SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/7/2018 8:46 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Results
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Acts 13:50-52
Message of the verses: “50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
When we look at the first word in verse fifty “but” we
know that there is a change coming, a change that is pretty much the opposite
of what we have been looking at in our last SD.
We don’t know the timing of this as to how long the change would take
place, all we know is that there is a change.
The Jews were unable to win the debate with the
missionaries and so because they did not like losing they “incited the devout
women of the prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of the district.” We have to say that what the Jews did was
very clever as they used the religious and respected women of the city and also
used the prominent men to persuade the authorities to get rid of Paul and
Barnabas. Let us look at the last letter
that Paul penned, 2 Timothy, and look at 3:11 where he mentions this
event: “11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at
Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out
of them all the Lord rescued me!” Paul
also writes about some of the persecutions that he went through when he wrote
to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 11:24-25 “24 Five times I received from the Jews
thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned;
three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.” Perhaps it was one of those times when Paul
was beaten with rods that he was referring to Antioch, the passage we are
looking at.
In verse fifty-one we see the sad result of the unbelieving Jews as Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust from the feet as they protested them and then left for Iconium. I want to take a look at Luke 10:10-12, words from our Lord to the seventy that He sent out to minister: “10 “But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ’Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 “I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.”
John MacArthur writes “The Jews of Paul’s day were meticulous
not to bring Gentile dust back into Israel.
By their act, Paul and Barnabas were saying in effect that they
considered the Jews at Antioch no better than pagans. There could be no stronger condemnation. Those Jews were left in their obstinate
unbelief.”
This was not the case, however with the believers that
were left in the city as we read “the disciples were continually filled with
joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Paul and
Barnabas were leaving on an eight mile journey to Iconium, and were leaving
behind two different groups. The hate
filled prejudiced Jews and the joyous Spirit-filled believers. Quite a difference!
People everywhere have the same choices to make and
making the right choice like those disciples did is the right choice as that
choice will allow the person who makes it to go to heaven to be with the Lord
someday.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: One of the things
that I have been reminded of is that a true believer in Jesus Christ will want
to tell others about how they can be saved too, and this is my desire.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that the Spirit of God will use my
Spiritual Diaries to reach people for the Lord.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8).
Today’s Bible
question: “What does the Word of God
divide?”
Answer in our next SD.
3/7/2018 9:23 AM
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