Acts 13:42-52

                                                                             Acts 13:42-52

As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.  And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.  And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.  But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

 

Every time the Word of God is spoken, it provokes some sort of response.  Some will respond with indifference, others with faith and others with hostility.  The previous passage records Paul’s sermon.  This passage records the responses the people had to the sermon.  There will always be both positive and negative results when it comes to the Word of God.  When we tell others about Christ we need to prepare for these responses.  When we hear the Word of God spoken or read it ourselves, we too must decide how we will respond.  That choice has eternal consequences.

 

CURIOSTIY: When the people heard the message, they asked Paul and Barnabas to return the following week so they could hear more about the subject.  This is not outright rejection; nor is it true belief.  It was simply a response of curiosity and a willingness to learn more about what was being taught.  During the week, the news of the message spread throughout the city, which sparked even more curiosity.  The following Saturday, the entire city came out to hear the message out of a desire to learn more or out of fear that this was some sort of false teaching.  It is good to be curious about the Word of God and willing to hear and learn more.  However, this curiosity is not the same as repentance and faith.

 

JEALOUSY: When Paul and Barnabas returned to the Synagogue the next Saturday, news of Paul’s message had spread, and the entire town came out to hear him.  This sparked jealousy in the hearts of the leaders of the Synagogue.  They had never had such a huge crowd of people come to hear any of them teach.  When we start being concerned with our popularity more than the good of the kingdom, it will bring about jealousy in our hearts and lives.  God wants us to focus on faithfulness much more than results.  It is always dangerous when we compare our results with those of others.

 

REDEMPTION: When Paul saw that the Jews were jealous and were more concerned with their own status than the message he was giving, He turned to the Gentiles, many of whom came to Christ.  There were several Jews who also followed Christ in faith.  This is the beginning of the church in that place.  Salvation is the key to planting a church.  God is redeeming a people unto Himself through the message of the Gospel.  Some will reject, but others will come into a new relationship with Christ.  The result is a people who are filled with rejoicing and who live for the glory of God followed by eternal life.

 

PERSECUTION: Those who were filled with jealousy could not stand to see their positions threatened and so they stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas amongst the leaders of the city.  The leadership used their power which they felt may have been threatened to drive Paul and Barnabas out of the district.  This did not discourage Paul or the new believers.  Paul shook the dust of his feet off against them knowing that the Lord would judge them in His time.  The young believers that were left behind were filled with the Spirit of God which brought them great joy and the ability to stand firm in their faith even in persecution.  No matter how much persecution we might face, the Spirit’s power is constantly available to us.  No matter what circumstances confront us, the Spirit can fill us with joy.

 

APPLICATION: As we proclaim Christ, we must be prepared for many different responses and act accordingly.  The responses of people are not our responsibility but our faithfulness to proclaim the Gospel completely and accurately is.  Every time we hear the Word of God, we respond in some way.  God wants His Word to transform us, not just inform us or spark our curiosity.  True joy is only found in receiving God’s Word and allowing it to transform our hearts and minds.

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