Right, well open your Bibles to the book of Acts in chapter 17 tonight. Acts 17. I should be able to do this from up here, but anyway. We were back a while back, back before Missions Conference, back before Easter, we were studying the life of Paul on Wednesday nights, and we took a break from that, but we're gonna jump back into it this evening. And I wanna take just a minute to review just, we're in the midst of Paul's second missionary journey, but I wanna take a minute and review, first of all, Paul's first missionary journey, Paul's journeys began in Antioch, in the church there. That's where in chapter 13 of Acts, the Holy Spirit said, separate me, Barnabas and Paul, for the work whereinto I have called them. On the first journey, Paul and Barnabas left there, went to Seleucia, crossed to the island of Cyprus, preached the gospel at Salamis, at Paphos. They preached the gospel. That was where Sergius Paulus was converted, and Limas, the sorcerer, opposed. But the Holy Spirit won the victory there, and Sergius Paulus was saved. Paul then made his way up to the mainland, to Perga, and then up to Antioch and Pisidia. preached the gospel there, was run out of town, went to Iconium, preached the gospel there, was run out of town, went to Lystra, preached the gospel there, and the people from Antioch and Iconium that were not believers came to Lystra and stoned him and left him for dead. He got up, and he and Barnabas the next day went to Derbe, preached the gospel there, and then turned around and went back to Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, down to Perga, over to Italia, and then back to the church at Antioch. And so that was Paul's first missionary journey. After a period of time in Antioch, then Paul wanted to go back. After he went to Jerusalem, there was a question about should the Gentiles are getting saved, do they need to be circumcised and keep the law? And so the church said, no, salvation is by grace through faith alone, apart from works. That's been the message of the gospel. That's the way God has worked. And so they made a decree. that the Gentiles didn't need to keep the wall. And so Paul wanted them to go back, he and Barnabas to go back over the areas they had been before. And of course, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark. Paul said no, because he quit the first time. So they divided and Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus. Whoops. and we don't hear about them again. They're mentioned in the scriptures, but as far as any ministry of Paul, we don't hear about him again. But Paul took Silas and went overland, went back through the area of Galatia to Derbe and Lystra and Iconium and Antioch, and then the Holy Spirit led him to Troas, where he had the Macedonian vision, come over and help us. And so they took ship and went to Philippi, and there preached the gospel. And Lydia got saved, the jailer got saved, the earthquake occurred, and a very familiar story to you. But that's where we left Paul. The earthquake had come, the jailer had gotten saved. The next day, the magistrates in the city told the jailer to let Paul and Silas go, and Paul said, you know, we're Roman citizens, we were beaten on condemning Romans, and so, They came, they apologized, and asked them to leave the city, and Paul and Silas did, and continued their ministry. By the way, all of this, when you read about the churches of Macedonia, there were three churches in Macedonia, the Church of Philippi, the Church of Thessalonica that we're gonna talk about tonight, and the Church of Berea. Those are the three places we know that Paul stopped and preached the gospel, and the Holy Spirit tells us about what happened there. So when Paul refers to the churches of Macedonia, those are the three churches he's primarily talking about. And it's interesting to me to think about this. God did some great things. When you think about the churches of Macedonia, they all have some significance to them. Philippi was one of Paul's favorite churches. and was a regular supporter of him and his ministry, and he especially notes that he writes a book of Philippians to them, and part of the reason for writing that letter is to thank them for their gifts, and a gift that they had sent, a monetary gift that they had sent him. But he talks about there how they had regularly supported his ministry as they had opportunity. It was a church that Paul basically didn't, he had very little negative to say. The only concern was there was a little bit of division in the church that he had to address in that letter. But basically it was all, it was a good situation. They loved Paul, Paul loved them. And so it really was one of his favorite churches. But when you come to Thessalonica that we're gonna talk about tonight, Thessalonica was a model church. In the letter that Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, his first letter to them, he talks about the fact, you know, you're an example to all who believe. And so there's his favorite church that supported him regularly. And then there's this model church. And then when you come to Berea, which we'll talk about later, but we know that very well. familiar verse about the Bereans, they were more noble than those in Thessalonica, and that they searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so, they were an example of diligence regarding the study of the word of God. So every one of those churches has some