Thessalonica!

Acts 17:1-9

One of my favorite TV shows ever is 24. Its about a man named Jack Bauer who as a member of the Counter Terrorism Unit battles terrorists to keep the United States safe. The premise of the show is that each episode is one consecutive hour in a 24 hour day, and the events happen in real time. The draw of a show like this, and most other tv shows is that each new episode, you see something new. A new situation, a new story, a new character. As the historian Luke documents Paul’s current missionary journey, he gives an account of each part of the journey, each individual city that Paul visits. A new city, a new situation, a new story, a new glimpse at Paul’s ministry, but always, the same message. Jesus Christ.

Read Acts 17:1-9

After reading this passage, I was challenged with three things that I hope would challenge you as well. First, it is important to observe Paul’s method of ministry. Luke uses words in Acts 17:2-3 like “reasoned”, “explaining”, “proving”, and “proclaim”. Paul does not take his mission lightly. It is a well thought out and thorough explanation of the Gospel. For different people, it was necessary for him to preach differently. For some he had to reason with them. Other’s didn’t quite grasp it and so he explained the Gospel to them. Some required more evidence, and he proved it to them. Paul’s ministry involved a verbal proclamation. But notice also in verse 4, those who were there both Jews and Greeks were “persuaded and joined.” Paul not only proclaimed the Gospel to them, they joined him in living it out. Like we were reminded at Refocus, preaching the good news goes hand in hand with being the good news. Are we doing that?

Second, read again in Acts 17:6, the mob that forms accuses Paul and the believers of having “turned the world upside down.” I’m sure it was meant to be an insult to Paul, to demean what they’d been doing. But in a sense, that was exactly what the good news was doing and is doing. The Gospel turns the world upside down. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul calls “Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Greeks” but to us “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Jesus turns the world upside down when it comes to what is important and what has value. It turns our lives upside down in that we are completely different because of Jesus. Has your life been completely changed because of Jesus?

Finally, something I realized as I was reading through all the different towns Paul ministered to. If Acts was a tv series, each “episode” there was so much that God was doing. As we continue through Acts, I hope you realize that the episodes don’t come to a finale. God’s story continues way beyond the book of Acts. Are we spending time seeing what God is doing? Take an opportunity to wander through the Christian and Missionary Alliance’s website. You can find out about all the different churches and missionaries that are a part of this denomination, just a small, small part in God’s work, a small part in His redemptive story. You can find it at www.cmalliance.org

PRAYER CALENDAR
SUNDAY - Pray for the Global community
Pray for God to open our eyes to injustice that is happening in our world so we can care for His people.
MONDAY - Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God how you can be a light to the community around you.