Acts 17:1-9 describes Paul’s and Silas’ missionary journey to Thessalonica. This journey occurs in the macro-context of Paul’s deliberate Gentile ministry, where he embarked on his second missionary journey. Prior to Paul’s and Silas’ arrival, Luke describes their hardships in Philippi, where they endured beatings and imprisonment. It is after their journey to Thessalonica, where Paul and Silas receive fertile ground for the gospel in Berea.
In today’s society, individuals possess a similar choice as noted by those who heard Paul’s and Silas’ message in Thessalonica. This choice is to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and thereby be saved or deny this truth. Receiving Jesus as the Messiah implies Jesus being entrusted by the recipient. Therefore, for those who believe and accept Jesus, do you keep Jesus free, unused, and undamaged in your lives? Jesus being entrusted to believers in this fashion also demonstrates believers’ trustworthiness, which is contrary to those who do not believe. Those who do not believe may possess unsettledness as they attempt to remove the Gospel from their presence. However, the call for today’s Christians encompasses making the single decision to believe the Gospel and becoming trustworthy recipients.
