One of the things that really stood out to me was this -
At the end of Chapter 13, Paul and Barnabas are boldly preaching the Gospel, telling the crowds surrounding them that, without Jesus as Savior, nobody is worthy of eternal life. The crowds go nuts, and start trying to force Paul and Barnabas to leave their community. The writer tell us that "In protest of these people, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet and went to the city of Iconium". (Acts 13:51)
That verse didn't stand out to me until I got to the next chapter and read about Paul preaching in the city of Lystra. The crowds were so angry and offended by Paul's teaching, they tried to stone him. They threw rocks at him until they thought he was dead, and the disciples had to carry his limp body out of the city. Pretty awful, right? Definitely time to shake the dust off his feet and move on to another city, as he did in chapter 13 ... right? Wrong.
"When the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city." (Acts 14:20)
COME AGAIN ?!?
Same man. Same mission. Similar situations. Totally different decisions. Two seemingly opposite courses of action. In one city, people persecute him and he gets up and leaves. In another city, not too far away, people persecute him and he refuses to give up on them, returning to the city to preach even after the people there try to kill him.
I've been thinking a lot about those two verses, trying to figure out what was going through Paul's mind. Was he just playing favorites, or is there a greater, deeper message to be unearthed here? Personally, I'm leaning toward the latter. In Ecclesiastes, God tell us that "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven ... a time to plant and a time to uproot ... a time to tear down and a time to build ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain ... a time to be silent and a time to speak ..." etc etc.
I believe that as followers of Christ, we are called to tell people about Jesus all the time. There is never an appropriate time to deny Christ or to water down our convictions to make people less offended ... but I'm learning that maybe, every now and then, there are situations where God does call us to retreat. I think there are situations where God tells us "OK. You've done your part here. You've said what I want you to say and anything else you say to this person will just go in one ear and out the other. So now take a step back and let someone else come in and pick up where you left off."
There is a time to preach the Gospel passionately and without ceasing ... and there is a time to preach through our actions and behaviors; quietly, patiently pray for a person from a distance.
These two stories in Acts showed me that I am not the one who gets to decide when it's time to quit and when it's time to keep fighting. It may seem acceptable to assume that if your life is danger, it's time to pull out ... but the story of Paul being stoned and yet still dragging himself back into the city proves that danger and persecution isn't always a valid reason for walking away from an opportunity to be a witness of God's grace. As a mere human being, I don't get to make that call. I just have to pray over every situation and ask God to reveal His will to me, and provide me with the wisdom I need to make the right decision.
Father God, help me know when You want me to shake the dust off my feet and move forward and when You want me to keep running back. Help me know when to speak and when to be silent, when to plant and when to uproot, when to embrace and when to refrain. Help me love people unconditionally, in whatever ways You ask me to. In Jesus' name.
