Thessalonica & Berea: Reminders in Wielding

To wield means "to hold and use a weapon or tool." From the two glimpses into the ministry of Paul in Thessalonica and Berea, we see some astonishing examples of wielding the Scriptures, examples that are worth our consideration.

Commentator John Stott writes:

"One important aspect of (the ministry in Thessalonica and Berea), to which he seems to be drawing his readers’ attention, is the attitude to the Scriptures adopted by both speaker and hearers, as evidenced by the verbs he uses. In Thessalonica Paul ‘reasoned’, ‘explained’, ‘proved’, ‘proclaimed’ and ‘persuaded’, while in Berea the Jews eagerly ‘received’ the message and diligently ‘examined’ the Scriptures."

John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts: The Spirit, the Church & the World, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 274. Emphasis added.