significant thing, good, significant thing about them that isn't said about all the other churches. I mean, the church at Corinth had issues, severe issues. The church at Ephesus, didn't have the same kind of issues that they had at Corinth, but yet at the same time, Paul doesn't speak of the Church of Ephesus the way he does these other churches. And so, it was just, the Lord did some great things in Macedonia. As Paul answered the call of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit sent them to Macedonia. They went and preached the gospel there, and the Lord did some great things, and some great churches were established there. And so, but as they're asked to leave Philippi, they did so, and that's significant. They didn't, you know, Paul didn't try to make an issue and stay in Philippi and create problems. They asked him to leave, so he left. But he left the church behind. Paul and Silas traveled 100 miles west. The Bible says they went through Acts 17 and verse 1. When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. So it was about 100 miles from Philippi to Thessalonica. One writer described it this way. It kind of brings some things to light. He said, Their wounds from the scourging were still raw. Their joints were still swollen from the stalks. They must have been with no little suffering that the two followers of Christ made their way over the white, dusty highway toward Thessalonica. The first stop was at Ampiphilus, 33 miles from Philippi, and the next at Apollonio. There was no Jewish population of any size in either city and therefore no foothold for the apostles. And so they pressed onto the more important and more populous metropolis of Thessalonica, where Luke tells us was a synagogue of the Jews. So the Holy Spirit doesn't give us any information about any work being done in Ampipholos or Apollonia. And probably what this writer said is true. There's no synagogue. There's no probably not even any significant amount of Jews there. There's no place for them, no open door for the preaching of the gospel initially, and so they just move on to Thessalonica. But even when you think about Paul's ministry, you just think about the fact that he went to the major cities. He doesn't have a lot of time, and he hits the major cities. Berea is an exception. but primarily he's in major cities, and then from there... the gospel spread out to the outlying regions in the smaller areas. Matter of fact, when he come to his third missionary journey, he spent much of that time in Ephesus, three years in Ephesus. And the Bible says from Ephesus, the word sounded throughout all of Asia. So as Paul focused and centered his ministry in the large city of Ephesus, the gospel spread out from there into the outlying areas. So Paul concentrated on these major cities with the intent that the gospel would spread from there out to the outlying areas. But Philippi and Thessalonica were on a road called the Ignatian Way. It was a major road that led to Rome. So not only are these large cities, but they're on major highways. So as the gospel is planted there, it's gonna spread as people are traveling through these cities. Thessalonica was about 300 years old. It was named for Alexander the Great's half-sister. Her husband named the city in her honor. It was the capital of that part of Macedonia in the year 167 BC, so 167 years before Christ, or about almost 200 years before Paul came to that place. The Romans had divided Macedonia into four districts, and so Thessalonica was the capital of that district. It was actually the second of those four districts. in Macedonia. Philippi was in the first district, and it also was a capital city in that first district. It was governed by polytarchs. If you'll notice in verse 6 of Acts 17, that, well, let's just, let's read the text. It might help us, and then we'll come back. But when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, verse one, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead. And this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. Some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews, which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found him not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also, whom Jason hath received. And these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city when they had heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason and the other, they let them go. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea. who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. In verse six, the word rulers, the rulers of the city, they brought Jason and certain brethren under the rulers of the city. The Greek word there is the word polytarch. And it's interesting because, I mean, this is the way the city was governed, but the significance of this is this term is not found in secular writing, not found in any secular Greek writings. So, As Luke is penning the book of Acts, and he uses this word to refer to the rulers of Philippi, the liberals, the unbelievers say, aha, there is no such thing as a polytarch. Luke got it wrong, and if he got it wrong, then he must not have been writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so the book of Acts must not be God's word. Well then, lo and behold, as they did some digging, they discovered in the ruins of Thessalonica an arch, and in the center of that arch was a stone that talked about the polytarchs. It