Read a scripture and sing worship songs.

(Optional) Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator also between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all. (Philippians 2:11b; 1 Timothy 2:4-6a)

Choose a way to cast vision for who they can become in Christ or what God can do through them by:

• a scripture that reminds them of the Father’s Heart and of the end vision.
• reflecting on the changes in their life since they started following Christ
• reminding them of what God wants to do through them

Share BIG vision “A church for every village and community, and the gospel for every person.”

In Corinth

¹ After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.⁴ Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.⁶ 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.”

⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

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.”¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment.¹³ “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.¹⁵ 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.”¹⁶ So he drove them off.¹⁷ Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

¹⁸ Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.¹⁹ They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.²⁰ When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined.²¹ But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.²² When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

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Corinth was a major economic city in the ancient world known for its immoral culture. When Paul arrived, he met Aquila and Priscilla, who had just come from Rome. They were like-minded business people who became a powerful husband-wife church planting team. Paul worked together with them in business and ministry. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, they brought financial support and news of how the new believers in Thessalonica were doing (1 Thessalonians 3:2). 

Paul wrote both of his letters to the disciples in Thessalonica while he was church planting in Corinth. Paul faced a lot of social pressure and battled fears (Acts 18:9),  but the Lord told him to keep going. Read 1 Corinthians 1:14-16.  Large numbers of people came to faith in Jesus, yet in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we find out that Paul only baptized the first few believers. We learn the importance of empowering new believers for the mission of making disciples, baptizing and teaching them just as Jesus commanded.

 

Practice needed skills or previous topics to help prepare to minister to others:

• Prayer, Care, Share
• Gospel
• Foundational Bible Studies.