Boldness, preaching, believing, persecution, and encouragement. This is the pattern in Acts 13-14. The boldness mentioned in the reading this morning was a Holy Spirit-empowered boldness; for example, …as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? (Acts 13:9–10, NLT)
This boldness influenced the Apostle’s preaching. …Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power… (Acts 14:1, NLT), …preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord… (Acts 14:3, NLT) Bold preaching is not loud preaching; it is honest, direct, and unapologetic preaching. The Holy Spirit used such authoritative preaching to convict the hearts of many, and many believed. …Paul and Barnabas…preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. (Acts 14:1, NLT)
Persecution followed, for not all who heard the message believed. They became jealous, following Paul and Barnabas from town to town, inciting riots among the people, expelling them, stoning Paul, and trying to intimidate the believers. So what did the Apostles do? …they returned…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:21–22, ESV)
What stood out to me in the reading is that genuine New Testament Christianity is not neutral in this world. The message we believe and preach is alive, convicting, and powerful—the power of God to save. Let us be encouraged that our message is as alive as Jesus is and that we should continue in the faith as the early church did.
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Acts 13-14.