used the very word. Matter of fact, The stone not only mentioned them, but it listed the names of the polytarchs. These are probably the same who governed in Paul's day. It's in the British Museum today, but it reads this way, the polytarchs being Sopater, son of Cleopatra, and I assume that because they called him son of Cleopatra, that that would be the Cleopatra that we would know of historically. So one of the rulers of Thessalonica was a son of Cleopatra. And Lucius Pontius Secundus, Aulus Arius Sabinus, and Demetrius son of Faustus, and Demetrius son of Nicopolis, and Phoilus son of Parmenio, also called Meniscus, and Caius Megelius Poteus, and I don't know whether they got those names right or not, but anyway, all the names of the rulers of the city are mentioned there, just like today, many times, like maybe a new city hall is built, and they'll put a cornerstone in there, and it has the name of the mayor, and it'll have the name of the city council or whatever. Well, they did that back in Thessalonica, and so there it is. Because the Word of God is true, the Word of God is right, and when the Word of God contradicts science, or history, or geology, or geography, or whatever, the Bible is right. The historians, the scientists, whoever, that wants to contradict the Word of God, or say that this is what, we don't find this, or whatever, the Bible's right. We can trust the Word of God, that everything that God's Word says is true, not just the things pertaining to the spiritual life, but even when the Bible speaks about history, or geography, or biography, or whatever, that the Bible is true, and that if there's no record of it outside the Bible, it just means the men haven't found it. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist, or that it didn't exist. So it's interesting, and that's just kind of an aside, a significant thing. And Luke is very precise. Luke is a historian. And he's very precise, so when he used that word, he was using exactly the right word. When Paul came to Philippi, there was no synagogue, but there were Jews meeting by the riverside. And so he went where they were meeting on the Sabbath day. But when he comes to Thessalonica, there was a synagogue. There were evidently enough Jewish men that it had a synagogue. If I remember right, the population of Thessalonica at this time was about 200,000 people. 10 Jewish men are necessary for a synagogue, but it only had one synagogue. So there weren't a lot of Jews there, but there was a representative number of Jews there. Paul resided at the home of Jason. In Romans 16.21, Paul mentions a Jason who was a relative of his, and so it may be, and someone suggested that the Jason that he stayed with was actually a relative of his, and it could be. Paul is there for at least three weeks. While he's there, he's making tents and preaching the gospel. It's interesting, and we're gonna come to this, and we'll see how far we get tonight. But it is interesting to me that as the Holy Spirit records for us Paul's ministry, earlier in his first missionary journey, we got a glimpse of Paul's preaching. The Holy Spirit preserved one of Paul's sermons for us so that we could kind of see how Paul presented the gospel. At Thessalonica, we don't have the specific sermon that Paul preached, though we have an outline of it, if you will, here in Acts 17, but we do have a lot of information about Paul's ministry there, about the nature and the characteristics of his ministry, both here in the book of Acts chapter 17, but also in the letter that Paul wrote. he goes into some detail in 1 Thessalonians about his ministry among the people there. And it's just interesting to me how the Holy Spirit chose to give us that information at different points and in different ways. And you put Acts 17 together with 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2, and it makes an interesting study in just tying those two things together. But Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 90, he says, you remember brethren our labor and travail for laboring night and day because we would not be chargeable unto any of you. We preached unto you the gospel of God. Paul says, it doesn't tell us this in the book of Acts, but Paul tells us that for those weeks that he was preaching the gospel there, that he's also during the week he's working at making tents. And he writes to the Philippian church when he's writing that letter and thanking them for a gift they gave years later. But he said in Philippians 4.16 that they had sent more than one monetary gift to help Paul as he labored in Thessalonica. So he's come from Philippi to Thessalonica. He makes tents to make his living, to provide his living while he's preaching the gospel there. And he's also receiving gifts, love gifts from the church at Philippi. It's just this new church has been established just shortly before this, but they already have a part in Paul's ministry. And he would write to them and thanking them that from the very beginning they had been partners with him in the ministry. And one of the ways they had done that is by sending their gifts to Paul as he ministered. And immediately as he moved on to Thessalonica, they sent gifts to him. As his practice was, Paul went to the synagogue during the first three weeks he was at Thessalonica. Each Sabbath he would go and he preached the gospel, again, with mixed results. And so Luke tells us a little bit about that ministry