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9/6/2026 영어설교 Sermon "God Made Them Work Together" Acts 18:1-4
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Sermon English Text AKFPC / September 6, 2026 Rev. Yongjin Park
“God Made Them Work Together” (Acts 18:1-4)
May the grace and love of God be upon you who is listening to God’s voice today in this worship.
There is a canned tuna factory handled by a Korean company in Senegal of west Africa. This company sells 30,000 tons of canned tuna food yearly to US and Europe with 1,500 workers. People there have parties if they are hired by this company. But when this company bought it from government of Senegal 15 years ago the situation was so not good. And it was deficient for 5 years and was about to give up.
The owner tried to understand culture of local people and began to provide special benefits such as food cafeteria and commuter bus. It was unfamiliar with local people. And they began to understand good efforts from company of Korean. They began to work diligently and became the best company on productivity through their great cooperation. Working together brings growing together.
Today let us know that God made Paul and Aquila and Priscilla work together in His grace.
Let us read together Acts 18:1-4,
“After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontius, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them. And because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
Paul met this faithful couple at Corinth after fleeing from Macedonia due to persecutions of Jews there. He alone left there because of urgent threat of people. Shilla and Timothy remained there but Paul had to leave for safety. At Corinth Paul became weak physically and spiritually from long hard times. So, Paul needs a kind of job for living. There was nobody to help him. He went to synagogue for preaching alone while seeking a place to work. Then he met Aquila and Priscilla who had same job as a tentmaker.
Aquila and Priscilla were successful businessman in Rome. Quila was Jew and his wife Priscilla was in Royal family. But Emperor Claudius ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. They had to leave there with nothing. So, they moved to Corinth and needed to begin new business there. Paul had skill in making tents from his young age and naturally met tentmaker for work. When they met first Paul, they recognized him to be servant of God. And Paul did as well. They shared their faith to God together and began to work for gospel of Jesus Christ in salvation of God.
They did not know each other but after seeing each other they understand the plan of God making them work together for salvation.
Paul worked with them to preach gospel of God and made many people disciples of gospel and supported to plan churches in many cities.
Acts 18:9-10 say,
“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision; Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
Brothers and sisters in the Lord,
God used variety of way once He leads us in his wonderful plan. Paul was not stable in Macedonia. Whenever he tried to preach gospel of Jesus Christ, many attacks of people came to him. H had to be put jail in Phillippo even.
Aquila and Priscilla were in same situation in Rome where they lived with great success. Both had to leave the place that they worked.
But the place that they came became the place God made them work together.
Paul got great coworker for kingdom of God there. This was the great plan of God. The place became wonderful place to plant seed of gospel of Jesus Christ to many cities through Paul and this faithful couple.
God planed both to meet for working together and they led many people to God with preaching and teaching diligently.
Rome 16:3-4 say,
“Great Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.”
This couple contributed to churches by their talents of business and became protector on them by their love to God. They always provided what church and people need physically and spiritually any time with thing that God provided with them.
Mother of Luke has provided to Jesus and his disciple when they need and became a protector of church of Jerusalem. Aquila and Priscilla played this role in Corinth with Paul as well.
After their contribution churches near the cities have grown and spread so fast.
They understood God uses them for delivering gospel of Jesus Christ in Gentile world. Because they have lost everything before.
Two faithful members of a church in Cote d’Ivoire. They are both successful businessmen and good members of serving church and people. They have been serving diligently for 20 years there. Through their faith over 100 churches were planted and built. They confess “this is all grace of God not our effort. We could not do without His help.”
Let us see only God so that God will uses us.
Corinthians 16:19-20 say,
“The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings, Aquila and Priscila greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets their house.”
God be with all of you, Amen.
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