Paul gathered the Old Testament prophecies that spoke of Christ and applied them to Jesus, proving that in Him all these Scriptures were fulfilled. He showed people that Jesus was the promised Messiah who had been prophesied to die. By doing this, Paul corrected false doctrines, giving Christ the glory and triumph and removing the scandal of the cross.

This enraged the Jews with envy, so they stirred up a riot. A mob went out to bring Paul and Silas to trial but did not find them. Instead, they dragged a Thessalonian believer named Jason and others before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” (Acts 17:6&7) This was a serious crime in the Roman Empire, the same false charge used against Jesus before Pilate.

This type of agitation that disturbs and grieves the Christian spirit is how persecution against the Gospel, the Church, and Christianity is carried on by a wicked generation today. Evil men without noble character gather a mob by continually speaking half-truths and outright lies. Our enemy is ignorance. We are now seeing a second or third generation of people who have not been taught about the Lord God, His existence, and His sovereignty.

The present generation does not know who they are in Christ, what they stand for or against, why they are citizens of God’s kingdom, where to start to be all that Christ has for them, when to step up and be counted on for duty, or how to be citizens of the kingdom. We, like Paul, need to learn how to gather the Scriptures together to learn the true positions of the will of God – not our beliefs, nor what has been believed by past generations. We need to know the Word of God.

We have the need as well as the duty to teach God’s Word to the next generation. We should also be able to explain why we know that Christ is real. Can you prove that Jesus fulfilled the promises of God as His Son, according to the Scriptures?

Pastor Odom’s message can be heard each Sunday on Radio KAML, AM 990, at 8:30 a.m. Choate Baptist Church meets for Sunday School at 9:45 a.m., Worship at 11 a.m., and Sunday and Wednesday Evening Services at 7 p.m., and all are welcome to attend!

On Saturday, December 1st, there will be a Garage Sale at the Choate Baptist Fellowship Hall (across the highway from our church) from 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Proceeds will go to help a family in the Choate community.