July through September our series is entitled: Paul's Odyssey II
Odyssey means "a long and adventurous journey or experience". It is the second of a three-part series about the life and ministry of Paul. The text for these three months will cover Acts 15 - 18, Paul's second missionary trip.

The last couple of weeks we've looked at Paul's arrival and ministry in the city of Athens, Greece. Along the way, Paul has left team members in cities where key churches have been started. Christ's command was to "make disciples" which required committed individuals to invest time and energy into the growing Christians and young churches.

Have you ever traveled somewhere, and upon arrival, felt like, "Where am I?" or "What am I doing here?"
Have you ever been somewhere where you were out of your element...socially, culturally, or spiritually?
That is the situation where Paul found himself in Acts 18:1.

The distance was only about 50 miles; physically close but horrendously different in every way imaginable.
It would be like us stepping off the bus into the streets of L.A. or Houston.
From the philosophy of Athens straight into the carnality of Corinth.

Corinth was a city of several hundred people and world renown as a center for land and sea commerce and for hosting the Isthmian Games. It sat in between a north/south land trade route, and an west/east sea route...it was a major commercial city. And like most big & wealthy cities, opportunities for entertainment, trade, culture, and sensual pleasures existed everywhere.
Dominating the skyline was the nearly 1,800 foot-high Acropolis and within it was the temple to Aphrodite (goddess of sensual pleasure). There were 1,000 priestesses who were sacred prostitutes and every evening they came down to the city below to "help people worship their goddess."

Later when Paul was in Rome, he wrote to the Corinthian church and described the state of his thinking and emotions when he first arrived in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 2:3
Corinth was a low point in Paul's life physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and even spiritually.
He had endured a lot of mistreatment and misunderstanding. He was alone, but more than that, he felt alone and suffered from loneliness. Can you relate?

Then we come to Acts 18:2-3.
God's timing is always good. The Lord brought into Paul's life people who would become incredible supporters of him and his ministry.
God plans way ahead for our life and ministry. Some things to note:
1) Aquila is the husband and Priscilla is his wife – this tells us about their relationship.
2) Aquila is from NE Turkey; nothing is said about Priscilla's place of origin.
3) The Roman emperor [Claudius 41-54 A.D.] chased the Jews out of Rome, added Britain to the Roman Empire and was the stepfather of Nero.
4) There is no indication that Aquila & Priscilla were believers when they arrived in Corinth (in fact, Luke identifies them as Jews so they probably came to faith as they spent time with Paul).
5) Paul sought them out as people who shared the same trade.
6) Paul lived and worked with them. He spent time with them and PULLED UP A CHAIR!!

Even though Paul was lonely, living in a foreign place, not having much to his name in terms of material possessions, involved in the work force, and unsure of his next steps...he still kept God and His mission as #1 in his priorities!
Acts 18:4-5

But there are times when our heart is right, we are are doing the right thing and with the right attitude and still stuff just goes haywire.
Acts 18:6
In ancient biblical Judaism, shaking the dust off your feet was a symbolic gesture of judgment and testimony against someone who rejected the word of God. Simple point: There is a time to leave people to God and move on.
A couple of insights from verse 6:
1) Paul remained open to God’s leading and was willing to be flexible in his life. If we are a control freak and have our life all mapped out according to our whims and priorities, it’s highly unlikely we’ll experience God

2) Every Opportunity brings its own Obstacles. These two "O" words pair up to lead us in the direction that God has for our life. Rather than continually asking the Lord to remove barriers, ask Him to show you the lessons he wants you to learn.

As Paul continued to follow God's will for his life, the Lord produced fruit from his obedience. Often times, the fruit is not what we had planned or expected.
Acts 18:7-8

By this time Paul is probably a bit jumpy or gun-shy. In most every city during his journey he has been persecuted, stoned, beaten, sick, imprisoned, threatened, ridiculed, rejected, and slandered. Being human like us, Paul probably expected more of the same.
We all get that way a times. Eeyore!
We keep glancing over our shoulder looking for trouble to overtake us or walk through life anticipating something bad to come around the corner.
We get used to looking down, looking around, and looking within instead of looking up!
Acts 18:9-11

Key Takeaways:
1) The Lord has a mission for you. Don’t focus on the misery of life, but the majesty of God.

2) God only allows you to experience what will strengthen your relationship with Him and shape you for His mission.

3) God desires us to stay faithful. Anyone can hide, stay silent, quit, or jump ship (relationships, church, and ministry).