Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 105
18:9-27
L UK E – A cts
93
the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many
others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be
afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will
attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul
stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment.
They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are
contrary to our law.”
But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s
accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some
wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case.
But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law,
take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” And he threw
them out of the courtroom.
The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and
beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the
brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his
head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set
sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others
behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the
Jews. They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. As he left, however,
he said, “I will come back later, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and
visited the church at Jerusalem and then went back to Antioch.
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia
and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.
Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the
Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had
been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with
an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about
John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in
the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even
more accurately.
Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and
sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in
Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to
