Paul wraps up his ministry in Corinth. Silas takes his final trip with Paul and returns back to Jerusalem and Antioch. But that doesn’t mean Silas hangs up his ministry shoes and doesn’t keep at it. He does. His role would change.
Acts 18:18-22; 2 Timothy 2:1-6
“Soshanes?” His wife asks while poking her head in the doorway.
Sosthanes groans as he tries to reposition his bruised-up body without causing more pain.
“Honey,” His wife continues. “Someone is here to see you.” She further opens the door to let the man in.
Sosthanes’ eyes widen, as he sees Crispus walk into the room.
“Hey.” Crispus announces. “I thought I’d drop by to see how you’re holding up.”
Sosthanes lets out a long breath.
…
A fortified detail of men have positioned themselves around Titius Justus’ home and even out into the street. As Paul, Timothy and Silas gather at the small table situated in the front courtyard, Timothy looks around at the security detail. He then looks back at Paul and jokes, “Look at this. You’ve got your own army.”
Paul smiles at one of the men nearby and sighs. “This… is Titius’ doing.”
Silas shakes his head in disbelief and wonders. “How long will they be able to keep this up?”
“I dunno.” Paul shrugs. “I guess until I’ve left the city.”
The mood grows quiet, as the conversation inevitably turns.
Timothy looks up from his lap and directly at Paul. “You want me to stay… don’t you.”
Paul gently looks over at Timothy and smiles without saying a word.
Timothy lets out a long breath and nods in understanding. “When do you leave?”
“Soon.” Paul replies.
Timothy then gestures over at Silas. “Will he be going with?” He asks.
Paul looks at Silas in order for him to weigh in.
Silas quietly nods and says. “Yeah.”
Timothy stares out into the distance, while Paul and Silas let the moment pass.
As the silence continues, Paul pushes back his chair and says, “I’ll be right back with some bread and whatever else I can find.”
Silas looks over at a distant Timothy and opens up. “What can I say? I’ve learned a lot. With him… with you.”
Timothy remains quiet.
“To be honest…” Silas continues. “My leaving is out of concern for those leaders back in Jerusalem and Antioch.”
Timothy finally makes eye contact. “What are you talking about?” He asks.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this.” Silas ponders aloud. “Your report… from what was happening within the Thessalonian church.”
Timothy gives a confused look.
Silas laughs and shifts his chair to be directly in front of Timothy. “Your update with what was happening there. Well, that inspired Paul to write back to the church, right?”
“Yeah.” Timothy admits, though not understanding where the conversation is headed. “I was there.”
Silas chuckles again. “Ha, yes you were. But, the fact that we wrote them… and then that they wrote back with a bunch of questions about missing out on the return of Jesus. That got me to thinking about how there are a number of churches out there that need to hear from us and the other apostles. While Antioch is really good at sending these evangelists and teachers to various parts of the world, how are they following up with all of the churches that have been started? Who is sticking around, like you did with the church in Thessalonica?”
Timothy shakes his head. “Well, Luke and Gaius are still in Macedonia… I think… along with Jason and… oh what’s his name? Aristarchus. There’s him too. And we have Sopater in Berea.”
“For a time.” Silas explains. “But they are just a few guys who are trying to cover how many churches in Macedonia? Moreover, they are all very new to the faith. Who’s teaching them?”
Further confused, Timothy asks: “I still don’t understand why this is…”
“Don’t you see?” Silas interrupts. “I write. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at. I have the pedigree for it. It’s why I studied the Law and went to Jerusalem in the first place.”
Timothy tries to wrap his mind around Silas’ words.
“Timothy, we wrote two letters to the believers in Thessalonica to provide them with encouragement, hope, and directions for living right before the Lord.” Silas explains. “Us writing this down allows for church leaders all around to share our teachings with their people. Then they can copy our writings and forward them to the other churches nearby.”
“But, you could write from here… with us.” Timothy says.
“You’re right.” Silas confesses. “But, who writes for Peter?” He pauses to let this question sink in. “Have you heard him try to speak Greek let alone write it?”
