Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Few cities have ever had such a reputation as Corinth.  Its strategic location on the Corinthian Isthmus, a 4- mile length stretch of land between two bustling harbors separating the Ionian from the Aegean Seas guaranteed its commercial prosperity.  Trade ships would roll their loads on skids or rollers over the isthmus through Corinth rather than sail the treacherous route around the south Greek coast known as the Peloponnese.  It was a city of new wealth and new ventures, dock workers and sailors, amusements and distractions. Corinth was also the place of dreamers who believed like, New York, New York, “That if you could it there, you could make it anywhere.” The Apostle Paul himself recognized that to “set up shop” in Corinth and preach the gospel would mean new prospects every day as travelers from all over Greece and the Roman Empire made their way through Corinth.

There was, however, more to that reputation than a city of boundless opportunities.  True, Corinth was one of the most dominant cultural centers in the Roman Empire, but it was also morally corrupt.  It was not a place you would send your sister on her own. The city’s reputation was so notorious that in the ancient world the word “Corinthianize” meant to live in moral debauchery.  With all those sailors and dock workers, amusements and distractions, it was said, what happens in Corinth stays in Corinth.  So what was a good Jewish Christian boy like Paul doing in a place like that?  No doubt, that is what Paul was pondering himself.

Paul’s missionary journey through Greece had been anything but an overwhelming success. Since the day he first landed on European soil, he had also faced rejection, humiliation and persecution.  He had beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, then ridiculed and driven out of Thessalonica. After being forced out of Berea by the same ruffians as in Thessalonica, Paul had fled south to Athens.  There, he had hoped for stimulating and engaging conversations with the philosophers of Athens, but he instead he quickly became disillusioned by the statues and idols that dominated the city and the philosophers who simply longed for anything new.

Now he found himself in one of the most notorious, morally corrupt cities in the Roman Empire. Was it any wonder that Paul was pondering God’s plan for him in Corinth?  He was no longer welcome in the synagogue. His own actions and words seemed to be adding to his struggles.. And so, one night, when Paul was filled with anxious doubts, God spoke to him in a vision offering him words of encouragement.

Of course, it is not simply the apostles of old that need encouragement along life’s way. We all have our moments, when we wonder. “God, what am I doing here?”  Whether it’s a battle with family, work or health, you wonder, Lord, why did you lead a good Christian boy like me to a s place like this?”  In the face of such questions, this morning’s lesson from the Book of Acts teaches us that God has ways of encouraging you to remain faithful.

First of all, God sends encouragement through godly friends. It is said that birds of a feather flock together. It’s a reminder that you cannot be a Christian on your own.  Your faith is lived out and nurtured and stretched by living in communion with other believers.  They are nurtured by your witness, and they nurture you.  Paul was a strong character with a deep faith.  He was confident and self assured.  But when he arrived in Corinth alone, he sought out believers who befriended him, Priscilla and Aquila. And the Lord provided these godly friends. Together they worked as tent makers and they worshiped together each Sabbath in the synagogue. In spite of the rough edges of Corinthian life. Paul could stay and work and thrive in the city for 18 months which was longer than any place he had stayed up to then slowly gathering a church which he would shepherd from a far.

My friends, God sends encouragement through godly friends. Remember that when you pick and choose friends and acquaintances. You cannot make this journey of faith by yourself. You need these friends to love, support, and stir you up to love and do good works. Yes, God has a way of raising up these godly friends for you to let you know that you are on the right path and he is with you even when you are wondering, what is a good Christian like me doing in a place like this?

Second, God sends encouragement by opening doors.  It is said when God closes a door he opens a window. It reminds us that even when the possibilities of life seem to be closing down all around you, God is still in control opening up new ventures. Although Paul is considered the Apostle to the Gentiles, at this stage of his ministry, he was still focused on reaching the Jewish community first. Every city Paul entered, he would go to the local synagogue and reason with the Jews concerning Christ. His visit to Corinth was no exception. “When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own head! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Yes, Paul had run into another closed door in Corinth, but God would open another door for him. A God-worshiper in Corinth named Titius Justus permitted Paul to use his house to preach the gospel. And the house was right next door to the synagogue that Paul had just been expelled from. My friends, don’t be discouraged when doors close in your face. God is still in command, and he knows how to open doors to get you to the place where he wants you and needs you to be.

Finally, God sends encouragement through special means. He speaks profoundly to us in prayer and in the sacraments, gently whispering into the heart of the soul to believe. Or he sends his Holy Spirit to touch you gently and encourage you to keep going. All things are possible for God, so you never close down the possibilities of the unexplainable- even visons. At some point during Paul’s stay in Corinth, the Lord spoke one night to Paul in a vision. This is one of six recorded visions from God Paul received in the New Testament. At critical times in his ministry, God would give Paul direction and encouragement though a vision. Interesting the vision was about what Paul heard and not what he saw. “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.”  God had a special way of speaking to Paul to guide and comfort the troubled apostle. My friends, I do not know God’s means of grace for you, but always remain open to him. God has innumerable ways of sharing his special words of promise and protection.

In the last days of Paul’s time in Corinth, he began to experience success. The church which was worshipping next door to the synagogue in the home of Titius Justus was growing.  Eventually the Jewish leaders led by Sosthenes united and brought the charges against him to the Governor of Achaea Lucius Junius Gallio, saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law of Moses.”  Paul stood in front of the Governor’s Judgment Seat with the crowds protesting his appearance and the Roman soldiers prepared to punish and bring order. But when Paul was about to open his mouth and defend himself, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.”  And so Paul was set free unharmed. Then the crowd seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, instead, and beat him in front of the tribunal.  But Gallio paid no attention to these things.

According to Orthodox tradition, in his remaining days in Corinth, the apostle Paul befriended the defeated and beaten Sosthenes.  Confused and rejected, Sosthenes may sought out Paul to make sense of his Jewish brothers’ anger against the gospel the Apostle preached.  Or perhaps Paul saw something of himself in Sosthenes.  Like himself, Sosthenes was a unlikely candidate who had persecuted the church but God had other plans for him. By God’s doing and Paul’s continuing to speak and not be silent, Sosthenes became one of the Lord’s “many people in this city.”  Jesus Christ has the power to change lives and change people. So two years later, we find Sosthenes traveling with Paul, helping to deliver the message of salvation and hope to his people Remarkably Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians begins with the verse. “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes.”  Today in Greece, Saint Sosthenes is revered as one of the 70 Apostles chosen by Christ.

How differently the story of Sosthenes would have ended if Paul, out of fear, had chosen not to speak and to remain silent? What if Paul had decided the risk was too great, or the circumstances too difficult, and walked away from his mission?   But instead, God used the means of encouragement, godly friends, opening doors and special means of grace to assure Paul of his calling and the faith of Sosthenes.

So, my friends, when you are wondering what in the world, a good Christian like you is doing in a place this, remember, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for God is with you,” and trust that he is finding ways to encourage you.  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.