“After Paul and Silas 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 on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you” (Acts 17:1-3). Arguing. Explaining. Proving from scripture. Ugh. I have known “Bible bangers,” have you? I have been a “Bible-banger,” have you? But Paul and Silas were not arguing over splitting hairs over some obscure teaching or some disputable matter of opinion. They are focused on a central teaching: The death and resurrection of the Messiah. Do your arguments/explanations/proofs focus on the central or the incidental?
