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We have been reading in Acts 13 of Paul and Barnabas preaching and ministering at Antioch in modern day Turkey. People came to believe in Jesus Christ, and others caused trouble and pain for these apostles. Yes, there was a harvest, but there was also strong opposition and they had to move on to Iconium, and there, these two men of God return to the synagogue and speak about Jesus Christ to those gathered.

They were so effective that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

We are not long in the real ministry of the kingdom of God, when we come across this type of behaviour. We see it in the ministry of Jesus. We have read of it some weeks ago in the very early days and weeks of The Church of Jesus Christ.

Now we see opposition, even when The Holy Spirit has specifically spoken, and when men have been commanded to go with The Gospel.

One thing we do learn in all of this, it is hard to remain neutral. People are either for Jesus, or they are against Jesus.

When we hear - really hear about Jesus - and what God says about us - that we are sinners - needing to repent - and come to faith - and be baptised in water and filled with The Holy Spirit - we either open ourselves to all of that - or resist and rebel and get up to all sorts of kinds of things - sometimes in the nicest possible way - sometimes not.

Paul and Barnabas were not all that long into their ministry when they faced trouble in Cyprus, and now this.

They could have said, and perhaps with good cause - "We are going no further. We are doing no more preaching, Jesus. If that is how you are going to allow us to be treated as we obey YOU, then, Jesus, we have had enough. Get someone else to do this work."

But no. Barnabas and Paul are driven on. Paul belonged to Jesus Christ. We spent much time reading of how his meeting with Jesus was so vivid and so real. Now, he is motivated by a deep concern and real love, and the energising power of The Holy Spirit.

All Paul wants to do for the remainder of his life is go and preach to the lost. His desire was to speak about Jesus - and if people chose to give him a rough time, then he knew that they would be judged for that one day, just as he too would be judged if he did NOT obey his LORD.

Where does that place you? Are there some parts of the Word of God to which you choose to remain neutral? Are there some areas of Scripture which you struggle and wrestle with? Come to terms with this now and resolve these difficulties.

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Yahweh Shammah,