Remaining faithful

Acts 18:12-17

¹² But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. ¹³ They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”

¹⁴ But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. ¹⁵ But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” ¹⁶ And he threw them out of the courtroom.

¹⁷ The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.

This passage describes Jewish opposition Paul had in Corinth. He’s been in Corinth for 18 months with Jesus encouraging him in a vision to continue preaching there.

Paul remained obedient to the call of God on his life. This passage encourages me that God can use the most unlikely people or situations to defend us and support us as we remain faithful to him. Paul was supported and defended by the highest Roman official of the region against his Jewish attackers. Paul went free. The crowd, however, didn’t want to let a good fight go so then turned on the Jewish synagogue leader, Sosthenes. We see him later with Paul writing to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:1. God remained faithful to him as well.

Jesus, as we remain faithful to you, you are always faithful to us. I know it doesn’t mean that persecution won’t come, or our freedom or life won’t be threatened, but Lord I pray that I will always remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit in surrendering my life to you.  Amen

Written by Suzie Hodgson

God has a better answer

If I were Paul and about to make my case (vs14) the scene would almost be laughable. Here he is preparing to defend his actions, no doubt asking the Holy Spirit for help and for God to grant him favour, when the whole crisis is averted. Two things stand out to me here, the first is that worry is a complete waste of energy because the thing that is feared truly may not happen. The second is that you cannot predict how God is going to answer your prayers. 

I wonder if Paul was expecting a fresh surge of faith and boldness to speak, or the opportunity to speak and see people come to faith… But God delivered Paul by using the appointed authority to deny the case and set Paul free! Yes on many occasions God gave Paul strength to stand his ground in difficult circumstances, but in this instance God simply removed the difficulty altogether! 

I wonder how Paul felt? I wonder if he was surprised, looked around for further opposition, and then walked away with a bemused smile on his face. I wonder if he shared a laugh with God, enjoying God’s deliverance and how great it was to have the King of the Universe on his side. 

Whatever Paul’s reaction, it’s good to be reminded that God will answer my prayers as He sees fit, and it will always be an interesting adventure with Him!

Thanks, God, for partnering with your people and for ensuring our journey with you is interesting and exciting! Amen. 

Written by Beth Waugh