In a previous post I address how the lack of trials in ones life may be a sign of being on the wrong track....after further study of the ministry of the apostle Paul, I'd like to continue that though.Is it possible that the absence of persecution in our life is a sign of ineffectiveness?
Observe the following pattern:
Pisidian Antioch
Acts 13:49 - "The word of the Lord spread through the whole region"
Acts 13:50 - "But the Jews...stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from the region."
Iconium
Acts 14:1 "A great number of Jews and Gentiles believed."
Acts 14:2 "The Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds.
Acts 14:5 "There was a plot ...to mistreat them and stone them."
Lystra
Acts 14:9 Paul performs a miracle for a cripple and people begin to worship Paul & Barnabas
Acts 14:18 The had difficulty keeping the crowds from sacrificing to them
Acts 14:19 "Jews from Antioch and Iconium" came and won the crowd....they "stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead."
Acts 14:20 "he got up and went back into the city."
Phillipi
Acts 15:15 Lydia and her household baptized
Acts 15:18 Paul casts out evil spirits from a slave girl
Acts 15:19-24 Paul and Silas sent to prison
Thessalonica
Acts 17:4 "Some Jews were persuaded....and a large number of God-fearing Greeks....and a few prominent women"
Acts 17:5 "But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd"
In each of these sequences Paul's ministry is shown as effective (persuading many to believe, performing miracles, baptizing many, etc.). In each of these cases persecution was encountered.
Now consider Paul's visit to Athens. In Acts 17:16-34 Paul attempts to persuade the people of city. No real persecution is encountered. The people seem receptive, however, Acts 17:34 says "a few men became followers." Its interesting that when Paul's ministry was effective, he was persecuted....and when he was ineffective, he suffered no persecution.
While this trend may not carry on throughout scripture, it certainly was the case for Paul.
Perhaps this is why Peter says the following:
I Peter 1:6-7
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