of the gospel, and Paul tells us more in Thessalonica. But that's really what I want to draw our attention to tonight, and probably next Wednesday night we'll finish this. I want to note, as we look at this, Paul's ministry at Thessalonica, the declaration of the gospel, and then we'll talk about the results, the response to the gospel, and then we'll see the opposition to the gospel. So if you're taking notes, there's three main points tonight, the declaration of the gospel, Luke tells us how Paul declared the gospel, and then Paul talks about it in 1 Thessalonians 1. And then we see the response to the gospel, both again here at Acts 17 and 1 Thessalonians 2. And then we see the opposition to the gospel here in Acts 17, and there's a little bit there in 1 Thessalonians as well. But notice with me the declaration of the gospel. One of the things I would note about the declaration of the gospel is that Paul used the Bible, he used the Word. It says he reasoned with them, verse two, out of the scriptures. As Paul went into the synagogue, synagogue services were a little bit more relaxed, if you will, a little less formal than our services, church services are today. Often they would ask visiting rabbis or even just visiting people to share a message, a word. They would read scripture and then they would ask someone to give a lesson, a message. And so as Paul went into these synagogues, especially because he would have been viewed as a rabbi, he was given the opportunity to give the message in the service. And so as he did, the word of God would be open. Paul preached to them out of the scriptures. because salvation comes through an understanding of the scriptures of the Word of God. Peter wrote that we're born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Faith comes by hearing, Paul wrote to the Roman church, and hearing by the Word of God. Paul gave them the Word of God. If we have an opportunity to witness We need to give people the Word of God because it is God's Word that makes the difference. It is God's Word that brings salvation. It is faith in the written Word of God, in the revealed Word of God that brings salvation. It comes through the Word of God. And it says that Paul opened and alleged Paul explained, this is the idea of opening, he explained and applied the truth of the Scriptures. He helped them to understand and see this. But what did he open and allege? Let's note that and then come back to this. But he opened and alleged that, and I want to read this a little bit differently because sometimes we miss this. when we read the scripture, because we always associate Christ with Jesus, which is right, but in this case, You need to understand that as Paul is preaching, he doesn't start and say Jesus Christ, he says that Christ, or let's use the word Messiah, because that's what it is, it's the word for Messiah. So when he opened and alleged that Messiah must needs have suffered and risen from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Messiah. So first of all, he went through the Old Testament scriptures and he explained what they said about the Messiah, that the Messiah was to suffer, the Messiah was to die, the Messiah was to rise again on the third day. He went through the scriptures and he showed them, this is what the Old Testament scriptures teach about Messiah. And he explained to them the Old Testament scriptures concerning Messiah and his suffering, his death, and his resurrection. That's what Jesus did. You remember on the Maas Road when he encountered those two and their talking about what had happened, and Christ questions them about that, and they don't believe, but he says to them, those fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, ought not Christ, or ought not Messiah, to have suffered these things and enter in His glory? Isn't that what these scriptures say that would happen to Messiah? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them and all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Obviously, He is the Messiah. But he went through the scriptures and he explained the things about Messiah. Because that's what he experienced, the things that have been prophesied about Messiah. And they said one to another later, did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures. It's the same word that's used in Acts 17.3, opening and alleging that Messiah must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead. their heart burned within them as Jesus opened the scriptures to them, explained the scriptures to them about Messiah. In other words, they hadn't understood all that before. When they read Isaiah 53, they didn't see Messiah suffering, but Jesus explained that to them. When they read Psalm 16, they didn't see Messiah rising from the dead, and Jesus explained that to them. And all of a sudden, these Old Testament scriptures that they had never associated with Messiah suffering and dying and rising, all of a sudden it made sense to them. Wait a minute, yeah. And that's exactly what happened to Jesus. And they realized Jesus is Messiah. This is exactly what had been prophesied in the Old Testament. This is exactly what happened. It's the same thing that Jesus did when he met with the 11. After that, those guys get back and they say, you know what? Jesus has risen from the dead. And they didn't believe, and so the Lord appeared to them, and He said, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. And