In his sermon 'The Great Need of The Time,' David Green emphasizes the persistent necessity of gospel preaching, drawing parallels between the challenges faced by early Christians in the Roman Empire and those encountered today. The sermon highlights the unwavering dedication of Paul during his missionary journeys, despite facing opposition and persecution. It underscores the role of individuals beyond missionaries in spreading the gospel, using Timothy's upbringing as an example. Green contrasts the acceptance of Christianity as one among many religions in the Roman Empire with the exclusive claim of Christianity that stirred opposition. He draws attention to the current societal disdain for the exclusivity of the Christian message, similar to the past, and stresses the importance of perseverance and meeting people where they are to effectively share the gospel. Despite societal turmoil and political changes, Green asserts that the core need remains the message of Jesus Christ, encouraging believers to remain focused on evangelism as a transformative force.

In acts chapter 17 beginning verse one will go on down to verse four or sorry verse nine Acts chapter 17 beginning verse one now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and Three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures Opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered risen again from the dead That this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ and some of them believed and Consorted with Paul and Silas and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews, which, believe not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, gathered a company and set all the city in an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people. When they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also. Whom Jason hath received, These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying that there is another king One Jesus and they troubled the people and the rulers of the city When they heard these things When they'd taken security of Jason and of the other, they let them go.

If I were to put a title on this message, I would entitle it The Great Need of the Time. The great need of the time. There is a need for gospel preaching. There was a need of it in Paul's day and there's a need of it today. We take a look here at this text and we see several things.

Obviously some of this, if you've been following along on Wednesday night, You'll remember some of the things that we've covered over, it's been several months now, we're about 10 chapters or so forward from this now in our studies, but recent events that took place here in Acts chapter 17, remember Paul and Barnabas? They had recently had a split over John Mark. That was in Acts chapter 15. Paul could have called it quits, but he didn't. He didn't.

What we find here is the second missionary journey. He lost Barnabas, he lost Mark, obviously, but he still has Silas and Timothy and Luke during this journey, some others. And one thing that I want us to keep in mind as we think about this is that the preaching of the gospel is not limited to just the missionary. In fact, in fact if you if you remember, Timothy himself was a product of the gospel preaching, the teaching, the ministry of his mother and his grandmother as they sowed the seeds in young Timothy's life as he was growing up and and and and Paul came along and and all of those things worked out. Timothy then became, as it were, his son in the faith.

When you think about these things, there's a lot of moving pieces here in the book of Acts, just like there's moving pieces in our lives. The world was in turmoil in the first century. Christianity was not liked. There was much persecution. And while We have not had much persecution in this, in our lifetimes and in America.

The fact is that we do live in an evil and a wicked society in which Christianity is not liked or appreciated. It's sad. Like to or appreciated. It's sad I was just on Facebook and I saw an announcement from a... Said it was a Baptist church, in a town close to where I grew up.

And The announcement was that they were having a pride service. This is in small town Kentucky. Growing up, those were the sort of things that I would have heard about in California. It's not so anymore. It's not so at this point.

The world doesn't care if you have church, if you have religion, if you have some sort of a semblance of Christianity, but they get pretty angry if you stand for the Bible, the things of the Bible. This is what was going on here. In the Roman Empire, there was no care or concern if someone wanted to have and celebrate a God among many, they had lots of gods. In fact, later in Acts chapter 17, you find that the Athenians had monuments, that the Athenians had monuments, idols, to many gods. And in fact, as Paul ended up going to Mars Hill, He found a devotions and inscriptions and one made out to the unknown God after he passed by so many.

The problem that the Romans had with Christianity was not that they had one God, but the fact that they preached and taught that that God was exclusive, that there were no other gods. And this got them into trouble. This got them into trouble. You might think, well, didn't the Jews also believe this? Well, yes, the Jews believed this, but the Jews kind of stayed to themselves.

Christianity was of a different sort, And they began to evangelize and do missionary efforts beyond the Jewish borders, beyond the Jewish people, preaching and teaching that there is but one God, and all the others are not true, they're fake, and there's only one way to heaven and that's through Jesus Christ. This got them into trouble with the authorities. So it is in our world. If you want to stay out of trouble in our world, you can believe in Jesus. Keep your head down.

