Golden Plains Baptist Church · Pastor Robert Carlson

God's Encouragement to Paul in the City of Corinth

April 11, 2026·45 min·4 clips

Paul arrives in the wicked city of Corinth completely alone, facing his most discouraging ministry challenge yet.

1. Golden Plains Baptist Church's Wednesday evening study covers Acts 18:1-11, examining Paul's time in Corinth on his second missionary journey. 2. The preacher, identified as Pastor Carlson, is the sole speaker; no guests are present. 3. The sermon's thesis is that God provides specific, concrete encouragements to Christians in their most discouraging moments, drawn from Paul's experience in Corinth. 4. Paul arrived in Corinth alone — confirmed by comparing Acts 17:15, where companions brought him to Athens, with Acts 17:33, where Paul departed Athens by himself. 5. God's first encouragement was the appearance of Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple expelled from Rome by Caesar Claudius's edict against Jews, who happened to be tent-makers like Paul. 6. Aquila and Priscilla are traced through six subsequent mentions in scripture — Acts 18:18, Acts 18:26, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Romans 16:3, and 2 Timothy — showing they remained Paul's companions for years. 7. The preacher argues that Romans 16:3 — 'who have for my life laid down their own necks' — indicates these were sacrificial long-term friends, not passing acquaintances. 8. God's second encouragement, per Acts 18:5, was that Paul was 'pressed in the spirit' — an inner drive not to quit — which the preacher attributes to Paul maintaining his routine of synagogue attendance and to the arrival of Silas and Timothy from Macedonia. 9. The preacher called missionary Brother Hines before the service; Hines had lost co-workers of 12 years over what a newsletter described as a minor grievance, yet told the preacher 'it's just part of the ministry, but I can't quit.' 10. The preacher also called missionary Brother Castelaw in Hawaii, whose entire military congregation will be restationed elsewhere by end of 2026, leaving him potentially with no congregation except his wife; Castelaw gave the same response as Hines. 11. God's third encouragement was a continuing commitment, illustrated by Paul leaving the synagogue after they blasphemed him (Acts 18:6) and immediately knocking on the house of Justus, which was physically joined to the synagogue. 12. The preacher recounts a personal story of taking a young man from his church door-knocking who refused to ever come again after encountering two unreceptive homes, contrasting his quitting with Paul's persistence. 13. God's fourth encouragement was conversions beyond counting: Justus received Paul, then Crispus — the chief ruler of the very synagogue that had rejected Paul — believed with his entire household and was baptized, followed by 'many Corinthians.' 14. The preacher notes that if Paul had stopped at verse 6's rejection, none of the subsequent converts named in Acts 18 or in 1 Corinthians — Justus, Crispus, Chloe, Gaius, Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus — would appear in scripture. 15. He presents the proximity of Justus's house to the synagogue as theologically significant: the receptive person was literally next door to the source of rejection. 16. The structure of Acts 18 is offered as the argument: Paul's discouragement in Corinth is set up explicitly by the sermon, and God's responses are matched point-by-point to the obstacles. 17. The style is expository-topical: the preacher follows the text sequentially but organizes it around four labeled points, using the text to generate applicable principles. 18. The tone is conversational and pastoral; the preacher addresses the congregation directly, acknowledges his own church's need for growth, and uses humor around Aquila and Priscilla's willingness to follow Paul when he leaves. 19. Best suited for Christians in ministry contexts — missionaries, church workers, volunteers — who are navigating discouragement and considering whether to persist. 20. Those seeking non-religious content or looking for academic biblical scholarship will find little here.

As heard by us

A calm Acts 18 sermon about how God uses Christ-like companions to steady discouraged servants.

Paul's time in Corinth is framed as a steady lesson in how God keeps a worker going when the city feels difficult and the road feels long. The sermon walks through Acts 18 without hurrying, then lingers on Aquila and Priscilla to show how Christ-like companions can become real…

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Why you'd press play

You need a reminder that God often encourages you by sending Christ-like companions.

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