Helping People Grow - Acts 17:1-15

Bruce Goettsche

Union Church of La Harpe Illinois

Acts • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago • Presented 21 years ago

Acts 17:1–15

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“Helping People Grow”

Acts 17:1-15

Over the years you have undoubtedly encountered some good teachers and some not so good teachers. You may have met these teachers in school, on the field, or even on the job. Some of these teachers may have been very intelligent, but didn’t communicate well. Some were so arrogant (so impressed with what they think they know) that they pushed learners away. Other teachers inspired learning with their creative presentations and mastery of the subject. No matter how you look at it, a good teacher is a teacher who helps his/her students learn.

We need good teachers and mentors in our Christian life. We need people who will help us grow in our faith. Two of the best teachers were Paul and Silas. They had a remarkable ability to go into a community, engage the people in conversation, and then point them in the direction of Jesus. This morning I hope to show you some key elements in becoming both a better spiritual teacher and a better student.

We have been following the Apostle Paul and Silas. The ministry in Philippi was quite successful even though Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and thrown in jail. It appears Luke stayed behind in Philippi because chapter 17 begins without the “we” that indicates the presence of Luke. This chapter begins, “when they... “.

Amphipolis was about 30 miles from Philippi. Apollonia was another 30 miles and Thessalonica was still almost another 40 miles away. So, it was a 100 miles journey from Philippi to Thessalonica. We don’t know how long the journey took or if Paul and Silas shared the gospel with the people in Amphipolis or Appolonia.

The men surely traveled along the Roman highway system that went throughout the empire. The Egnatian highway was a major trade route that went from Asia all the way to Rome. This highway went right through Thessalonica. Thessalonica was an important seaport and as a result was a chief center of commerce. The city numbered probably around 200,000 people at the time Paul and Silas entered the city.

The account from Thessalonica gives us a good example of what a good mentor should do.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TEACHER

Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” he said.

Paul and Silas once again went first to the synagogue. Even though they were apostles to the Gentiles they always went to the Jewish synagogue first. They wanted to reach their Jewish brothers and they knew the synagogue contained many hungry Gentiles. Paul and Silas spoke in the synagogue for three weeks. After ministering in the synagogue they spent an extended period of time teaching and instructing those who believed.

They Taught the Scriptures

The Textbook Paul used as he talked to the Thessalonians was the Bible. Paul did not try to win these people by clever arguments, nifty programs, or secular counsel. It is easy to forget that it is not our PowerPoint presentations, our skits, or our songs that will transform people. They are changed when they open their hearts to God’s Spirit through the Word of God.

The Bible tells us “the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” [Heb. 4:12] It is the Word of God that gets to the core of who we are.

In 2 Timothy Paul wrote, “ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” [2 Timothy 3:16]. The Word of God is profitable. It will guide us and instruct us better than any of the theories or fads of men.

They brought the Bible to people in a Variety of Ways

We are told that Paul “reasoned, explained and proved” from the Scriptures. These words indicate that the apostles used a variety of means to teach the Word of God. The word for reasoned is the word from which we get our word, “dialog”. The word may indicate that Paul preached a little sermon but it might also mean that Paul engaged these men in discussion. Paul wanted them to interact with God’s Word.

Paul also “explained” the Scriptures. It means to bring something to light or understanding. The Greek word is similar to our English word “diagnosis”. Paul used the Word of God to help people see what was wrong in their hearts and lives and how it could be addressed through Christ.

They also presented evidence from the Scriptures. I’m sure these teachers pointed to the numerous prophecies that had been fulfilled through Christ. They opened up various passages and showed that they were indeed speaking of a suffering servant. That suffering servant was Jesus.

