Paul came to Corinth as a tent-maker. Working in the market and living above the shop with Priscilla and Aquila, also tent-makers, Paul learned the dynamics of the city - very different from the university mentality of Athens (Acts 18:1-3). Corinth was an international trading hub, lying in the isthmus between the southern port of Cenchea on the Aegean Sea, and northern Lechaion on the Adriatic Sea. Linking the two was a seven-mile paved roadway where ships or cargoes were trundled overland on rollers by slaves, to avoid a dangerous long voyage around the Peloponnese peninsula. A lot of money was made in Corinth, but that brought all the moral excesses and business corruption of a wealthy sea port. Later, Paul wrote letters confronting the problems people brought into the new church.

The arrival of Silas and Timothy from Berea, with encouraging news of the new church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:6-8) and financial gifts from Macedonia (2 Corinthians 11:9), encouraged Paul, enabling him to stop working at his trade to concentrate on preaching Jesus every day. However, the Jewish community felt threatened by the teaching about Jesus being the Messiah, and refused to welcome Paul to speak in their synagogue any more.

The apostle knew that they had heard the truth and their destiny was in their response. As he had been called to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), he set up a teaching centre next door to the synagogue in the home of a Greek who was searching for God. Even so, the synagogue leader and all his household did believe in Jesus, as did many others in the city, Jews and Greeks. The limited preaching time on the Sabbath was not enough to explain how God's salvation jigsaw puzzle fitted together, with Jesus in the centre. Having believed, they needed to learn how to live in God's family as a member of His body. Paul did not know how long he had before the next crisis would threaten to disrupt the church and ministry: so he gave himself fully to the work of gospel ministry (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Every believer is a minister of Jesus Christ. Most have to earn their living and have limited time for gospel ministry and disciple-making. But some are able to give themselves fully to gospel work; not as a career but as a vocation. If you are not teaching the Scriptures where you are in your spare time, do not think about full time ministry. But if your heart burns with longing to serve the Lord more in the gospel, and you are willing for whatever deprivation and insults may come, and if others are eager to support you, then make full use of your time for God's Kingdom.