Thoughts

Something that struck me in today's reading was in verse 5 and 6. Paul had told the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, and they opposed and slandered him. His response was interesting. What do many of us tend to do today when people don't accept our message? We try to change our approach. We try even harder to convince them that Jesus is who He said He is. But Paul shook the dust from his clothes in protest and said to them, "You are responsible for your own fates! I’m innocent! From now on I’ll go to the Gentiles!" He didn't seem to fret over saving every last person he delivered the message to. 

Folks, we need to remember that our job is merely to deliver the message as faithfully and accurately  as we can. It's not our job to convince. We can't. It's the Holy Spirit who convinces. Yes, we must be prepared to give an answer when people ask questions, but we cannot bring about the change in the human heart. Once we've delivered the message, our job is done.

That's not to say that we should take too casual attitude about witnessing, however. Note that in verse 28, we're told that Apollos "would vigorously defeat Jewish arguments in public debate," and here is the key part of the verse, "using the scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Christ."

He defeated the Jews with the scriptures. Not his own human arguments, but with scripture. Very important.

Today's Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 17 NCV, Ch. 18 CEB

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Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents

By Rod Dreher / Sentinel

Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn once noted that people often assume that their democratic government would never submit to totalitarianism---but Dreher says it's happening. Sounding the alarm about the insidious effects of identity politics, surveillance technology, psychological manipulation, and more, he equips contemporary Christian dissidents to see, judge, and act as they fight to resist the erosion of our freedoms. 304 pages, hardcover from Sentinel.