Today we also must teach in a variety of ways. We must use God’s Word to help people understand the problems and solutions of life. We should explain what the Bible teaches and what it means to our daily living. We should open up the Word of God to show the evidence for the truthfulness of the Christian faith. Today we can point to fulfilled prophecies, the corroboration of secular history, the outside verification of Biblical truth through history and archaeology, and the many lives that have been changed. The Bible is not “part” of our teaching. The Bible is the center of our teaching. Consequently, here’s some practical suggestions,

· Start by allowing the Words of Scripture to penetrate and evaluate your own life. Before you can teach the Word of God, you have to be truly subject to it yourself.

· Begin by examining the Bible not by deciding what you want to say. Let the Bible speak before you draw conclusions.

· Apply every lesson to your heart before you try to apply it to others

· Finally, look for the best way to get what the Bible has to say across to others

They Pointed to Jesus

Notice that the goal of this Biblical teaching was to point people to Jesus. Paul understood that he was not the Savior, Jesus is. Paul realized that he was not set apart by God to get more followers for himself, he was commissioned to lead people to a deeper relationship with Christ. We must keep the focus on Jesus. He is the Savior; we are not. He can meet the deepest needs, we cannot. He can set people free; we can only talk about it.

Unfortunately, people seem to want to talk about anything BUT Jesus. John Earle will tell you that he can go into a school and talk about God but people get uncomfortable when he talks about Jesus. You can talk to people about religion but if you want to talk about Jesus, they want to change the subject.

The reason for this is simple. If you talk about Jesus you will talk about His death for our sin. People don’t want to talk about their sin, and they certainly don’t want to talk about being helpless to save themselves. When we talk about Jesus we will focus on His death in our place. If you talk about Jesus you have make a decision about Him. You have to decide whether you will trust Him for salvation or you won’t. People would rather not think about it.

If you had a physical problem and you went to see your Doctor and your Doctor looked you over and said, “I know you aren’t feeling well but I want you to like me, so rather than tell you what is wrong, let me affirm the fact that I think you are a really nice person. Get some rest and keep doing your best.” Would you go back to that Doctor? No. You wanted real help, not superficial platitudes.

If you went to another Doctor and all they wanted to talk about was sports or the importance of helping people, would you be satisfied. No! You need to have your problem addressed! Friends, the world we live in is sick. We need to give an accurate diagnosis. We must tell them the truth from Scripture. Some people will listen and find eternal life; others will resist the message and try to silence the speakers. There were people who resisted the truth in Thessalonica, there will be people who will resist you as well.

I’ve shared with several groups this week a recent article in Christianity Today. The article told of the attempts by college campuses to de-charter various Christian organizations. One of the organizations being attacked is Inter-Varsity Christian fellowship. The reason schools are upset is that the organization’s charter states you cannot be a leader in the group unless you are a growing follower of Jesus Christ. The colleges say this is discriminatory! How dare they restrict leadership of this Christian group to Christians! It’s a ridiculous idea but people who don’t want to hear the truth will resist forcefully. They dislike the idea of an absolute standard of right and wrong so much (and what it means practically) that they will go to ridiculous extremes to silence those who speak.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LISTENER

Because of the trouble in Thessalonica Paul and Silas had to leave. They traveled 45 miles south to the town of Berea.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. [Acts 17:11]

While the Thessalonian story focused on the Teachers, the Berean story focused on the listeners. Lets look at what made these people special.

Received the Word of God

We’re told the Bereans received the Word of God. The word for “received” means “welcomed” The Bereans were open and willing to hear the Word of God. These people were more noble because they left their preconceived notions behind. They listened to the gospel preachers.

Most of the people who are antagonistic to the Christian gospel are people who have never heard or understood that gospel. They don’t know who Jesus is or what He came to do. They don’t know what Christmas or Easter is really about. Many of them don’t want to know. The Bereans were different; they were teachable.

You can see this in athletics. There are some people who are naturally gifted. But the best athlete is the one who is not only talented (maybe even less so than the naturally gifted), but teachable. These athletes learn from everyone. They are eager to grow and develop. They “welcome” instruction. This is the way the Bereans were.

