Acts 18
6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
As Paul travelled on his mission trips, he made it a practice to go to each city and preach the gospel to the Jews in the local synagogues. This was a logical step since Paul was a Jew and First Century Christianity was Judaism. Jesus fulfilled all the Messianic prophecies. Jesus is Messiah.
His message was frequently rejected. Many times he was met with hostility and several attempts were made on his life. He stayed the course and continued to carry out the mission God called him to fulfill.There comes a point when we must no longer “throw [our] pearls before pigs.” (Mt 7:6) This warning from Christ comes in the context of judging others. We are not to judge but was are not to ignore. For to allow someone to remain in a state of sin is itself a sin and shows contempt for that person. It demonstrates an attitude of indifference towards the eternal destiny of that person. It is paramount to saying, “He’s going to hell and I don’t care.” A disciple of Christ will have the heart of Christ and such indifference is not Christ-like.
“Shaking the dust of our sandals,” (Mt. 10:4), or, “shaking off your clothes in protest,” (Acts 18:6) are acts that come after the gospel is preached in gentleness and love and the message is met with resistance and hostility. To spend time preaching the gospel to those that have access to it and have heard and rejected it many times is bad stewardship. Much of the world has no access to the gospel nor does it have access to Christians who are willing to disciple the lost who are hungry for the truth.
If you are eternally focused and seeking to live a life of service to Jesus, you are always on mission. If your mission field is one filled with resistance and hostility, it may be time to move on. If you are abiding in Christ daily, He will make it plain to you whether you move on to a ripe field or stay and endure hardship for the sake of His Kingdom. Do not be discouraged. When people reject the message of hope that you offer, they are not rejecting you, they are rejecting Jesus.
