Josh1Eight

"Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there." Acts 16:6-10 So Paul and his crew set out to strengthen the churches they had already established on a mission for Christ. Determined to build God's Kingdom at any cost, they charted their course and headed out towards Galatia. But along the way they ran into a few roadblocks sent by God Himself. On three separate occasions they ...

Scripture: Acts 13:44-45 "The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said." Observations: As Paul and Barnabas set out on a journey to spread the message of Christ in new places many accepted it and many rejected it. It became a defining line in the religious world. While many abandoned their religious system and embraced Christ, still other clung to their religious beliefs and opposed God's message. In fact, opposition soon turned ugly when Paul faced personal attacks from the religious leaders who refused to accept his teaching. There was a clear cut response to the message of Christ that left no room for middle ground.    Application: The message of Christ is a polarizing one. It has the power to both draw us to God's grace and drive us further from depending on how we choose to respond to it. It fo...