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Acts 17:1–4
“Some of [the Thessalonians] were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” (v. 4).
Just over seventy miles southwest of Philippi stands the city of Thessalonica, which was the capital of the second district of Macedonia and a senatorial province subject directly to the senate of Rome. Located on the coast, it was a center of commerce through which trade with the Balkans flowed. This made the city an important place to see a church established, since it could then evangelize the surrounding area. Thus, we are not surprised that Paul and Silas made their way to Thessalonica after leaving Philippi.
As they had done in other places, Paul and Silas began their ministry in the synagogue in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1; see 13:5, 14; 14:1). On the first missionary journey, Paul had said that he was turning from the Jews to the gentiles because of the poor response that the Jews were showing to the gospel (13:46). Paul’s continuing to minister in the synagogues after that point, however, shows that the Apostle had not made a commitment to refrain from ministering to Jews altogether. The emphasis of his work was among gentiles, but he never lost his heart for his fellow Jews (see Rom. 9:1–5).
Paul spent three Sabbath days in Thessalonica, seeking to persuade the synagogue attendees that Jesus is the Messiah. As we see in Acts 17:2–23, Paul preached the gospel to the people from the Old Testament Scriptures, setting before them the truths that the Messiah would have to suffer and then rise again, and then arguing that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. Again, the core message of the gospel is summarized in this account of Paul and Silas’ preaching—namely, that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that He rose again from the dead according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3–4).
Acts 17:4 reports the response of those who heard Paul in the synagogue, telling us that only some of the Jews believed. Many more Greek God-fearers trusted in Jesus, as did a large number of the leading women of the city, gentile wives of prominent men in Thessalonica. This made the Thessalonian church predominantly gentile from its very beginning, as is confirmed throughout Paul’s two epistles to the Thessalonians. The fact that leading women in the city turned to Christ should be noted, because it shows that the church from the start received members not only from those of low social status but also from those with high standing in society.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16–17), so we should not be surprised that it converts people from every walk of life. We are to proclaim the gospel to the rich and to the poor, to those of high social standing and to those of little status, and to everyone else no matter their background.
For further study
- Psalm 18:30
- Proverbs 30:5
- 1 Corinthians 1:18–31
- 1 Thessalonians 1:2–10
The bible in a year
- Psalms 47–49
- Acts 26