The Reasoned, The Ready, and The Rational: Part 1

Intro - I remember becoming a believer and how much time my Pastor spent just answering my questions…what about this, that, etc. In a church culture that was consistently telling me to “just believe” he was allowing me to think…today we’ll see people like that as we begin a 3 part series titled The Reasoned, The Ready, and the Rational…

TR: For the reasoned Paul first offered proof from the scriptures...

The Proof

Paul and Silas continue on their missionary trip and after leaving their beating, incarceration, and explusion from Philippi they make their way to Thessalonica.

Thessalonica was the capital city of the Macedonia province and was rivaled only by Corinth in size and influence.

It should behoove Christians to contemplate the influence that they have and where they can apply it most forcefully for the Gospel.

Never underestimate the power the rests within you through the power of the Spirit.

Here apparently, there were more Jews than there were in Philippi, simply by the fact that they had a synagogue which required at least 10 Jewish men to be present.

Paul, customarily would go into the synagogue and reason with the Jews there.

It is interesting to note that Luke was specific to highlight this point that, while Jews were a constant source of oppression and rejection, that Paul still consistently made efforts toward them.

There has to be a resiliency that is possessed by the believer. There are many times when those who oppose you the most are the ones you may be called to.

Imagine what could be gained if we weren’t guided by opposition but instead by the direction of the Spirit

What we don’t see is a Christianity that is avoiding conflict!

It is a belief that is in the face of politicians, religions, society, issues, etc. It is a belief that is ENGAGING with this world wherever it may be found.

In addition, we see that Paul went in for at least 3 weeks, to dialogue with them during service.

What’s interesting is that in the early church, we don’t find people that are as divorced from Judaism as we are today. There was still a heavy influence of the Old Testament scriptures which many of us may be comparatively ignorant of.

Yet Paul, reasoned, explained, and proved that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer, die, and resurrect.

Without question, Paul would have been using the OT scriptures to convince them cf. Ps. 22, Isa. 53

So here you have Paul running up on the Jews but later we’ll see him with the philosophers, later on in the book he’ll be in front of magistrates, rulers, leaders, etc.

We have too greatly minimized the things that the Scriptures can and should speak to.

Our faith is a thinking person’s faith. We should not be some blind fools following fairytales. This does not mean we all must be biblical scholars…however, we should be challenging ourselves to think deeply on issues.

What does scripture have to say about that relationship, the issue, that book, the comment, that retweet or meme shared, etc.? Don’t ignore it…engage it!

What is your “custom” for engaging the world?

Are you patient with those who need to be walked through the Word?

The folks here needed to see it for themselves. Notice the behaviors of Paul and Silas…no matter the opposition, response, or obstacle, they knew the necessity of proving that Jesus was the Messiah…the anointed one of God.

TR: And because of this proof they were persuasive to those in Thessalonica...

The Persuasion

After Paul’s convincing arguments it is said that some of them were persuaded or convinced of mind.

Of these people Luke makes careful mention of what groups they were from including Jews, devout Greeks (who would’ve been Gentile converts to Judaism), and leading women.

One item to point out here is that very different people groups found unity in the Gospel message and the reality of Jesus the Christ.

Division in this world is natural…we segregate and divide ourselves on any number of areas, ethinicity, politics, relational status, age, finances, the list goes on and on.

Unity is supernatural…I believe that ought to be a key lesson taught through the lives of believers. Only in a faith that includes all of those elements and molds them into a workable mosaic depicting our union in Christ can that glory be seen.

In Thessalonia there was room for women to hold much more powerful position than in other Roman areas and therefore their presence, along with the men in the city, made for a robust following of the Gospel.

We see Paul appealing later to two women in Thessalonica to get along because of the impact it was having.

Ladies, unlike in many eras past, you are able to have prominent roles in society and your impact even in this body is crucial.

I LOVE the disruptive nature of the Gospel! How it either outrightly abolishes or slowly rusts away the pillars of falsehood, assumption, and sinful morals.

However, Paul wasn’t the only one that was in the business of convincing.

The Jews, who were losing congregants and followers, become jealous and sought to stop the bleeding of their adherents.

There are some that aren’t concerned with your well being…they’re concerned with their following.

The Jews aren’t unique in the passage…whenever and wherever freedom from oppression and rule is presented there are going to be those who stand to lose something.

There are many people that aren’t concerned with growth as must as they are with influence!

People will exploit you to keep you under their influence and care very little about your well being.

It wasn’t the truth that they objected to…it was the people leaving.

Example of me early on wanting to keep people around not because I valued them as much but because it made me feel valuable. I wasn’t trying to shepherd people as much as I was trying to use them to make myself feel better, to feel worthy, to feel whole. All the while that bottomless pit could never be filled with their affirmations but somehow was always deepened by their rejections. Until I came to be complete in Christ.

See some folks aren’t mad at the truth…they’re mad because people that are persuaded by it can’t move like they use to any more.

