Paul was well known for being persecuted in most of the cities he went into. Corinth was no different. Although he spent a year and a half in that city–one of his longest stays–his departure was once again due to unrest that drove him out. This was common for Paul. In fact, more often than not he was forced to leave cities under the threat of arrest or death. The Jews made a united attack on Paul in Corinth and eventually beat Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue.
After Paul left there he left for Syria. When he landed at Caesarea, he greeted the church and went to Antioch, where his mission work began. “After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples” (Acts 18:23 ESV). Imagine being severely persecuted, lied about, and directly targeted just for preaching the gospel. To say it was exhausting is an understatement.
Yet Paul thought it was important to continue strengthening the disciples. To our knowledge, he didn’t complain about being persecuted. In fact, there are plenty of places where Paul considered it a joy to suffer for the name of Christ. This is a stark contrast to how people react today. What would the church look like if we spent our limited time on this earth to encourage Christians? Most likely, it would encourage them to keep going. It would build trust and cause them to keep moving forward. We should all be encouragers of other disciples around the world!