A Few Good Men

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonicia, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

Then Paul, as his custom was, went to them, and for three Sabaths reasoned with them from the scriptures.

Explaining  and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, " this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ."

And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar... Acts 17:1-5

Envy has to rely on evil men to achieve its end. There were no good decent citizens with this lot. How sad!

Today we morn the passing of a good man, Nelson Mandela. Nelson was put in jail for 27 years by evil men who wanted to keep black men in bondage. His only crime was speaking out against the wrong.

Evil has only one intention, destruction. Evil hates the truth, righteousness and justice.

Nelson said many good things but he said the courageous man overcomes fear. Paul would have faced fear, fear of imprisonment, beatings, stoning, yet he persevered, he overcame. Amen!