Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 18

Highlight Verses:

“Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

In the worst ways, Corinth was the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean. It had a reputation for sin.

It was also a major crossroads and port that saw many travelers.

The perfect place for outreach.

The Bible does not tell us that Aquila and Priscilla were led to Jesus by Paul, though Roman history implies they were believers already in Rome as the purge of the Jews from Rome was likely focused on Christians.

Besides providing work, they provided encouragement – an essential when working in a place like Corinth.

Paul considered them “fellow workers” (Romans 16:3) implying they were fully involved with him in reaching the people in Corinth.

I’ve heard many teach on the aspect of being a “tentmaker” in ministry. There is much to be said about that.

But what stands out to me is that Paul found essential support through a seemingly random couple in his workplace.

Often, we tend to compartmentalize ministry. We tend to see it as a Sunday thing. We’ll keep up with our daily devotions but assume that ministry is something we do at church or at least, through church.

Paul was encouraged and ministered to by a couple at work.

There should be no restriction on what can be considered a place for ministry.

True, I should not just go to the lobby of the city office building where I work and start preaching to everyone passing by.

But I can encourage my coworkers and share with them in natural conversation the good things God has brought into my life.

Sometimes I find encouragement from them as well.

There is a guard at the main city police admin building who usually has a Bible open at her station and freely shares what she is reading when she is asked.

And there are several in the company I work for who post daily encouragement on a Christian chat room on the company’s SharePoint site.

Whether it is at work, at church, or in the checkout line at the grocery store, we should always be open for opportunities to encourage and be encouraged.

Who was the last person who encouraged you?
Who was the last person you encouraged?
Where did that happen?