Rejection

Opposition in Iconium

Christians who are doing anything for Christ must learn how to deal with many kinds of rejection. One rejection can tip the scales weighted with hundreds of affirmations. Satan’s trick is to get our mind so occupied with a rejection that we forget all about the good things that are happening. Paul …

Paul explains his conversion

Three years after Paul’s conversion he goes to Jeru?salem and visits with Peter. This was his first visit to this city as a Christian. He stayed fifteen days and only saw Peter and James (vv. 18-20). It would appear that the Apostles were suspicious of him and he had a tough …

Rejected by the Religious Leaders

Bible scholars say that approximately two months had passed between the previous account and these events. The “feast of the dedication” (Hanukkah) (v. 22) takes place in December, which is near the time when we celebrate our Christmas. This feast celebrates the reded …

You Are of Your Father The Devil

The Jews claimed Abraham as their spiritual father, but Jesus responded by stating that spiritual descendants of Abraham do what Abraham did, believing and obeying God (v. 39). These Jews were very unlike Abraham (v.40). He listened to God’s truth and obeyed it, but these religious …

Rejection by Many Followers

As the people began to understand Jesus’s teachings, they found them to be totally unacceptable. Besides the hostile Jewish leaders, many of the Galilean disciples turned away from Him. The popular enthusiasm for Jesus as a political Messiah (v. 15) was then over. They saw that He was …

Jesus Tells About The Owner Of a Vineyard

Jesus begins to speak to the people in parables (v. 1). He tells how an owner rented his vineyard out to tenant farmers or vine-dressers on a crop basis and then he went to stay in another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to collect his share of the crop. Instead of sharing …

Israel Rejects The Gospel

This passage applies primarily to Jews, but it applies also to all lost souls around the world. Dr. E. Meyers Harrison, a veteran missionary and professor of missions, says there are four reasons why the Church must send out missionaries …

Jesus Makes Three Important Announcements

The people marveled at the gracious words coming from Jesus mouth (v. 22). However they immediately began to question what authority he had to be saying these things (v. 23). He was not accepted as a prophet in His home town (v. 24). Jesus, sensing their opposition, noted two i …

Earnest Prayer in Faith

In the previous verses we have seen David trusting in God with great faith. Now we see him trembling in fear (vv. 8-9). As we see David  switch suddenly from faith to fear and trust to trembling we are reminded of how this can happen in our own lives today. Faith and fear of …