Bible Thoughts July 26, 1998
"And when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his lodging in great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved"(Acts 28:23-24)
The apostle Paul was imprisoned because he was a Christian and a gospel preacher. His imprisonment did not stop his efforts to preach the truth. His lessons were presented "from morning till evening."(A thought: some folks can hardly stand it if the one preaching the gospel goes beyond 30 minutes in his lesson. Wonder how they would react to Paul's preaching?)
It is certainly to the credit of those who came to listen to Paul under these circumstances. In some way, an interest in hearing about the gospel had been sparked in their souls. No person can hear the gospel in a receptive manner unless that person has some interest in the truth. It may be out of curiosity, it may be because of a desire to do better, it may be because someone cared enough to share the truth with them, or many other reasons. There must be a spark of interest before a person can be taught and it is up to us to try to create the desire to hear the gospel.
The source of Paul's message was the law of Moses and the prophets. He was building a foundation so that he could present the gospel of Christ to these unbelievers. Men do not accept the word of God unless they are persuaded that the message is from the Lord and they need to heed the message. Once a person acquires a thirst for righteousness, it is an opportunity for disciples of Christ to teach one how to satisfy that thirst. "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled"(Matthew 5:6). Paul used the word of God to lead in the paths of righteousness. It is also true in our day: only the word of God has the power to lead the masses to Christ(Romans 1:16).
When they had heard Paul preach, "some believed and...some disbelieved." As it was with this great number who came to listen to Paul, the reactions are the same in every generation. Some will accept the truth; some will reject the truth. However, it is still our responsibility to speak the truth to all who will listen. As Paul told Timothy, "Preach the word; be urgent in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching"(II Timothy 4:2). Many will not endure the sound doctrine, but there are always a few who will listen and obey the message of the gospel. It is this few that we seek among the many who turn a deaf hear to what God has said.
Paul explained, by quoting from the prophet Isaiah, that people would reject the message of the gospel because of their heart being gross, ears not hearing, and eyes closed(Acts 28:25-27). Yet, Paul did not cease to preach the truth when it was evident some would not heed the truth. For "two whole years," this apostle of Christ would receive those who wanted to hear the message, telling them concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. During this time, none restricted his preaching and this allowed Paul to have the satisfaction of preaching the word of God till the end of his life.