The Day-To-Day Christian

I got two stories of living in a christian life. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better.

1

During Sunday school, the teacher was explaining how God created Eve from Adam’s rib. A little boy, fascinated by the story, listened intently. Later that night, his mom found him lying in bed clutching his side, groaning in pain.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked, concerned.

With wide eyes, he whispered, “I think I’m having a wife.”

2

A church was holding baptisms in a lake, and one nervous young man was getting baptized. As the pastor dunked him under the water, the guy panicked, flailed his arms, and accidentally grabbed the pastor, pulling him down into the water too.

Both of them resurfaced gasping for air, and the young man looked at the stunned congregation and yelled, “I think I baptized the pastor!”

Historical/Cultural Context -

Luke was a physician and a travel companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Acts. The earliest possible date of Acts is immediately after the events that Luke recorded in, which would have been c. A.D. 62. Acts is addressed to “Theophilus,” about whom nothing more is known. Luke’s broader audience consisted primarily of Gentile Christians like Theophilus who had already “been taught” about Jesus.

Biblical Text -

Acts 17:1–15 NKJV

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they 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.” 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. 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 when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 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. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 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. Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - In Our Lives We Need To Be People Of The Word, Giving People Jesus & Watching Out For Troublemakers.

Life Point- Give People Jesus

Exegetical -

Acts 17:1–4 NLT

Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

Homiletical -

So Paul and his entourage have departed Philippians and traveled through two other towns and have now come to Thessalonica.

Paul always went to the Jews first and then to the Greeks.

Why?

Because Jesus is the Messiah that was promised to the Jews first and then Jesus opened up salvation to every other nation as well.

Notice something here, when he went into a city and preached to the Jews did he always do a miracle? Did he cast out any devils in the synagogue?

No! He preached Jesus to them and proved from the Old Testament scriptures that Jesus suffered and rose again from the dead. He preached a simple message in the power of the Holy Spirit amongst them.

1 Corinthians 2:1–3 NLT

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.

1 Peter 3:15 NLT

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

People often ask me what is the easiest way to witness. It is real simple. How were you before you were saved, what happened at the moment of salvation, and how are you now that you are saved.

If you are the same person you were before you prayed a prayer for salvation then I gotta tell you something. You aren’t saved. You don’t belong to Christ. Don’t fool yourself.

If there is no change in you then you don’t have Jesus. You may have had an emotional minute or a religious experience but you don’t have Jesus. We are given a warning about that too.

Matthew 7:21–23 NLT

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

You can’t do the will of God, if you don’t really know God; and Jesus is the only way to the father.

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Are you sure you know Him today? If not then you need to get sure!

Illustration -

Paul emphasizes the importance of confessing Jesus as Lord. This is like knowing someone by name, yet it goes deeper—it’s about understanding their character and intentions. During a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend, you might say, ‘I know this person deeply; I can trust them fully.’ It should be the same with Jesus. Knowing Him goes beyond mere acknowledgment; it’s about intimacy and trust in His faithfulness.

Life Point - Watch Out For Troublemakers

Exegetical -

Acts 17:5–9 NLT

But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.” The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.

Homiletical -

So Paul is seeing many people coming to Christ and He is teaching them how to live the Christian life and spreading the Gospel.

This didn’t sit well with some of the Jews so much that they were jealous of their success. They were envious of Paul and Silas.

So what do they do? They found some troublemakers.

Listen when God gives you success in something the enemy is going to cause trouble any way he knows how. How is he going to do it? He is going to use people. Sometimes good intentioned people but people nonetheless.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

You know what is interesting? You can always find troublemakers.

So they form a mob to take care of the situation. They going looking for Paul and Silas, but they aren’t there. Well the mob must be appeased, so they go after the homeowner. Jason. They drag him before the courts and accuse him of treason, which could come with a death sentence. Instead the corrupt politicians force him to pay a some of money so that he can get out of jail.

You know what I have found interesting? When someone is mad at someone else or an organization they don’t just leave, they try to pull others out with them. For example I was an associate pastor and a group of people got mad at the pastor and made up flyers listing all that they thought he was doing wrong, which most of them were made, blown out of context or just plain old silly. They stood outside passing these flyers around and got some people to believe them and they eventually pulled people away with them.

What should have been done? Well to follow Matthew 18

Matthew 18:15–17 NKJV

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

When they had a problem they should not have jumped to gossip, but should have talked to him. Had they done that, their concerns would have been addressed and they could have moved on in Christ.

Life Point - Be People of The Word

Exegetical -

Acts 17:10–15 NLT

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.

Homiletical -

This time Paul and Silas and their group go to Berea, and Paul does what he always does and goes to the synagogue which was like the jewish church at the time.

Our churches today are actually modeled after the idea of a synagogue.

It says they were more opened-minded than those Thessalonians and went to the scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.

If we would just do that today. Don’t take a preachers word for something, search it out yourselves and make sure he didn’t make a mistake.

If Christians were people of the Word of God like we proclaim we are then there wouldn’t be so many false prophets out there today. Wednesday night we discussed false prophets in 2 Peter, so I won’t belabor the point here.

Suffice-it-to-say don’t take anyone’s Word for something. Don’t even take mine, I can be wrong too. Search the scriptures. Then take what you find there and apply it to your life. Don’t be like the man in the mirror found in James.

James 1:22–25 NLT

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

So what happens to Paul? Well some of them troublemakers from Thessalonica show up to cause more trouble for him. So the believers send him on. Some of them go with him to Athens and return to Berea with a message to Silas and Timothy to join him there.

Sometimes when it is time to move on, God will allow people to show up and make you uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s just the enemy attacking. You need spiritual discernment in order to tell which it is.

Which is why we must be people of the Word and prayer.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Illustration -

In Psalm 119:105, it says, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.’ This verse reminds us of the necessity of Scripture in our daily lives. Just as a lamp illuminates the darkness, God’s Word reveals the truth amidst confusion. When we commit ourselves to studying the Bible, we arm ourselves with wisdom and discernment that helps us navigate various situations we face every day. It’s not just ancient text; it’s our guide for living.

Life Principle– In Our Lives We Need To Be People Of The Word, Giving People Jesus & Watching Out For Troublemakers.

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