Articles
Rejection of the Gospel - Acts 14
Rejection of the Gospel - Acts 14
Here we go again! How do people react to the eye-witness testimony of an apostle who was verified by God doing miracles in connection with him? Such miracles were designed for such confirmation of these spokesmen for God and such was the ‘testimony of God’. (Heb. 2:3-4, Mark 16:20; 1 John 1:1-3).
Well, some accept the evidence and believe. Such is NOT ‘blind faith’! They not only heard the revealed message but they witnessed the miraculous signs!
YET, and it seems as if there is always this ‘yet’! Even with irrefutable evidence presented to them, they discount or ignore such. Such is NOT new! Israel of old rejected and persecuted the prophets that God sent. The leaders rejected John the baptist’s testimony concerning Jesus. THEN, they rejected JESUS even though He did such miraculous signs. "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. (Acts 2:22-23).
Often the testimony that is clear is simply brushed aside. Jesus had told the apostles to expect this! (cp. Luke 8 – the parable of the sower, and then Matt. 21 – the parable of the wicked tenants, Matthew 22 – the parable of the marriage feast, etc. etc.) AND so it was! We see it here in Acts 14!
NOW it is our turn! We have not seen the LORD, nor witnessed the confirming signs, but we have been given the written record of those who did! We have eye-witness testimony concerning Jesus. In particular, we have the eye-witness testimony that He was RAISED FROM THE DEAD and glorified as Lord of Lords. (Again, reread Luke 1;1-4, 1John 1:1-3, then all of the sermons recorded in Acts concerning the resurrection of Jesus, and then the list of such witnesses presented in 1 Cor. 15.).
That is our message! THAT is the ‘gospel’ (cp. 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 below). Some, upon having such testimony presented to them, will accept it just like those in Acts 2, or the Bereans of Acts 17; or the Corinthians in Acts 18:3, etc. BUT SOME will reject it. That doesn’t invalidate the evidence! That doesn’t undo the resurrection of Jesus! And such does not exclude one from the coming judgment of God! Jesus has been raised and is now our Lord and King. We are His servants. Spread the word.
Hugh DeLong
1 Cor. 15:1-5: (1) Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, (2) by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (5) and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
