Opposition

Faithful Living Can Trigger Opposition

Caring for others, speaking the truth, and living with integrity are not always rewarded in this broken world. God's grace often exposes the sin and guilt of people, sometimes triggering hostility. Believers can become a convenient target of anger.

Paul experienced that from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (Acts 24:1–26). Notice the varied forms of opposition they mobilized against him before Felix:

• They enlisted a skilled orator, Tertullus, who flattered the governor as he represented them in their case against Paul (Acts 24:1–3).
• They trumped up a variety of accusations that amounted to little more than name-calling (Acts 24:5–6). On a previous occasion, Jason of Thessalonica had experienced similar treatment for merely entertaining Paul and his team (Acts 17:5–9).
• They arrested Paul, and though they accused commander Lysias of violence, it was they who had been on the verge of a riot (Acts 23:7–10; 24:6–7).
• They engineered the testimony of others against him (Acts 24:9).
• They demeaned the entire Christian movement, describing it in loaded terms like “plague” and “sect” (Acts 24:5, 14), not unlike some today who use sweeping negative generalizations and caricatures to dismiss religious activity.
• They apparently played politics with Felix, who was obviously used to settling disputes through bribes and other deals (Acts 24:26; 25:9).

Recognizing this pattern can help us to avoid the mistake of personalizing all attacks on our faith. These responses are more often rooted in our opponents' sense of guilt or fear of judgment than in any justified assessment of our character or conduct.

Leaders Adapt to Adversity

Many people run from adversity; wise leaders cheerfully expect it! Wherever change and progress are underway, competing interests inevitably rise to challenge them. At that point, leaders must decide whether they will accept the challenge and meet it, or turn tail and let their opponents set the agenda.

Nehemiah's adversaries were a group of Jews from racially mixed backgrounds and Gentiles who had a vested interest in seeing that Jerusalem remained unprotected (Neh. 4:7). During the seventy years of Judah's exile, they had established dominance over those left behind. Therefore, Nehemiah's plan to rebuild the walls and revitalize the city threatened to end their monopoly on control.

Nehemiah responded to their opposition with resolute faith and prayer and measured resistance. Rather than escalate a touchy situation, he defended against attack and kept on working. Thus he adapted to adversity rather than run from it or overreact to it. God eventually rewarded Nehemiah's perseverance with the completion of the wall (Neh. 6:15).

If you are in a position of leadership, how do you respond to opposition and adversity? Do you bend but not break, strengthened by your faith and confident that God will see you through? Do you respond to the opposition in appropriate ways, taking practical steps to ensure that the task goes forward, even as others try to shut it down?