Acts 17:1-15: A Portrait of Faithfulness

Acts 17:1-15: A Portrait of Faithfulness

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Acts, and today the next passage we come to is Acts 17:1-15. It says,

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

One of the greatest burdens that I have and that I hope you have, if you’re a Christian, is a burden for the souls of those who don’t yet know Jesus. And, of course, the closer someone is to us, the more of a burden we naturally have for them. For example, I’m sure there are many parents in this room who have a deep longing that’s beyond what words can describe for their children to embrace the gospel. I know, for me personally, one of the most humbling realities that I’m frequently reminded of is the limit what I, as a parent, am able to do for my kids. I wish I could make the decision to embrace the gospel for them. That would certainly make things a lot easier, wouldn’t it? Yet, that’s obviously not possible. Now, it’s true that there are plenty of things Becky and I can do and that we try to do faithfully—such as living in a Christlike manner at home and systematically teaching our kids a catechism and regularly reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Those are all good things and habits I’d encourage every parent to develop. Yet, even as we do all the “right” things, we’re still utterly dependent on the Holy Spirit to convict our kids of their sins and lead them to Jesus. And we long so deeply for him to do that. 

And this longing, of course, isn’t just something that parents feel for their children, but something that many people feel for those they love—spouses, siblings, close friends, and even neighbors and coworkers. The thought of so many people all around us walking down a path toward a Christless eternity is difficult to even process and understandably leaves us feeling burdened for their souls. And that’s a good thing. We should be burdened. 

However, it’s also important to remember that God doesn’t expect us to do what only he can do in people’s hearts. He’s the only one who can bring someone to saving faith. So God doesn’t expect us to do that. He simply expects us to be faithful in our part of the process. And that’s precisely what we see with the Apostle Paul in the main passage of Scripture we’ll be looking at today—Acts 17:1-15—that concept of faithfulness. Paul was faithful to God’s call and God’s Word. That’s the main idea of this passage. Paul was faithful to God’s call and God’s Word. So let’s look at each of those two aspects of Paul’s faithfulness. 

Faithful to God’s Call

First, let’s look at how Paul was faithful to God’s call. In Acts 9, God reveals himself to Paul on the road to Damascus and humbles him and calls him to spend the rest of his life spreading the gospel throughout the Roman world. And that’s exactly what we find Paul doing in verses 1-3 of our main passage. Look at what it says, 1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 

So notice the ways in which Paul engages the Jews in this synagogue. Verse 2 tells us first that he “reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” The Greek word translated as “reasoned” is διαλέγομαι, from which we get our English word “dialogue.” And that is indeed what it means. It refers not to some sort of sermon or monologue but rather to a discussion about something and an exchange of ideas and opinions. We also find this same verb used in numerous other chapters in Acts to describe what Paul did when he entered the synagogues in various other cities. It seems to have been his typical approach. And I think we’d do well to let that approach guide our own encounters with people as well. Just imagine…two people engaging in a genuine give-and-take dialogue with each other. It’s becoming more and more of a rarity in our age of shouting matches carried out over social media. I mean, have you seen Twitter lately? We like to talk at each other instead of having true conversations and dialogues with each other. Everyone seems to be much more interested in what they have to say than they are in what others might have to say. 

Yet if we want to actually reach the people we’re called to reach, we have to relearn that lost art of dialogue. And that means…listening! Listen to people’s ideas, listen to their concerns, listen to their experiences and hurts and needs. Why would we expect people to listen to us if we haven’t first listened to them? When we spend time deliberately listening to people and asking good questions that draw them out and then listening some more, not only does that help us get to know them better so that we’re better able to share the gospel in a way they can connect with, it also will very likely make them more open to listening to us and our ideas and experiences and beliefs. So dialogue is definitely the way to go when it comes to sharing the gospel in any kind of informal setting. 

