Chosen by God to Evangelize
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2017 · 26 February 2017
Here in Acts 17, the Apostle Paul along with Silas, have just been released by God from jail in Philippi through an earthquake. The church in Philippi has been established beginning with Lydia with her household and the jailer with his household. So there is a little group of believers there. And Luke remained with them. So Paul and Silas and Timothy left Philippi after having been beaten with rods and are bruised and bloodied.
Through it all, Jesus Christ had been glorified and consequently they rejoiced. Anybody else might feel discouraged but not these men. As they left Philippi, Acts 17:1 says, “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.” Here we see, a tremendous undaunted spirit that characterized Paul.
Listen to what Paul and Silas were able to do at Thessalonica, Acts 17:6 says, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” It's amazing that anybody could affect the world so much that the people said, “They are turning it upside down.” There are Christians who live their whole life and have absolutely no effect on anybody. And here were two people of whom the world said, "They have turned us upside down.”
And this rumor has made its way to Thessalonica, which is over a hundred miles away. Paul and Silas disturbed the comfort of sinners. And God always provided those kind of people. Elijah always hassled King Ahab and his wife Jezebel because they were bad. Ahab said to him in 1 Kings 18:17-18, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.”
In Acts 21:28-29, the Jews are “crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) It is all fake news.
What is it that makes a man shake the world? Well, the characteristics are right here in Acts 17. It is implied in the text. As we watch these men operate, focus not in what they say, but why they do it. What were the principles operating in their ministry that made it a success? There are five things that made these men who turned the world upside down. The five are: courage, content, converts, conflict and concern.
Now, we are going to look at two passages together, going through Thessalonica up to verse 9 and then straight on to Berea. We will compare verses to see spiritual principles that made these men, who turned the world upside down. Now we begin with Thessalonica, in the first nine verses, and Berea, in verses 10 to 15. They were very different towns.
Thessalonica had become a famous city of 200,000 people and it was the capital of Macedonia. Three great rivers came through it and converged into the sea and so it was an important port. And the Egnation Highway went through the middle of it, which made it easy for armies and everybody travelling east and west to move through. That city is still the most important port city in Greece and it is now named Salonica.
On the other hand, Berea was totally insignificant. Approximately 50 miles, south west of Thessalonica, an out-of-the-way place that no one would have known about had not the Apostle Paul gone there. And so, you have two different cities, one on the highway and one on the byway. But you have the same thing going on in both places that illustrate to us the principles that make a man that turns the world upside down.
Principle No. 1, courage. We will see it in Thessalonica and in Berea. We have seen that courage was a part of the early church spiritual gift. And we too need to have that right now in the world. We saw from the very beginning how they would go into a town and they would run into opposition, and immediately they would become courageous. And the more pressure, the more courage they had. And the more courage, the more dynamic the message became. And that is needed everywhere in the world today.
In Act 20:22, Paul says, “Now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there.” He knew it was all going to be bad, he just didn't know how badly. Verse 23-24, “except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
No person ever really affects the world for Christ who doesn't have the courage of his conviction and the courage of his calling. You can be convicted about many things, but if you do not dare to tell somebody about it, it doesn't do any good. You need not only the courage of your conviction, but the courage to carry out the calling God gave you. Only courageous people will make a difference.
Look at Acts 17: 1 and see courage illustrated. Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis, now that was 33 miles from Philippi, they went to Apollonia that was 30 miles from Amphipolis. And then they went to Thessalonica, which was 37 miles from Apollonia. The significance of that is that they had minds set on Thessalonica “where there was a synagogue of the Jews.”
And we have seen that every time they went to the synagogue, they got persecuted by the Jews. But look at verse 2, “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them.” Now that shows courage. He had just gotten over terrible pain and agony in Philippi. Now he goes to Thessalonica and he goes right back into the synagogue again. Why? Because that was God's calling on him.
In spite of all the pain, he still loved Israel. He had an obedient spirit to the Lord. The Spirit was leading him to go to the synagogue. And he went right in there, as his manner was, he never thought about the pain that he was going to have to endure. He did the same thing in Berea. Verse 10, “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.”
When they sent him away by night, they were trying to get him out of trouble in Thessalonica. We will discuss that later. But what happened when he got to Berea about 50 miles away? What did he do? He went right into the synagogue of the Jews. It didn't matter to him one bit that he just jumped out of one fire into the next. He did what God called him to do.
There are three steps to that kind of courage. Step No. 1, trust God. David was in trouble all the time. And what does he say in Psalm 27:1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?" When God is on your side, you do not have to fear. Verse 2, “When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.” Then he says in verse 14, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage." Let it be God’s battle.
