Spring Break! "Causin' trouble all over the world!"

Acts 17:6 "'These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.'"

This week is spring break week, and also the week of our road trips at church. I am so excited. I am staying in town, but I hope that someday someone will say this about us. Isn't that an awesome observation! "Trouble all over the world!" The apostles and other disciples were having an impact that people recognized. There was indeed some trouble! People were getting riled up! Their reaction to the apostles was just spreading the Word farther though! This is an interesting section of Acts. The trouble quote comes from a man in Thessalonica, but earlier when they were in Philippi, there had been a young woman following them around and yelling that they were "servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." (16:17) Paul is so "troubled" that he casts the demon out of her that causes her to "tell the future." We are to be bold, but in the words of Jon Foreman, there shouldn't be a "show." The conversations in Acts are all very organic. The Apostles preach Jesus in the synagogue. They give help to beggars and those seeking healing. They answer the questions of their jailers. These aren't the guys on most college campuses who are yelling at students that their skirts are too short, that they are evil sinners, and they need to repent. These are men meeting people where they are, in moments of pain, in simple conversation about life and religion. :) God help us to follow their example, to be bold, but not judgmental. To be bold and loving.