Timothy chuckles. “I’ve never met the guy, so I really don’t know.”
“Trust me.” Silas emphasizes. “He’s got a lot to say, but unless he’s been learning Greek on the side…”
The two laugh at the thought.
“Do you see now?” Silas points out. “Who writes down their stories? Who translates their experiences… you know, those guys who spent the most time with our Lord? There is so much wisdom in both Antioch and Jerusalem. Someone needs to motivate these people to write this stuff down on papyrus.”
Timothy finally concedes. “I get it… I don’t like it… but I get it.”
“We’ve been through a lot together.” Silas offers. “A day won’t go by when I don’t think of our times together.”
A realization suddenly forms in Timothy’s mind. He finally blurts out. “We’re not going to see each other ever again, are we.”
Silas lets out a heavy sigh. “We will, my friend. But, it might be a while.”
…
Sosthanes’ wife opens the bedroom door and looks into the room. “Hey…” She inquires. “You awake?”
“Yeah.” Sosthanes looks over and tries to adjust his position in the bed. He winces, as he turns.
“You have company again.” She offers.
Sosthanes grimaces as he attempts to sit upright. “Who is it?” He asks.
“You’ll see.” She quietly offers, as a man enters the doorway.
“I’m back, my friend.” Crispus offers.
“So I see.” Sosthanes curtly replies.
“Feeling better?” Crispus asks. “It looks like your color is returning and the swelling appears to be going down. That’s a good sign.”
“Why are you here?” Sosthanes coldly asks.
Letting out a long breath, Crispus finally replies. “Look, I know you’re not happy with the turn of events, and I suspect you’re even less happy about how our own people turned on you.”
Sosthanes looks away.
“You’ve been humiliated and even physically beaten by our own.” Crispus observes.
“They’re not my people.” Sosthanes bitterly replies.
“No.” Crispus agrees. “They’re not your people. They’re also not God’s people. That’s not what God’s people do.”
He looks back at Crispus with new interest.
Crispus continues. “It doesn’t mean they’re all bad. It just means, many were deeply misguided and heavily persuaded by those holding the purse strings.”
“Chaim.” Sosthanes mouths.
“Yes.” Crispus affirms. “Chaim, but there were others.”
“How do you know all of this?” Sosthanes asks.
“What, do you think I didn’t see this before I left the synagogue?” Crispus asks in surprise. “Surely, you don’t lead a people and not understand what motivates them to do what they do. Even you knew what Chaim was up to well before the wheels came off.”
Sosthanes nods ever so slightly. “I’m afraid hindsight is much clearer than foresight.”
“Isn’t it?” Crispus asks. “But that’s how learning happens when you see yourself in a similar situation later on. Wisdom is when the ‘future you’ guides the ‘present you’.”
“There is no future.” Sosthanes remarks. “Not for me anyway.”
“Hmmmm.” Crispus responds. “Yeah… well, no plans need to be made just yet. But, God has a way of creating something beautiful out from the ash heap. Don’t give up on him?”
Sosthanes shakes his head. “Why not? He’s given up on me.”
“Hardly, my friend.” Crispus fires back. “Would you even be talking to me right now if God hadn’t allowed all of this to happen?”
“I’d be a lot stronger.” Sosthanes jokes.
“Yeah, but you would also be continuing to force your prideful agenda.” Crispus rebuts.
Sosthanes absorbs the insult and doesn’t respond.
“Look…” Crispus steps back. “I’m sorry… I’m not trying to rub this in your face.” He pauses to find the right words. “I just know what happens when we try to paddle against the current that God has made.”
Sosthanes looks away.
“You’re not the only one who has been paddling upstream.” Crispus shares. “I’ve done the same thing. Furthermore… If there is anyone who has fought against God…” He turns his head and points. “It’s him.”
Following the direction of Crispus’ hand, Sosthanes looks over to see the man standing in the doorway. His jaw drops. “What is he doing here?”
