International Welcome

Good morning everyone! My name is Ramzi Adcock and I want to add my welcome to those of you who are new, especially those who are not from this country. You've joined us on this special Sunday when we celebrate being an international church and welcome those who've just moved to our city from all over the world.

If you are a Christian, we'd love you to join this church and we hope you will feel so at home here that when you are with us you never feel like a foreigner, but simply a brother or sister in Christ. I know that not all of you are Christians and some of you will be in a meeting like this for the first time - you are very welcome too! Let me explain what happens next. We believe this book - the Bible - is God's Word and tells us what God is like and how we can know him better. Every week we study a part of it and listen to what God has to say to us. Before we look at it, I will speak to God and ask for his help to understand it. Let's pray.

Father God, we know you have something to say to each one of us this morning - help us to want to listen to you. Please use help us to understand this part of your word and then help us to believe what you have to say to us through it. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Open your Bible at the beginning and find the contents page. For those of you who have never read the Bible let me explain that it is a library of books – 66 books in total. They are divided into two sections. The first 39 books we call the 'Old Testament'. These were all written before Jesus was born. These books are also Holy Books for Jewish people too. Christians have another 27 books that make up a second part, which were written in the few years after Jesus was born. There are different types of books in the Bible - song books, history books, messages from God or prophecies and letters sent by church leaders. The first four books of the New Testament are all about the life of Jesus - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

This morning we are looking at the book of Acts. It's the fifth book of the New Testament and is the history of the Christian church beginning with the period just after Jesus returned to heaven. It tells us how the good news about Jesus began to spread to the whole world. The things described for us in the book of Acts are not made-up stories but real history. They happened around the years 33-60 AD, so roughly 2,000 years ago. In Chinese terms that's right in the middle of the Han dynasty. This was also during the time of the Roman Empire which was ruled by an emperor who lived in Rome called Caesar.

This morning we're looking at chapter 17 of the book of Acts and in this section the main character is a man called Paul. He came from a Jewish family and had been a serious student of those Old Testament books. He was also a Roman citizen. In fact - like some of you - he had two names. His Jewish friends called him Saul and his non-Jewish (or gentile) friends called him Paul. The book of Acts tells us how he went from killing people who believed in Jesus to giving his whole life to telling people to believe in Jesus. In fact that's what he's doing in this part of Acts. It is 50AD. He is travelling, together with two friends Silas and Timothy and everywhere he goes he tells everyone he meets the good news about Jesus. It wasn't easy and it wasn't cheap. He began in Syria and by the time his journey ends he'll have travelled 3,000 miles. So now, turn to page 926 you'll see chapter 17. Look at it as I read it. I'll begin with line 1:

Now when they [that is Paul, Timothy and Silas] had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

You can see from the map that those places are in Greece. That is interesting because this is the time when Christianity first came to Europe. Many people automatically link Christianity with Europe and America. But the message about Jesus had to be brought here and as the number of Christians in Europe grew, it went on to have a massive influence on western culture. However the good news about Jesus does not belong to the West - it is for all people from every background and every country, which is a great thing to remember on a day like this! That is why Paul and his friends are telling everyone they can about Jesus. Let's read on - line 2:

And Paul went in [to the Synagogue of the Jews], as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days [Saturdays] he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

So, they arrive in the important business city of Thessalonica. In the city are people from all over the world, including Jewish people. They visit the meeting place of the Jewish people - the synagogue - and the people there wanted Paul to give them a speech. Paul talked about Jesus and told them why they should believe in him. I want to draw your attention to two things from these lines.

The first thing I want you to notice is the way Paul spoke about Jesus. Perhaps you can imagine him as a sort of salesman selling Christianity. How does he do it? What are his sales techniques? What is his method? That's going to be useful for us as we think about growing as a church. Look how it is described here. In line 2: he 'reasoned with them'. That means he discussed with them. Line 3: 'he explained...he proved...he proclaimed' and ...Line 4: some were 'persuaded'. Believing in Jesus does not mean asking people to believe in something that they have no evidence for. It does not mean forcing people to agree with our opinion, or scaring them or manipulating them or brain-washing them. Paul respects and listens and discusses and encourages those listening to him to use their minds to see the truth of what he is showing them from the Bible.

We aim to do exactly what Paul did in the Christianity Explored groups we run here at church. Each week we read a part of the Bible and discuss it. We aim to reason, explain, prove and proclaim from the Bible so that you can make up your own mind about these things. You can ask anything you like and we take special care to make sure that no one is pressured to talk about things they do not want to talk about. If you have never before heard what Christianity is and you'd like to, these groups might be perfect for you. Or maybe you have grown up all your life in a Christian family and been taught these things from an early age but you're not sure. Or you have doubts. Or you are worried that maybe you just believe it because your parents do. Why not come along and examine the Bible for yourself. Or, if you prefer, we'd love to give you a free copy of Mark's gospel. Take one and read it. Think about what you read and ask questions. Keep coming on Sundays - you're always welcome at any of our services. Make the time to think about Jesus for yourself.

Western education prides itself on allowing people the freedom to explore different ideas and to make their own mind up about the truth. I think it very sad that many never think about these things for themselves. Don't waste the opportunity that you have to examine different answers to the big questions in life and decide for yourself what you believe. That was about how Paul spoke about Jesus - his method. The second thing to notice from lines 2-4 is what Paul tells us about Jesus - his message. Line 2 again:

And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures [the Bible], explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."

