Paul & Silas – Trust God’s Strategy for Ministry

Acts 17:1–9
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Paul and Silas traveled 100 miles from Philippi to Thessalonica.  According to verse one they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, but didn’t minister in those cities. Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia, with a population of about 200,000. Paul’s master plan for missions was to evangelize the main city of an area, leave behind him a mission-minded church, move on to another population center, and leave the evangelization of the rural areas to the new church.

Much of our missionary activity, since the days of David Livingston, has been concentrated on the jungles and bush country. Somehow the fascination of wild barbaric tribes and untamed tongues has exerted a big influence on the Western mind. It is true that such areas need to be evangelized, but in my opinion, all too often we have bypassed the cities and headed for the hills. It would seem that in more recent years the strategy of many missionary organizations is to evangelize the people who live in the cities, where the seats of power and influence are found. 

Paul worked at the tent-making trade (Acts 18:3); however, as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and there ministered to both devout Jews and Gentiles. In verses two and three, Paul reasoned (give and take conversation with questions and answers) with them out of the Scriptures, opening (explaining and proving, by evidence) that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. As a result, a large number of people believed, especially Greeks and influential women who traveled with Paul. Among the men were two, named Aristarchus and Secundus who later traveled with Paul (Acts 20:4). The unbelieving Jews began persecuting the believers. They wanted to drag the missionaries before the people but because they were unable to find them, the mob took Jason and some of the believers instead. They were charged with having “turned the world upside down.

Application

Today Christians need to have the reputation for “turning the world upside down.” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Lord, help me to constantly be asking myself, “What am I doing to make Christ known to others?”