Acts 18:1-4 – Founding the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1:10-18 – Factions in the church and the word of the cross.
We’re at another church founding today. Luke gives much less detail
than the last one. Thessalonica seems to go smoother, with conversions,
and rougher, with pushback. And while the word argue may put us off to
the entire passage, as it may have last week, I think there’s something to
how Paul does what he does here.
Paul persists. He goes back week after week, Sabbath after Sabbath,
to talk, convince, and even argue with the people about who Jesus was
and is. And you know what? Sometimes that’s what it takes. It takes the
slow walk, and lots of talk, and persuasion, and passion, and integrity to
talk about Jesus, who he is and was, and what he means to us and the
world. As much as we might like to see it happen faster, often, it doesn’t.
Are we willing to go back, week after week, Lord’s Day after Lord’s day to
tell the people we live with, and work with, about the good news?
