When to Stop

Steven’s Scribbles
“When to Stop”
Matt. 7:6
    
    When do you stop trying to teach someone the Gospel? When this topic comes up, there are two “go-to” verses in the brotherhood. “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matt. 7:6). “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (Matt. 10:14-15).  When someone doesn’t listen to the gospel, our instantaneous reaction is, “Well, you just gotta shake the dust off your feet.” This limited commission in Matt. 10 was given to the apostles for the purpose of going “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and was later superseded by the “Great commission” of Matt. 28:18-20. Also we tend to invoke Matt. 7:6 too quickly. The imagery that Jesus presents is found elsewhere in the New Testament and should give us insight as to what it means to “throw your pearls before swine.” In 1 Cor. 15:32 Paul states that while he was in Ephesus he “fought with wild beasts.” We can read of that account in Acts 19:28. After Paul had converted the 12 disciples that had obeyed the wrong baptism, he lived in Ephesus and continued to go about teaching and performing miracles. This upset many in Ephesus because they realized that Paul’s teaching put their livelihoods at stake because they were makers of idols for false gods (Acts 19:23-27). A mob is formed and is raised up against Paul to the point they brought him before the assembly. This is what Paul describes as “fought with wild beasts.” It’s not your aunt, uncle, parent, or friend who just won’t listen to the truth about the Gospel. So when to stop? As long as they aren’t forming a mob, and even when they are, keep teaching with great patience and instruction (2 Tim. 4:1-2). I love you all!


In His service,
Steven Hugley