“42 As they were leaving, the people begged that these matters be presented to them the following Sabbath. 43 After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and persuading them to continue in the grace of God.
44 The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the message of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to oppose what Paul was saying by insulting him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles! 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“I have made you
a light for the Gentiles
to bring salvation
to the ends of the earth.”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 So the message of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the prominent women, who worshiped God, and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district. 51 But they shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 13:42-52

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We never want to give up on somebody. We want to keep pressing, keep pushing, keep asking them spiritual questions, trying to guide their hearts and lead them toward Christ. But we also need to make a decision, like Paul does here, to move on, to pursue other hearts, other lives, for the sake of the spread of the Gospel.

How many times do you invite someone to a bible study? As many times as necessary, right? How many times to you keep trying to invite that one person to an Easter or Christmas service? As many as it takes, right? But at some point, you must decide that it is a better choice for your main efforts to begin to share the gospel message with someone else. Paul made this a very solid line during his ministry. He always went to the synagogues first, shared the Gospel with them. If they received it, he kept preaching and teaching and discipling them. But if they resisted, or it seemed like the effort was over, he didn’t stick around trying but moved on to the Gentiles in the marketplace and other areas of the city.

There are so many people who need to hear the Gospel message. So many people who need to hear and see and understand. Some will respond immediately, others need time to let the seed grow and take root. We need to be mindful of this, spending what time we have well and trying to influence as many lives for the sake of the Gospel as possible. Nobody likes to make that decision, to stop pursuing someone for Christ, but sometimes it is best to move on and allow the Holy Spirit to be the One doing that continual prompting so that you can share with more people what God has done in your life. Your time is valuable, your efforts matter. Use them wisely and keep plowing new ground for the seed of the Gospel message. God has plenty of servants that He can use to reach out to someone or to a particular group, especially here in the West.

Look for those least reached, those who are oppressed or neglected by others. Seek out the lonely, the hurting, the sad and the depressed and share the joy that has been planted in you through Christ. Find the people who feel like they aren’t cared for, and show them the love of God. It’s not always the popular people and the great influencers (by human standards) that make a difference for the Kingdom, but often it is the quiet, meek, behind-the-scenes people that have the deepest roots and the steadiest hearts.

GoLove people. Share the Gospel message. Keep the effort flowing. Keep scattering seed.