Don't say anything to anybody. Don't teach that he's the only way to heaven. Your friends, your relatives, the people around you, the community, they'll leave you alone. But the moment you take that exclusive message of the Bible and begin to evangelize you'll get into trouble but I submit to you today that the thing that the world hates the most This is the greatest need. They need Jesus.

Those people, the Romans of the first century, they need Jesus. As we read through this text, we can see the zeal of Paul as he went through the place. It says Paul, as his manner was, verse 2, went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Where's that at? He went to the synagogues.

He went to the places where the people were. And as you study and you read about the Apostle Paul, as he went from town to town, he didn't just find three or four people and meet up with them in some building, and have a church service and then move on. Some people do that and they call that mission work. That's not mission work. Now there's a time and a place for that.

The saints need encouragement. I'm thankful that we can meet here in this place and at this hour, but we've got to understand we also need to meet the people where they're at. Paul went to the synagogues. He went to the marketplace. What got him into those places?

Well, he was a Jew. He knew about the synagogues. He was a tent maker. He knew about the marketplaces. You and I, we have our trades, we have our circles that we were in, our family relationships, whatever they may be.

We have places that we can go in and get into and all of those things, we ought to use them to the glory of God, to be able to witness. He reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered, risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ." He preached Christ to those people. This is the great need of our day, just as it was in their day whether he was with the Jews or whether he was with the Gentiles you and I whether we're around black people or white people or Hispanics or Chinese or whatever you said well I may never get to Mexico I may never get to China that's true But we live in a unique part of American history right now And while we may never get to the world, the world has come to us. As you go through Sam's Club or Walmart, pay attention. It's like the Tower of Babel sometimes, or what I imagine the Tower of Babel might have been like, as you walk through the supermarket you can hear different languages being spoken among different family groups.

I don't know where these people have all come from, But I imagine that they've probably, some of them have come across our border. Some of them may be on vacation here. Whatever the case may be, there's all sorts of different people from different parts of the world. But whatever their cultural differences are, they must be able to understand some English to be able to get around in this country. And even if you don't know another language, you know, we've got opportunity that we can witness to them somehow.

Whatever their background is they have the same need in Romans chapter 1 Romans chapter 1 Verse 16. Well let's start out with verse 14. Paul's writing to the church there at Rome. He's got some concerns. He wants to go see them.

He didn't know, of course, at the time how he would get to see them. But he tells them, he says, I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as is written, the just shall live by faith. Paul had this great desire, and keep in mind before Calvin ever came along, before there was ever anybody writing down the doctrines of grace and calling them the five points of Calvinism, Paul was writing these things. He may not have written them systematically, But they were written down in the Bible under the inspiration of God. They were being preached and taught by preachers of churches throughout history that never identified with Rome. And yet, and yet, he was very zealous of doing missionary work.

He was very zealous of carrying the gospel. When we think about the doctrines of grace, we've got to guard against the error of the Armenians, but we also have to guard against the error of the hardshells, the error of the hyper-Calvinists as they're sometimes called. He said, he said I'm deader both to the Greeks and to the barbarians both to the wise and to the unwise. Well wait a minute, that sounds, that sounds kind of Armenian. No it doesn't.

That's biblical. That's biblical language. Don't let the Armenians rob you of biblical truth. Okay? And he says, as much as in me is, I'm ready to preach the gospel to you there at Rome also.

Whether you're barbarian or whether you're Greek, whether you're wise or unwise. You can think of it this way. Whether you've been very well educated or whether you haven't gone to school at all or whether you use a fork and a spoon when you eat or if you just use your fingers. I mean those are extreme examples but this is what he's talking about. Whatever your lot in life is And this is what makes Christianity so much different than the religion of the world.

What's the religion of the world say? Well the religion of the world says that the white race is superior to everyone else. And indeed, in evolutionary humanistic thought and practice, There have been other groups of people who have been enslaved, who have been killed, who have been put on display in zoos, okay, have been told that they're not even fully fully human. One. Only Christianity teaches that God created one man and one woman, that Adam and Eve is the ancestor of all, whether black, white, red, yellow, doesn't matter.

We're all humans and ought to be treated with respect and dignity and have the need for Jesus Christ, you see. And even in the history of this country, There was a time when there was slavery here. Do you know who the best slave owners, The best slave owners were Christians. Why? Because they treated their slaves not like the cattle, not like the animals, they treated them like human beings.

