1 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi,as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. REFLECTIONSWritten by Peter LinDo you ever get scared to share the gospel with someone? I do.Have you ever been ridiculed or abused for sharing the gospel? I have.Do you find it easier sometimes just to not say anything about Jesus to others? I definitely do.In these verses we see Paul’s boldness to share the gospel despite opposition.In Acts 16:19-24, we read about when Paul was attacked and beaten and flogged and imprisoned for preaching the gospel in Philippi. In Acts 17:1-9, you can read about the strong opposition in Thessalonica itself. There was a near riot, with the crowd wanting to drag him out into the streets probably for a good old-fashioned beating. But in spite of opposition, Paul still preached the gospel because there is nothing more important. If it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t take a beating for it, would you?What we are seeing here is the priority of the gospel message going out. Nothing should stop it. No amount of suffering should prevent it.We generally don’t face the same kind of opposition to the gospel but it’s daunting to share it nevertheless. But there is a little phrase in v2 that we must remember and grasp on to… “with the help of our God”. Sharing the gospel is not something we do alone or in our strength. We can only do it with God’s enabling. So let’s pray for God’s help and enabling, and for boldness and courage to share Christ, because there is nothing more important for people to hear.ABOUT THE AUTHORPeter is part of our Bossley Park Morning Church.