January 6, 2023

[Paul and Silas] came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 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.” Acts 17:1b-3

What a profound privilege it was to address large congregations in the Jewish synagogue of Thessalonica. It is likely that there was some explaining to do regarding their shabby appearance, as they had been treated terribly in Philippi and thrown in jail. Yet it was a wonderful opportunity—not to exalt themselves, but to bring glory to the One who had wrought a miraculous deliverance and at the same time brought salvation to the jailer and his family (16:26-34).

Paul’s preaching to the Thessalonians centered upon Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, just as Jesus Himself had done after His resurrection beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27). Also, both Peter and Stephen patterned their preaching of Christ after the inspired testimony of Moses and the prophets, clearly proving the identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah. From the very first—the days of Adam—it was the voice of Christ bringing plain and specific promises regarding the coming of the Redeemer. Now, back to Thessalonica:

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. 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 . . . Acts 17:4-5a

Beloved, our work in the church has an ennobling and uplifting effect that is meant to raise a shield of defense against the arrows of our archenemy, who often accomplishes his despicable work by using people as his mouthpiece. Before Peter reached the point of laying aside his prejudices, he was used by Satan as a mouthpiece. Why, immediately after his profoundly true declaration of the Lord’s identity as the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16) he refused to accept the words of Jesus regarding that which he did not want to hear, for it conflicted with what he had been taught by men about the Messiah’s role:

Then Peter took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:22-23

We are all in a process of letting go of the things of men. These are the things that Satan uses against us to weaken and/or nullify our faith, sending us down the wrong path. The process of sanctification, which requires our cooperation with the work of the Lord in our inmost soul, will bring each of us face to face with tests in order to challenge the things we have heard. We must discern, at every test, whether the item in question is a thing of men or a thing of God.

“You have heard it said . . . but I say . . .”