than to go to the Word of God? You will notice that, when he went to the unenlightened

Gentile who had no scriptures at all, he does not refer to them! He approaches them in

quite a different way; and when you and I want to be used of God, let us see to it that,

in wisdom, we find some point of contact with the people we are trying to help. At this

point shall we turn to the Epistle to the Romans, to a verse that is so often misunderstood

(Rom. 1: 16): "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of

God"--literally, "the miracle of God". God still works miracles; not the same perhaps

as in the Acts period, but this is a glorious miracle, the salvation of the sinner, "the

miracle of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the

Greek". Now that is why it was necessary, Paul said, that the people of Israel had the

message first; and he goes to the Jew first, all through the Acts. As long as there is the

possibility of Israel repenting and taking their rightful place, the Jew has priority. Now

Romans was written during the Acts of the Apostles, so we read "to the Jew first". Now,

not only is this true for the gospel, but it cuts the other way; not only for blessing, but for

judgment: "But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey

unrighteousness, indignation and wrath. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man

that doeth evil, of the Jew first . . . . ." (Rom. 2: 8). The next verse continues: "But glory,

honour, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first." So we must keep in

mind the Scriptural reason why the Jew had the message first.

Coming back, then, to Acts 17: 4 we find the Apostle carrying this out again in

practice and the sad, but continual opposition of the chosen people to his message of

salvation and restoration. "And some of them believed and consorted with Paul Silas,

and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the

Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the

baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar." Every new place

to which Paul goes and gives the glorious message of the gospel to the Jew, he gets this

treatment! The result is that he has to go away by night; and he goes on to Berea. It says

(verse 10) "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea,

who, coming thither, went into the synagogue of the Jews". Now a very important thing

is said about these believers of Berea.  They were "more noble than those in

Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the

scriptures daily whether those things were so". There are two very important things here

that we should consider. Do we really want truth? If we do there are two essentials. The

first is readiness of mind, but that does not quite give its meaning. There are a number of

modern translations which render it more vividly "eagerness", "good speed", "great

eagerness". Are we like that; so keen for truth that it's a thing we are most eager about?

If we are half-hearted about truth, we shall never progress in the knowledge of it. People

can be keen on anything these days and be looked on as being normal. But if they are

keen to get to know God or His truth they are often looked on as cranky! Are we willing

to be thought a crank or abnormal for the sake of the tremendous privilege of getting to

know God's truth? The next thing is, are we willing to search the Scriptures and test all

we hear and read by them?  This is the only safe ground that we have, to check

everything by the Word of Truth rightly divided. If Christians would only do this, what

chance would error have today? Very little! It is because God's children are either too

indifferent, or too lazy to do this that false doctrine makes such headway. We must not