Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 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. But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.” The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them. That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.
Acts of the Apostles 17:1-15 NLT
Sometimes it is really hard to serve Jesus. Paul was doing nothing wrong; he was telling people the Good News. Because of the jealousy of his own countrymen, he was run out of two towns. He was preaching from Scripture and not hurting anyone. Paul was even run out of Berea when Jews from Thessalonica came after him, just as Paul did before he became a Christian. Paul wound up alone, without even his traveling companions.
Sometimes it is hard to serve Jesus, but we are never alone. We will go through hard times, we will be misunderstood, we will get lonely. Following Jesus, even being on a missionary trip for Him, does not take these things away. But we are never alone; Jesus is always with us. And if He is with us, then it is all worth it. Life with Him is the best life, full of strength and hope and joy. With Him we can be full of love, even for those who are against us. Keep walking with Jesus. Hold tightly to Him as your Anchor in the storms.
What storms are you going through now? How can you hold tightly to Jesus through the storms?