And? And? They gave them the gospel message, taught them to read and write, helped them out. There's great histories that are written about not only here in Georgia but other places where there were men and women who were slaves. They came to know Christ.

And a lot of times they weren't able to join the church where the slave master was, so they helped them organize into a black church. Gave them some liberty to be able to do that. Study the history of some of these Black churches down here and you'll find that, you see. They recognized the need of these folks. You and I, we also need to recognize that too.

While politically, I get aggravated at our open border, I think it's a terrible thing that's happened over the last four years or whatever. And probably before that as well to some extent. But spiritually, let's not forget that all of these people, regardless of why they came or how they got here, all need the gospel, you see. This is the great need of the day. Politically, spiritually, all of these things, the great need of the day is the gospel message in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 Well before you get there I want to finish there in Romans He said I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It's the power of God. When we think about God's sovereignty, let us not forget that the same God who before the foundation of the world unconditionally elected certain men to salvation, He also determined the means by which they would be saved. Nobody is saved apart from the preaching of the gospel. This power of God into salvation, it doesn't matter whether it's the pastor, the missionary, pastor, the missionary.

It could be a woman, a child, who takes that gospel. You know, God can even use an unsaved person. Benjamin Keach's son came over to the United States, ended up getting involved with one of the churches of the Philadelphia Association. What happened was they knew the Keach name. They said, oh You're a Keach.

Your dad's a great preacher in Europe. You'd make a fine preacher too. Problem is, Keach's son didn't even know the Lord. But he fell in. He knew what to say and how to say it.

He got up and started preaching. Do you know that man was converted by his own preaching? He came to know the Lord by the power of the gospel message, even though it was coming from the lips of an unsaved man, that man being himself. You see. Over in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 1 through 4, he says, by which also you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This message of the gospel, Paul said to the church of Corinth, I delivered this first of all, this is of first importance. What is the gospel? Well, in a nutshell, this is what it is. He said how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

He was buried, they rose again the third day according to the scriptures. It's by the authority of the Bible that we preach the gospel. I thank God that we have the Bible and the record that is given. We preach the gospel message as it's given in the scriptures. And Back there to our text in Acts chapter 17.

Paul was very focused on this. His habit was going from town to town. Now keep in mind, this was not like a modern day evangelical trip where the preacher shows up in a nice suit and tie and he's got four sermons in his trunk and that's what he preaches at the churches he goes to and then he goes off to another town. Everything's all polished up and everything. Keep in mind Paul is getting beat up, he's getting torn up, he's getting thrown out of town sometimes.

You know, people probably thought he was crazy for the things he was doing, but he kept on. He kept on with this. Okay? And then, well, look what happened here. In verses five through nine, it tells us that the Jews which believed not moved with envy took under them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, gathered a company and set all the city in an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people.

When they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren to the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also. Whom Jason hath received. These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying that there is another king, one Jesus, and they troubled the people. The rulers of the city, when they heard these things, and when they had taken security of Jason and of the other, they let them go. Not everyone who heard the preaching of the gospel believed.

And so the unbelieving Jews, they stirred up some people. I love the King James rendering here that those that were wicked people, they called them lewd fellows of the baser sort. That's that's old English way of saying that they were wicked men. A mob was formed and they attacked the house of Jason. You say well preacher that's never happened in America and it's not going to happen now.

You know, maybe soon we're going to have Trump back in the White House, and everything's going to get better. Well, I hope things get better in this country, but understand something. The writing is on the wall. There have been demonstrators targeting politicians and businessmen. Businesses have been targeted for not baking cakes, for the sodomites, and all sorts of things.

It's only a matter of time, folks. It's only a matter of time until God lifts his restraining hand and allows for this to be a common thing in this country. Unless he comes back first, takes us all out of here, I believe that there's going to be some sort of persecution happen in this country. I don't know what it's going to look like, but I would imagine it's going to look something like what we've seen with some of the riots in some of the towns. Somebody gets upset at something that's preached or whatever, and away they go.

Just like, or very similar to what we see happening here. What was so offensive to these people? Well, they got all upset because Paul was preaching that there's another king besides Caesar. They were upset at the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. They were upset because they turned the world upside down.

What were they doing? They weren't going after the political people. They weren't doing ballot drives to get registered voters. They weren't taking up arms to overthrow Caesar. They weren't getting in a group and singing patriotic songs.

