“But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.”
Acts 18:15 (NLT)
After a year and a half of teaching the Word of God in Corinth, the Jews had enough of Paul’s preaching. They brought him before Gallio, hoping this new governor would take their side. But Gallio would not even let Paul defend himself. God had already told Paul, “Don’t be afraid. Keep preaching. I’m with you.” And in that moment, God sent a defense Paul did not have to create for himself.
Gallio was not interested in their arguments about words, names, and rules. He dismissed the case because it was not about real wrongdoing. It was about their religious disputes. And I hear the Lord saying through that moment that the world does not care about so many things the church spends its energy arguing over. Our services, preferences, traditions, translations, and disagreements are not what will convince the world that Jesus is real.
Like those Jews, we can still become too inwardly focused. Too focused on what is happening inside the church, instead of the people outside the church who still need the Gospel we have been given. If we are going to help unbelievers, we have to stop making mountains out of molehills. We have to seek transformation, not just information. We have to find what unifies us in Christ.
Jesus gave us the proof the world is supposed to see. In John 13, Jesus said that when we love one another like He loved His disciples, the world will know we belong to Him. Jesus said that right after He washed the disciples’ feet. In John 17, Jesus prayed that we would experience such perfect unity that the world would know the Father sent Him. Perfect unity is a result of loving others like Jesus. So today, let’s discontinue the arguments and the wasted energy. The world needs more than our theology. They need to see and experience our love.