Obviously this gives us just a summary of what he said - his sermon would have been much longer. One of the reasons it is summarised is because we've already been given a longer example of a speech by Paul in a synagogue in chapter 13. Paul's message was all about the Christ. You see that mentioned twice in this summary. But who is the Christ? Christ is a Greek word. It's a translation of a Hebrew word Messiah. Both words mean the same thing: it's a title meaning the anointed one, or the chosen one. I mentioned earlier that the Old Testament contained prophecies. Many of those were about the Christ. The Jews understood that one day the Christ would come. He would be a king and a saviour. They were waiting for this promised Christ to come.

Paul discussed the scriptures with them and showed them something they had never realised. As well as being a King and a Saviour, the messiah would suffer and then rise from the dead. Paul would have taken them to passages like the one from Isaiah that was read earlier. He then told them about Jesus. How Jesus was born, what he taught, how he died on a cross and that three days after being killed he came back to life again. Finally, Paul explained that the prophecies from the scriptures about the Christ were talking about Jesus. Jesus is the Christ, the king, the Saviour. But that leaves us asking the question what is it that Jesus saves us from?

If I asked you the question, "what is the problem with the world?" how would you answer? Look at selfishness, wars, the corruption, hatred, ethnic cleansing and so on. What would you say was the cause? Jesus tells us that our problem is that we have all ignored God. God created us and he made us to live in relationship with him, but we choose not to listen to him. Whether we realise it or not, we live as if God does not exist and have cut ourselves off from him. Ignoring God has led to all the other trouble in the world - wars, fighting, killing, crime, selfishness, hurting other people, the damage we have done to the world and the environment.

Do you see this plant? If I cut a flower off it still looks good (for a while) but it is no longer alive. It may even make someone happy. But it is no longer alive. In the same way, by ignoring God we separate ourselves from the source of life and are spiritually dead. Treating God like that is shameful and we deserve the punishment of death. This is a very serious problem. Jesus did not just tell us what our problem is. He came to save us from it. He came into the world to make it possible for us to be forgiven for ignoring God. He came to help us to have a relationship with God and to give us the ability to live a new life. He did this by dying on a cross, taking the punishment of death that we deserve for ignoring God. People over the years have tried all sorts of solutions to the problem of the world. Better education, religion, doing good things, politics. But it is a bit like me trying to stick this flower on with glue or sellotape. None of them offers a real solution.

Jesus said that the only way to have a relationship with God and receive new life is to accept that we have done wrong by ignoring God and then trust that Jesus is the Christ who makes it possible for us to be forgiven. Jesus invites you to accept forgiveness as a gift. All we have to do is ask for it. There is nothing we can do to earn it. No one can force you to do it, or do it for you. That is the wonderful good news about Jesus. We read in line 4 that some of those in Thessalonica believed it and became Christians. Maybe you too will do that today. But that is not the end of the story...

But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. (v5-9)

Although some believed it, Paul's message upset the Jewish leaders. They persuaded some local bad men to make trouble, so that the government officials would blame Paul and the others for the trouble. The plan didn't really work. They couldn't find them so instead dragged a man called Jason and some other Christians outside and accused them of hiding criminals. The government officials made them pay money to guarantee that there would be no more trouble and so Paul and his helpers had to leave the city.

That teaches us an important lesson. Following Jesus may get you in serious trouble. Paul's method was pure - he acted with respect and integrity. He simply explained the truth and invited people to believe in Jesus. However, he still found himself in trouble and was accused of turning the world upside down. The same happened to those who had just started to believe in Jesus, such as Jason.

There are many Christians today who are suffering for believing in Jesus. Maybe you had been wondering about coming to Christianity Explored but I've now put you off. I hope not. You do need to know that following Jesus may bring you trouble, but it is worth it! We know the wonderful joy of being forgiven for all the wrong things we have done and of having a relationship with the God who created us. And God himself has promised to be with us and that one day those troubles will all be over.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue." (v10)

So imagine you've just escaped, at night, from an angry crowd from the Jewish synagogue who were trying to kill you. You arrive at a new city called Berea. What would you do? Give up? Change your method or your message or both? 'When they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue'. What do you do when God calls you to do something but then you face great opposition or problems? They didn't give up. They continued to do what God had called them to do. It's a great example to follow. What happened next in Berea is similar to Thessalonica. Paul preaches, some believe, there is trouble and they have to leave. Notice as I read this final section all the different people who become Christians - Jews and Greek, men and women, rich as well as poor. The good news about Jesus is for all people from every background and every country. Look at v11:

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

There is something different here and it is in the response of those who heard the message in Berea. They knew that the Bible was not just words written by men but the word of God. They wanted to find out the truth and they made sure that what Paul was teaching was really what the Bible said and then they obeyed God's word.

If you're new and wondering if this is a church you want to settle in and belong to then we want you to know that we believe that the Bible is God's Word and so has supreme authority to tell us what to believe and how to live. That is why we hope you will find the Bible at the centre of all that we do. When we meet - in small groups or in large group - the Bible is opened and studied and we encourage each other to obey God's word. We don't just expect you to believe what we teach because someone like me says it. We encourage the same attitude as the Bereans here - we want you to keep your Bible open and make sure that what we teach is what the Bible says.

So, what about you? Will you copy the noble example of the Bereans? Maybe you're new to Christianity or unsure if you believe it. Why not sign up to Christianity Explored with an openness to examine the Bible to see if these things are true? If you are a Christian, you too can learn from the noble Bereans. The start of a new season in life is a good time to make sure you have a regular routine for studying the Bible by yourself day by day. If you need help with that, please come and speak to us at the resources area at the back of church and we'd love to help you with this. But the best way to keep 'receiving the word with all eagerness' is to make it a priority to join a church and to make meeting with Christians a priority.