God truly used Paul in an incredible way through his missionary journeys, but trouble also followed him because he was up against the die-hard Jews who were going to defend the law of Moses to the end. There were so many converts as Paul shared the message of Jesus, and the way God blessed was going to have to go up against those who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Paul shared the good news of Jesus for all who received it and thought it was awesome, but the bad news for Paul's preaching was a desire for him to be killed by those Jews. They were so radically against Paul they followed him from Asia and told lies about him to get the people riled up enough to kill him. Paul preached about the hope of eternal life and the resurrection for those who believed in Jesus, and the radical Jews hated him because of the good news he was sharing. The following scripture tells the story.
Acts 21: 26 So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them. 27 The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, 28 yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.” 29 (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.) 30 The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him. 31 As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately called out his soldiers and officers[f] and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. 34 Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress. 35 As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him. 36 And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”
Jesus said this in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5 where he says 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. The Apostle Paul "lived" this, and all he was guilty of was preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. GO FIGURE! Paul preached the full truth of Jesus' message, and the only way they could stop that message was by telling lies about him. All of this seems so unfair, but Paul's resolve helps me realize the purpose of Paul's life, and that purpose was not about Paul at all, and he knew that truth. Paul was bold in the name of Jesus. Paul was humble in his name. Paul was bold in presenting the gospel truth. Paul was humble in presenting his own opinions. James writes this as an example of Paul's life in James 4:10: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. This was the attitude of the great missionary and humble soldier of the Lord as he preached the message again and again and again. Why? Because Paul knew it was true, the whole world needed to hear it.
That basic truth is still real and lasting up to the present and we need to take the baton in this race we call life and carry on as Paul did, even in the midst of a confused world. And especially because of the confusion in our world, because real truth is needed today!! Preach the gospel and allow those who are lost to win the eternal race in life by receiving Jesus. Paul was persecuted for preaching the hope of eternal life through faith in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit drove his life and led him to take this gospel as he traveled over 10,000 miles. Paul's example encourages me to take this gospel message to my world and keep proclaiming this ageless message.
In ancient Rome, crowds by the tens of thousands would gather in the Colosseum to watch as Christians were torn apart by wild animals. Paul Rader, commenting on his visit to this famous landmark, said, "I stood uncovered to the heavens above, where He sits for whom they gladly died, and asked myself, 'Would I, could I, die for Him tonight to get this gospel to the ends of the earth?'" Rader continued, "I prayed most fervently in that Roman arena for the spirit of a martyr, and for the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart, as He worked in Paul's heart when He brought him on his handcuffed way to Rome." Those early Christians "lived on the threshold of heaven, within a heartbeat of home, no possessions to hold them back." Our Daily Bread
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren
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