In addition, moving on to verse 3, we see that Paul also spent time “explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.” The word translated “explaining” literally means “opening.” Paul “opened” the scriptures to them—explaining things in a clear and simple and straightforward manner. And that’s not always the easiest thing to do. You know, a lot of people can take something complex and explain it in a complicated way. But it takes a lot more thoughtfulness and understanding to explain a complex idea in a simple way. Yet, if we love people and want to serve them well, that’s what we’ll do. And that involves not only working to develop a clearer understanding of biblical ideas ourselves, but also trying to avoid using “churchy” terms that most people probably don’t understand without also explaining to people what those terms mean—terms like “salvation” and “justification” and “atonement” and even “sin” and “righteousness” and “repentance” and “faith.” These are all terms that require explanation. The goal is to communicate to people as clearly as we possibly can. 

Also, not only was Paul “explaining” Scripture to the Thessalonian Jews, he was also “proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.” So Paul was “proving” his claims about Jesus by giving evidence to support them from the Old Testament. I’m sure he was citing passages like Psalm 16:10 and Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Now, keep in mind, this was a Jewish audience that already considered the Old Testament to be authoritative, so these Old Testament citations would have carried a lot of weight with them. By contrast, when Paul’s speaking to Gentiles in the book of Acts, it’s very interesting…because he changes his approach. The things he says are still thoroughly biblical, of course, but he shares those biblical truths in a way that his audience can connect with. At times, he even makes references to pagan poets. So the principle for us to glean from this is to share biblical truths in a way that the people we’re seeking to reach will find persuasive—often, as we see with Paul here, by actually opening the Bible with people and letting them see that we’re not just making stuff up but rather that the things we’re saying are clearly taught in Scripture. 

And by the way, that’s one reason why I love what we here at Redeeming Grace like to call “Evangelistic Bible Studies.” Basically, Evangelistic Bible Studies are small, informal gatherings in which Christians and non-Christians study the Bible together with the goal of learning more about Jesus. They may involve several Christians and several non-Christians meeting together, or simply one Christian and one non-Christian. And I’d love to see every Christian in our church engaging with non-Christians in this way as often as God gives you an open door to do that. It could be as simple as you inviting a coworker out to read the Gospel of John with you once each week for six weeks at a local coffee shop. Or maybe it’s a neighbor or a friend and you want to invite them over to your house—whatever seems to make the most sense. And I’ll just say that if that’s something you’re interested in doing, we have plenty of resources to help you. Don’t hesitate to ask. Evangelistic Bible Studies are truly a fabulous context for us to do the things we see Paul doing here in Acts 17—dialoguing with people and making things clear for them and opening the Bible with them.

Also, as we think about the way in which Paul was faithful to God’s call, one thing that sticks out to me from this passage is the courage it must have taken for Paul to do that. Just walking into the synagogue there in Thessalonica must have taken a lot of courage. Because remember what’s been happening in most of the synagogues Paul’s visited so far. I mean, Paul’s been entering synagogues to share the gospel ever since Acts 13, and a lot of the time, things don’t go very well. Even though Paul’s synagogue visits often result in a lot of the Jews embracing the gospel, there seem to be even more Jews who don’t embrace the gospel and actually become quite angry with Paul for his missionary activities—to the point that they often try to kill him and almost succeed in doing so on several occasions. So that’s why I say it must have taken a lot of courage for Paul to enter this synagogue in Thessalonica. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was thinking something like, “Alright God, here we go again. You’ve called me to do this, so I’m doing it. Let’s see what happens this time.”

And, sure enough, things get interesting. Look at verses 4-9: 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 

So, this is pretty much par for the course with Paul’s missionary efforts. Paul shares the gospel, some of his listeners eagerly receive it, others defiantly reject it, and those who reject it then form a mob and try to kill Paul. This time, the threat to Paul’s life is so severe that he has to make his escape from the city at night. The first part of verse 10 states that “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea…”—a distance of about 40 or 50 miles away. And even there, as the subsequent verses record, the Jews from Thessalonica still hear about his ministry and follow him there and try to kill him again. 

Now, thankfully, as we think about our own situation here in America, it’s not currently very likely that the people with whom we try to share the gospel will become so enraged that they’ll seek to kill us. However, it’s still true that any time we seek to share the gospel with someone, we’re taking a risk. Thankfully, at this point, it’s simply a social risk, but it’s still a risk. No matter how thoughtful and diplomatic we try to be, there’s always the chance that we’ll offend someone or at least change the dynamic of the relationship so that it becomes a bit awkward and uncomfortable. Now, in all fairness, I do think we often have fears that are out of proportion to the actual risk involved. In my experience, people often respond better than we think they will. But, nevertheless, it’s true that any time you share the gospel, you’re taking a risk. And that risk seems to be hindering a lot of Christians from sharing the gospel. 

