In Acts 13, the apostle Paul got an interesting reaction to his sermon at Antioch. “When the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath” (v. 42). The people were saying, “Please, we want to hear that message again.” That’s like music to the ears of a pastor.
These Gentiles, who were converts to Judaism, were called God-fearers. They had never heard the gospel of grace before. Every week in the synagogue, they listened to Jewish sermons about the Torah, the Law, the Psalms, etc. “Do this, don’t do that.” “Be a good person. Don’t be a bad person,” etc.
Paul had preached a message that told them all you need to do is trust in Jesus. Believe by faith, and you’ll be justified and cleansed. You don’t have to go through all these rituals, all this legalism. When the Gentiles heard this, they thought, “We want some more of that!”
“Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes”โthat is, converts to Judaismโ”followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God” (v. 43). Please mark that. They didn’t continue in the law of God, but in the grace of God. Because it was the gospel of grace Paul was preaching. As it says in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Most people can’t handle the pure gospel of grace. Either they don’t understand it and think it’s a license to do whatever they want, or they’re insulted because, after all, “It has to be up to me! I’ve got to work my way to heaven. I’ve got to make God like me.” So they have a problem with the unmerited favor of God.
But the gospel of grace does two things. First, it reveals your utterly helpless condition. You cannot get to God, so something must be done for you. And second, it shows the sheer, unlimited favor that God is willing to bestow upon you. He loves everybodyโincluding youโall the time. God’s love is limitless.
“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul” (vv. 44-45).
Whenever God is at work, you’ll find the Devil trying to counteract that work. Just as you learned in school: Every action brings an equal and opposite reaction. Here in Acts, the Devil did it through the religious system. When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he did it through the opposition of the neighboring tribes that surrounded the Israelites (see Nehemiah 3-4). So whenever you find the work of God, don’t be surprised when you find the work of the Devil, because every action of God brings an opposite reaction.
You know, whenever I get opposition, I weigh it to find out what the source is. And if the source is from the Lord, I always pray about it. But when it’s from what I believe is not a godly source, then I realize what is happening.
So as you prepare to step out into service to Him, be prepared to pay the price of sacrifice. And the more effective you are, the more a target you are. But always remember that your message is one of hope: God is willing to meet our hopeless condition with His unlimited favor. His love is inexhaustible.