Are you willing to hear what the Bible has to say? When you read for your daily devotions and you are running late, do you skip the Scripture reading or the story? Can you say to the Lord, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”? Are you open to instruction from the Lord or are you simply logging time? Do you view the Scripture reading in worship as “down” time or do you view it as the very heart of our time with the Father?

Verify What is Taught

The Bereans also “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” The word for examined carries with it the idea of asking questions kind of like an attorney asking questions of a witness. These people checked out what Paul was saying. I suspect they went back to the prophetic scrolls to see if the predictions Paul quoted were accurate.

Deceivers know how to peddle falsehood. Make it energetic, make it powerful, enlist some spokespersons and you will get a following. False teachers will quote the Bible freely and sprinkle their conversation with spiritual words. They don’t peddle freedom; they peddle bondage. I’ve said it over and over: you can prove anything from the Bible as long as you don’t care about the context!

The other day I was flipping through the channels and I ran across a guy who was raising money for their station. He was using the 58th chapter of Isaiah to give his “law of 58”. According to him, supporting the station would activate the “law of 58” and would bring incredible blessing into their lives. I didn’t listen long. A quick check of Isaiah 58 showed that it had nothing to do with what this man was making it say.

We must verify what others tell us. The Bereans understood that you must check things out or you will be led astray.

APPLICATIONS

Let me wrap this up with a few final comments.

For those who teach (in Sunday School, small groups, with youth, or in your home and community) James reminds us, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1)

Teaching is serious business. We must prepare diligently and carefully. Our teaching should come from the Scriptures and not the other way around. We should teach what God says and not use Scripture to support what we say.

An example of this is the current push to declare all forms of sexual behavior acceptable. Those who draw their teaching from the Bible will teach that though God’s love is available to all, intimacy is to be between a man and a woman in the context of marriage. Marriage is what takes place between one man and one woman. Those who begin with contemporary culture will go to the Bible looking for ways to impose their cultural preferences on the Bible.

If we want to be good teachers, we must first submit ourselves to the authority of God’s Word. We must read, listen, and carefully study.

For those who listen. This passage challenges us to open our minds and our hearts to God’s instruction. We are challenged to welcome the Word of God. Friends, are you getting regular exposure to God’s wisdom for your life? Are you reading the Bible on your own? Are you involved in settings where you are having the Bible explained to you by someone who has more background that you? Are you involved in discussions that explore the implications of Biblical truth? Well-balanced people seek all of these things.

This passage also reminds us that we must test and check the things we are being taught. We must listen to all things with discernment. When listening to the news on the television we always have to ask, “Where is the bias of the reporter and what is the other side of the story?” When teachers pontificate in the college classroom we must not simply “absorb” we must interact. We need to ask questions, “Is what the Professor says true? Are the reasons for their conclusions solid? Have they gone too far with the truth they propose?” We must be on guard for error pursues us on every front.

We must also check out what others tell us God “says”. There are some good questions to ask,

1. Where do you find this in the Bible?

2. Is the passage quoted accurately?

3. Is this reference taken in context or is it being used inappropriately?

4. Are there other Bible passages that seem to contradict this passage? (The Bible does not contradict itself. If there is an apparent contradiction something is wrong in our understanding.

5. What has been the traditional understanding of this passage over the centuries?

I know some of you might sigh thinking, “this is too much work”. It’s not too much work if it is important to you. Do you give of yourself to your children? Do you sacrifice your time and energy for them? Of course you do. Why? Because they are important to you. Sure you may feel tired and worn out on occasion, but you keep going because of the value you put on your children and your relationship with those children. What I’m suggesting today is that you put the same kind of energy into your pursuit of the truth. I’m suggesting you invest that same effort into your relationship with your Savior, Redeemer and Creator. I suggest you put that same effort into preparing for eternity as you put into the next activity with your kids. It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request.

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