Acts 17: 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.[a]
5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd.[b]
Quite the difference in responses to Paul's presentation of the gospel! Some were persuaded and became believers. And others rejected then gospel to the point of rioting and attacking Paul & Silas!
This is a huge reminder to me that people's response to the gospel is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to share the gospel. We are not responsible for their reaction to it.
Paul was one of the most influential believers of all time, and even he couldn't convince everyone of the truth of the gospel. That's because it wasn't up to him. It wasn't because he said the right thing or the wrong thing.
He shared the gospel. Some accepted it. Some rejected it. It didn't mean he was a success or a failure. The results are up to the Holy Spirit, not us. Ours is to obey.
It's also a reminder to me that the gospel message is polarizing. It's a big deal, and people somehow know it's a big deal even if they don't understand it.
We need to continue to pray that God would soften the hearts of those that are dear to us who are unsaved now, and pray that one day they too, would be persuaded.
And we need to be willing to be the ones to open up our mouths and share the gospel, no matter what the response.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Proverbs 1-3, Acts 18
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