BULLETIN ARTICLE – 2 September 2018
Opposition and persecutions are “par for the course” when Christians are earnest in the task of preaching the gospel of Jesus. Jesus said: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). Jesus told his disciples what to expect and how to respond – “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another” (Matthew 10:23). When they are not welcomed and are rejected, they are to “shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14). This was what Apostle Paul and Barnabas did when they were expelled from their mission location by the Jews of Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:51). At another similar situation in Corinth, Paul “shook out his clothes in protest” (Acts 18:10) to clear himself of any responsibility for their salvation; their blood will be on their own heads.
In Biblical time, the pious Jews had this custom of “shaking dust off their shoes” when they leave or depart from Gentile territory back to Jewish territory. It was to shake off “pagan” dust, showing their separation from Gentile paganistic beliefs and practices. Jesus sent his disciples into Jewish lands and told them to perform the same act against “anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:14). The repeated rejection by the Jews changed Paul’s focus and attention to the Gentiles, fulfilling the words of Isaiah “to be a light for the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 49:6). Paul moved from Jewish territory (the synagogue) to Gentile territory (the house of Titius Justus) carrying out the symbolic shaking off the dust before doing so.
Paul travelled through Asia Minor and Greece from about AD 46-58. At his second missionary journey, he was led by the Holy Spirit to bypass several places and in some instances to stay on longer at another. For reasons unknown to Paul, it did not matter why he avoided certain cities. Whether there be greater dangers and persecutions, he went where the Holy Spirit impressed on him. The Holy Spirit was very present in all aspects of Paul’s mission to preach the gospel, directing each step of the way.
At Corinth, he saw a vision of the Lord and this time it was different. It was not to tell him which way to go or not to go. Instead it was to minister to Paul. Having met with much persecutions, rejections, abuse, and imprisonment, it was only natural that Paul may have fears and anxieties. The Lord calmed his heart and assured Paul that he was with him and that he should keep speaking. This is much like present day Christian workers sent out to the unreached. They are not welcomed, are treated with suspicion and they often face disappointments and become dejected. They need encouragements and maybe a respite from the mission field. Paul rested and waited on the Lord in Corinth for one and a half years. He continued teaching there and did not face the kinds of opposition as he did in some parts of Asia. This ministering by the Lord sustained and recharged Paul before he embarked on his third missionary journey. We can learn a good lesson from Paul being ministered by the Lord. In our service to the Lord, especially in “hostile to the gospel areas”, perhaps regular “time outs” – nourished by the Holy Spirit for rest – are recommended before we experience “burn outs” that could impact our ministry for the Lord.
