Re:Verse reading–Acts 17:10-12, 16-34 (day three)
“Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God.” Ecclesiastes tells us that the end of a matter is better than its beginning. As the church began, the band of believers saw an explosion of growth and joy. Even though the establishment—through arrests, beatings, and jail time—responded harshly, the joy of so many people embracing Christ opened the disciples’ hearts to a Holy Spirit-fueled courage and a command of circumstances they had never before known. As years passed, did they perhaps begin to think of themselves as naive in retrospect? Things would get much, much worse. And through it all, their faith and joy would grow much, much deeper. These were the days that taught Paul how all things bend toward the good in the lives of those who love God. That was reality. It still is.
This verse drew my attention, “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God.” Paul was confident in telling God’s truth. He knew the culture, the audience, their thinking, and their readiness for a new way of spiritual life.
Confidence breeds confidence. Paul’s love for Christ and his love for God’s truth helped him preach Christ with confidence and helped turn more people to open their minds and hearts, to listen to him and to believe in Christ. People tend to listen and pay attention when we tell them the truth. Truth matters!
Success breeds success! Paul certainly understood human nature, cultural perspectives and foundation and succeeded in his commission.
Today’s society is different than the time of Paul’s ministry but the approach to influence others to follow Christ should be the same. One must know the culture, the people, the mindset, their beliefs system, and their readiness to change!
People of today are more truth-sensitive and will check what they heard against the Bible if they are ready for change so speaking truthfully, boldly and without hindrance will yield great result in influencing more people to turn to Christ and to become believers. Truth versus errors! Paul’s way of preaching Christ deserves special attention and praise!
Our teachers and mentors preached Christ to us when we were ready for learning more about Christ. I started with the Bible Study Fellowship first when I was not a Christian. They used the Scriptures in the Bible for telling us God’s instructions but not on their own understanding or their own opinions and were able to influence us to follow Christ. They love the Lord with all their hearts. They succeeded in helping us understand who the Lord is. God chose them and sent them to us for God’s glory. We did not feel pressured to follow Christ.
Following Christ was our decision. We listened with an open heart; we evaluated and checked the Scriptures; and we believed with an open heart! When the heart is open for Christ, the Holy Spirit will do the rest!