And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. Acts 17:10
Gospel work, especially missionary work, can be dangerous at times, as Paul and Silas and their companions learned during their first missionary journey into Macedonia. They had already been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, and had encountered fierce opposition in Thessalonica. They had experienced great success, as far as contacting people and in seeing many souls saved and local Assemblies planted. But the opposition had been fierce, leaving them no alternative to flee, first from Philippi, and then from Thessalonica. The escape from Thessalonica, as our text relates, had to be accomplished at night, to avoid detection by the mobs. After their earlier troubles, you might think the missionaries would take a more cautious approach when they arrived in Berea. But no, they did exactly the same as they had in Thessalonica; they went directly to the synagogue and began speaking with the folks there. For sure they knew it could be dangerous. But they were more interested in souls than they were in their skins. Maybe that’s why they had results that were so far better than ours today.
Despite the opposition, vibrant Assemblies had been established in their two previous stops. Not only had many been saved but the new believers were busily evangelizing their communities themselves. That was exactly what the preachers had worked, prayed, and hoped for. They had no reason to change tactics when it came to Berea, because God had blessed their previous efforts. So they went to the synagogue and began establishing contacts among both the Jews and Gentiles they found there. There was no slacking of effort on their part. They had in fact gained experience along the way, and were well-seasoned and effective preachers and witnesses. And they put that experience to good use. Just like we should do.
Most of the Assemblies that we know about were established very much like the ones in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. The Gospel came into the community as preachers conducted meetings, souls were saved, the new Christians were taught the Word of God, and a testimony for the Lord was established. So God has not changed his pattern from the early days of Acts. Why should we? It is true that a Gospel series these days rarely sees more than a few souls saved, if that. And some will suggest that perhaps we should change the approach. It is true that we can find new ways to contact people and invite them to Gospel meetings. But we must be careful that we do not stoop to anything that would take away from the plain and straightforward preaching of the Gospel. We want sinners to be convicted and converted, not entertained.
If we worked as hard and as wisely as the early missionaries, perhaps we would see more results from our Gospel efforts. -Jim MacIntosh