Last week, we saw Paul preaching the gospel to the philosophers on Mars Hill, and Luke made a point of providing the names of two individuals who believed, along with several others. If you recall, Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive from Berea, but as it turned out, Paul felt that he had spent enough time in Athens and soon left for Corinth, a major commercial city filled with every conceivable type of immorality.

While in Corinth, Paul met some fellow Jews named Aquila and Priscilla, who had recently been banished from Rome because Emperor Claudius had finally had enough of the riots that had broken out in the city all because of a man named “Christos.” As it turned out, Christians from Judea had gone to visit their relatives in Rome and as they shared Jesus with them, they strongly resisted which resulted in riots and the eventual banishment by Claudius. After Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth, Luke records that,

Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade both Jews and Greeks that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:4-6).

And now, Luke singles out two more individuals who came to faith in Christ, one was Titius and the other Crispus, along with his entire household. Interestingly, Crispus was the leader in the synagogue in which Paul had been preaching. As a result,

Many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8).

It’s no secret that those in positions of power and authority carry a lot of influence, and in this case, the influence of Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, was instrumental in causing others to come to faith in Christ. And then, one night, the Lord came to Paul in a vision and said,

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10).

Wow, what assurance Paul received. The Lord flat out told him that he was preparing the hearts of many others in the city, and as a result, Paul stayed for a year and a half in Corinth preaching the gospel and discipling those who had come to faith in Christ.

But their success in spreading the gospel was not without opposition, for while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the judgment seat with the charge:

“This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law” (Acts 18:13).

As Paul was preparing to respond, Gallio immediately brought accusations against the Jews saying,

“If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law – settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things (Acts 18:14-15).

Now check out the response of the crowd to Gallio’s words:  

After Gallio drove them off, the crowd turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever (Acts 18:16-17).

Wow! Instead of meeting out punishment on Paul, Sosthenes, the new synagogue leader, was beaten by the same crowd that he had raised up in protest against Paul.

As we review this portion of Acts, we see the Power of Position in three different areas:

• Crispus, the first synagogue leader, came to faith in Christ and influenced a host of others to also follow Christ;
• Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, recognized the petty accusations against Paul, and rescued him by having the new synagogue leader beaten instead.

Regardless of your position in life, we all have a certain amount of influence. Whether it is over the children you are raising or among your coworkers or friends, we all have an opportunity to influence others for good. In fact, Jesus made a point of telling His disciples that:

“You are the salt of the earth…and the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14).

Of course, salt preserves and adds zest to life, while light reveals the right path and points the way to a godly life. And that’s exactly what our Lord has called us to do with those who are discouraged and lost. If you are a follower of Jesus, let’s use whatever influence we have to be salt and light in a world filled with uncertainty and fear.

Next week, we will travel with Paul as he concludes his Second Missionary Journey. I hope you will join me. In the meantime, may the Lord extend His blessings to each one of you.