1 Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. Acts 17:1-4
The ensconced Jews were tough nuts to crack. They had the most to gain from unshackling themselves from the law, yet the majority of them resisted the good news. They too needed an earthquake to snap their chains.
In Thessalonica, Paul and Silas spent three straight Sabbaths in the synagogue trying to reach them. In the end, only some believed, while many unencumbered “God fearing” Greeks embraced the kingdom of God, as did a few prominent women, those known primarily for marrying well.
A couple of things I might mention before I go on. Sometimes, given your audience, you’ll need your whole toolset to teach “the Scriptures.” This account talks about reasoning, explaining, providing evidence, proclaiming, and persuading, all vital elements of gospel “conversations.”
To be effective teaching the Word of God, taking clues from the embedded Greek words in this passage, he (or she) will aim at engaging in a conversation or dialogue (dialegomai) in order to cause the hearer to ponder what is said. He will “open up” or “break down” or “unpack” (dianoigo) what the scripture is saying for the purposes of presenting the principle for consideration (paratithemenos). He then will declare (kathangello) it as heavenly truth or “tidings,” as did the angels at Jesus’ birth. Then comes the close, to ask for agreement (peitho), or perhaps better, a yielding to the truth. Not to be discounted is the moving of the Holy Spirit throughout.
Thankfully, there will be the “God fearing” who have grown accustomed to acts of a higher power, or the prominent, who will politely listen to the arguments and be “forced” into a logical conclusion. But most of the time, it will take some gentle “arm twisting” to establish a spiritual beachhead.
We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. Colossians 1:28
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