Lesson 392

(Lesson 392)(09-10-12) Acts 18:1-8, "After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were *baptized."

In this lesson, we see that Paul left Athens and went to Corinth where he met Aquila and Priscilla who had been ordered out of Rome by Claudius. This is the first mention of the Romans having totally ejected the Hebrew people.
We learn herein that Paul preached in the synagogue every sabbath **(once weekly). This is the first biblical mention of a weekly meeting of the Church. The reason for his weekly sermons at the synagogue was that it just happened to be when the Jews gathered to read the Torah and offer their sacrifices. We should pay close attention to the fact that after Paul had significantly built up the numbers in the Church in Corinth, and the Jews, again, rebelled against him, Paul gave up on the Jews who gathered there and no longer preached weekly in their synagogues, vowing to preach only to the Gentiles. Because of their rejection of His grace, Paul left them to face the wrath of God.

* I believe the term "baptized" as it is applied in this passage refers to an over-washing of those who were saved, by the Holy Ghost, seeing that there is no mention of water within this text, and knowing, that indeed, past reference has been made to granting of the Holy Ghost as a "baptism".

** Today's practice of assembling for "Church" on a weekly basis probably originated with the ritual sabattical gathering of the Jews. No other mention of a weekly assembly is mentioned in the New Testament text. ~