Acts in 28 DaysSample

Following God’s call on your life, while it is a blessing, doesn’t mean that you will always be popular. In the last few chapters of Acts, Paul has been warned numerous times, and said himself, that prison is what awaits him. Jesus warned believers that the world would hate them for His name's sake (Matthew 10:22). We see in Acts that many of the disciples and apostles did not have easy lives. Why was this? Was it because of things they had done? No, as we see in this passage it was often due to lies told by people who opposed them or misunderstandings about their actions or intentions. In this specific instance, when Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he was warned that people there thought he was teaching that they should abandon what Moses taught. This was not what he was doing; his message was, in part, that the prophecies of the Old Testament had been fulfilled in Jesus.

Sometimes people take what Jesus said in Matthew 10 to mean that we should go out of our way to be hated or not be at all worried about causing offence. This is not true. Paul had a choice when he learned that the people had misunderstood. He could have responded with hostility, but he chose to honour the Jewish culture by partaking in the purification rites of some other men. He showed that he still respected the Jewish culture and tried to ease the conflict as well as he could. Despite this, he was still targeted by those who opposed him and arrested. Of course, God used the hardship and was able to do great things through Paul from prison.

GO DEEP

You might not always be the most popular person because of your faith but that is no reason to feel down. Jesus told us to expect this to happen. In the midst of this, we are called to love those who criticise us. Take heart because many believers around the world stand with you in your pain. The great God who made you stands with you, too.

Are you facing some hardships right now? Take it to God and write down the details of how you are struggling. Reach out to a mentor to talk about what you wrote.

BE BOLD

Do you know someone who might be going through a hard time right now? Reach out and ask how you can pray for them.

MEMORISE IT

“Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’.” – Acts 21:13