Move On

The Christian walk is a walk of faith, and so is the process of sharing our faith. There are times in the providence of God when doors of opportunity open and times when doors that were once open close. 

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.” For “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11).

As we journey through life, people will enter our lives along with open doors, opportunities to sow and water gospel seeds. At other points in time, those same doors that once were open  close, windows of opportunity fade and a season of sowing and watering ends. Have you been there?

I certainly have!

And what ought our response be to such circumstances? Move on!

Isn’t that difficult and sometimes painful? In my Christian life of over 37 years, I’ve invested time, energy, and prayer into many people. There were times of demonstrating God’s love. At  other times I’ve had the opportunity to proclaim the wonders of His love found in the gospel. 

Then that person exited my life. It may be they moved away. Maybe they no longer wanted to hang out with the “Jesus freak.” Was I really that overbearing or forthright (my thoughts, not theirs)? It could have been a natural or an abrupt conclusion. In any case, they were removed from my life, and I was left to simply move on.

We now examine the circumstances surrounding the Apostle Paul “moving on” in Acts 17. Though the circumstances surrounding his “moving on” are unique and most likely different from ours, perhaps there are some principles we can draw from his experience that can inform and encourage our witness.

While Paul and Silas continued ministry during Paul’s second missionary journey, their travels took them to Thessalonica, where Paul taught for three weeks. While he was there, the ministry was fruitful:

“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas” (Acts 17:1-4).

So far, so good! The fruit of salvation was blooming! But no so fast. You see, this blooming would bring forth brewing, namely the brewing of trouble. Why? Because there was a group of Jewish people who opposed the gospel in Thessalonica, and there opposition became violent:

“But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.’ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go” (Acts 17:5-9).

The “security” was a pledge or bond which would be forfeited by Jason if Paul and his companions continued to share the gospel, which was trouble-making in the eyes of the authorities. Claiming another king but Caesar was a serious crime. That security granted safety for Jason and others, under the condition Paul and his friends would cease and desist their activity.

Though the church at Thessalonica was born, Paul, Timothy, and Silas left town and  immediately went to Berea, a town 50 miles west of Thessalonica. When they arrived they continued in ministry, again seeing fruit, and once again, the rabble-rousers followed them all the way from Thessalonica. This time, however, it was only Paul who left town. Silas and Timothy remained, but only briefly, as Paul commanded that they join him in Athens.

“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed” (Acts 17:10-15).

In the case of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, the time to move on was quite clear. Although they left, the Spirit of God remained, as did those people filled with the Spirit, those who believed through their ministry.

In our lives, moving on generally won’t involve such hostile circumstances. Yet, there are times people with whom we have a gospel witness will exit our lives, and there are times the Lord may call us to stop ministering to someone in our life.

I’ve noticed in my own Christian journey it’s easier for me to discern when someone has exited my life and testimony. This tends to be fairly natural. However, I find it more difficult to know when to “cut someone loose,” so to speak. How about you?

There are no cut-and-dried answers in this instance, for we walk by faith and must trust and follow the Lord’s leading in all areas, including this area of moving on.

As we follow the Lord, may He give each one of us greater wisdom and discernment as people come into our lives and when the Lord calls us to move on. May we praise and thank God for the time He does give us to sow and water gospel seeds into the lives of people, until that time they may exit our lives. 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).