Some Believed - Acts 17:4

The beloved physician Luke shared when Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke himself, “passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ”, and in chapter seventeen and verse four of the book of Acts Luke shared how, “some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas” where we re

And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas;

and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

The verse begins, “And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas;” Luke began with the words, “and some of them believed” which means “and a few of the Jews in the synagogue trusted, relied upon and clung to Jesus”, “and consorted with Paul” or “and associated and gave a lot to Paul whose name means small or little” “and Silas” whose means “woody” and was “a Roman citizen and the companion of the apostle Paul on several of his missionary journeys. Luke shared how “a few” of the Jews in the synagogue located in Thessalonica “trusted in, relied upon and clung to” Jesus and began to associate with “Paul and Silas”.

The verse goes on to say, “and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.” Luke continued with the words, “and of the devout Greeks” or “and pertaining to the Grecian or Hellenist people who were religious, worshipful and with reverence toward God” “a great multitude” which means “and a large and abundant number”, “and of the chief women” or “and pertaining to the principal female human beings who were first in succession, honor and influence” “not a few” which means “not a small amount”. Luke shared how there were an abundant number of “Grecian people”, both male and female, who became believers in Jesus Christ.

When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Paul's” presentation of the “gospel” in the synagogue in “Thessalonica” convinced not only a “small number of Jewish people” to believe in Jesus, but also had a tremendous effect upon the Greek people who heard him. The “good news” of Jesus Christ was spreading, and people were receiving the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of eternal life through Him. God wants everyone to believe in His Son Jesus, and those who read and hear the words presented by “Paul” the apostle should know that God Himself is the motivating force behind sharing His word. Let all who read these words believe like these “Jews and Greeks”, and inherit eternal life with God.

Next time Luke shares how, “the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".