In our journey through life, we often encounter closed doors, unexpected detours, and all types of conflict with our friends and colleagues.

So how do we cope with these unwanted distractions? How do we press ahead when sometimes we feel like quitting?

Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindall continues to describe the missionary journeys

of Paul and his associates.

Their story inspires courage, not only as we share the gospel with friends and family,

but as we face opposition and rejection.

Teaching from Acts Chapter 17, Chuck titled his message, Traveling as Paul traveled.

I don't care how charismatic, I don't care how gifted the teacher may be. I don't care how big the crowd or how sincere the person may sound. Always check what is being said with the scriptures. Always check it with the scriptures. The scriptures become the guide. And they checked every day to see whether these things were so.

Therefore, many of these believed, many of them believed along with a number of prominent

Greek women and men, founding of the church at Berea.

I could go all the way through this story and show you it one after another, but just another

little part here and we'll get to the end of this journey.

Verse 13, when the Jews of, but when the Jews of Thessalonica found out the word of God had been

proclaimed by Paul and Berea, they came there as well. Don't think because you were criticized

in one place and you move, they won't follow you. Critics are omnipresent. They are there. If they didn't like you

there, they're not going to like you here, especially if you're successful, especially if people

are believing the message. Critics of the message try to silence the message in every way they can.

And here's a case in point. These people came from

Thessalonica over to Berea and they agitated and stirred up the crowd and immediately the

brethren, unnamed, sent Paul out to go as far as the sea. What sea? Look at the map.

It's the Aegean. See Berea? It's not a coastal city, but they took him down to the coast and they're going to take

him out to sea down to Athens.

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