Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 27-28.
When Paul came to Rome as a prisoner, he was able to meet with “the leading men of the Jews” (Acts 28:17) and talk to them about why he was there and to explain to them the truth about the gospel he taught. However, these men knew little about Paul but had heard of a certain “sect” about which they were curious.
“They said to him, ‘We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere’” (Acts 28:21-22).
All they knew about this “sect” was that it had a bad reputation. But their reasonable approach to learning about it was commendable. Notice what they did and did not do:
- They did not blindly accept whatever they were told. Many who hear that a particular person, business, product, or in this case, a group has a bad reputation, want nothing to do with them. Yet not everything that is spread around is accurate. We are to “examine everything carefully,” accept what is right, and reject what is wrong (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). The Jewish leaders in Rome did not immediately dismiss this maligned “sect.” This was commendable.
- They sought out additional information. When Paul came, they questioned him about this group. Some people want nothing to do with controversy and would just ignore the entire issue about this particular group. Yet we must seek out and take hold of the truth (Proverbs 23:23), whether it is controversial or not. These men wanted answers. This was also commendable.
When Paul explained this “sect” to them, “some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe” (Acts 28:24). Even with an audience of people who have a desire to learn the truth, the reality is that even in the most favorable circumstances, not all will accept the gospel. We must not allow ourselves to the discouraged but continue teaching as we are able to do so. Some will be persuaded, and we should not give up on reaching them just because others will not.
Tomorrow’s reading: Colossians 1-4; Philemon 1
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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