10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Paul was in Corinth at this time and many of the Gentiles were becoming Christian. Paul stayed in Corinth teaching about Jesus for a year and a half. He got to know the Corinthians well and that may account for the two long letters he sent them.
Some parts of the letters praised them for the good work they were doing, and some chastised them for falling back into old ways or for arguing among themselves as to which of them had greater gifts from God.
It is in these letters to the Corinthians that we learn of God’s plan to distribute the gifts needed for the community of believers to thrive if each person uses his or her gifts for the benefit of others. He teaches them about the importance of fellowship but not to take that time as a chance for a free meal at the expense of others. Paul knew that God was with him in his preaching and his teachings.
As God had promised Samuel and the prophets that he would give them the words to say and they trusted God, Paul also trusted in God. He did run into problems with some of the Jewish leaders who felt that he was giving false teachings about how to worship God that was contrary to Jewish Law but God was present in this as well. It was not long after this that he left Corinth and headed to Syria.
Jesus will not let us go without his guidance either. When we give witness to our faith, God will give us the words we need and the courage to share them.
We, too, are disciples because of our baptism.
Lord, Jesus, your message was passed along to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. You wanted all to know of the great gift of eternal life. Help us in our lives to share the joy that this promise has brought to us. Amen.