Any kind of courage has to depend on your theology. An inadequate doctrine of God, will make you a coward. Well, how can I trust Him?" You have to know Him. How? Read the Bible, dig into the text. The better you know Him, the better you trust Him, right? The better you trust Him, the better you're going to be able to enter into battle with confidence and not fear.
Second step, confess your sin. If you go into battle with known sin in your life, there will be not much victory. If you go out to witness to the world and you are living a sinful life you will not be believed. David is saying in Psalm 7:3, 5, “O Lord my God, if I have done this, let the enemy pursue me and overtake me.” Verse 8, “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me.” Verse 17, “And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”
Now, in Psalm 7:10 it says, "My defense is of God who saves the upright in heart.” So, when you are in battle against the enemy, you better be sure, Number 1, you trust God; Number 2, you confess sin and you are pure. Remember the breastplate of righteousness in Ephesians 6:16? If you go out to battle with a hole in your breastplate of personal righteousness, Satan will hurt you every time.
In the midst of all it, thirdly, thank Him in advance. Do you know what that does for your attitude when you go into battle and say, "God, I'm going out there boldly and I am going to say what I need to say and I am going to thank you for the victory that hasn't been won yet." Look at Acts 28:15, “Paul thanked God and took courage.”
Second thing, a lot of people have courage, but they don't have content. You need to speak the truth. Paul was never offensive personally. He was offensive because of what he said. You have to offend people to make them realize the gravity of their situation. Read Romans 1 where he talks about sin. And then in Romans 2, he talks about why Jews and Gentiles feel so secure and leaves them stripped, naked and lost. And in Romans 3 he offers them Jesus Christ, our Savior.
The Gospel has to offend sinners. Romans 9:33 says, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense.” In 1 Peter 2:7 it says, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” And what stone is it? It is the rock of offense. And who is that? Jesus Christ. And people have been stumbling over Him and been offended by Him ever since the truth in Old Testament that He was coming.
So what was the issue for the Jews in Thessalonica? The issue was who the Messiah is and the fact that Jesus died. Paul says in Romans 11:9 and Romans 1:23 that the cross to the Jews is a big stumbling block. Verse 2-3, “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and showing that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”
Paul reasoned with them for three Sabbath days in a row. The word “reasoned" is a word from which we get words like "dialog." It indicates not just a formal sermon. He allowed for questions and answers. The imperfect tense indicates a repeated questioning for a long time. Answering questions is a good way to learn. Christianity is very defensible. This became his pattern in the synagogue.
Acts 18:4, “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks." Paul used the mental approach in dialog. Salvation is then a mental thing, not emotional. You must perceive the truth. Paul used reason and he persuaded them in their own minds that these things were true, then the Spirit had the truth to use to open their hearts. He was defending Christianity.
True evangelism is a defensible presentation of Christianity. It is being able to listen to all questions and then give the right answers. Where did he get his information? Look at verse 2, “He reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” He was an expository preacher. But he didn't have the New Testament. That's right, he taught from the Old Testament that Christ needs to suffer and die. Look at Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.
Now, look at Berea. Paul gave them the same message. Verse 11 says, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Look at the difference between Thessalonica and Berea. In verse 4 it says, "And some of them were persuaded.” But here, in verse 12 it says, “Therefore many of them believed.”
What was the difference between the two groups? One of them Paul had to persuade into the truth. The other one was ready and their hearts were open. They searched it out in Scriptures all by themselves. When the persecution came in Berea, it came from people who were from Thessalonica. The difference in their character was just their open-mindedness and sensitivity to the truth and not being prejudicial.
How can I have content like that that can make me turn the world upside down?" First, confess and repent of all sin. "Why?" 1 Peter 2:1-2, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Two, study hard. There is no shortcut. 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Three, personalize the Word. Translate what is academic into your own life. The things that you teach effectively are the things that you have learned from your own life. Experience is the best teacher. Romans 12:2 says, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Trials and tribulations are there in our life so we grow and we can use that experience to teach others. Fourth: Share it. There's no better way to learn than to teach. So anywhere you are you can witness to others about why Jesus is your savior.
The Gospel we preach must have two things. It must have qualities that can be open to public questioning. That is Thessalonica. And it must have qualities that can be opened to private research. That is Berea. Can you present a message to this world and defend that message biblically? Secondly, can you present such a message that sends them to the Scripture and find its truth there? With the Holy Spirit you can do anything, Amen? Let us pray.