Where did Paul go first when he came to a new city, and what did he do when the Jews rejected him?
In his early ministry, Paul always went first to the Jew. He went to the synagogue, where at least he would have a halfway civil hearing. When the Jews rejected his message, he then went out into the Gentile area, the marketplace, and whatever.
Les explains that during Paul's early ministry he always went first to the Jew. He chose the synagogue because there he would at least have a halfway civil hearing. If the Jews rejected the message, he would then go out into the Gentile area, the marketplace, and whatever. This practice helps explain why Paul constantly had to defend his apostleship: wherever he went there was a slur that he was an imposter, not a true representative of Judaism, and a renegade Jew. He had to keep defending the fact that he was God's man for the hour. In the Corinthian setting, Paul was addressing their divisions and carnal problems while still counting them co-laborers in God's eternal will.