Acts 18
by Philip Layton
Paul encourages the churches in Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch and Galatia
Discussion Questions and key points
- Verse 2 helps to date Paul’s travels. When do you think they took place?
- News about Jews being expelled from Rome brings understanding to Paul’s letter to the Romans.
- Paul was a tentmaker (v 3). If you try to witness and are opposed (v 6), do you leave the matter with God and move on?
- Paul stayed for sometime in Corinth (v 11).
Share your thoughts below, or tweet about it with the #boundlessbible hashtag. Don't forget this week's Children's Challenge!
Going Deeper from 'Words of Life'
Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in AD50, which included Priscilla and Aquila. A year later they ended up in Corinth, where they met Paul. We assume they were already Christians, for the three seemed to connect right away. Their occupation of tent-making also drew them together.
Before long Paul was living with this married couple, enjoying rich fellowship. He wanted to plant a church in Ephesus. Knowing the capability of these two individuals and their passion for the mission, Paul decided to ask them if they’d like to accompany him there. They readily agreed; and upon arriving in Ephesus, their new home soon became a church. They were hospitable and open to receiving visitors, talking with them, pointing people to Christ.
Paul left Priscilla and Aquila, feeling confident in them as leaders. At one point they heard an eloquent man, Apollos – a Jew from Alexandria – speaking in the synagogue. Something wasn’t right about what he was saying. Apollos didn’t know the full story of Christ, missing something fundamental in his teaching. He spoke of the baptism of John, but went no further. Rather than pointing out the defect in his teaching in a public way, they took Apollos home and told him of Christ:
When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately (v 26).
After spending three years in Ephesus, the couple moved back to Rome. Many times they risked their lives for Paul. All for Jesus! One of the oldest catacombs in Rome, ‘The Coemeterium Priscilla’, was named in Priscilla’s honour. A church also exists in Rome, carrying the inscription: ‘Titulus Aquila and Prisca’ (Prisca being the shorter form of Priscilla). Memorials to a godly married couple.
Flora Larsson
Tags: Acts