7d • General discussion
what does it take to make me quit?
happy blessed sunday hope this speaks to someone.
What Does It Take to Make Me Quit?
Acts 14:1–28
Paul and Barnabas teach us what faithfulnesslooks like when following Jesus gets hard.
“But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord.” — Acts 14:3
1. Don’t Let Opposition Determine Your Obedience
What does it take to make you quit? Opposition?
Following Jesus will eventually put us in situations where obedience is unpopular, misunderstood, or resisted.
The question is what we do when obedience to Jesus meets resistance.
• Don’t assume opposition means you’re outside God’s will.
• Don’t think that because something is hard, God is closing the door.
• Staying or leaving requires discerning the voice of God.
Paul and Barnabas eventually left Iconium, but they didn’t leave the mission.
The location changed.
The audience changed.
The circumstances changed.
But their calling didn’t change.
“And there they preached the Good News.” — Acts 14:7
2. Don’t Let the Crowd Determine Who You Are
Acts 14:8–20
One minute the crowd declared:
“These men are gods in human form!” — Acts 14:11
A few verses later, they stoned Paul and left him for dead.
If the crowd gives you your identity, the crowd can take it away.
Paul and Barnabas refused to receive glory that belonged to God.
They also showed us how to communicate the gospel to people who don’t already understand Scripture:
Paul didn’t change the gospel. He changed his starting point.
We have to know the gospel well enough to communicate it to people who don’t already “speak Christian.”
3. Don’t Let Suffering Convince You to Quit
What does it take to make you quit? Getting hurt while doing the very thing God called you to do?
After Paul was stoned and left for dead, he got back up. He and Barnabas continued preaching—and then returned to the very places where they had experienced opposition.
Why?
Because there were people who needed strengthening.
“They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” — Acts 14:22
Following Jesus faithfully does not mean everything will work out the way we want.
Sometimes you can be right where God called you to be and still get hurt.
Sometimes you obey and the outcome is painful.
Sometimes you pray and don’t get the answer you wanted.
Sometimes you’re faithful and still lose something.
Hardship isn’t evidence that God has abandoned you.
Paul wasn’t lacking faith.
Paul was suffering while being faithful.
“Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” — 2 Timothy 2:3
What Does It Take to Make Me Quit?
Paul and Barnabas:
Kept walking.
Kept proclaiming.
Kept serving.
Stayed faithful to Jesus no matter the cost.
So remember:
Don’t let opposition determine your obedience.
Don’t let the crowd determine your identity.
Don’t let suffering convince you to quit.
“Keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” — 1 Peter 4:19
Keep walking. Keep proclaiming. Keep living for Jesus.
The gospel is worth the cost
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what does it take to make me quit?
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