Quitting is an option, kinda

I haven't posted a blog in a while, so I thought I would share some thoughts on some reading I just finished in Acts 18.

There are few things in the world more exhausting than engaging in ministry that feels fruitless. You are striving, sharing Jesus, loving and caring for other people, and nothing happens. No visible change in their heart, no interest in God, just suffering continuing to pile upon suffering. There is a beauty to this kind of striving, when we get to walk miles with other people, sharing the burden that is life with them.

But the dilemma that we eventually face is that not everyone is going to accept Jesus. However, everyone deserves a chance to hear and see Jesus. Eventually, as people dedicated to sharing Christ with the world, our focus needs to shift when we find our efforts fruitless. That is not to say that we should stop loving and caring for those people, but the time and energy we expend needs to be devoted elsewhere. Paul experienced this in Corinth. In Acts 18, after many fruitless hours preaching to the Jews in the synagogue, he proceeds to do something pretty intense. He goes Jay-Z, brushes the dirt off his shoulders (literally the translation is "he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes") and says "Your blood be on your own heads! I am guiltless. From now on I will go to the Gentiles". Whoa, pulled out the serious card there, Paul.

But what he does next shows the depth of love he has for these people. Sure, he goes to his buddy Titius Justus (A man with a terrible first name contrasted by an awesome last name) and starts preaching out of his house. Next door to the synagogue. He never stopped ministering to the Jews! As he is preaching loudly next door, I am certain that the Jews could all hear what he was saying. I am so certain of this because the next line says that Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and his whole household became a believer.

The really cool thing about this for me is how Paul describes his time in Corinth later, in his first letter to the Corinthians. He says "I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow". I bet for a while in Corinth, Paul felt like his ministry was fruitless. He was pouring and and seeing little for it. But then the church exploded. In Acts 18:17, there is a reference to Sosthenes, saying the other Jews beat him up after he had Paul arrested and his attempt to try Paul failed. This is likely the same Sosthenes who is greeted in 1st Corinthians as a Brother in Christ. Crazy!

I experienced this a lot in my time in Eaton Rapids. I planted and planted, rarely seeing growth. I felt like a failure and an abandoner when I was forced to shift focus and when I stepped out as a leader. But I think I know how Paul probably felt when he wrote Sosthenes name in Corinthians or when he thought of Crispus. The same thing that I think, when I see Andrew leading the guys I spent so much time thinking about, praying about, and loving. When I see guys like Brennan, Dan, Luke, and Trent eager to learn more about Jesus and grow in their faith, I see God's fruitful work.

Planting seeds is funny too. Only God knows how far down the line the way you have loved someone and shared Jesus with them will influence them to accept Him. This gives me hope for the people I have loved and comfort in my past efforts.