Keep It Simple

INTRO

Acts 17 records Paul’s second missionary journey and continues to show how the apostles were walking out the Authority Jesus gave them. In Acts 15, Paul and his companions received a letter from the believers in Jerusalem that they were now taking to churches throughout the empire. Along the way, Paul and Barnabas got into a disagreement and separated. Paul and Silas picked up Timothy in Lystra. Timothy’s mother was Jewish, but his father was a Gentile, so Timothy had to be circumcised in order to minister to both Jews and Gentiles on the missionary journey. While in Troas, they had a vision of a man from Macedonia asking them to come help them. In Philippi, they encountered a woman named Lydia whose entire household accepted Christ and were baptized. The missionary journey is only halfway completed, but it’s already characterized by Paul and his companions’ resolution to listen to the Holy Spirit. Acts 17 covers their ministry in three communities: Thessalonica (vv. 1–9), Berea (vv. 10–15), and Athens (vv. 16–34).

TEACHING

Acts 17:1: The journey began in Philippi. Paul and Silas traveled through two cities: Amphipolis and Apollonia. It’s important to note they only traveled through these cities. As Paul and Silas listened to the Holy Spirit, there were some places they didn’t actively minister. Later in this chapter, Paul will say, “From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live” (v. 26). Paul was okay with only travelling through some places like Amphipolis and Apollonia. Paul understood he was dependent on the Holy Spirit’s prompting to minister, and he simply didn’t sense the Spirit moving in those places at that appointed time.

When they reached Thessalonica, they searched for a Jewish synagogue. It took at least ten Jewish men to form a synagogue, meaning there would be ten families. Philippi didn’t have a synagogue. In Philippi, Paul and his partners found women praying to God by the river and shared the gospel with them. But the presence of the synagogue would not have guaranteed success in their ministry. In fact, Wiersbe noted that Thessalonica was characterized by “resisting the Word.”¹Thessalonica was a Greek city controlled by Rome. It was known as a free city, meaning they elected their own leadership and served as the capital of Macedonia.

Acts 17:2–4: Paul reasoned with them on the Sabbath. Them is most likely either Jews or God-fearing Jews. This went on for at least three weeks. As he “reasoned” from Scripture, he was “explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead” (v. 3). Those three words (reasoned, explaining, and showing) imply that Paul utilized different approaches for different people. Paul’s entire ministry demonstrated the need to utilize different approaches in different settings and with different people. Paul didn’t always stay in various places for the same amount of time, and he didn’t always have the exact same ministry approach and strategy. Paul was sensitive to the context of where he was and the leading of the Holy Spirit as he ministered. However, regardless of the strategy Paul used, his goal was clearly spelled out in verse 4: he sought to persuade them to believe the gospel. Their ministry was effective because “a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women” believed.

Acts 17:5–9: Jason’s house was probably where Paul and his friends were staying. When the crowd couldn’t find Paul, Silas, or Timothy, they dragged Jason out in front of the mob and expressed their displeasure over what Paul and his friends were doing and that Jason had allowed them to stay with him. The crowd accused Paul and his friends of undermining Caesar’s authority by claiming Jesus as the rightful king, a clear misunderstanding of their message. Only after the city officials took “a security bond from Jason and the others” (v. 9) were they released. They had to pay a bribe to be released. One of the terms of the “security bond” was that Paul would not be allowed back in Thessalonica.²After this, Paul moved on to Berea. We know Paul was in Thessalonica for three weeks—his ministry there in Acts only covered nine verses—but he still wrote two letters to the church to check up on them.

Paul wrote, “We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing your election, brothers loved by God” (1 Thessalonians 1:2–4). The believers of Thessalonica made an impression on Paul.

First Thessalonians 1:5 describes all nine verses of Paul’s ministry to the Thessalonians in Acts 17. Paul wrote, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance.” Paul shared the gospel in word with the Thessalonians. He reasoned, explained, showed, and persuaded so that they would believe. But Paul’s ministry was not limited to words. Paul related that he came to them in the power of the Holy Spirit. He had skipped over other places in order to get to them. Paul also came to the Thessalonians with “assurance,” which can also mean “conviction” or “passion.” He modeled for them what it meant to follow Jesus and to share the gospel with others. Even in just three short weeks, the new believers encountered persecution, but they did not allow persecution to convince them to abandon their new faith. Their perseverance and their modeling after Paul became an example to others in the region.

Acts 17:10: Paul moved on from Thessalonica to Berea, but his short time in Thessalonica had a profound impact on the city, on himself, and on Christians throughout history.

CLOSING

We can make sharing the gospel so complicated, but Paul set forth a straightforward strategy in Thessalonica. He stayed in someone’s house; he reasoned, explained, and showed that Jesus was the Messiah; he did it under the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit; and he did it with passion. We do not often put all of these ingredients together. Keep your ministry simple. Emphasize these key ingredients and see how the Lord moves.