Acts 17:1-3
When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ" he said.
Thoughts for Today:
When witnessing to a non-believer, do you find it easier to talk about Jesus to someone who has no religious background, or one who has had some exposure to the Bible growing up? As our passage today indicates, I think Paul would have picked those with a religious background to witness to first. Why? My own story might provide some insight.
I was raised in a Christian home which included attending church regularly (whether I wanted to or not), singing in the youth choir (over my objections), and going to Youth Fellowship on Sunday nights (which was okay because there were girls there). However, despite my parents' best efforts, I did not come to know Jesus.
Upon turning eighteen (which was when I got to make my own decisions about faith) my choice on Sunday mornings was to either sleep in or go surfing; certainly not get dressed up to attend a boring church service. Now you may think that I am an awful person (and son), but I had never heard God calling me into a relationship with His Son. And while this may be my story, a similar one is being played out by children becoming adults in thousands of homes across America, much to the concern of their parents. Many kids aren't choosing Jesus. But parents take heart, the story continues.
In my early thirties, I experienced a life changing event so devastating that I stood to lose everything I thought was important. During my most vulnerable moments I would pray, "God, if you are there talk to me, tell me how to make things right." Every time I prayed that prayer, Scripture would come to mind; verses I had long ago been forced to memorize and had since forgotten. For example Psalm 23, especially verse 4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Ultimately this experience led me to begin reading a Bible. Scripture then introduced me to the person, nature and purpose of Jesus Christ -- God called me as one of His "elect", and I am happy to say my name was written forever into "the book of life". The rest is history so to speak.
I do have a point in all of this and it is quite simply -- all Scripture points and leads to Jesus. My parents knew that when they took me to church and forced me to memorize Bible verses when I didn't want to. They knew the Word would lead me to Jesus one day. That is also one of the reasons Paul always started with the Jews first. They already had the Scriptures imprinted on their hearts; He only had to help them see how it all pointed to Jesus.
I was raised in a Christian home which included attending church regularly (whether I wanted to or not), singing in the youth choir (over my objections), and going to Youth Fellowship on Sunday nights (which was okay because there were girls there). However, despite my parents' best efforts, I did not come to know Jesus.
Upon turning eighteen (which was when I got to make my own decisions about faith) my choice on Sunday mornings was to either sleep in or go surfing; certainly not get dressed up to attend a boring church service. Now you may think that I am an awful person (and son), but I had never heard God calling me into a relationship with His Son. And while this may be my story, a similar one is being played out by children becoming adults in thousands of homes across America, much to the concern of their parents. Many kids aren't choosing Jesus. But parents take heart, the story continues.
In my early thirties, I experienced a life changing event so devastating that I stood to lose everything I thought was important. During my most vulnerable moments I would pray, "God, if you are there talk to me, tell me how to make things right." Every time I prayed that prayer, Scripture would come to mind; verses I had long ago been forced to memorize and had since forgotten. For example Psalm 23, especially verse 4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Ultimately this experience led me to begin reading a Bible. Scripture then introduced me to the person, nature and purpose of Jesus Christ -- God called me as one of His "elect", and I am happy to say my name was written forever into "the book of life". The rest is history so to speak.
I do have a point in all of this and it is quite simply -- all Scripture points and leads to Jesus. My parents knew that when they took me to church and forced me to memorize Bible verses when I didn't want to. They knew the Word would lead me to Jesus one day. That is also one of the reasons Paul always started with the Jews first. They already had the Scriptures imprinted on their hearts; He only had to help them see how it all pointed to Jesus.
Questions to Ponder:
For those of you who are parents, how committed are you to helping your children memorize Scripture? In Deuteronomy 4:10 the Lord instructs us to, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." Are you spending enough time teaching your children the Word of God? If not, when will you start?
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