Acts: Go & Be Chapters 10-18Sample

What is this passage saying?

The Gospel is infectious! The gentiles beg for Paul and Barnabas to share the Gospel with them the next Sabbath and almost the whole city comes to hear them speak. Now in verse 43, we read that the Jews and devout proselytes (a full convert to Judaism who had been circumcised, John MacArthur Study Bible) followed Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue in the grace of God. But we see in verse 45 that once the Jews see the size of the crowd that had come to hear the men speak, the Jews opposed Paul and Barnabas out of jealousy. Just as the Jewish religious leaders envied Jesus, the Jews now oppose solely out of jealousy. But Paul and Barnabas took care of them, verse 46 is fantastic. We see how the Holy Spirit gives boldness. Looking forward, Paul would write to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:7 that God had not given His people a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Paul could write it assuredly because he has lived it and we get to be eyewitnesses of it at this moment. Paul and Barnabas knew that it was necessary for the Word of the Lord to come to the Jews first, but the Jews rejected it, they judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. What a terrifying sentence. The Jews, the chosen nation of God, are the race that brought forth the Messiah and are rejecting the Messiah and His message. Eternity is of no interest to them. After persecuting the apostles, the Jews banish Paul and Barnabas from Pisidia. As the apostles leave, they shake off the dust from their feet, the ultimate judgment against the city (Tony Evans, John MacArthur). When Jesus gave His disciples authority to go to a different town and teach the good news. He told them that if the town does not accept them, shake off the dust from their feet. (Matthew 10:11-15) This town had rejected Jesus-the only One who could save them.

What is this passage teaching?

After being sent away from the town the Bible tells us that the disciples went were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (v. 52). Tony Evans writes, “When the Holy Spirit is doing His work within you, you can experience internal peace and joy regardless of your external circumstances.” In verse 48 we read how the Gentiles are overjoyed that Salvation is a gift that they can receive. The Jews and their attitudes are disappointing. Their childish obsession with attention brought judgment upon them. Sin is destructive. The message wasn’t their problem, the love disciples were receiving was. This is another instance where the aerial view we get when reading the Bible is a blessing that convicts us. When we read about the Jews' jealousy, we see the sinfulness of man. We are so set in our ways. The Jews were so immersed in their reality that eternity was not even a concept to be fathomed. Nothing else matters to them at that moment than ridding the town of these two men. Not even realizing the eternal ramifications of their decision. They missed Jesus and eternity with the God they claimed to know, and they did even care. We get so immersed in the stresses of life that stress becomes our comfort and badge of honor. We are so bogged down by things that won’t matter in a few weeks. We seek to drown out the voice of the Lord by fixating on the here and now. This world is not our home. Let’s ask the Lord to give us His perspective. Let’s not waste this vaper of life consumed with the finite and forsaking the eternal.

How do I respond?

Ask the Lord in prayer for help to put the momentary troubles into perspective, to trust Him with the hardships of life, and to pursue the things of the Lord. Life with Him is heaven on earth. Let’s not waste time being jealous or prioritizing our own agenda above fixating on eternal things.