Day 02 - A Model Worth Following: Thessaloniki and Berea

Today we picked up where we left off yesterday, in Acts 17, and followed the Apostle Paul into the vibrant city of Thessaloniki, the same city to which he later wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

Paul entered this city not with eloquence or polished speech, but “with power, with the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction” (1 Thess. 1:5). His message was not just proclaimed, it was embodied (1 Thess. 2:8). He lived out what he preached, modeling what it means to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation” (Phil. 2:15).

Paul showed this young community what holiness looked like in everyday life (1 Thess. 2:10). Then he challenged them to live the same way, by that very same power of the Spirit. And they did.

These believers “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9) and became a model for the entire province of Macedonia (1 Thess. 7-8). As they imitated Paul, who imitated Christ, others began to imitate them. The gospel spread through the power of example.

It’s a powerful reminder for us today.

Who are the people that I’m modeling Christ to?
Who am I pouring into?
Who might God be calling me to disciple?
 

Someone else’s spiritual growth might depend on me playing my part, reflecting Jesus faithfully in my own life.

Though persecution quickly forced Paul to leave Thessaloniki, the young church stood firm. They lived with eager expectation, remembering that Jesus was coming again. Their goal was to be found faithful, to handle well what God had entrusted to them (1 Thess. 2:11-12).

From there, Paul traveled to Berea, and so did we (Acts 17:10-17). We found ourselves standing in a synagogue, not one from the first century, but likely built near the location of the ancient one where Paul once taught.

Luke tells us that the Bereans were different. They were open to God, receptive to truth, and discerning of what they heard. They examined the Scriptures daily, tested everything, and embraced the Word consistently (Acts 17:11).

Their example challenges us to reflect:

What is my current rhythm of engagement with Scripture?
 

How am I leaning in to study, meditate, and live it out?
 

Perhaps God is inviting us to take the next step.

If we read—let’s begin to study.
If we study—let’s begin to memorize.
If we memorize—let’s begin to meditate.
If we meditate—let’s begin to live it.
 

As Eugene Peterson once said, “The goal of reading the Bible is not to have read the Bible, but to have been read by the Bible.”

Today, as we walked in the footsteps of those early believers, we were reminded that the Word of God is one of the primary ways the Spirit forms us. We lean in, we listen, and we are transformed into the likeness of Christ.

Tomorrow, our journey continues. But tonight, we rest in this truth:

The same Spirit that spoke to Paul, to the Thessalonians, and to the Bereans still speaks, through His living Word, into our lives today.

On the ancient stones of the Via Egnatia,

 Jerrell