JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
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But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mod, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.
Acts of the Apostles 17
Paul Preaches in Thessalonica
1Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.*
5But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd.* 6Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers* instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”
8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.
Paul and Silas in Berea
10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. 12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.
13But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. 14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. 15Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.
I want you to think if you have ever tried to convince a friend or someone in your family before. To convince someone is to talk with them in a way to change their mind or behavior. Maybe you really wanted a toy at a store, or you really wanted a dessert after you finished a meal, and you tried to convince your mom to let you have it. Maybe you tried to convince a friend to play a certain game with you. What reasons did you give them for why they should say yes or agree with you on what you think? How did they respond? Did they change their minds?
In today’s Bible story we are going to read about Paul and Silas as they continue to go on missions for Jesus and convince those in the synagogue of Jesus’s life and death. What truths do you think Paul said about Jesus? How do you think the people responded? Do you think they believed him?
Read Acts 17: 1-15
As you read, look for the answers to these questions:
Thank you, God that you are Christ, and I am not. Thank you that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead. Help us and our needy hearts to remind ourselves of the truth of the gospel. Show us that you are the way, the truth and the life. Amen
Every week, pick a day to pray for people around the world who haven’t heard about Jesus yet. The Joshua Project website posts a new unreached people group every day—pull it up at dinner, before bed, or on the way to school and pray for them together.