Ministry of Paul
Paul was the great missionary to the gentiles. In this book we see firsthand what that missions work might have looked like, and some of the concepts might also be revealing. A great first insight is that Paul was a tentmaker. He quite literally made tents for the society where he was living, as a way of supporting himself. The implications of this are that Paul’s ministry happened as a businessman who had connection and influence with many Corinthians who walked through the doors of his business, and he took full advantage of those opportunities. This also meant Paul had influence over those he partnered with in business; coworkers and employees. There were potentially tons of opportunities, and Paul let God use him through those interactions. This has great implications for today’s believer. One implication is that a follower of Jesus can have great impact in the workplace, for there are no doubt many people there who need to hear the Gospel. The workplace is a mission field. Another implication is that God’s work needs to happen even if a believer also has to work a separate job. Paul worked as a tentmaker but it did not keep him from opportunities to develop followers in all situations.
A second insight from Paul’s missionary work in Corinth is that he allowed and encouraged other believers to lead the ministry. Paul considered that his job was to start ministry and develop leaders, not to do it all himself. We see through this story about Corinth, that it was in leaders like Priscilla and Aquila that the church was growing, and it was through Corinthians like Erastos and Camilla that the greatest impact was being felt in growth of the church. The implications for the church today is that there are different roles for leaders in the body of Christ. Some people in the church are designed to be teachers and shepherds, helping the local flock develop and grow as followers of Jesus living, fellowshipping and learning together. Other people are designed by God to be like the Apostle Paul, as individuals who infuse the Gospel message in new areas and new people, but then moving on to continue growing the church. It is quite evident how Paul kept in touch with the churches he started, but he was not their primary leader. We see this in the book even as he is in Corinth, yet struggles to gain the time to get letters out to the church at Thessalonike (Witherington 2012, 93). His focus and efforts had turned to the work at hand in Corinth. Interestingly, one must consider at this juncture how for us today the messages we read from his letters are then truly exhortations. Paul must have had the gift of exhortation in pointing out the needs in others and in churches to change and correct ways for the sake of the Gospel and spiritual growth.
Tension between Old and New
A strong picture is painted through this book in how there is tension between old ways and practices and the new ways of the Gospel and the Christian church. There is evidence of this through the change from pagan ways to Christian ways. There is a strong image of just how prevalent the pagan ritualistic practices infiltrated life of the Corinthian. There were multiple Gods to be worshipped, and offerings of all different manner and for different purposes. The Character of Nicanor is used by the author to portray this tension, as he contemplates his own pagan practices and holds them up to the light of scrutiny against the new Christian practices. For example, Nicanor contemplates the differences in worship, and how drugs were used to create a mania in worshipping the goddess Delphi, and how the Egyptians segregated for worship of Isis and Serapis (Witherington 2012, 16). In contrast the Christians gathered in small groups discreetly to worship only one God, whom they considered the only true God. One also pictures the ritual process involved in the proconsul, Gallio, as he entered and worshiped Asclepius through offering and feasting (Witherington 2012, 67). In contrast to this, is the Lord’s Supper portrayed at the end of the story in which the Christians gathered together and fellowshipped, but then took time to commemorate the actions and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. On one hand the pagan belief is to present offering and feast in hopes of healing, and on the other hand the Christians remember and celebrate what was done for them that they could not begin to pay offering for; a gift of salvation through the grace of God.
There was also tension between the Jewish traditions and the Christian teachings. There were many new converts to the Christian faith, and this included even leaders from within the Jewish Synagogue. Crispus was one of these leaders, as well as Stephanus and his family. As these leaders converted to Christianity, they left glaring holes within the leadership of the Jewish church, which in turn angered the remaining leader, Sosthenes. Sosthenes took action to protect the Synagogue from further depletion by bringing charges against Paul for disruption (Witherington 2012, 95-96). Many of these differences in practice centered on the worship of Jesus Christ and also the neglect of certain eating rituals. What becomes very evident through these tensions is that worship of the One True God brings with it distinction from other religions, and it is the love of God through the words and actions of His followers that bridges the gap to allow unbelievers to make the transition to a new belief. Nicanor is the perfect example for the reader of how this happens. He is not a Christian, and he worships many gods, but through the love exampled from the family of Erastos he is brought to a point of contemplation and consideration of faith in Jesus Christ as God.
The Power of the Gospel
One of the most enlightening aspects of this book is the image of the Holy Spirit at work in the early church in Corinth. Time after time there are examples of how trust in God led to the protection of individuals, brought healing to people, and opened the hearts of those who were not believers. The power of God was moving through Corinth and specifically working through the words and actions of those in the church. This is a great example for today’s churches, as they can see how dependent the Corinthian believers were on God’s provision. People in today’s culture, especially in the United States, seem to be very self-sufficient, and this has infiltrated even the message that comes out from the church. How key it is for today’s Christian leaders to see an example of how relying on God brings greater results than self-sufficiency.
