Thinking in 3’s - Acts 19:8 - Speak Boldly

Acts 19:8   And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 

Paul’s visit to Ephesus on his 2nd missionary journey was pretty wild. He faced opposition everywhere he went. He woke up expecting it every single day. Now, as he entered this great city, he would be immersed in a pagan culture that could hardly conceive of what he would tell them. Distracting from his message would be men driven by evil spirits, “naked and wounded.” Those who came to faith in Christ would burn their superstitious tool boxes worth ridiculous sums of money. The silversmith union would rise up in opposition against him, and the riot brought the whole city to a halt.

And what was Paul’s role in this? He taught daily in the synagogue. He “spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.” When Jewish opposition increased, he moved from the synagogue to the hall of Tyrannus, where he continued reasoning with his hearers for another two years. He did not incite mobs. He did not resort to the spectacular. He relied on, and proclaimed, the Word of God. He spoke boldly. He reasoned. He persuaded. It’s what we need to do, whatever the venue; whatever the crowd size; whenever we get the chance, and wherever we can find the opportunity.

To “speak boldly” is to speak openly. This is not a secret. My Bible program dictionary offers these phrases: “to speak openly about something and with complete confidence;” ‘“to speak regardless of who is listening;” “to speak without fearing;” “to speak without worrying.” If I could add to this, it seems that a person who speaks boldly is also a person who speaks clearly. He will not want to be misunderstood. Those who oppose will misquote and take statements out of context in any case. But its the hearers - those who have ears to hear - that you want to reach.

And so our verb, “speak boldly,” is followed by two participles that flesh out what this means. The first of these is “reasoning.” Paul’s task is to present a reality that stands in distinct contrast with the current, pagan worldview. Instead of many gods, Paul spoke of one. Instead of works intended to appease these gods, he spoke of God’s grace that was able to redeem. Instead of sensuality, he was compelled to relate a Biblical view of spirituality. And these people had never heard such things before. And so he had to support his claims with the story of Scripture, how this God created and designed; how this God was personally involved in human events; how this God loved and cared and sent and sacrificed. This was unheard of to these busy, prosperous people.

But Paul did not merely want to talk about ideas. He wanted Jesus to become so real, so compelling, so personal, that they could not but help to give themselves to him. And so Paul “persuaded.” He would lay out the argument in such a way that there really was no decision to make, since God in Christ had decided for them in this work of atonement. It is as though they were in “the Way” of a camel stampede, and there was no place to step aside from the onslaught of the salvation that was proffered by God through the preaching of this apostle.

And many believed. They found their new home in Christ. Their lives were changed. And many rejected. They rejected Paul’s words. They rejected Paul. They rejected God. But Paul did his job. I have to ask myself, and you. Have we done ours?