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by Sandy Shaw
For three Sabbaths Paul is reasoning with these Jews from the Scriptures – Acts Chapter 17 . We are looking at how the Church in Thessalonica was birthed before going on to read part of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.
Paul is opening up the Word of God - teaching the people that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and be crucified and rise again from the dead.
When Paul is speaking to Jews he quotes from the Scriptures - his desire is to ground his preaching and teaching upon the Word of God. Paul has a great love for the Word of God - and he seeks to impart that to people, everywhere he goes.
Paul is preaching - it is this Jesus who was crucified and who is risen - He is the Christ - the Messiah - He is the Saviour who is able to save you from your sins.
Jesus Christ is the one who is able to save us from our sins. He not only saves us from the penalty of sin - but he gives us that ability to stop committing these sins. He takes away the taste for certain wrong actions. That desire to behave in a wrong way – Jesus takes from us.
There was a response - some believed and sided with Paul and Silas. Quite a number realised that they were sinners and needed Jesus Christ to deal with their situation.
Some of the prominent women-folks realised that they too were sinners, requiring Jesus Christ the Saviour.
BUT!! The Jews who did not believe - were moved with envy. They allowed themselves to be influenced by bad motivation. Religious jealousy grew in their hearts, and that is a terrible thing. It can still be very real.
What is happening is this - religious people who were closed to Jesus Christ, see other people who were open to Jesus Christ, receiving his love and mercy and forgiveness and peace and blessing.
They become jealous, and they do horrible things out of jealousy.
These closed hard unbelievers got hold of some rabble-rousers of the worst kind - and they set the city in an uproar. This is a rent-a-gang – and there is a riot.
They assaulted the house of Jason - where Silas and Paul were based - and look at what they are accused of - "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here - they are defying Caesar's decrees - saying there is another king, one called Jesus."
The words of those hard, closed, critical men are filled with distortion, exaggeration, lies - and yet, what they say, there is a degree of truth - but NOT the whole truth. It is not all true. They make false charges - it was everyone else who was upside down. Paul and Silas - by their preaching and teaching - are seeking to turn the world the right way up - BUT unbelievers cannot see that - they never have - they never will.
“Loving Father – help us to accept hard lessons – we read of them here in our passage – and sometimes we hear similar words spoken or shouted – and they can be painful and hurt deeply. We remember those who are confronted by serious persecution – simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ. We pray for those who persecute disciples of Jesus – remembering those who work in such dangerous areas around our world – we pray in Jesus’ name.” Amen.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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