Crispus then makes the introduction. “Sosthanes, this is Paul. Paul, Sosthanes. I think it would be a good idea for Sosthanes to hear your story, don’t you?”
…
We’re going to stop here for today.
After nearly two years, Paul’s initial ministry has wrapped up here in Corinth. While not needing to flee town like he had in some of the others, Paul sticks around Corinth to tie up loose ends before venturing across the Aegean sea to Ephesus for a short time–eventually to head back to Caesarea, Jerusalem and Antioch.
Timothy sticks around, much like he had in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, to continue on with ministering and teaching the newly planted churches here in Corinth and Achaia. Paul and Timothy will meet up once again a few years later, shortly after Paul flees Ephesus in his third mission trip. While it’s possible that Timothy and Erastus first joined Paul in Ephesus before being sent to Macedonia, another explanation is that Timothy and Erastus stayed in Corinth and were sent to Macedonia from there (Acts 19:22). Either way, Timothy stays to build up the church in Corinth for a time.
Meanwhile, Silas isn’t heard from again in the rest of Acts. We do know that Silas (Silvanus) co-authored 1 Peter together with the apostle some 12 years later who would’ve been in either Jerusalem or Antioch at the time (1 Peter 5:12). I personally suspect that the letter was written from Antioch around AD 64. In the first verse of Peter’s first epistle, Silas lists off five provinces in Asia Minor, beginning with the eastern most province, Pontus, and moving west one province at a time. Antioch of Syria is due south and slightly east of Pontus, so using Antioch as a reference point, one might list the provinces of modern-day Turkey beginning with the closest province and moving further away.
While this may not necessarily be a big deal, it is worth mentioning if for nothing else but to track and see what happened to Silas after spending a few years with Paul out on the road. We know Silas co-authored first and second Thessalonians as well as first Peter, accounting for three New Testament letters. What we don’t know is how Silas may have had inspired the likes of James, Matthew, Mark, John and possibly the author of Hebrews to write their letters and gospels respectively. So, while we may not know exactly what Silas was up to, it does encourage us to suspect that he is at work behind the scenes.
Soldier. Athlete. Farmer: Fearlessly persevere and leave the results to God
Maybe one takeaway is this: while time spent with Paul has proven to be a whirlwind experience, fraught with danger and hostility, I’m still encouraged to see that guys like Silas, Barnabas, Timothy and many others were able to spend time with him. He was a mentor, a model, an inspiration to many. He lived a life reflective of God’s calling. He understood his life’s work. Not many ever find their God-chosen life work for several reasons. Reasons such as letting other life pursuits get in the way; or, having a fear of not being well received by others; or, not knowing, or really caring, how to figure it out; or, a mindset that says, ‘What I’ve done is good enough.’ I’m sure there are others, but these are the reasons that come to my mind, especially since they are reasons I have given.
Later on in Paul’s ministry, he encouraged Timothy with two unique letters. Timothy had by that time become one of the key leaders in the Ephesian church. In his second letter, Paul uses three analogies–Soldier, Athlete, Farmer–to describe this fearless perseverance that I speak of.
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
— 2 Timothy 2:1-6
While each metaphor has its own flavor and teaches a unique nuance of what it means to continue leading others in the faith, all three require fearless perseverance to succeed. Keep at it, and trust God with the results.
Maybe you’ve spent time with a guy or gal like Paul. Fearless and ever persevering in a not-so-receptive world. These guys and gals are often movers and shakers, ever busy about thinking through and trying new ideas and strategies to accomplish their ultimate goals. Some efforts may stick, while others fail. Regardless of where a work might be at any time, it’s this fearless perseverance that attracts others to any leader–be it for business or of matters pertaining to faith.
As we demonstrate fearless perseverance in our own faith, others will simply be attracted to what we’re doing. In that way, we become influencers of the Kingdom of Heaven. In that way, we become leaders.
That’s it for this week. Soldier. Athlete. Farmer. May the Spirit of God carry you this week and empower you with that fearless perseverance that evidences your calling, your life work. With that, let’s move forward together.