Paul preaches Christ in Thessalonica1Passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they arrived in Thessalonica.2-3As was his custom, Paul went to the Jewish synagogue and on three successive Sabbaths explained and proved from the scriptures that the Christ, their Messiah, had to suffer and then to rise from the dead. He told the people: "This Jesus of whom I speak is the Christ, your Messiah."4Some of the Jews were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, together with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and several prominent women.Jewish leaders turn on Jason's household5This only made the Jewish leaders jealous. So they gathered a mob of undesirable characters from the market place and began a riot in the city. They made for Jason's house looking for Paul and Silas, intending to deliver them into the hands of the mob.6Failing to find them there, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city officials shouting: "These men have caused trouble everywhere they have been and now they have come here.7This Jason has welcomed them into his home. They all speak against Caesar's laws, claiming there is another King who they call Jesus."8This claim threw both the crowd and the city officials into confusion.9They forced Jason and the others to post bail and then released them.The Bereans receive the gospel10When night fell, the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. As soon as they arrived there they went to the Jewish synagogue.11The Bereans were more open to the gospel than the Thessalonians and received their message readily. Every day they examined the scriptures to verify what Paul said.12Many Jews became believers, together with prominent women and many Greek men.13When the Thessalonian Jews heard that Paul was preaching God's Word in Berea, they came and stirred up trouble there.14The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast with an escort, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. Paul and those with him moved on to Athens.15There the others left him and returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join them as soon as possible.Paul preaches to Athenian philosophers16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of pagan idols.17In the synagogue he debated with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks and preached openly to all in the market place.18A number of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers started to argue with him. "What strange notion has this babbler picked up?" some asked, while others said, "He seems to be promoting some foreign gods." They only said such things because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and His resurrection.19They brought him to a meeting of philosophers at the Areopagus and asked him: "Tell us about this new teaching you are giving.20What you say seems very strange to us and we cannot understand what you mean."21(The Athenians and the foreign population in the city loved to spend time doing nothing but debating the latest fashionable ideas.)22-23Paul stood to address the meeting and said: "Men of Athens! It is obvious that you are very religious, for as I have walked around I have observed carefully how many objects of worship you have. I even found an altar that bears the inscription: 'To an unknown god.' I am now going to tell you about this God whom you do not know.24"He is the God who created the world and everything in it. He is Lord of both heaven and earth, but He does not live in a temple built by human hands.25There is nothing men can do to meet His needs, for He does not have any! It is He who gives life to all men and breath to every living creature.26"He created the first man, from whom every nation of men has descended, so that now they inhabit the whole earth. It is He who has determined when and where they should all live.27His purpose in doing this was to encourage men to seek to know Him, to reach out to Him, although He is not difficult to find as He is not far from each one of us.28Because we live in the presence of this God, every move we make is known to Him and we are dependent upon Him for our very being. Even some of your own poets have said that 'we are His offspring.'29"Therefore, if we are His offspring we should not think of God as one fashioned in gold, silver, stone or any other image devised by a craftsman.30For centuries God permitted such ignorance, but now He commands everyone to turn away from such ignorance and embrace the truth.31And He has set a day when the entire world will be judged with justice by the Man He has appointed, the same Man He has raised from the dead as proof of His intentions."32Some treated this talk of resurrection from the dead with derision, but others told Paul: "We want to hear more about this."33Then Paul left the meeting.34A number became believers on hearing more from Paul, among whom was Dionysius who was a member of the council, and a woman called Damaris.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)