A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XVII - I
"Silas and I, Paul, are no longer in prison in Philippi.... We were released after our one night in prison.... Of course, our one night in prison was well worth it.... Because we had opportunity to share the gospel with the jailer and his family... They all became believers that same night .... So we have introduced them to the other believers in Philippi, such as Lydia.... We then left Philippi and eventually ended up in Thessalonica... As is my custom, I preached in the synagogue.... And a number of people, Jews as well as Gentiles, accepted my message....However, other Jews became very jealous.... In fact, they became so jealous that they started a riot... They tried to find Silas and me.... But, instead, they dragged Jason, our host in Thessalonica, before the city officials.... They claimed that we, Silas and I, are "troublemakers.".... As long as we are "troublemakers for the Lord.".... The believers thought it best for us to leave town so we left for Berea.... There too I preached in the synagogue.... The believers in Berea are wonderful examples how believers should live...Unfortunately, Jews in Thessalonica heard that I had arrived in Berea... So some of them came over and began to cause problems.... The believers in Berea, therefore, decided that I should move on... And I agreed with their decision.... I have just left Berea... No doubt, God has more people for me to reach in other places... He may well want me to go to Athens."....
ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XVII - I
After their release from prison in Philippi, Paul and Silas soon left Philippi and travelled to Thessalonica as you can read in Acts 17:1
When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
Paul preached in the synagogue for the next three Sabbath days declaring the Gospel message to them as you can know from Acts 17:2-3
As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.
Some of the Jews as well as a large number of Greek men and women became believers. This, no doubt, caused other Jews in Thessalonica to become very jealous and cause a riot in the city. They went to the home of Jason, the believer with whom Paul and Silas were staying, but could not find them so they dragged Jason and some other believers before city officials claiming Paul and Silas were nothing but trouble makers as you can read in Acts 17:5-7
But other Jews were jealous, so they rounded up some bad characters from the market place, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who had caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."
The city officials did not quite know what to do so they let Jason and the other believers go.
That night the believers sent Paul and Silas away to another city Berea. There too Paul went into the synagogue and preached the same Gospel message he had preached in Thessalonica. But this time the message was well received and many of the Jews believed as you can know from Acts 17:12
Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
Unfortunately, the Jews in Thessalonica learned of the conversion of many of the Jews in Berea and became so upset that that they travelled to Berea to cause a riot there. So the believers decided it was wiser for Paul to leave as you can know from Acts 17:14
The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
Read Part Two HERE
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