We used to kick it but now we can’t kick it any more. We have been persuaded of something GREATER!!!

Stop being USED BY THIS WORLD TO PROP UP SOMEONE ELSE’S EGO!!!

So they enlisted the help of “men of the rabble”

These would’ve been people for hire that usually hung out in the marketplace that could be bought to support or reject certain teachers, businesses, etc. They essentially were first century lobbyists.

For the right price, they would stir up trouble or sway the crowd in a particular direction, and in this case it was against the message of Paul and Silas…against the Gospel.

Listen, if this world can’t exploit you it’ll try to extinguish you!!

There are some people that for the right price will cut you off! They’ll drown you out!!

There’s a fool on every corner with an opinion and if properly compensated with money, acceptance, or notoreity, they’ll oppose all that you stand for.

It feels good when they’re on your side but be careful not to get gassed up by the “men of the rabble”

I always get nervous when too many people agree with me...

I’m reminded of how Jesus always messed up a good movement…right when they were rocking with 5000 people that they fed…he wants to go and start talking about eating flesh and drinking blood.

From the stirring up of the crowd they were able to build up a violent mob.

For some reason I just keep getting this picture that a mob is an easy thing to form whenever you have a good lie going on...

See the CROWD DOESN’T DETERMINE THE TRUTH!!!

Be well reasoned folks! Don’t be deceived by the enemy!

The “mob” rarely has the truth to begin with. This is why when we move family, we must move with discernment.

This was ALL MOTIVATED by jealousy…now the Jews, who aren’t even a powerful community in that area, were able to enlist a mob to do their bidding...

How many times have you jumped on that social media bandwagon again with little information? How many times have you bought into that idea simply because it “felt” right...

TR: Because once those emotions take over…usually the next step is some unlawful, self-serving, distorted form of justice and punishment being rolled out...

The Punishment

Once they had formed the mob, they were unable to find Paul and Silas, and instead opted to seize Jason who may have been of some relation to Paul and was at least a supporter, and brought him before the city authorities.

They were then accused of:

“turning the world upside down”

“Jason is supporting them”

“acting against the decrees of Caesar by saying there’s another king”

Such things were a great offense and were dangerous accusations. Few things were feared more than the wrath of Rome against charges of sedition

Notice again the false narrative! What really is a jealousy issue and power grab is depicted as sedition.

The claim was that Paul and Silas were setting the city in an uproar when in fact it was the Jews that did it.

Not only will they attempt to drown you out but also anyone that associates with you!

I saw a social media post the other day that said because this person said positive things about that person that I ought to cancel this person because that person is bad.

This is first century cancel culture!!

I don’t like you for whatever reason…let me stir up the mob…enlist the help of some rabble rousers…and also cancel everyone you’re associated with!

Yet with all of this being true, Paul and Silas still have the courage to continue to preach!

Listen God is so bent on getting the good news out to this world that even mob violence isn’t a deterrant.

Ironically, the lack of worshipping Caesar is almost exactly the issue that Rome kept having with Jews!!!

The Jews wouldn’t submit to worshipping another person because they could only worship Yahweh.

Yet even people that didn’t really like the state will appeal to nationalism as a justification for their behavior!

There are people that will deviate from their own truth just to shut you up!

Yes I’m for Blue Lives Matter until a cop gets in my way of storming the Capitol Building. Yes I’m for Black Lives Matter until I’m asked to invest in black neighborhoods rather than loot them.

Or the best one…yes I’m Christian…until the path of civility, suffering, and grace aren’t expedient enough so I’ll join the crowd which might get me there faster...

The loving wife/husband, faithful employee, etc. will sacrifice their allegiance just to beat you...

After Jason and those with him were forced to post a bond, they were let go.

The security would’ve been an attempt to keep Jason from having anything to do with Paul and Silas, they would’ve gotten their money back if after a period of time there was no further uproar.

Canceled...

LAND IT LOUD

But the Gospel wasn’t....

Paul REJOICED IN THE WORK DONE THERE!

1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 ESV

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!

and he continues

1 Thessalonians 3:6–10 ESV

But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

So in the face of distress, cancel culture, political correctness, and mob rule SPEAK THE TRUTH!

That is not a license for being rude but it is for being bold! STANDING AGAINST ERROR AND FALSE WAYS OF THINKING AND REASONING

WHAT IS YOUR CUSTOM?!?!

Can your faith be spoken of in such high regard?

Do you think after the victory of the mob to run Paul and Silas out of town that it became easier??? NO!

YET THE PEOPLE IN THESSALONIA, WHO REASONED THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH, STAKED THEIR HOPE ON IT AND ALL ELSE WAS INCONSEQUENTIAL!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HOPE WE HAVE IN JESUS! You can’t CANCEL the Christ! You can’t drown out the defiant! You can’t INTIMIDATE WHAT IS IMMOVABLE!

Jesus WILL reconcile this world and people from every group will worship him in truth!