Before I get into the Holy Spirit and how He guides and directs our lives, there is one other thought that I would like to consider: This group of people referred to as "The Bereans".
Saint Paul had written a letter, most likely from Corinth ( a principal city and primary port in Macedonia which is today the country of Greece), to Thessalonica (also a part of Greece), and came to Thessalonica with the message of The Good News. The only thing...not everyone in Thessalonica considered Saint Paul's message "Good News", particularly some non-believing Jews who stirred up a bunch of "rough type guys" to start a riot with the message of Saint Paul. Paul had to get out of Thessalonica and travelled to another city of Greece known in the biblical era as Beroea....today we refer to it as the city of Berea. In fact, the city still exists today and is called Veria, a city in northern Greece.
The Bereans...an interesting group of people.....
Saint Paul and Silas both preached in Berea. Timothy spent time in Berea. The Bereans received The Good News...and examined the Scriptures to confirm what Saint Paul and Silas were saying was accurate and true. The Bereans used what they had learned in the Old Testament to see if the Messiah had truly come...and to receive the message of Christ Jesus into their hearts.
The Bereans had developed a reputation of being free of prejudice, not gullible, and energetic, and concluded what The Good News proclaimed...was actually true! Acts 17:11 states that Saint Paul found the Bereans to be "more noble"...particularly after the experience he recently received in Thessalonica.
{A Bible commentator, Albert Barnes (1798-1870) wrote: "Noble literally means noble by birth...yet here in this verse in Acts it seems to denote a quality of mind and heart: a generosity, liberally free, and respectful in both feeling and judgment".}
For myself, I think Christ Jesus wants me to take The Good News with a fervency, a belief, a sincerity that demands my total attention. Out of respect to Him, and the price He paid to come from Heaven..."The One who has come to Rescue Me"...to restore and deepen my friendship with God Himself....to find purpose in living, and to have joy in my daily journey through life...is obviously the right thing for me to do.
Here is a Gleaning to consider:
Acts 17:10-15
" With night falling upon Thessalonica, the believers thought it best to send Paul and Silas to another region...the threats and riots stirred by the enemies of The Good News, particularly the non-believing Jewish leaders in Thessalonica had simply become too much of a safety issue...for both Paul and Silas.
After they had left, Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, a city in northern Greece. They wasted no time in getting to a local Jewish synagogue and announce to the Bereans the message of The Good News.
The Bereans were of a much more noble character toward the messengers of The Good News, (especially in comparison to what Paul and Silas had just experienced in Thessalonica), and actually received The Good News with great enthusiasm. Yet, even in the midst of all the excitement of Christ Jesus...and the alarming News that He is the True Messiah...and He is alive!, the Bereans took heed to the ancient Scriptures, the Old Testament writings, and wanted to be sure this announcement of The Good News was aligned with the teachings of the Old Testament.
The conclusion on this was a heart rendering "Yes!"...The Good News was the completion of what the Old Testament had long foretold!
As a result, many within the Jewish community accepted, trusted, and put their very faith into The Good News of Christ Jesus, including some local Greeks, both men and women, who were influential in local community affairs.
Yet, it wasn't long before reports returned to Thessalonica...that Saint Paul had reached the city of Berea...and the community was receiving The Good News with great joy!
So, the hard-hearted Jewish leaders in Thessalonica wasted little time in responding to the reports, and were able to create a large mob in Berea...violently opposing the message Paul had proclaimed.
Then, the Berean believers acted at once and sent Saint Paul along with others within the Berean community on down the coast...some of them travelling with Paul all the way to Athens.
Silas and Timothy actually remained in Berea, and when some of the believers returned to Berea, after ensuring the safety of Paul and his travels, they brought a message from Saint Paul specifically for Silas and Timothy. The message was: "Come quickly and join me as soon as you can". And, that is exactly what they did!"
Saint Paul had written a letter, most likely from Corinth ( a principal city and primary port in Macedonia which is today the country of Greece), to Thessalonica (also a part of Greece), and came to Thessalonica with the message of The Good News. The only thing...not everyone in Thessalonica considered Saint Paul's message "Good News", particularly some non-believing Jews who stirred up a bunch of "rough type guys" to start a riot with the message of Saint Paul. Paul had to get out of Thessalonica and travelled to another city of Greece known in the biblical era as Beroea....today we refer to it as the city of Berea. In fact, the city still exists today and is called Veria, a city in northern Greece.
The Bereans...an interesting group of people.....
Saint Paul and Silas both preached in Berea. Timothy spent time in Berea. The Bereans received The Good News...and examined the Scriptures to confirm what Saint Paul and Silas were saying was accurate and true. The Bereans used what they had learned in the Old Testament to see if the Messiah had truly come...and to receive the message of Christ Jesus into their hearts.
The Bereans had developed a reputation of being free of prejudice, not gullible, and energetic, and concluded what The Good News proclaimed...was actually true! Acts 17:11 states that Saint Paul found the Bereans to be "more noble"...particularly after the experience he recently received in Thessalonica.
{A Bible commentator, Albert Barnes (1798-1870) wrote: "Noble literally means noble by birth...yet here in this verse in Acts it seems to denote a quality of mind and heart: a generosity, liberally free, and respectful in both feeling and judgment".}
For myself, I think Christ Jesus wants me to take The Good News with a fervency, a belief, a sincerity that demands my total attention. Out of respect to Him, and the price He paid to come from Heaven..."The One who has come to Rescue Me"...to restore and deepen my friendship with God Himself....to find purpose in living, and to have joy in my daily journey through life...is obviously the right thing for me to do.
Here is a Gleaning to consider:
Acts 17:10-15
" With night falling upon Thessalonica, the believers thought it best to send Paul and Silas to another region...the threats and riots stirred by the enemies of The Good News, particularly the non-believing Jewish leaders in Thessalonica had simply become too much of a safety issue...for both Paul and Silas.
After they had left, Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, a city in northern Greece. They wasted no time in getting to a local Jewish synagogue and announce to the Bereans the message of The Good News.
The Bereans were of a much more noble character toward the messengers of The Good News, (especially in comparison to what Paul and Silas had just experienced in Thessalonica), and actually received The Good News with great enthusiasm. Yet, even in the midst of all the excitement of Christ Jesus...and the alarming News that He is the True Messiah...and He is alive!, the Bereans took heed to the ancient Scriptures, the Old Testament writings, and wanted to be sure this announcement of The Good News was aligned with the teachings of the Old Testament.
The conclusion on this was a heart rendering "Yes!"...The Good News was the completion of what the Old Testament had long foretold!
As a result, many within the Jewish community accepted, trusted, and put their very faith into The Good News of Christ Jesus, including some local Greeks, both men and women, who were influential in local community affairs.
Yet, it wasn't long before reports returned to Thessalonica...that Saint Paul had reached the city of Berea...and the community was receiving The Good News with great joy!So, the hard-hearted Jewish leaders in Thessalonica wasted little time in responding to the reports, and were able to create a large mob in Berea...violently opposing the message Paul had proclaimed.
Then, the Berean believers acted at once and sent Saint Paul along with others within the Berean community on down the coast...some of them travelling with Paul all the way to Athens.
Silas and Timothy actually remained in Berea, and when some of the believers returned to Berea, after ensuring the safety of Paul and his travels, they brought a message from Saint Paul specifically for Silas and Timothy. The message was: "Come quickly and join me as soon as you can". And, that is exactly what they did!"
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