“As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.” (Acts 13:42-49)

Paul and Barnabas, here towards the beginning of their missionary careers, developed their plan. Basically, as they come into each new city, they would first go to the synagogue and preach to the Jews, then after to preach to the Gentiles. Here in the city of Pisidian Antioch, however, the disciples saw quickly that though there was fertile soil to work with, the Jewish community as a whole was infuriated and would stop at nothing to destroy the work of these men.

At that reception, Paul turns his attention towards the Gentiles and sees immediate fruit. And even though they faced persecution, Paul and Barnabas were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit as they headed on towards the next town.

Paul knew he had a job to do – reach the Gentiles. Though his love for the Jewish community meant that he would keep trying to reach as many of them as he could, it was clear there would be fertile soil with the Gentiles. He obeyed the Spirit’s leading and saw many local churches start with many saved believers. In the face of persecution and attacks, these missionaries were filled with joy – they knew what they were doing and who they were serving. And they were glad.

Are you glad? There are a lot of things going on in our world that are causing suffering, heartache and frustrations. Are you glad to face those for the sake of Christ? I hope so, because that is our calling and the people who need us most. Tell me your story in the comments!