Photo by football wife on Pexels.com

acceptance and opposition

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 (JDV)

1 Thessalonians 2:13 This is why we constantly thank God, because when you accepted the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also achieves things effectively in you who believe.
1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s congregations in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, since you have also suffered the same things from people of your own country, just as they did from the Jews
1 Thessalonians 2:15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us. They displease God and are hostile to every human,
1 Thessalonians 2:16 by keeping us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are constantly filling up their sins to the limit, and wrath has overtaken them at last.

acceptance and opposition

Paul and his team had been hinderted and persecuted by the Jews verywhere they went. But Paul kept trying to reach people for Christ in spite of that opposition. Just now, he was realizing that things were turning sour for the Jews as a whole, and he sees that as a sign of God’s wrath.

There are forces in our world today that are seeking to hinder missions work, and block people from the gospel. We need not worry about those systems. God will take care of those who oppose him and his message.

Instead, we should be grateful that God is giving us those who accept his message.

Lord, we thank you for opening doors for many to hear your gospel, and dealing with those who oppose it.