When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God. Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.
But Paul and Barnabas didn't back down. Standing their ground they said, "It was required that God's Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you've made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we're on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded...
I suppose what stood out to me the most tonight was the fact that Paul and Barnabas stood their ground in the midst of attack and sabatoge in the obedience of following God's command. Jealously is an ugly sin. Some faults and selfish desires are easy to hide. Jealousy, however, "rears it's ugly head" as the saying goes. It's not easy to hide the look of envy or the actions that manifest as a result. In this story it's sad to see some Jews feel so threatened, so jealous, that they argue and try to difuse the rising revival. Let us not be like this in the Church today. Let us embrace God's Spirit as It speaks to us through other believers, different teaching styles, new beats of music or forms of art. Let's run through the open door God offers to us -- the door that leads to the pathway of obedience and eternal life!
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