How did the apostle Paul begin his ministry in Corinth?
Paul began his ministry in Corinth by entering the idolatrous, commercial seaport city without fanfare or advance men. He simply started preaching the gospel: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures.
Les explains that Corinth was in the midst of abject idolatry and paganism. It was a bustling double seaport city, with a seaport on the east and a seaport on the west, and it had much commercial activity. There was also a large community of Jews. Into this ungodly city comes the apostle Paul with no fanfare, no advance men, and he just comes in and starts preaching the gospel. As Les notes, that was the only gospel Paul knew: how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, how He was buried, and how He rose again according to the Scriptures. Out of that came pagans, multitudes of them, and literally, as seen back in the book of Acts, he turned the Roman Empire upside down. To these Corinthians plagued with temptations, problems, and testings, Paul then speaks in verse 13 about no temptation or testing taking them but such as is common to man.