NOTES for Act 18:1-23
The word "missionary" has now acquired an ambiguous shade of meaning. It is associated either with treacherous European Christians who contributed to the colonization and enslavement of less developed peoples, although many of them truly served God and not people, or with intrusive street agitators inviting you into yet another sect, although street preaching in itself is no worse than other methods.
Today's passage, however, opens to us the spiritual experience of a true missionary and servant of the Gospel, the apostle Paul. He is not an enthusiast; his preaching is not a self-appointed effort. The Spirit whom he received through faith in Christ impels him to ministry; it is his inner necessity. "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:16), he says. And what matters most is that his ministry is not based on his desire or his strength. Paul acts and lives by the presence of Christ, who strengthens him, invisibly or visibly.