Friday after the First Sunday after Easter, 4/27/01

Acts 14:1, 2 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. --NIV

In the name of the One against Whom the unbelievers fight, amen.

Unbelievers are enemies of the Gospel. The message makes them angry, and they fight against it. We see this in our day, and we often suffer consequences because of it. In fact, unbelievers are at work in our day stirring people up against the church to such an extent that laws are passed which persecute Christians. And we have only begun to see such laws. Freedom of speech has been defended in court to the point that you can say and write almost any profanity you want. You can open a porn shop next to a school. But you cannot speak about your faith at work, display anything about Christ on public property, or sing common Christmas carols in a public school. If you are paying attention to the news, you know that the persecution goes much, much farther than what I have named.

But look again at our passage for today. Many people believed Paul and Barnabas. And so it is today. Many people are still brought to faith in Christ by the preaching of the Gospel. It is still true that God's word does not return void, but accomplishes what He desires. Never give up, and never be discouraged. The fact that there are enemies of the Gospel simply reinforces the fact that it is the truth, and it is the power of God for salvation. Amen.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we are persecuted in many subtle ways. We also see that the enemies of the Gospel are becoming increasingly bold in their fight against You. Heavenly Father we ask that You remember our enemies in mercy. Bring them to repentance that leads to eternal life. Cause them to turn from their hatred and walk with us in the True Faith. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

copyright 2001 Reformation Lutheran Church http://ReformationChurch.org