walk away

Based on the example of the apostle Paul, I may have gotten the wrong idea on how to handle opposition to God.

Here’s what I read this morning, from Acts 19:8-10: “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”

When people try to oppose me or to counter the good news about Jesus, my tendency is to fight back. It’s easy to buy into the current idea that the louder you are, the more right you become. Sometimes, I think I have to bludgeon people who disagree with me into submission with the sheer quantity of my words.

But Paul simply left. He presented the word, and then when people refused to buy it and pushed back, he went somewhere else.

It’s a reminder to me that it’s not my job to change minds and hearts. God does that, and his words are sufficient. When I introduce people to Jesus and they receive him, that’s from God. When they don’t, then that’s in God’s hands too. He calls me to bring the word, not force it down peoples’ throats.

In some ways, that doesn’t seem right. But in the end, I’m glad it doesn’t depend on me.