Our Labour Is Not in Vain

And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. the next...: Or, in the weeke betweene, or in the Sabbath betweene Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. - Acts 13:42-52

    When Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel at Antioch in Pisidia, the Jews 'were filled with envy' and spoke against the gospel, contradicting it and blaspheming God. They wilfully and deliberately refused to believe the revelation of God concerning his Son. Despising Christ, despising the gospel of the grace of God and despising the messengers of grace, they brought destruction upon themselves. But Paul and Barnabas were not turned away from their noble work. Neither the instability of their brother and friend, John Mark, nor the unbelief and opposition of the Jews could deter them from their work. The Jews would not hear them, so they turned to the Gentiles and preached the gospel to them. Thus they were instruments in God's hand by which he accomplished his eternal purpose of grace in the saving of his elect among the Gentiles (Isa. 55:11). There are five lessons clearly taught in this passage of Holy Scripture.

    1. All who believe the gospel should seize every opportunity to preach the gospel (13:42-44)

    After Paul had finished preaching, the Jews walked out in angry protest. But there were some Gentiles present whose hearts were affected by the message. They asked Paul and Barnabas to preach to them through the week and on the next sabbath, which they gladly did. While at Antioch they preached in the Jewish synagogue and on the streets to the great multitudes who gathered to hear them and to individuals as God gave them opportunity. They looked for opportunities to speak to sinners heading for eternity about their souls and to preach Christ to them. And they seized every opportunity God gave them. In that regard they are examples to all believers in this world. Every pastor, every gospel preacher, must relentlessly give himself to the work of the ministry, to the business of faithfully preaching the gospel (1 Tim. 4:12-16; 2 Tim. 4:1-5). And every believer should look for and seize every opportunity to bear faithful witness to perishing sinners concerning the things of Christ (John 20:21; Acts 1:8). We all make excuses for not witnessing to the people around us, but we are without excuse. If we refuse to honestly and openly confess Christ to others, it is either because we do not care that people are perishing without him, or because we fear their reaction to us, or because we do not really believe in the power of the gospel. Many who would gladly preach to thousands where they might be applauded often refuse to preach to one for fear of scorn!

    2. All who faithfully preach the gospel will meet with opposition in this world (13:45-46)

    It is not possible to preach the gospel of Christ faithfully without offending the enemies of Christ. People who are opposed to Christ will be opposed to anyone who faithfully represents Christ to them (1 Cor. 1:22-24). When men and women oppose God's preachers, those who faithfully preach the gospel of Christ, they are fighting against God (1 Sam. 8:7). The Jews at Antioch did not merely reject Paul and Barnabas. They did not merely reject a sermon they did not like. They rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and the message of God's free grace in him. In doing so they judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life. John Gill commented: 'The Jews, by this act of theirs in rejecting the Gospel, did as it were pass sentence upon themselves that they ought not to be saved, since they despised the means of salvation.'

    This is a very solemn matter! These men and women, by their rejection of the gospel, became reprobate. God left them to their just condemnation and hardened their hearts in unbelief (Hosea 4:17; John 12:39-40; Rom. 11:8-11). The judgement of God that fell upon them should be alarming to any who hear but refuse to believe the gospel of God's free grace in Christ. To reject the gospel of Christ is to court reprobation. It is to court the judgement of God. Wilful unbelief, the willful rejection of the gospel, involves four things:

    1. It calls God a liar (1 John 5:10).

    2. It despises the precious blood of Christ (Heb. 10:29).

    3. It fights against God (Isa. 63:10).

    4. It is the judgement of self as one worthy of eternal damnation.

    A person's rejection of the gospel, the rejection of Christ, is a decided, deliberate act of his own will. The unbelieving heart is so obstinately proud that it chooses destruction before it will bow to the rule of Christ. God declares that in hell the damned who suffer his wrath eat the fruit of their own free will (Prov. 1:31).

    3. A man's faithfulness in preaching the gospel is not to be deter mined by his success, but by his obedience to the commandment of God (13:47).

    When Paul and Barnabas found that their message had been rejected, they did not tum away from their work. It never entered their minds to do so. They did not compromise their message. It never occurred to them that they might be more successful if they were a bit less dogmatic in their doctrine. They simply did what they had always done—they went on preaching the gospel. They changed nothing, not their message, nor their method, nor their manners.

    The prophecy referred to in verse 47 (Isa. 49:6) refers to Christ himself, but Paul applies it to all who preach the gospel because all true gospel preachers are labourers together with Christ (1Cor. 3:9). In the Word of God those who preach the gospel are so closely connected to Christ in their work that they are called both lights and saviours (Matt. 5:14; Obad. 21; 1Tim. 4:16).

    God requires only one thing of his servants—faithfulness. He does not require success. But he does require faithfulness. It is the responsibility of every child of God and every servant of God to serve faithfully the honour of God, the will of God and the people of God, as providence directs and the Holy Spirit leads (1 Cor. 4: 1-2; 2 Cor. 4: 1-7). Let us ever be found faithful to the glory of God, the gospel of Christ and the souls of men with the talents we have, in the place where God puts us.

    4. As God's servants faithfully preach the gospel of Christ he sovereignly accomplishes his purpose of grace (13:48-49)

    Some believe and some do not believe, but God's purpose is always accomplished. Though the Jews did exactly what they wanted to do, yet by their unbelief the gospel has been sent to chosen sinners throughout the world (Rom. 11:22-23,32-36). Verses 48 and 49 demonstrate four gospel truths with striking clarity:

    1. Unbelief is the cause of eternal damnation (13:46; John 3:36).

    2. Election is the cause of saving faith (2 Thess. 2: 13-14).

    3. All who obey the gospel in time were ordained to eternal life in eternity (1 Thess. 1:4-5).

    4. The preaching of the gospel always accomplishes God's purpose and glorifies him (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

    God will save his elect. He will glorify himself. He will honour his word (1 Cor. 15:58).

    5. By the faithful discharge of their responsibilities God gives his servants confidence and joy before him (13:50-52).

    When they were thrown out of Antioch for preaching the gospel Paul and Barnabas 'shook oft' the dust of their feet' against their persecutors, being free from their blood (Luke 9:5; Ezek. 33:8-9), and went on to proclaim God's saving grace in another place. And they were 'filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost'. They had faithfully discharged their responsibilities as God's servants. There fore they rejoiced before him (2 Tim. 4:6-8).