In our Bible Study Wednesday night, we spent time in Matthew chapter 10 highlighting the courage of the apostles to Jesus’ commission of sending them out to share the gospel. Courage is not action in the absence of fear; it is righteous action despite fear. The apostles had every reason to withdraw from Christ’s instructions. There were so many areas that would require trust. Even the warnings Jesus gave these men—the negative responses from others they could expect—was enough for them to say, “No thank you, Lord.” But, instead these courageous ambassadors of Christ let faith for the Lord’s mission to save the world drive them further into the miraculous unknown.
Throughout Scripture, faith is confident trust that what God has said he will do. We each have a part in sharing the gospel and every part will require courage. God’s story must be shared according to God’s thoughts, by God’s power, for God’s glory…so there will always be a plethora of unknowns for our human mind that will required trust. God’s thoughts and ways are always higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9). It takes great faith to be conformed to the thoughts and ways of Christ (Ro 8:29).
Today, we continue with the writings of Dr. Luke in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Our lesson is focused on two Apostles, Paul and Silas, and the mighty work of grace upon them to draw people to Christ. The location of the reading is Thessalonica—a very wealthy city in Macedonia [northern Greece]—where God took Paul to plant a church. People were turning to God through salvation in Christ and the church was growing strong.
In our passage today, Paul goes to the synagogue to preach. He begins his teaching with what is known from the Old Testament Scriptures and he brings people’s attention to what is presently unknown to them—Jesus the Messiah. The religious leaders become jealous of the power of God on the apostles; they cannot refute the Truth but they can hate the messengers. And they do. As well, they try to punish Jason, a man honoring the Jewish command of hospitality. Jason gets very little attention for serving God, but by courageously sharing hospitality with the apostles he becomes a spiritual hero who proclaims the world’s true King.
Where do you need supernatural courage, today? Every believer has the commission to share the gospel and serve Christ. Our calls are all different, but every call is essential to share the rule of our King and the growth of his Kingdom. Whatever part you are called to offer in service to Jesus, do it with courage. Fear will always come to stop you. Remember, you never know what you can do in the power of the Holy Spirit until you step out. Have a blessed weekend.
Acts 17:1-9 NLT Paul Preaches in Thessalonica
1 Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.
5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd [city council]. 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”
8 The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.
Prayer: Lord, even though the forces of evil never seem to stop trying to draw us into a place of fear, we thank you for supernatural courage. We know you love us and we know your plans for us are holy. However, many times we need a gentle reminder about the measure of faith and trust that is essential to please you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.