By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series written by Ben Quine that takes us through the whole of Scripture to discover what God has to say about how we as believers in Jesus Christ should conduct ourselves both inside the church and outside in our public and private lives. You will discover that the Word of God has much to say about our conduct.

Camping! The very word evokes the widest possible range of emotions. To some, it means beauty, adventure, and refreshment. While to others it symbolizes headache, toil, and frustration. Growing up in a family with nine children we had our share of camping stories, but the one that stands out in my mind was the time we borrowed our friend’s pop-up camper for a trip to Colorado. While we were out in the middle of nowhere the camper broke halfway up: it wouldn’t open so that we could sleep in it, and it wouldn’t close so that we could drive home. I’m sure at that moment, surrounded by whining, grumbling kids, my parents probably asked themselves, “Is this really worth it??”

During the journeys described in Acts 17-20, Paul went from city to city and experienced rejection, abuse, false accusations, and threats of violence from those around him, because he consistently and faithfully presented the Gospel message. But he reaped many wonderful blessings, as well.

And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. (Acts 17:4)

Paul’s boldness led to many souls being saved!

This continued for two years so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 19:10)

The Gospel had been heard by all the residents of Asia! 

Also, many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. (Acts 19:18-19)

The overall message of these chapters is that in spite of the noise made by the opposition, the Gospel was advancing. Lives were being changed. People were turning away from false gods and the occult, demonstrating true repentance by leaving their old lives behind to follow the Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul’s godly conduct resulted in tremendous opposition, but it also led to some very special relationships:

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. (Acts 17:10-13)

The Bereans tested Paul’s message and found that it did align with the truth of Scripture, so many believed.

Imagine their joy and appreciation for Paul as they received the Gospel. The Bereans are a shining example for us today; their brilliant and beautiful actions teach us to hold up every teaching and philosophy to the Word of God to see if it is true. 

Another group with which Paul had a special relationship was the elders of the Ephesian church:

…he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:17-21)

He asked his friends, the elders to come, so that he could encourage them to follow his example of boldly teaching God’s Word.

“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.” (Acts 20:22-25)

He knew he would not see them again and wanted to say goodbye.

“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:26-27)

Paul stated that his calling was to declare the whole counsel of God. He had completed that mission — he had not been intimidated by the threats, the false accusations, the danger to himself or his ministry, or any other attack. It was an act of supreme love, and like a watchman who has adequately warned the people, he was now innocent of the blood of any who might perish (Ezekiel 33:1-9). He had done his duty and he was leaving the results to God.

And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. (Acts 20:36-38)

Paul’s relationship with the Ephesian church elders was tried and true, not worldly or shallow. They had connected and shared a bond of brotherhood at a very deep level — those who loved Christ Jesus and loved God’s Word had their very souls knit together (Matthew 12:46-50). These relationships starkly contrast with that of Paul and the Jewish leaders. 

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (I Thessalonians 2:8) 

For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:8).

There is so much for us to learn from Paul’s example in these chapters. He lived a life of wisdom – walking uprightly, working diligently, giving generously, and cultivating deep relationships. He suffered many false accusations but had not done anything wrong. In spite of the danger, he had truly loved others by taking controversial steps to teach the whole of Scripture.

Living a life of godly conduct as a disciple of Christ often leads to opposition from the world. So we might be left wondering, is it really worth it? We learn from the life of Paul that the answer is an unequivocal, Yes!!

But if Paul lived such a humble and upright life, why did so much conflict follow him from city to city? We’ll talk about that in our next articles…

Join us Tuesday evenings starting February 7th for a look into God’s Word on Biblical Conduct, as we work through the Answers for Difficult Days Bible study series by Ben Quine. Click here to register today, or visit the Christians Engaged store to purchase your copy of this vital series!

Click here to register today for the most recent class with Ben Quine.

Or check out our Christians Engaged Store to purchase the Answers for Difficult Days books. (4-Book Bundle $40 , shipping not included).

ABOUT BEN

Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum

Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben also has recently accepted a full-time position with Christians Engaged as the Director of Curriculum & Strategic Ministry Partnerships.

Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.

Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.