There is a point in ministry when we realize that spending too much time to get people to listen is actually delaying sharing with others who are receptive to the truth. When we carry the message of the cross we are carrying a precious cargo that needs to be protected and care for. Beat your head against a wall with people who are not receptive causes us to think "Am I wasting God's time here?" It may seem a little harsh, but in reality we are compromising the very thing Paul told us to honor and that is "time." Paul said this in Ephesians 5:16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Every opportunity would mean those now and those to come in the days ahead.
Paul was consistent in two areas orginally and one are was sharing the gospel to the Jews first and second sharing the gospel with the rest of the world. (If you weren't a Jew you were a Gentile). Up to this point on his journey Paul took the gospel to the syngogues and when he was rejected by the Jews, he moved out of the church building to people's homes and those people welcomed him and the message of the cross. In Acts 13 Paul draws a line in the sand and begins to turn his attention and priorities to the Gentiles. The following verses help us visualize what happened. Acts 13: 44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. 45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.
The Word was getting out and it hit receptive hearts and lives were being changed at an incredible rate and Paul's focus on the welcoming Gentile audience brought great amounts of converts, but Satan was going to do what he could to stop the message. Here is how the Jews responded to all that God was doing. Acts 13:50 Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. 52 And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Just think about it and the thinking they had revealed. "People are gettting salvation, but it doesn't happen like I want, so we will run then out of town to stop the preaching."
Some people want things to happen just the way they want to the point they will reject others receiving Jesus. CRAZY!! When revival happens and people are converted that is when we need to be rejoicing and share the message more outselves. We worry about methods and try to shut down the very thing we should be promoting. Paul and Barnabas's reaction was "shake the dust of the town off their feet" and they left in the midst of the rejoicing of the people who had received the Holy Spirit. They didn't dwell there because it was going to hold them back from sharing with more people who were receptive. There is a time to say "enough is enough."
We must share this message of hope and if a church you are attending is not allowing the gospel to be shared and they are a hindrance to your faith, it might time to evaluate and see what God is leading you to do. Protect the message and protect your heart to keep you focused on the task at hand. Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Take these words very seriously and make sure you are on a ship going on the right course!!
Vesselogical Out,
David Warren
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