So, from what I can tell, the need of the day really is a need for boldness and courage—just as we see Paul exhibiting here in this passage. I’m also reminded of Acts 4, where the early Christians began to face significant persecution from the Jewish religious leaders. Not surprisingly, their first response to this outbreak of persecution was to gather together for a prayer meeting. And I find the focus of their prayers to be very interesting. I’m sure they prayed for a number of different things, but only one thing is mentioned: boldness. They pray in verse 29, “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.” Their focus wasn’t on guidance or protection or wisdom or God’s favor but rather on boldness. That’s what they believed was most needed. And I’m convinced the same is true for us—that the need of the day is a need for boldness.

And there are several things that contribute to us having that boldness. One of them is us simply becoming less focused on ourselves. It’s comparable in some ways to public speaking. There have been times when I’ve asked people if they’d like to do the Scripture reading for our worship service and they say they’d like to do that but also express some nervousness about getting up in front of everyone. So I then usually share with them what I believe is the key to overcoming nervousness—and that is to intentionally shift your focus off of yourself and what people think of you and instead start focusing on loving and serving others. If you’ll start being truly focused on other people and on loving and serving them, you probably won’t be so nervous any more. And in a similar way, I believe one reason why we’re often so fearful of sharing the gospel is because we’re just way too focused on ourselves. It’s sort of a paradox, when you think about it. The more you grow in your love for other people, the less worried you’ll be about their opinions of you. Again, the more you grow in your love for other people, the less worried you'll be about their opinions of you.

However, in addition to that, I believe there’s something else that we need in order to overcome the fear that often keeps us from sharing the gospel—something even more critical than anything we’ve talked about so far. Looking at Acts 4 again, we read a few verses later in verse 31 about what happened in the aftermath of the church’s prayer meeting: “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Can you identify the critical element stated there that enabled them to be so bold? It says, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” That, more than anything else, is what we need if we’re going to share the gospel with boldness. We need more of the Holy Spirit and more of his power and influence in our lives. He’s absolutely indispensable and irreplaceable if we want to faithfully share the gospel with the boldness that’s needed. 

Faithful to God’s Word

Also, returning to our main passage in Acts 17 and moving forward, we see not only that Paul was faithful to God’s call but also that he was faithful to God’s Word. Look at verses 10-12: 10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 

So the Jews of Berea were quite a bit different than those of Thessalonica. Verse 11 says that they were “more noble,” because, as it states, “they received the word with all eagerness.” Yet they didn’t receive what Paul taught uncritically but rather “examin[ed] the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” That means they rolled up their sleeves and actually studied the Bible for themselves to make sure that Paul’s teaching really was an accurate representation of biblical teaching. In a word, they were discerning. And that’s a virtue that’s certainly just as critical—and perhaps even more critical—today than it was in the first century. The Internet is a wonderful blessing in many ways, yet it’s unfortunately something of a swirling vortex of theological error. Obviously, there’s plenty of solid biblical teaching online but also plenty of error and even heresy. So, as your pastor, I can’t encourage you enough to imitate the Bereans and be discerning. Don’t be swept away by someone’s charisma. We need to focus not on how something’s said but rather on what’s being said and how what’s being said compares with Scripture. 

Yet, looking at these verses from another angle, we not only want to imitate the Bereans in their discernment but also imitate Paul in his faithful proclamation of the Bible’s message. The simple fact is that, even though the gospel as a whole is “good news” and news that we should be able to share with joy in our hearts, there are nevertheless some elements of the gospel that many people find offensive. First of all, the idea that we’re sinful isn’t very popular, nor is the idea that our sins deserve God’s judgment. And even when we get to the very heart of the gospel—Jesus himself—there are still some elements that many find offensive. Of course, most people are okay with Jesus as a moral example, but when we start talking about his death on the cross, things get a little shaky. Because the obvious question is, “Why did he die on the cross?” and “Why is that so important?” The answer is one that some people might have mixed feelings about. Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, bearing God the Father’s wrath in our place. 