He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. Paul, where did he get this pattern for preaching to the Jewish people about Messiah, about Jesus? He got it from Christ himself, because this is exactly the way Jesus did it. And that's exactly what Jesus had been doing before his death and resurrection, but they didn't understand it then. And God, the Lord gave them greater understanding after his resurrection and it's all been fulfilled and he takes them back to the Old Testament scriptures and shows them how that this is what it said about Messiah and that's exactly what happened. And so they could put those two together. But Paul took the Bible and he explained to them these passages from the Old Testament scriptures that talk about Messiah having to suffer and die and rise again from the dead. And then he says, and I want to tell you, Jesus is the Messiah. Because Jesus, just like it says about the Messiah, this is exactly what happened to Jesus. He suffered, and he died, and he rose again. And Paul would say, it doesn't tell us here specifically in Acts 17, but Paul would say, and I am a witness his resurrection. I've seen the risen Messiah, I've seen Jesus risen from the dead, and I declare to you that he is indeed Messiah. But Paul reasoned out of the Scriptures because he wanted their faith to rest on the Word of God, not on his opinions or ideas, but on the word of God. He simply took them to the Bible and said, here's what the Bible says. I mean, he said to them, as he wrote to them in 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 5, he says, our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. As you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. Paul wanted their faith to rest on the scriptures. One writer said Paul's emphasis upon the gospel itself and not the messengers is evident from the fact that he says our gospel came unto you. Our gospel came unto you. He doesn't say we came unto you with the gospel. He said our gospel came unto you. It's not us, it's the gospel. And so he wrote to the Corinthian church. He said, when I came to you, I didn't come with excellency of speech or wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God because I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Our confidence should not be in what the preacher said, but what the Word of God says. And the preacher's job is to declare what God's Word says, to open it, to be the instrument that God would use. The Holy Spirit has to be the one that ultimately opens the Word of God to us, but the preacher opens the Word of God, explains it, helps apply it, but it's the Word of God that is critical because it is the Word of God that makes the difference. And so he takes them to the scriptures. By the way, it's interesting too, in verse two, it says he reasoned with them out of the scriptures. The word reason there suggests that this wasn't just a sermon like we have today. Excuse me. Though that would have been a vital part of it. But there was discussion. is Paul for three weeks, three Saturdays, he's in the synagogue and he's opening the Old Testament scriptures and he's showing these truths about Messiah and then he's saying Jesus is the Messiah. And they're asking questions and even arguing with him, disagreeing with him. Because again, he wrote to the Thessalonian church, he says, you know, our entrance into you, it was not in vain, even after we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi, we are bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention, with much disagreement, with much argumentation. In other words, as Paul's in the synagogue and he's preaching the gospel, and some of those learned Jewish men are disagreeing with him. I was thinking about this, and I was reminded of what, when Jesus was preaching about himself, and he was talking about his death, he said, if I be lifted up from the earth, I'll draw all men unto me, signifying what death he should die. The people answered, and the Jewish people said, we have heard out of the law that Messiah abideth forever. So how sayest thou the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? You say you're the Messiah, but we've heard that the Messiah is gonna live forever. So when Paul comes and he preaches, Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus suffered and died, and no doubt many there were saying, well, wait a minute, the Old Testament Scriptures say Messiah's gonna live forever. And they do. And he does. But it didn't preclude his suffering and death. And so Paul gave them the word of God, but he didn't just give them the word of God, it was preached with power. Our gospel came unto you not in word only, Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, Ephesians 1 and verse 5, but also in power. Paul wrote to the Roman church, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it through the Jew first and also through the Greek. as Paul gave them the word of God, he gave them that which had power to change their lives. In Jeremiah 23 and verse 29, as God is refuting the false teachers for teaching their ideas, he basically says, why would you preach your thoughts and your ideas? Is not my word like a fire and like a hammer that breaking the rock in pieces? Why would you preach something else? Because it is my word that has the power. My word has the power to burn like a fire or like a hammer to break the rock in pieces. It's the word of God that has the power to break men's hearts, to do the work that needs to be done in the hearts of men. The word of God is quick and, what? Powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing center of soul and spirit of the joints and marrow and discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. So Paul preached the Word, which is powerful, but he also preached with the Spirit. Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, because it is the Word of God that is the power of God unto salvation, as it is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus, except the man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus told the disciples that when the Spirit comes, when the Comforter comes, He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. The Spirit of God took the Word of God and applied it to the hearts of the people. with a certain result that we'll see in just a moment, but it also was preached, the word was preached in power and with the Holy Spirit and with conviction. Paul said, our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. Paul was firmly convinced of the truth of the gospel and he preached it with conviction and he lived it for several weeks at Thessalonica. And we put all that together, God used Paul's preaching with a certain result. So how was his preaching received? Let me see if we can work through this right quick, because we need to wrap this up tonight. But Paul, again, as he wrote to the Thessalonian church, in 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13, he said, Paul said to those that had believed, he said, you received what we preached to you, or you received not as our word, but as God's word, and you believed it. They accepted it as God's word and they believed it. The key to the result of the preaching of the gospel in Thessalonica was the faith of the hearers. Some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few, verse four says. So as Paul opened the word, he explained what it said about Messiah. He said, Jesus is Messiah. And some of them believed, that is some of the Jews believed and consorted, became followers of Paul and Silas. And many, a great multitude of the devout Greeks, those would have been Gentiles who were worshiping God in the synagogue, much like Cornelius earlier, and Peter led him to Christ. And then there's the chief women, and Luke says, not a few, that means a whole lot. So there's some Jews that believed, not many. The vast majority of those who believed were Gentiles. There were a few Jews. There were many devout Gentiles, and even many of the chief women that believed. But it was their faith that made it the difference. You believed. The Bible actually works in you that believed. Let me just note this, and then I'll just come back and drive this home and close tonight. It also says that they consorted with Paul and Silas. They were not only led to Christ by Paul, but they were also discipled by Paul. Again, the Great Commission does not commission us just to make converts, but to make disciples. And so they taught them. They led them to Christ, and then they continued to teach them. And they even taught them about the second coming of Christ, the rapture of the church, the second coming of Christ, the tribulation period that would occur in between, the antichrist, all that, they taught him all that. This was all part of Paul's discipleship program. Most discipleship programs today never get that deep. Hey, read your Bible, pray, go to church, tithe, witness, there you go. That's about as deep as we get in our discipleship programs. But Paul got a lot deeper than that. He taught him doctrine. even the end-time doctrine. But let me just ask you, in closing tonight, we'll come back and talk about the opposition that they faced. But it was a fact that they believed, and that made the difference. Paul said, you became examples of what a church should be, of what Christians should be. You were examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia, which is down south where Corinth is, which is Paul's next stop after Berea. But he said, you became an example of what it means to be a church and to be a Christian. So here's the question tonight. Are you acting? Because faith is active. It's not just agreeing with the truth, but it's acting on the truth. So are you acting on the word that you receive from God? This was a great church, this Thessalonian church was a great church because when they heard the word of God, they believed it, they acted on it. It changed their life. When you hear the Word of God, does it change your life? Do you act on what you hear? Do we just agree with the truth? Yeah, that's great truth, and I wholeheartedly agree with everything you're saying, preacher, but do we go out and we live any differently because of what we have heard? God wants to change our lives. But He's going to do it through the Word. And that word becomes active in our life as we believe it, as we say, yes, not only is that true, but I need to do what the Bible says. Let's bow for prayer. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the opportunity to read it and to study it. And we pray that you'll continue to teach us as we study your word and as we consider what it tells us about Paul's ministry and what your Holy Spirit would teach us for our own lives. And Lord, may we be not just hearers of the word, but doers as well. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.