Keep Moving In Boldness
“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.” Acts 17:10-12 NKJV
Paul and Silas had been teaching the good news of Jesus within the Synagogues as they traveled, and many were coming to know Jesus. The bad news is their success in Thessalonica caused an uproar from among the Jews, who then persecuted them. After leaving Thessalonica the pair continued to Berea where it would have been easy to adopt a different approach rather than teaching about Jesus in the synagogues. They could well have said, “Well, that blew up let’s take a softer, and less direct approach here in Berea.” When we face resistance because of our obedience that is when we tend to say, “Let’s not stir up any more trouble, let’s learn from experience”. But that is not what Paul and Silas did. They went directly to the Synagogue as soon as they arrived in Berea They went about the business of sharing the good news and the hope of Jesus, even though they knew the result might be a city stirred up in anger against them. They went to the Synagogue and shared the Word with the Jews.
When we face resistance in our life because of our faith the tendency is to pull back a little. But if you do, you are likely to miss God’s power and the satisfaction of Godly results. At Berea, Paul and Silas did the same thing they had done in Thessalonica, but they found that the hearts of the people in Berea were open and accepting of the Word. These people did not just attack them because they presented something that was contrary to what they had been taught; they even looked to the Word themselves to see if the things Paul and Silas said were true.
Paul and Silas were not discouraged or dissuaded by the attacks they received and as a result, they got a marvelous harvest. If you feel like you’re under attack because you shared with boldness the truth you have about Jesus, don’t be discouraged but rather be encouraged by the example set by Paul and Silas. Keep moving forward in boldness for your travels are bringing you one day closer to seeing satisfying results in His power and to His glory. Keep moving in boldness.
J Todd Hostetler