We begin Third Quarter 2026 and the study of First and Second Corinthians with the story of how it started: Paul's ministry in the city of Corinth.

In this episode, we walk through Acts 18 and the roughly year and a half Paul spent in Corinth, building relationships and sharing the gospel in a city known for wealth, false worship, and serious immorality. It was a hard place to begin a church, and Paul faced opposition and discouragement, but God encouraged him to stay and his work there bore fruit.

This conversation sets up the rest of the quarter. The Corinthian church was real, not polished or perfect, and full of genuine struggles, yet Paul keeps turning the people's attention back to Jesus rather than to human cleverness. We also talk about what it means to share God's love wherever we find ourselves, including in the unexpected and difficult places where the gospel can still take root and grow.

If you teach or prepare a Sabbath School class, this episode is meant to give you context and encouragement before you lead. The lesson is studied June 27 to July 3 and taught the following Sabbath, July 4. One practical suggestion from this episode: read straight through First Corinthians early in the quarter to grasp the overall themes, and lean on solid commentaries, including the one from Andrews University Press, when you want to go deeper.

If you enjoy this, please subscribe and share. Next week we continue with "The Message of the Cross."

Executive Producer: Carolina Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Producer: Henrique Gomes
Editing: Henrique Gomes
Logo: Becky Carpenter