Next Door

Acts 18:7-8 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
 
SOMETIMES you need to move only a short distance to find the place God wants you to be. Paul had told the Jews in the synagogue v 6 I will go to the Gentiles. And he literally did go next door to a Gentile named Titus Justus. And Crispus, the synagogue ruler, had surely heard Paul’s preaching in his synagogue. It took one more time in Titus’s home for Crispus to hear and believe. As his entire family came to faith, others also believed.
   God often will choose one or two people in an area to be the source of influence for a new church. Titus Justus and Crispus were those people in Corinth. Paul then had freedom to teach the gospel. The church at Corinth began. How appropriate it is for a new church in a pagan city to begin with a Jewish man and a Gentile man. It illustrates God’s salvation plan for the world. Entering into his world that did not know him, God first appointed Israel to bless the nations. Then he sent the apostles to the Gentiles. The entire world began to know Jesus.
   Paul’s struggles were very difficult. Yet, the LORD’s reward was constant. The LORD had given Paul a harvest in Corinth just as he had in nearly every city Paul had ministered. We know God’s will is to establish and expand his church.
   Church planting was Paul’s and the other apostles’ purpose. Our Lord Jesus taught he does not send us to empty fields but to the harvest. “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35b)
   Still it takes work to cultivate a harvest. Weeds, poor soil and poor weather can hinder a crop. Doubt, fear and weariness can hinder an evangelist. That’s why God personally spoke to Paul to encourage his work:
 
Acts 18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
 
God warned Paul of still greater attempts to oppose him. The Lord willed Paul to remain firm in Corinth.  Paul could trust were many in the city God would use to protect him.   Our faith journey demands we trust God in all circumstances, doesn’t it? Opposition and challenges are constant. Our Lord speaks strength, “Do not be afraid.” (Luke 12:4) to confirm his promise, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) As often as Paul experienced God’s personal intervention, he would still need to fearlessly expect Jesus’ Spirit to be with him each step of his perilous, faithful journey. Paul knew where God wanted him for the immediate present. So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. (Acts 18:11)