Birth of the Thessalonian Church

In this part of the sermon: The sermon begins by recounting Paul and Silas's journey from Philippi to Thessalonica, highlighting their departure from Philippi amidst persecution and their arrival in…

Paul and Silas, fresh from prison and beatings, went to Lydia's house and administered comfort to the brethren instead of receiving it, highlighting their selfless, Christ-like character.

verse 40 of chapter 16 for a little bit of refreshment and they went out of the prison and entered into the house of Lydia and when they had seen the brethren they comforted them and they went out of the prison and departed do you get a little bit of the humor there you'd think if you'd just been in a prison and been beaten to blood and had been kicked around as Paul had been that maybe you needed a little comfort but instead we find the persecuted Paul and Silas going into the house of the brethren and instead of receiving comfort we find them administering comfort and departing now verse 1 o...

4:28 - 5:58 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The ministry resulted in conversions among Jews, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and chief women. However, this success provoked envy among unbelieving Jews, who incited a mob…

Martin describes the 'lewd fellows of the baser sort' as 'first century beatniks' or 'unprincipled loungers of the marketplace' to help the audience visualize their idleness and readiness to cause trouble, making the ancient context relatable.

all of them make profuse comments about the first group and the second group but I checked every commentator on my shelf and every bible dictionary I went through no less than eight or nine different volumes at this point trying to find who these chief women were and all they tell me is that you find the chief women in the book of the Acts in other places well I knew that in 1343 of Acts we read about some chief women in chapter 17 in verse 12 we read of these honorable women 1712 and 1734 we have a similar reference of a woman named Damaris now whether they were what we would call women who w...

16:12 - 17:41 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The ministry resulted in conversions among Jews, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and chief women. However, this success provoked envy among unbelieving Jews, who incited a mob…

The accusation against Paul and Silas as disturbers of public peace is compared to Nero blaming Christians for setting Rome on fire, illustrating a historical pattern of scapegoating Christians.

you see that's the picture you were fellows just perfectly lazy lounging around the marketplace had nothing to do but just to blow their time and I don't know if they had a welfare state where they could still collect a check for $35 a week doing this I don't know I doubt it but that's the picture can you picture these fellows just try to put it in a 20th century context standing around just lounging around in the market place nothing to do and so these Jews that are moved with envy and they want to cause some trouble they go down and they get these lewd fellows of the baser sort and they gath...

17:41 - 19:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Be humbled by the marvel that the word of God has come to us and subdued us by its power.

Martin recounts his recent experience in England, seeing chapels once ablaze with revival now nearly empty, to illustrate the severe consequence of a 'famine of hearing the word of God' and to warn his congregation.

who do not receive the word shall perish without that word Romans chapter 2 those who have not the law shall perish without the law but if hell has any more intense flames it must be for those who in the sovereign providence of God have been exposed to the message who've heard the message have heard the glorious tidings of saving grace in Jesus Christ that have been turned a deaf ear and a rebel heart to that message of God's grace and so the first great lesson that we learn from this narrative is that the word of God comes to men in any given area at any given time by the dispositions of divi...

26:35 - 28:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember that the main reason God has called us together is to be a sounding board for the message of the gospel, proclaimed by the distribution and dissemination of the word of God.

Martin critiques the 'new theology' that defines evangelism as burying oneself in social need to raise human existence, rather than addressing immortal souls with Christ's redemptive message, contrasting it with Paul's focus.

and the moods and the climates that are affecting our society in the present hour and I believe you know what the new theology tells us is the essence of evangelism you see a ghetto somewhere poverty ignorance and forgetting any thought that these people have immortal never dying souls which need the redemptive work and message of Christ to evangelize is to bury yourself in the midst of that need and seek to somehow raise the level of human existence that's evangelism not concerned with individuals getting right with God via the message of God no no you evangelize the structures of society I d...

31:01 - 32:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember that the main reason God has called us together is to be a sounding board for the message of the gospel, proclaimed by the distribution and dissemination of the word of God.

Martin expresses concern over the rise of evangelical drama clubs and Christian films as primary evangelistic tools, arguing they depart from scriptural and rational proclamation by focusing on emotions rather than instructing the mind with truth.

and rational exercise I had a lot of mail waiting for me when I came home I usually do but I had a letter that I just couldn't believe my eyes I had to blink a few times wondered if the six hour time change was affecting my eyes announcing the formation of an evangelical drama club in order to present the gospel through drama yes not from a liberal church a group of fundamental ministers so we no longer need to bow before God and cry mightily for the Holy Ghost to come and make the word like a hammer to break the hearts of men we get in an art that is to get in a drama coach and we're going to...

32:28 - 33:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not seek to become merely a 'friendly little church' but a people of God in whose presence the mighty God is manifested, even if it brings division.

Martin shares the testimony of a proud, wealthy society woman afflicted with multiple sclerosis who found the gospel message of being a 'sinner' deeply offensive at first, but eventually humbling and saving, illustrating how the gospel levels all men.

but unto us who are being saved it is the power of God now we don't want to make it unnecessarily offensive by adopting unnecessarily offensive ways of presenting it no we want to be as wise as serpents harmless as duds to the weak we want to become as the weak as Paul says to the strong we become as strong to the Jews become like Jews to the Gentile like Gentiles in every way seeking to take out of the way any unnecessary offense but when we set before men the purity of that message men still love darkness rather than light I was in the home a very wealthy home of some wealthy people several ...

42:52 - 44:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Have our hearts permeated with the spirit of Paul and Silas, declaring the message of God no matter what difficulties are encountered.

Martin humorously suggests that Paul, after enduring beatings and being driven from towns, could have reasoned he needed a 'sabbatical' to recover, but instead was driven by a holy obsession to preach, highlighting his unwavering commitment.

Thessalonica would have been too much he might have gotten discouraged so it says these were more noble than they at Thessalonica they had an inquiring searching spirit but Paul had no assurance of that when he went in but he was possessed with this realization that he must proclaim the word of God and oh dear ones I believe this is the abiding message of the narrative to us as a church the message of God must penetrate this community through this assembly and all of its members no matter what difficulties we encounter and we'll encounter many of them but would to God that we would have our he...

47:17 - 48:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Have our hearts permeated with the spirit of Paul and Silas, declaring the message of God no matter what difficulties are encountered.

Martin states that encountering difficulties is a 'compliment' because it indicates the devil feels the church is 'worth reckoning with,' unlike many churches he can simply ignore, encouraging perseverance in spiritual warfare.

reckoning with most of the churches the devil doesn't need to reckon with just better leave him alone but when you begin to find difficulties it's an indication that you're something to be reckoned with and that's why Paul found difficulties everywhere he went the devil couldn't ignore him his kingdom was invaded everywhere Paul went the powers of hell hell had to take note here's a man upon whom the Holy Ghost rests you remember what they said there in Acts 16 Jesus we know Paul we know sure we know him his name's talked about when we get together to compare notes everywhere he goes our kingd...

48:46 - 50:16 Read in full sermon