Fulfilling our responsibilities

One thing that Paul did was he preached the gospel. Wherever he went, he preached to the people that Jesus is the Christ.

Why did he do so? One reason, of course, was that Jesus commanded him to. And it was not a one-time command either. Jesus first gave him that charge when Paul was saved (Acts 9:15), and we see it again here where Jesus told him,

Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. (Acts 18:9)

But there was another reason. Paul remembered the words of God to Ezekiel. Namely,

When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:18-19)

That’s why after the Jews rejected his message in Corinth, he told them,

Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. (Acts 18:6)

He would later tell the elders in Ephesus something similar (Acts 20:26-27).

The point is, we have a responsibility to share the gospel to those we know.

We are not responsible for how they react, but we are responsible to tell people the truth. And if we don’t, God will hold us responsible for their blood.

Paul understood this. Do you? Are you taking the gospel to the people God has put in your lives.

As Jesus told Paul, he now tells us:

Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. (Acts 18:9)