The Power of the Gospel of Christ
Like many of you, one of my favorite men in scripture is the Apostle Paul. Every time I have traveled to Athens, Greece, I always take the short drive to Corinth, located some 65 miles from Athens. You can still visit the ruins of the old city of Corinth. Walking around the ruins, my mind always takes me to the letters the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians who lived there upon hearing and believing in the gospel of Christ that Paul preached to them on his second missionary journey.
Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. The city of Corinth was a very strategic and important trade city, located on the narrow Isthmus, four miles wide, connecting the Peloponnese peninsula with the mainland of Greece. The city of Corinth was a double port city, the Gulf of Corinth to the east (an inlet to the Ionian Sea), and to the west, the Saronic Gulf (an inlet to the Aegean Sea). These features made this city a crucial east-west trade route by land, as well as a vital travel route for cargo ships carrying both goods and people.
Corinth was a very large city, known for its wealth, architecture, business, pagan worship, and pleasure. The people of Corinth worshipped many different pagan deities, including Poseidon, the god of the sea. Apollo, the sun god, and their primary god was the goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite was worshipped as the goddess of love and was considered to be the protector of the city of Corinth. Her temple was set high above the city, atop the Acrocorinth, where more than one thousand temple prostitutes engaged the Corinthians in prostitution worship. They believed that by engaging in these gross sexual acts, they were joined in a union with Aphrodite. Gross sexual immorality was a way of life for those living in and around this capital city. People coined the phrase, “act like a Corinthian,” meaning one who indulges in rampant sexual immorality. Paul came to this dark and hopeless place to bring the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that those who would believe in Christ by faith would be born again unto Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:11-15 “For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
May we all share Christ and His Gospel with others in 2026!
In Christ,
Pastor John
Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. The city of Corinth was a very strategic and important trade city, located on the narrow Isthmus, four miles wide, connecting the Peloponnese peninsula with the mainland of Greece. The city of Corinth was a double port city, the Gulf of Corinth to the east (an inlet to the Ionian Sea), and to the west, the Saronic Gulf (an inlet to the Aegean Sea). These features made this city a crucial east-west trade route by land, as well as a vital travel route for cargo ships carrying both goods and people.
Corinth was a very large city, known for its wealth, architecture, business, pagan worship, and pleasure. The people of Corinth worshipped many different pagan deities, including Poseidon, the god of the sea. Apollo, the sun god, and their primary god was the goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite was worshipped as the goddess of love and was considered to be the protector of the city of Corinth. Her temple was set high above the city, atop the Acrocorinth, where more than one thousand temple prostitutes engaged the Corinthians in prostitution worship. They believed that by engaging in these gross sexual acts, they were joined in a union with Aphrodite. Gross sexual immorality was a way of life for those living in and around this capital city. People coined the phrase, “act like a Corinthian,” meaning one who indulges in rampant sexual immorality. Paul came to this dark and hopeless place to bring the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that those who would believe in Christ by faith would be born again unto Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:11-15 “For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
May we all share Christ and His Gospel with others in 2026!
In Christ,
Pastor John