Acts 17 opens as Paul, having travelled from Phillipi, arrived at Thessalonica, “where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (vv. 1-2).
The Christian faith is a reasonable faith. Paul never went to people and said, “Hey, believe this just because you ought to believe it.” He reasoned with them. He wanted them to know what to believe and why to believe it. Remember, the Bible says, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow'” (Isaiah 1:18).
Paul preached Jesus to be Christ, the Messiah. “And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming enviousรขโฌยฆ[gathered] a mob, [and] set all the city in an uproar” (vv. 4-5).
Notice the two effects of Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica. Some were persuaded, some were not persuaded. There was a strong favorable reactionรขโฌโand a strong unfavorable reaction. No middle ground. And those who were not persuaded got really mad about it.
Paul moved on to Berea, and there the story includes one of my all-time favorite verses. I recommend you commit it to memory. “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” (v. 11).
The next stop was Athens. “Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there” (v. 17).
He was seen as a “babbler” and a “proclaimer of foreign gods” (v. 18), but they wanted to hear more, so they took him to the AreopagusรขโฌโMars Hillรขโฌโwhere he preached Jesus to them. “The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (v. 23). Thereรขโฌโขs more in that short sermon than I can cover here, but read it in Acts 17:22-31.
“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them” (vv. 32-34).
The Athenians responded in one of three ways: rejection, reflection, and reception. Some received Christ. Some rejected Him. Some considered it and may have come to saving knowledge later on.
Here’s what we should take away from all of this.
First, have the heart of a Berean. Don’t just accept what any preacher says. Look it up yourself to make sure it’s really correctรขโฌโthat it’s backed by the Word. Reasoning through the Scriptures will make you a stronger believer.
If you are a parent, reason with your children from the Scriptures. However excellent the children’s ministry is at your church, don’t expect them to provide all that your kids need. Show them why they ought to believe what is in the Bible.
And all of us should pray that God would give us correct answers. “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
When receivers of the truth become transmitters of the truth, God’s Word reaches others, some will reject it, some will reflect on it, and some will accept it and turn their hearts to God.
