Acts 17:1-15 - Preach like Paul
We should follow God’s New Testament example. That example means preaching everywhere. Jesus preached on the beaches, the riverbanks, the hills, and the streets. He is our authority to be bold and creative. Likewise, the Acts Churchmen preached in synagogues, fields, houses, public places, debating clubs, and academic settings. We see the fruit of that method in the Acts Church and in the times of the great revivalists who turned the world upside down and grew the Church in their time (Whitefield and Wesley, for example, 1700s England and America). I hope God uses us and many more to do the same today.
Oh, Lord God, let us not be fearful; may we be bold in preaching the Gospel.
As we preach, we will see opposition - just as Paul and Silas did here in this passage and as Whitefield and Wesley did in their time. Yet, oddly, with the opposition comes excellent opportunity and incredible results. As you preach God’s message, you will infuriate some people, and they will want to silence you, accuse you of all sorts of things, mock you as a babbling fool, put you in jail, and maybe even try to kill you. Some will oppose you because they are jealous, some because they believe they act on God’s behalf.
But others, men and women, rich and poor, those of high and low positions and rank, will listen and be persuaded to repent of their sins and to turn to the resurrected Messiah, the living Creator, and eternal Judge. And that is why you and I shall preach; Jesus commands that we do so, and if we do, He will change hearts, save souls, and bring revival in the Church.
As we preach, let us ensure that we do not boast about anything but the cross of the King and what Jesus is doing through us (Romans 15:18). The message is not about us. For hearts to be transformed and souls won for God’s kingdom, people need to understand that Jesus came into this evil world to rescue them and to provide a way of escape - offering each person the gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God.
Let’s not recreate the wheel. We have an excellent example in the Acts church and many generations of saints that have run their race well. However, like Paul, Silas, and Timothy, let us be unique in approach and connect people to what they may already know in Scripture and build on that. Meet people where they are. That requires preparation, intentionality, hard work, and reliance on the guidance of God. So many modern messages have the speaker as the hero. We are not the hero. We are fragile jars of clay. Our time is short, like the morning mist and the beautiful flower. The message of Jesus Christ must always be about God; what He has done and will do. He alone can change lives and save us from our tragic condition. He came into the world to save mankind and will come again to judge us once and for all time. Let’s preach new messages. God’s creativity never runs out. There is no reason to preach stale messages or lazy sermons. God will give us just the right message for each audience.
Paul uses Scripture (proving that the Messiah had to be born, suffer, die and rise again), and he uses reason. Christianity is a thinking man’s religion. God is the Creator of intelligence and expects us to use our senses, logic, and understanding to see the truth. Good Christians are open-minded. Let us all be willing to learn from each other and, more importantly, from the Holy Spirit. Let’s follow Paul’s example of teaching, persuading, and doing so with persistence and God’s authority. All Scripture points to Jesus. Our preaching should work through Scripture as Paul does in this passage. God gives us 66 books to work through. We have limitless examples and passages to review. And, if God is willing, He will work through us and speak to people through His Word.
We do not get detailed sermon notes from Paul and Silas’ messages as they evangelized through Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, or Berea. But we know Paul was preaching from Scripture - and we get the full sermon notes from Paul’s message in Athens. We have no excuse for poor preaching. We have an excellent example in God’s Word.
I repent of my sins and turn to you today, Lord Jesus. Oh Lord, let our young preachers, our old preachers, and every believer in Jesus Christ that shares God’s love and message do so with courage and faith. And may many people be persuaded to believe in You. We are convinced that we are saved only by believing in Jesus, not by what we do. Open our hearts, our King, to hear and understand the truth. And may we be faithful in knowing Your Word and preaching Your life-changing message faithfully. Amen.
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