Having Courage To Share The Gospel

Courage comes from trust and obedience in God, and reliance on the Holy Spirit

Acts 17:1 “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.”

Paul and Silas continue to fulfill the Macedonian call during their second missionary journey, they travelled, most likely by horse back due to the beating they received in Philippi, for three days and an estimated 100 miles from Philippi through Amphipolis a city of Macedonia and the neighboring city of Apollonia, not finding a synagogue in those two cities, they continued on until they reached Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. Thessalonica was an excellent city to spread the gospel because it was the capitol city of Macedonia, a large commercial center with about 2000 people, among them Jews. It took tremendous courage for Paul and Silas to come to Thessalonica after being falsely accused, arrested, and beaten in Philippi, not knowing what danger awaited them in Thessalonica.

Paul would later write to the Thessalonian church reminding them of their courage to share the gospel despite much conflict.

1 Thessalonians 2:1–2 “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.”

This type of courage can only be attributed to their trust in God, obedience to share the gospel, and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. This is the type of courage you can have when you place your trust in God, obediently share the gospel with the unsaved while relying upon the Holy Spirit.

Courage comes from knowing the Word of God

Acts 17:2–3 “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.””

Although Paul was called by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles, It was Paul’s custom to go into every synagogue to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to his fellow countrymen the Jews. Acts 13:5; 14:1; 17:10, 17; (Corinth) Acts 18:4, 19; (Then while in Ephesus) Acts 19:8.

While in the Jewish synagogue in Thessalonica Luke writes that Paul for three Sabbath days reasoned/dialegomai/ to converse, argue, to have instructional discourse that frequently includes exchange of opinions. In the synagogue Jews and God-fearing Gentiles were permitted to ask questions and Paul took the time to converse with them, answering their question and objections. And then Luke writes in v. 3 that Paul was, “demonstrating/dianoigo/to open up, to interpret, to expound, and proving that that the Christ (Messiah) had to suffer and rise again from the dead.”

Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t an accident. But it was God’s plan according to Acts 4:27–28 ““For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place.”

Colossians 1:19–20 “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Hebrews 2:10 “For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Several Old Testament scriptures point to Jesus' suffering and resurrection. Beginning from Moses who pinned protoevangelium the first gospel in Gen 3:15. And the animal sacrifices that God prescribed to Moses for Israel to follow pointed to the one time sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb 9:28). Then in Psalm 22, written about 1,000 years before Christ, contains specific details that align with the events of the crucifixion, including the cry of being forsaken by God (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?), the mocking words from the crowds at his crucifixion Ps 22:7-8, pierced hands and feet (v.16), and the casting of lots for His clothing (v.18). Isaiah 52:13-53:12 written about 760 years before Christ, also prophesies the Messiah's victory over death.

Isaiah 52:13–14 “See, my servant will be successful; he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at you— his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man, and his form did not resemble a human being—”

The prophet Zechariah 9:9 spoke of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” But Zechariah also spoke of Jesus’ being pierced in Zec. 12:10.

Other relevant passages include Hosea 6:2, which speaks of being raised up on the third day, and 1 Samuel 2:7,10, which mentions God bringing life from death in connection with His anointed one. Jesus Himself affirmed that the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all contained writings about His suffering, death, and resurrection. Look what Jesus said after His resurrection to the two disciples on the Emmaus road who were having a hard time reconciling the crucifixion of Jesus, whom they thought would redeem Israel, and hearing the report that Jesus body was no longer in the tomb.

Luke 24:25–26 “He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?””

It is clear that the apostles and New Testament authors saw Jesus' death and resurrection as the necessary fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

Paul’s message that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead is the central doctrine of Christianity. Paul would later write in Romans 4:25 that Jesus Christ “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Christ came to suffer death on the cross to appease God’s wrath for our sins. In Jesus’ death He carried legal penalty for the guilt of our sins. When God raised Jesus from the dead, it signified His acceptance of Jesus sacrifice for our sins, and vindicated Jesus, canceling the sentence of death and declaring Him to be righteous. By doing this God is just to justify us, because the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been imputed to us through faith in Christ alone.

The message of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection is what the apostles preached

Paul could courageously state in the last clause of v.3 “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ,” because his knowledge about Jesus being the long awaited Messiah came from knowing the Word of God. The reason some of you lack courage to share the word of God is because of your lack of knowledge of the Word of God. Begin to ground yourself in the Word of God so that you can have the courage to share the Gospel.

The positive results for having courage to share the gospel

Acts 17:4 “And some of them were persuaded, meaning Jews; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined, meaning they had come to faith by believing the gospel, and being so moved by the truth about Jesus from the Scriptures, and Paul’s teaching, they joined, became followers of Paul and Silas.”

Paul’s courage to share the gospel had a positive effect on those who heard him, and God sovereignly drew both Jews, Greeks, and women.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

The gospel is the power of God to save anyone it just takes you to have the courage to share it. What’s stopping you? Do you not believe that the gospel has the power to save? The same gospel that saved you, is the same gospel that can save others.

The negative results for having courage to share the gospel

Acts 17:5 “But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.”

The unbelieving Jews became jealous that many other Jews and Greeks were becoming believers and their absence from the synagogue infuriated them. But at the core of this jealousy was the the unbelieving Jews hatred of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As it today with unbelievers they hate hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

These hate filled Jews then brought together some evil men from the marketplace, and formed a mob, it doesn’t take much to gather up wicked people together to start a riot in a city. The Jews and their mob wanted to get their hands on Paul and Silas. Knowing that Paul and Silas had formed a house church where Jason lived, they enter into his house looking for them to bring them out to the assembled crowd.

Acts 17:6–7 “When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus.””

Unable to find Paul and Silas, they turned their attention to Jason and some of the other brothers and brought them before the city officials, and began to shout out lies that Paul, and Silas were responsible for turning the world upside down, and they have come to Thessalonica to do the same, and Jason has welcome them. This was a lie from Satan who will do whatever he can to stomp out the progress of the gospel. The only people who were turning the world upside down was the Jews and this mob. Paul and Silas were only sharing the gospel with the belief that God would turn sinners lives around by faith in Christ for the salvation of their souls. Then the Jews wanted to further strengthen their case against Paul, Silas, and Jason they accused them of sedition, “acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king-Jesus. This was a serious crime for Romans held that there was no other king but Caesar! This threw the crowds and that the officials into a frenzy.

Acts 17:8–9 “The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset. After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.” Because of the gospel and belief in Christ Jason and the other believers had to face false accusations, having people be upset at him, and then he and other and to forfeit money to bail out of their custody.

Here is a lesson for you. Having courage to share the gospel and your belief in Christ will cause people to be upset at you and turn against you, it will cause people to make false accusations against you, and it will even cost you to forfeit somethings. But in the end God will protect you.

The church needs more courageous believers like Paul and Silas to turn this evil world upside down with the gospel. The church needs more Jason’s who will welcome the sound biblical teaching in their homes and to their friends.