No, no. They were just preaching Jesus. And we've got to keep focused on that. Do I think Biden's a terrible president? Absolutely.

But the hope for this country is not Trump. The hope for this country is counter-cultural, and that's the preaching of the gospel. I don't mean that we ought to be theonomists, Like some of these, there's some wild things out there, some wild ideas. We don't want to reinstitute the Old Testament laws and set up a new kingdom here on the earth. The Post Mill guys are kind of going after that.

That's not what I'm saying here. I'm saying preach the gospel just like we're told. Matthew 28, the Great Commission, right? And when we follow that, I believe that God will bless in a great way. You say, well how in the world is that a blessing?

Well, I mean here they are, they're in trouble with the world and all that. But look here. What happened in Thessalonica? What happened in Thessalonica? Well, if we read the text in Acts 17, we're all familiar with it.

In verse 10, Ten, the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night in Debaria, who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These 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. Wherefore many of them believed also of honorable women which were Greeks and of men not of Not a few. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the Word of God was preached to Paul at Berea, they came thither also and stirred up the people. So it sounds like something terrible happened at Thessalonica, and all our focus ought to be on the Briens, and certainly we have a great example of the Briens here.

But let's not forget, the scenes had been sewed at Thessalonica. I submit to you today, Church, that we sow the seeds. It may take a little while, and we may not immediately see progress. Let me put it to you this way. You're out in the garden.

You drop a seed in the ground. Go back the next day, you probably won't see nothing happening. Go back the day after that, you probably won't see nothing else. It may take a few days before you see anything happening. We don't know how God may use the preaching of the gospel.

In fact, when Paul wrote to the church of Corinth and they were all squabbling over who was better, the followers of Apollos or the followers of Paul and all those things. He said, one sows the seed, one waters, but God gives the increase. It was a contentious group there at Thessalonica. And there was something to be said about the folks of Berea, but there was a core group there, Jason and the others. You know what?

Paul ended up writing a letter to the church at Thessalonica. Something happened there. Go with me to see what he said in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2. Beginner verse 1. He says to that church, he says, For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain.

But even after we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention." He's rehearsing what happened there at Thessalonica. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know nor a cloak of covetousness as God is witness. Nor of men sought we glory neither of you nor yet of others when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, and ye were dear unto us." Paul found himself at Thessalonica amongst a contentious group. And yet, he was bold to proclaim the gospel, but at the same time he says, I was gentle as a nurse cherishes her children. He didn't go in there with like a bull with his, He didn't go in there with like a bull with his, he didn't go in there with a bull with a chip on his shoulder, or bull in a china shop. He went in there, he didn't tear them up or mow them over, but yet the accusation was that they turned the world upside down. How?

Through the compassionate, meekness preaching of Paul who was interested in tearing down strongholds and not tearing down the people. These people were being turned from their old religions to Christ. Look there at verse 7. We were gentle among you even as a nurse cherisheth her children. Chapter one, he says there in verse two, he says, we give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father, knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power." That's a word, dunamis, dynamite, turned the world upside down, changing lives, changing hearts, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. As you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake, and you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were in samples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad so that we need not speak anything. For they themselves show of us what men are venturing in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come." And so what a great testimony that these folks had. But we see how it started.

It started with a man and a missionary team being in the group. Just a core group, Jason and a few others, being willing to take the gospel to a contentious bunch. They didn't wanna hear it, they didn't want it, But that's what they needed. They needed the gospel of Jesus Christ. They weren't contentious back, but what they did is they preached the gospel knowing that it is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

As we think about our country, There's a lot going on. It's a terrible situation. But you know what? We don't know what's going to happen. But praise God, Jesus is not up for re-election.

Whoever gets elected in 2024, all that is, I mean, we've got our duty as responsible citizens. We ought to do the best we can when we go to the ballot box. But understand something. It's not going to change our responsibilities. Let us remember, regardless of who's in the White House, regardless of what happens at Atlanta or Washington DC, that there is a great need and Christ is the answer.

Thank God for His sovereignty, but let us remember our responsibility And I would say this too, if you're here today, and you've not yet repented of your sins, if you've not yet believed in Jesus Christ, I point you to Him. And Let us always point folks to Christ. May God end the blessing to the preaching of His Word.