One example of the power of God from the story in the book is how God used Paul to bring healing to Erastos. The character Erastos had been attacked by hooligans, and he was not recovering well from the attack. His family and household, who were believers, were praying for recovery and for God’s provision of health for him. As we see in the story, the Apostle Paul came to the house of Erastos and prayed for God to heal him, and God did just that. Immediately Erastos woke up and began to converse with his family. God answered the prayers of the faithful family, and He showed his power over the evil trying to bring demise into the life of a believer.
Another example where we see the power of God is in the protection of Nicanor, who throughout the book is not a believer, but is connected with Erastos’ family who believe in Jesus Christ. Nicanor is a servant for the household who has very deep ties with the family; a trusted and loved friend as well. Though he does not believe in Jesus, he sees something different in the faith of the family that is a draw to him. He progresses through stages curiosity and understanding to a point eventually where he is confronted with the reality of a change to believe in God. In the process of this transformation, the devil tries to prevent his progress towards faith in Christ by bringing outside temptation in the form of incredible wealth by becoming the adopted son of a rich man. Through this proposal he is also intimidated and threatened to participate in the plan to bring the demise of his friend Erastos. Nicanor tries to solve his problem by hiring strongmen, but the reality is that only God can completely eradicate any chance of harm to him from this evil. Only God can provide a solution from another source to give him the resources he needs to thrive in society. The prayers of Erastos and his family are that Nicanor will believe in Jesus Christ, and that whatever problems his is facing will be resolved through God as well. So we see that God meets Nicanor’s needs through partnership with Erastos and his business, He gives Nicanor new friends to help him move his business forward, and He gives Nicanor boldness to stand against the temptations and intimidation, to do what is right.
The culmination of these events in Nicanor’s life is seen in how the Holy Spirit moves in his heart at the end of the book. He is at a church gathering in the house of Erastos where he sees the genuineness and truthfulness of faith so many have in Jesus Christ. God speaks directly to him through the words of people in the room, and he is moved to a realization that his life is missing something that only Jesus can fill. Though Nicanor does not officially accept Jesus, he admits his need to understand him more, and he commits to learn more about him.
These are great examples of how God works in the lives of his followers when they invite him into their daily routines; into every aspect of life. There is a level of dependency upon God that today’s believers should aspire to have. Erastos and his family invited God into every aspect of their decisions and it led to their success, but their interpretation of this was that God should be glorified through that success. It is also very heartening to see how God works out plans beyond the knowledge and grasp of his followers. The key example of this from the book is seen in the trial of the Apostle Paul, who must face accusations from an irate faction within the church. Paul really has little control over the outcome; in fact, things could potentially take a very bad outcome, but God intervenes and brings beneficial resolution beyond Paul’s planning and consideration. The issue of the trial is resolved before Paul even has a chance to present his defense. God needed the Apostle Paul to continue to be an effective tool in ministry to the people of Corinth. Finally, it is encouraging to see a visual image painted of the spiritual gifts used in the early church at Corinth. As they gather for worship at the end of the story, one pictures a group gathered fellowshipping and worshiping, along with speaking in tongues and prophecy for the benefit of proclaiming the Gospel to those who need to hear it. Nicanor’s life is transformed by God through communication from believers around him. Some are prophesying to him, Paul is teaching, many even lay hands on him in prayer. God uses the revelatory gifts to transform lives, and even today, lives can be transformed through these manners if one lets the Holy Spirit work in them.
Conclusion
One of the greatest challenges in interpreting Scripture is bridging the cultural divide between today and the life of the author and the audience of a letter written two thousand years ago. Witherington’s book really helps bridge that gap so we can begin to glean from Scripture just what Paul was communicating to the Corinthian church and its believers. Through this, today’s believer can then begin to grasp what God is saying to them. The life of a Corinthian believer was complex, but not so unlike the complexities in the lives of believers today. What is very important to understand from them is that they took the necessary steps to incorporate God in all areas of their lives. They relied upon God for health, provision, courage, and wisdom; all things believers today need as well. Further, it was this penetration of the Gospel to the core of one’s life that enabled the church to grow and expand so rapidly. Today the church thinks apathy is so strong, and that people are cold to the Gospel, but the story coming from Corinth teaches us that this is not a new predicament. The way to have an impact in one’s community is to be bold and take a stand for what one believes, and then with God’s love begin to share the Gospel through word and action, in all areas of life. This is the kind of life that Paul was calling the Corinthians to live, and the kind of life we are called to live as well.
Bibliography
Witherington, Ben, III. A Week in the Life of Corinth. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012.
