Finding

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

FINDING

Acts 19:8-10

8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

NIV

There certainly is not instant success in every occasion we have to share the gospel message. Paul went to the synagogue for three months and he was very persuasive in his speaking about the kingdom of God, but even though he was such an eloquent speaker and knew all the scriptures and the way to explain it so people could not miss the message, there were some who just were so obstinate they refused to believe. But not only did the refuse to believe they actually maligned the Way. This is not much different then what happens today. We can make the truth so simple it is easy for people to see. We can know all the right scriptures to prove the facts that Jesus is who he said he was and that he is real, and people need to accept him in order to be saved. But we are always going to come across those who are not only so obstinate, so stubborn and refuse to change their minds, change their opinions about the Bible, about God, about Jesus, that they actually accuse the Bible as being written by men and therefor a pack of non-truth, contradicting itself and meaningless. One man even said the religion is a crutch for weak-minded people. Others have said there are many paths to God, Jesus is not the only way. People will always malign the truth. At that point Paul left them to their own feeble thinking and went on to discussions with others. But again he spent time and energy making sure everyone who lived in that area heard the word of the Lord. Should we do any less? Should we be content to live in our little cocoons, our little groups of Christianity, discussion among ourselves various aspects of the truth? Or should we be out there in the public square sharing the good news with those who need to hear it? Should we be speaking persuasively to those first in the churches who need to know the truth about the kingdom of God and in the public square to those who have never heard about Jesus or perhaps have heard but have never heard the real truth? Is that something each of us should be doing or is that just for one called, as in the case of Paul? Do we abdicate our responsibility to someone we can hire and just send in our place? Do we just ignore those words of Jesus telling us to go into all the world, or say that was just for those disciples and it does not apply to us, or that is why we hire someone who says they are called to be an evangelist to go? If we believe the word is for us today as it was for those in that day, than we must believe we should be out there as Paul was, telling the story to whomever will listen. We will find some who will believe and we will find some who will be obstinate, but we need to be finding them.