Q1. Strong Opposition in Thessalonica

[Damary Alembi]

Q1. Why do you think there was so much strong opposition to Paul's ministry in Thessalonica? There was so much strong opposition to Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica because the Jewish people were not happy with him as he was attracting such a large following and so seek to stop him. He was converting even people of high class caliber i.e. wives of high rank officials and wives of city officials as well as Gentiles from the working class. He was converting both the Jewish and the Gentiles.

 

Why do you think Paul keeps preaching the gospel, even though there is often a violent reaction against him? God had chosen Paul through the power of Holy Spirit that became unique. Paul had a call and conviction of preaching the word of God. One cannot resist if called to do God’s work. The Spirit of God was with Paul.

 

Does a violent reaction to our ministry necessarily mean we should stop? A violent reaction to our ministry does not necessarily mean we should stop preaching the Gospel as long as we are preaching the right word. All we need is to stay focused.
 

[Tyreek]

I believe the Romans were appalled by the fact he now preached for Christ, instead of persecuting Christ followers. Paul has seen, first hand, the redemptive act of Christ and knows his days are limited in preaching, for Christ said the end was near. He wanted all to know what Jesus could do for them. No, suffering is something all Christians must face.

[Mariam]

Q1 (Acts 17:1-10) Why do you think there was a strong opposition to Paul's ministry in Theslonica?

1:Because many Jews and gentiles were accepting Jesus as their personal saviour by Paul's and their ministry partners and Jews leaders were afraid of this that's why they were doing opposition to Paul'sand other believers.

Why do you think Paul keeps preachingthe gospel, even though there's often a violent reaction against him?

When Jesus was on this earth He faced the opposition by the religious leaders but never stopped the work of the Lord I think that's why Paul never stopped the ministry work.

(Mathew 5:11-12)

Does a violent reaction to our ministry necessarily mean we should stop?

No, we should not stop the work of the Lord when we face violations actually it helps us to grow spiritually and helps us to have faith in God.

[Reuben]

Q1. (Acts 17:1-10) Why do you think there was so much strong opposition to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica? Why do you think Paul keeps preaching the gospel, even though there is often a violent reaction against him? Does a violent reaction to our ministry necessarily mean we should stop?

Paul went to the heart of the Jews and preached three sabbaths telling the religious leaders of the Truth, and as it has been proven over and over, most of them are set in their ways and don't have ears to listen, and get angry when they are told of their errors, like many people do regardless. The fact that some did listen and believe Paul made them more angry and loosing their " customers" is bad for business, so they got more angry.

 

The fact that he keeps preaching the gospel is proof of his outmost conviction that what he is telling them is the absolute truth, and because he carries that love and concern towards other fellow human beings he keeps doing it.

No we should not stop to tell people if we get that reaction, and it will keep happening. We may change our methods and be wiser in our approach as we gain experience, but we also know ask guidance through the Holy Spirit how we should speak the Truth.

[Jonathan Edwards]

God

[Jonathan Edwards]

We must keep preaching the Word of God despite opposition.   We need to pray about a dire situation and use the gift of wisdom.  Prudence is always a factor as well.  The Prophet Ezekiel has to use pantomime at times to communicate his prophecies and sermons due to the hard hearts of his listeners.

St. Paul didn't make it mandatory that the new converts first had to become Jewish. This methodology upset a number of Jews who made it mandatory that new proselytes had to maintain the Law of Moses.   St Paul stood his ground and preached the Cross of Christ; Christ alone paid it all at Calvary.  

St Paul was very Christ centered.   Despite so many problems,his heart was so full of love for Christ.   It was the love of God in the heart of Paul that kept him going.  A man of prayer and steadfastness; St Paul kept his eyes on the Lord.

[Jacquie]

Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. (Acts 17:4)

Like Christ, Paul was threatening the status quo. The traditional Jews didn’t want to hear what he had to say. They had got rid of Christ for blasphemy – they didn’t believe He was their promised messiah. They had expected a king who would roar in, guns blazing and rid them of their continual captors, this time the Romans. When Christ didn’t do that they arranged his Crucifixion, probably thinking that after that, no-one would challenge their traditional teaching and the Pharisees in particular would be able to continue as they had before this nuisance ‘Jesus’ turned up. But when Paul arrived, it started all over again. To make it worse, Paul was reaching the women and even the ‘dirty’ gentiles.

Paul kept on because he knew that he was supposed to. God wanted him to. Acts 26:15-25 describes how Paul knows that he must carry on and the Holy Spirit will protect him.

No. we should not stop, but Paul set examples for us. He did not ask for money, and he did not expect the synagogue to provide a living for him. Instead, he humbled himself and worked for a living. I’m pretty sure that while doing manual labour he behaved kindly and gently toward others. He wouldn’t have preached at the people, but worked with them gently showing them how to love their neighbours. If he managed to convert women, he might have had to disagree with their husbands. So, he would have gone gently. The tone of his entire letter is one of love and kindness. Yes, he advised them against sin, but not in an authoritative way. He gave the impression of walking beside the people he spoke to and not shoving them. Perhaps if we find we receive a violent reaction to our ministry, we should examine ourselves and consider how we are behaving.

[Krissi]

Why do you think there was so much strong opposition to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica? Why do you think Paul keeps preaching the gospel, even though there is often a violent reaction against him? Does a violent reaction to our ministry necessarily mean we should stop?

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Any Christian pushing forward, doing God's will, evangelizing and making converts will run up against extreme persecution. Even personal growth in Christ causes persecution. It's a rule -- ground taken, either within or without, causes Satan and His armies to strike against a Christian. It's a zero-sum game. Ground taken is ground denied to Satan. So Paul's ministry in Thessalonica must have been effectively taking ground from Satan. People were believing. Lives were changed. 

When Satan strikes back to retake the ground  he's lost, he is often very brutal. Violence results. Christians may even be martyred. 

Paul seems to have understood this dynamic. He knew that Christ within him is stronger than anything outside of him or Satan. He knew he was doing God's will. His personal faith was so strong that he knew how to interpret the persecution as Satan's push-back. In the end, though, Paul was martyred. He died brutally ... God willed his death. He let Paul succumb to Satan's violence.

God sometimes intervenes by sending His army, angels, to assist us in our battle with Satan. Other times, He lets Satan win and harm us. Paul was beaten brutally many times before his death, was hungry, exhausted and imprisoned. God willed this in Paul's life (otherwise, God would have changed his circumstances). So, we cannot conclude that God expects us to always win -- even with His help -- against Satan.

We must NEVER conclude that the presence of violence means we should change direction or even stop. If God wants us to stop, he'll find another way to let us know. Violence and persecution are always the reaction of the enemy, not God.