Mission successes and persecutionm in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:1-15)

[Stephan Choe]

October 6, 2023

Key verse 11: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

Funerals make us think about what really matters in life. This can make us wonder about our ultimate value system.

Our text today tells us about Paul's missionary outreach in Thessalonica and in Berea.

1 Thessalonians (1-9).

Coming from Philippi - beaten and imprisoned - but vindicated and victorious; Paul does not take time off, but continues his missionary journey via Amphipolis and Apollonia 160 km journey and came to Thessalonica.

Thessalonica was a strategically important city. It was located on several important trade routes and had an excellent port. It was not only the capital of Macedonia, but also a business center surpassed only by Corinth.

Paul visited the synagogue and spoke in the synagogue on three Sabbaths about how the Messiah had fulfilled the Old Testament promise about the Messiah through suffering and resurrection (1-3).

The main point of his preaching is Jesus, as verse 3 gives us his sermon: "that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this Jesus I proclaim to you."

Jesus died for our sins and then rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Jesus was the only content of Paul’s proclamation. So Paul proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ.

Peter also said in Acts 4:12:

"There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we cann be saved."

The audience of his sermons were synagogue-goers, believing Jews, also Greek men and women. They already had Jewish faith in God.

Verse 4 tells us, "Some Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did many God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women" (4).

In 1 Cor. 15:2-4, Paul writes to the church at Corinth, "By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

This was the core message of the Gospel that he proclaimed everywhere he went: The historical Jesus died for our sins and rose again.

What was the result of his preaching?

As always, he encountered different reactions to his preaching of the gospel - some positive and some negative.

Although many Jews in Thessalonica accepted the truth of the gospel, there were many who rejected it and persecuted missionaries. Great missionary success increased the indignation of the unbelieving Jews, filled with blind and furious zeal. These gathered a mob; this soon put the whole city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, where Paul and his assistants lodged. When they did not find missionaries, they took Jason, a converted Jew and inn-keeper, and some converted brethren, and set Jason up as an accomplice for taking in and harboring dangerous persons, the enemies of public peace, who, with their new doctrine, were to cause the same disturbance among them.

Jason and the other brothers were released only after they had given a bond to the authorities.

When the gospel is spread, there are often people who welcome it and people who are against it. We are not to be surprised by this phenomenon. Rather, we should preach the gospel with certainty of victory and wisdom.

2. Berea (10-15)

Let's look at verse 11: "These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were true."

Luke describes the people of Berea as more open-minded than the people of Thessalonica. They were reasonable and examined the sermons. They didn't just come to hear Paul only on the Sabbath. They came every day to listen and study the scriptures, pointing to Jesus as the Christ.

Paul explained the gospel of Jesus Christ based on the Scriptures, while his listeners listened attentively to his speech and searched the Bible themselves to see if Paul's preaching was consistent with the Scriptures.

Today, there are people who value worldly philosophy more highly than the teaching of the Scriptures. Such people are called "liberals." This liberal trend of Christianity has abandoned much of the core of the Christian faith.

But the people of Berea looked to the Bible as a standard and tested Paul's speech to see if his speech was consistent with the teaching of the Bible.

Paul encourages us to use the Bible and reason properly to test people's claims about Jesus as the promised Messiah.

We see a difference between Thessalonica and Berea. Unlike the people in Thessalonica, the people in Berea tested, if Paul's teaching was in agreement with the teaching of the Bible. Thus, the people of Berea could firmly believe in Jesus as Christ because of the Bible. Thus, many in Berea believed, including a number of noble women.

Just like Lydia in Philippi, Luke points out that among the first converts in Thessalonica and Berea were a number of women of high standing.

In this way, Luke drew our attention to the fact that women in Europe were eager to receive the gospel. Women played important roles in the life of the European church. In Philippi. Paul did not hesitate to share the gospel with Lydia or to accept her offer of hospitality to him and his co-workers.

In the list of his co-workers in Romans 16, Paul attributed almost a third of those he mentioned to women.

Women also played an important role in Jesus' ministry in the Gospels. Women also gladly accepted the gospel in Korea. It is the same everywhere. They are an important part of the church of Jesus Christ.

The charge against Paul is interesting. It reads:

"These people who have turned the world upside down have also come here."

The charge is that Paul is a revolutionary who wants to radically overturn the social order.

The Christian message is a revolutionary message. This is what tremendous governments worry about because it is a message that could support the change of the social and cultural norms. However, the gospel has to do with love, compassion, and grace. For example, Korean Christians pray for God to lead Kim Jong-Un, the North Korean dictator, to repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Jason was eventually released on bail. And the believers in Berea sent Paul and Silas away before anything else happened to them. Paul went to Athens alone this time, and Silas and Timothy were to follow.

I present here some prayer requests from Korea Research Institute for Mission (KRIM) (October 2023) for the world mission:

"Generation Z's interest and participation in missions is low, not only in North America but around the world. According to a Barna Institute report, before the coronavirus pandemic, only 9% of Generation Z were committed Christians, 33% were Christians who went to church but only passively participated, and 16% reported being Christians without going to church.

Kyle Benner, coordinator of Global Infusion, which develops short- and long-term missionary training programs, offers some advice on how to engage Generation Z in missions.

First, he writes, we need to understand the characteristics of the generation that wants to work in a safe and non-harmful atmosphere and environment. Generation Z has a clear sense of purpose, but is afraid of being hurt emotionally and socially. Therefore, instead of unilaterally promoting the purpose of missions, we emphasize creating an environment where people can experience mutual respect and consideration, and encouraging them to develop their will for missions.

Another thing is that we need to make efforts to overcome the differences in the worldview of Generation Z. Young people aged 13 to 18 lead different lives than the older generation and are exposed to screen media for an average of 7.22 hours a day. And Generation Z doesn't like artificially created frameworks or formats. However, I am interested in practical experiences and challenges. Therefore, it is emphasized that different ways should be shown for Generation Z to meet and experience Jesus both inside and outside the church, and that a way should be opened for them to freely contribute their unique experiences to missions through online platforms.

Let us pray that churches and mission organizations can gather wisdom to teach these people well in their faith and experience Jesus, based on efforts to understand Generation Z as they move away from missions and church ministry.

In Korea, which has the lowest birthrate in the world, the total fertility rate (the number of children a woman has in her lifetime) has fallen further than last year. According to the government release, it dropped from 0.81 in 2021 to 0.78 in 2022 and to 0.70 in the first half of 2023. From 2006 to the present, the government has spent more than 280 billion won on the marriage and birth of young people, and efforts have been made recently to significantly increase birth subsidies and low-cost loans, but the birth rate is hardly increasing.

The average birth rate of OECD countries is 1.58, but Korea is the only country with an overall birth rate of less than 1. In Korea, the population began to decline from 2020, with the number of deaths exceeding the number of births. With the decline in youth population, the consolidation of local universities is increasing, and the country also faces the problem of decreasing military resources. Dr. Lee Sang-rim of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said cash subsidies have proved ineffective in the face of fundamental social problems such as fierce competition, the burden of parental leave and skyrocketing private education costs. Seoul, where housing prices are the highest and private education spending is high, had the lowest birth rate in Korea at 0.59. Let's pray that the Korean government will develop wisdom and measures to solve the problem of low birth rate, and that the problems of Korean society burdened by marriage and childbirth can be practically solved."