Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Tuesday, March 13, 2018 | Reading: Exodus 33:1-11, Exodus 4, Gen 3:1-21
Topic: The Tabernacle of God 380
Scripture: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building. (Heb 9:11)
Note: 2Cor 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Apostle Paul had an unfortunate experience with the Jews of Thessalonica, who greatly opposed him in the preaching of the word. The troubles in the Church of Thessalonica were greatly influenced by these Jewish agitators who had a personal bone to pick with the apostle to the Gentile nations (Acts 17).
Paul’s apostolic style in penetrating any town or nation that he visited, was to look out for symbols of worship of that place. Paul understood the revelation that any deity that’s worshipped would serve as a unifying force of authority, rule and influence on the people. Paul’s understanding of the relationship between deities and people for control and cultural habits, served as a powerful tool for him in penetrating every place that he went with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul confronted every philosophy, culture and deity with the message of the Gospel unashamedly, knowing fully that it’s the power of God that would lead people to salvation (Rom 1:16).
Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica saw him in fellowship at a synagogue of the Jews (Acts 17:1-10). This went on for three Sabbath days, reasoning with them out of the Scriptures. Paul’s unashamed, persistent and aggressive style in forcefully establishing the truth of the need for Christ to have suffered and risen again from the dead, yielded the needed result with some of the Jews believing. Some noble Greeks, a great multitude and the chief of the women also believed. Altogether, the numbers that believed were many (verse 4).
The early success of the Gospel in Thessalonica became a huge threat to the Jews who didn’t believe the message. Moved with envy at the success of the Gospel as is usually expected of the enemy, these Jews lost all their ethics, commonsense demeanour and their civilised roots which were grounded in the scriptures. Using violence as their response to the Gospel, they organized the lewd and base fellows of Thessalonica, causing an uproar in the city, assaulted the house of Jason being their host, with a further plan to turn the rulers of the city and the people against Paul and Silas.
Food for thought: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is superior to any philosophy, culture or belief, because it’s backed by the power of God onto salvation.
Declaration: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God onto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Rom 1:16
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
