 102.
2. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1911), 244.
3. John R. W. Stott, Calling Christian Leaders: Rediscovering Radical Servant Ministry (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2002), 22.
4. Ellen G. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald, 1883), 99.
5. White, The Ministry of Healing, 143.
6. Francis D. Nichol, ed., The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980), 669. The Ellen White statement cited there is from Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 70.
7. White, Sketches from the Life of Paul, 106.