Chapter 1: What does Fr. Mike mean by living in the same era as the Apostles?
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 338. We're reading from Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17. The first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 15, and Proverbs, chapter 28, verses 16, 17, and 18.
As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates. This day is day 338.
We're reading Acts, chapter 17, 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, and Proverbs, chapter 28, verses 16 through 18. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17. The Uproar in Thessalonica. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
And Paul went in, as was his custom, and for three weeks he argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.
and some of them were persuaded and joined paul and silas as did a great many of the devout greeks and not a few of the leading women but the jews were jealous and taking some wicked fellows of the rabble they gathered a crowd set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of jason seeking to bring them out to the people
And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, crying, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard this, and when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. Paul and Silas in Baroia. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Baroia. And when they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
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Chapter 2: How does St. Paul's experience in Thessalonica relate to modern faith?
For I delivered to you, as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Kepha, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles." Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is in me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach, and so you believed." the resurrection of the dead.
Now, if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified of God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, then that is coming those who belong to Christ.
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.
But when it says all things are put in subjection under him, it is plain that he is accepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to everyone. Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead?
If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why am I in peril every hour? I protest, brethren, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die every day. What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.
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Chapter 3: What insights does Fr. Mike share about Paul's preaching in Athens?
And we say yes. Help us to grieve well. Help us to weep well. Help us to experience loss well. Be with us in our grief, Lord God. And be with us at the hour of our death. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Okay, so Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17. We have an uproar in Thessalonica. And what happens? This is, isn't it remarkable?
We keep saying this, but the fact that Thessalonica The apostles, as they have fruit, as their proclamation of Jesus bears fruit, there's always this oppression that happens to them. But that oppression does not discourage them. And this is so necessary for us to be reminded of every single day because we're reading about our brothers and sisters right now.
Like in the Old Testament, we're reading about our forefathers in so many ways. And yes, maybe that is what's happening in the Acts of the Apostles as well. But there's also an element where we're reading about the age of the church. We're living in the age of the church. And so what the apostles experienced, what the disciples of Jesus experienced, we must expect as well.
Not only the sufferings and the persecutions, but also the blessings, also the fruit. So one of those pieces of fruit, pieces of fruit, one of those parts of, yeah, one of the pieces of fruit here is in Thessalonica. What did they say? They dragged Jason out.
And again, before the city authorities crying out something, they're going to persecute the church, but they're also saying these words that are so powerful. They said this, they said, these men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. They've turned the world upside down. You know, in our battle, and it's a battle, it's a spiritual battle, right? It's a battle of ideas as well.
But our battle is with the culture in so many ways, right? We live in the midst of a culture of death, in the midst of a culture of meaninglessness. We live in the midst of a culture that's seeking pleasure constantly, but no one's truly happy. And so we have a battle with this culture. Again, it's not a battle of physical violence at all in any way, shape, or form. It is a battle of ideas.
It's a battle of spirit, the spirit of the world versus the spirit of God. It is a spiritual battle, right? Between principalities and powers. And our call as Christians is to live in such a way That what they would say about us is what they said about Jason and Paul and the other disciples. They have turned the world upside down.
Am I living in such a way that if people saw how I lived, they would say, you are living upside down. You're living backwards. You're... you're living so differently than the rest of us. That's why you're so joyful. That's why you're so different. That's why you take care of people who need to be taken care of. And yet, what is the great desire of so many Christians is I just want to fit in.
I just want to be like everyone else. The truth is, if I'm like everyone else, then I'm not like Jesus. If I'm like everyone else, then I'm not living like a saint. If I'm living like everyone else, there is no turning the world upside down if you're just looking like the rest of the world. And so I'm letting this word convict me. And I just want to share it with you all.
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