7 where they continued to preach the good news.
Paul and Barnabas get their lives threatened for preaching the Gospel and are forced to leave that area of the country. The first thing they do when they arrive at the new location is preach! Now that is single focused ministry! They know what the Lord wants them to do and they do it. They are not dissuaded by a little persecution. Death threats and attempts on their lives don’t get in their way. They just continue to do what the Lord told them to do. I can imagine being in their shoes and wanting to take a few months to just catch my breath. Or maybe reevaluate my methods to see if I could present the message without the offense of the Cross. I think we as American Christians have worked too hard at trying to make the message palatable for non-believers. In the process we have taken out the most essential elements. We have watered down the Gospel to the point that it is a self-help program with a little god thrown in for good luck. The Gospel is offensive, unless you don’t get offended when you are told you are a sinner without any hope of heaven. It offends when it says that our thoughts, words, and deeds are all subject to a higher authority. It offends when it says that there are absolute truths, an outside authority to whom we must give an account, or that changing the political climate is not the endgame. They knew it was supposed to be offensive and they preached anyway. Truth always confronts our lies and self-deceptions. Every time truth enters it pushes falsehood aside. And when we are clinging to those falsehoods with a death grip, it is painful to let go. But Paul and Barnabas keep presenting the truth. It is much easier to hold onto our lies than it is let go and embrace the Truth.
The Arnold Journey 