Grace Church San Diego

Gospel advance is an act of man that is rooted in the eternal purposes of God.  That's what God told Paul in Corinth.

Paul arrived in this pagan city of commercial success and entreprenurial advance.  His entry was in weakness.  He limped into Corinth -- poor, alone, worn out.  He did what he could as he began there.  Working to take care of his needs, he housed himself with a new friend, Aquila and his wife Priscilla.  His only free time was on the sabbath and he gave that time to reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue about Jesus as the Christ. There was little time and little fruit.

Soon his friends came and he was able to devote himself to ministry. He threw himself into proclaiming the Christ day and night.  Now the fruit came -- bad fruit of hostility and anger and slander. Six to eight months into the work in Corinth, and there was little fruit.

Then there was a flood of conversions -- the ruler of the synagogue, daily conversions among the Corinthians.  But Paul was full of fears.  Perhaps the relentless attacks upon him and threats from the enemies of the Gospel in Corinth tempted him to keep quiet.

God comes to him in a vision.  He calls him to faith, to speak without fear.  He assures him of protection.  Then he tells him that he alreay had many people in the city -- the ones he had chosen.  And Paul is simply to speak the Gospel and fruit will come.

In other words, God says he had begun the church in Corinth before Paul showed up, before Paul was born, before the creation of the world. He has set his love upon sinners in Corinth to save them.  He had given his Son as their Savior. Now he would call them to Christ through Paul's preaching.  What a foundation for evangelism.  God's sovereignty is the reason we are to evangelize!

We believe that God has his people to call through the ministry of Grace Church (and other Gospel loving churches) in San Diego.  That gives us courage and confidence.

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