Now, there’s also plenty to be said about God’s love for us in sending his own Son to purchase our rescue. That’s probably the most notable feature of this gospel message and one that should elicit our most profound joy and comfort and gratitude. Yet the love of God only makes sense against the backdrop of the holiness of God and the justice of God toward those who have sinned against him. And that can be offensive.  Also, let’s not leave out the fact that Jesus is the only way for us to be rescued and that, in order to rescue us, he requires that we repent of our sins. So, as you can see, there are several truths that are essential to the gospel that many people may not be very excited to hear. 

Yet, we have to understand that it’s not ultimately our job to get people to embrace these things. Of course, we want to try to be as persuasive as possible, but at the end of the day, it’s God who has to do the decisive work in someone’s heart and make them receptive. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul states, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” You know, when it comes to planting things, there are certain steps we can take to facilitate the growth of the things we plant. We can make sure the soil in which we plant them is rich with nutrients, we can make sure the plants get plenty of water, and so on. But one thing we can’t do is make the plants grow. Only God can do that. We often think of it as the laws of nature, but ultimately, it’s God. Likewise, God’s the one who “gives the growth” spiritually as well. Some Christians might plant, others might water, but only God can give the growth. So, again, we come back to this idea of faithfulness. Our job isn’t to do what only God can do but rather simply to be faithful in our part. 

You could also compare it to the mailman. The mailman has one job, and that is to deliver the mail. He doesn’t have to stay up at night worrying about whether people will read the mail or what they’ll think of it. As long as he’s put the mail in their mailbox, he’s been faithful. You know, a couple of weeks ago at the Community Group I lead, one of the ladies in our group asked a great question. She described how she had recently shared the gospel with a few people in her life and was concerned that the things she shared might have made those people a little upset. And she asked, “Did I do something wrong?” That’s a great question that happens to have a very simple answer. 

Unless you were just a complete jerk about the way you shared the gospel, the answer’s “No, you didn’t do anything wrong any more than Paul did something wrong in Thessalonica or in most of the other cities he visited, for that matter.” Acts 17 clearly leads us to expect some people to reject the gospel—as most of the Jews of Thessalonica did—and others to receive it—as most of the Jews of Berea did. In fact, I’d say that if nobody’s ever even a little upset at what you share with them, you’re probably not sharing the gospel very faithfully. Now, if everyone’s upset, that’s not good either. You probably need to be a little more sensitive and thoughtful in your sharing. But some people will be upset—and that’s okay, because our job is simply to be faithful in delivering the mail. 

Conclusion

And when we lay our head on our pillow at night, having shared the gospel with those God’s placed in our path, we can take comfort in the fact that, not only have we been faithful to do our part, but also that the gospel we’ve shared has real power to penetrate even the hardest of hearts and bring even the most skeptical people to saving faith in Jesus. As Paul says in Romans 1:16, the gospel is indeed “the power of God for salvation.”

So as you think about the people in your life who have yet to embrace the gospel and perhaps have refused to embrace it for years and years despite your best efforts, here’s my encouragement to you, in light of everything we’ve talked about: never stop praying. As we’ve already discussed, if this person is ever going to be saved, it’s going to take a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. So never stop praying for the Holy Spirit to do that miraculous work. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 18 in the parable of the persistent widow, how this widow kept on going to a crooked judge day after day, saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” And finally, simply because the judge was so tired of her nagging him all the time, he did give her the justice she sought. So, Jesus says, how much more will our righteous and loving God give us what we seek if we’re faithful in coming to him day after day? We have no reason to think he won’t and every reason to believe he will. 

I love the story about D. L. Moody, a famous evangelist from the late 1800’s. In the front cover of his Bible, D. L. Moody wrote a list of 100 people he would like to see saved. And he prayed for them regularly, day after day. By the time he died, 96 of those 100 people had come to know the Lord. Pretty amazing, right? But here’s the thing. Guess what happened at his funeral? You got it: at his funeral the other 4 people were converted so that all 100 had now come to know Jesus. Never stop praying and expecting God to hear your prayers as well.