Acts 18:1-4 (HCSB)
1 After this, he left from Athens and went to Corinth,2 where he found a Jewish man named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them,3 and being of the same occupation, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.
Do you ever read footnotes? Of course we don’t. We skip right over them and turn the page. But sometimes there is great stuff in those footnotes. Take today’s reading in Acts 18 for instance. Paul has just left Athens, Greece and is now in Corinth, Greece. He preaches on a regular, weekly basis in the synagogue. That’s the main storyline.
But look at the historical footnote Luke gives us: Aquila and Priscilla. We don’t know much about this husband and wife team, but here’s what we know:
- They had been persecuted and forced to leave their home in Rome and moved to Corinth
- They hosted Paul in their home in Corinth and gave him a job
- They met and discipled a powerful young preacher named Apollos who would later be a “great help” to the church in Achaia
- They traveled as missionaries with Paul
- Paul tells us they “risked their lives for him” and that the entire church should be grateful to them for their ministry
Not bad for footnotes, huh? No top billing…no headlining giant crusades or conferences…no books published or TBN appearances. Just a man and his wife who make tents and love the Lord. They were content to serve the Lord behind the scenes. Wherever God said go, they went. To whomever God sent their way, they ministered.
I believe that the greatest advances of the Kingdom come from footnotes. Oh, the headliners make a splash down here, but the footnotes are the ones who receive great reward in heaven. If you ever feel like a footnote – overlooked or that your work isn’t making a difference, remember Aquila and Priscilla. 9 So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.(Galatians 6:9, HCSB)
Together, behind the scenes
Pastor Jim
PS If you were at church on Sunday you heard that my family and I are headed to Uganda in month! We will be going to an orphanage / school near Kampala called “God Cares.” They minister to approximately 900 children every day. My kids will be working with these children, my wife, Christine, will be ministering to women, and I will be ministering to pastors. We’re very excited about these open doors of ministry – and I’ve been encouraged by many of you to start planning a New Life trip for next year! We need financial help to get over there, so if the Lord leads you, please help out. Here’s the video I showed on Sunday: http://vimeo.com/63563237
