Gtcotr/ws052522
Acts 17 NKJV
1 ¶ Now when they had passed
through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a
synagogue of the Jews.
2 Then Paul, as his custom
was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the
Scriptures,
3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”
Some places you pass through and some places you go to.
You have to decide if this is a pass-through season of life or if this is a go to season – a season with a reason to plant this particular field.
How do you know?
Not every place you are going to and not every time you lead to pass through. And not every reason or argument you make for the truth will always be a pleasant experience. You can be in the middle of God’s will, telling the truth, doing your best, and still not be received.
However, when you are in the will of God you are planting seeds in just the right place … in the place God intends to bring an eventual harvest … a seasonal harvest … in His time.
4 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.
5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
But the most difficult places in life are often the most fruitful
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.
11 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.
12 Therefore many of them
believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.
13 But when the Jews from
Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they
came there also and stirred up the crowds.
14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.
Men of Thessalonica chased Paul all the way to Berea. Those Thessalonians were passionate about what they believed. And, when the seeds sown in their lives and the work of the church matured, those who were saved were just as passionate for Christ as they earlier were against Paul and the preaching of the Gospel.
Great sinners usually make great saints. Passionate sinners make passionate saints.
Berea is almost never heard of again, and they were the noble ones. However, the church in Thessalonica went on to be world renown and is still today one of the leading examples of a new Testament congregation fulfilling the Great Commission in their generation and beyond.
Take
Aways
·
Some places you pass through and some places you go to.
o
Thank God
o
Not every day is a workday
o
Not everything is on your plate
o
You’ve got to decide what you are responsible
for and leave the rest to God and somebody else.
o
God has someone coming right along behind you
… and no doubt, someone just ahead.
o
Some places you pass through and some places
you go to – we don’t want to get those mixed up!
§ We must be led by the Spirit beyond our own ability to reason or
calculate.
§ God is not unreasonable, but He is superior to reason
§ God has His own reason and anything else is unreasonable.
o
Acts 3 – the lame man at the gate
§ Most likely Jesus had walked past this man many times
o
There is a right time and a right place and a
right person for everything … Peter and John were the right people for the lame
man.
§ The Bible is filled with people who are chosen for one thing and people
who are chosen for something else – so it is with life today.
·
God sends us to places He intends to bring a harvest.
o Luke 10 – 2x2 into
every place where He would come
o When you are in the
will of God you are planting seeds in just the right place.
o God will watch over it
… He has a plan that includes more than just you.
·
Some of the most difficult places in life turn out to be the most
fruitful.
o Romans 5:3-5 – We glory
in Tribulation - Tribulation works …
o James 1:2-4 – Count it
all joy – Patience works …
o 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
– Affliction works …
·
Don’t give up on committed sinners, they make committed saints.
o Pray
o Keep praying
o Do what you can and
leave the rest to God.
