Not Welcome

When we testify to the presence of the Lord Jesus, that could result in our encountering opposition for our faith.  We should always seek to be compelling and compassionate in our presentation, so that our witness can continue to be strong.  In Acts 18 (ESV), there is a fascinating reference:
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,
3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

From what I can tell, there was conflict between believing Jews and those who believed in Jesus Christ, so Claudius removed them.

There is an incident out of Dearborn, Michigan, in which a Christian man has basically been told that he is not welcomed in that community.  The Detroit News reported on September 21:

A Dearborn resident who was told he was not welcome in the city by its mayor during a heated council meeting last week said he wants to see positive change come from the interaction and contends he's standing up for the rights of Christians.

Ted Barham, who has lived in Dearborn for seven years, said in an interview Friday that Mayor Abdullah Hammoud's comments calling him a racist and "an Islamaphobe" at a Sept. 9 council meeting bothered him because he believes Christians face suppression of freedom of religion and speech in Muslim countries and other parts of the world outside the U.S. He said it's important for Christians to stand up for those rights.

In the public comment section of a recent City Council meeting, Barham had stated his opposition to renaming a street after a gentleman whom he believed to be a supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah. The mayor responded, and the news story stated, "The mayor said Barham should close his eyes when he passes the sign honoring Siblani if he doesn't like it and criticized the content Barham has made on social media.

The mayor, who is Muslim, said: "Although you live here, I want you to know, as mayor, you are not welcome here," adding, "And the day you move out of the city will be the day I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city."  Dearborn is known nationally for its population from Middle Eastern countries.

Nathan Hayes, the pastor of Solid Rock Church in Dearborn, who said he identifies as conservative politically, disagreed with the approach Barham took in his comments to the City Council. While Hammoud probably should have responded differently, he said he believes Barham, with whom he is familiar and has invited to participate in church activities, has a history of being an "instigator" by making controversial comments.

Hayes seemed to be naive about the degree to which Christians face "oppression" in the U.S.

The initial confrontation occurred on September 9.  In last Tuesday's meeting, according to FoxNews.com:

At Dearborn, Michigan’s first city council meeting since his clash with a local Christian minister went viral after a heated exchange over a controversial honorary street sign naming, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud declined to apologize for his saying the minister was "not welcome here" and that he would "launch a parade" when he left town.

Ted Barham, the same Christian minister, opened his remarks at Tuesday's meeting by repeating the words that went viral at the previous one on Sept. 9.
 
"The mayor, in a way, cursed me, as was seen around the world. And I would like to repeat what I said that day to you, Mr. Mayor: ‘God bless you,’" Barham said.

Others in the meeting expressed concern over the mayor's embrace of the local influencer who had voiced support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

I think it's important to note that there has certainly been hostility that has been generated here, to the extent that a mayor of a city has adamantly told one of its citizens he was not welcome.  We have opportunities to share the love and truth of the Christian faith, but we should always, whenever possible, do so guided by a spirit of peace.  Romans 12 tells us that we are to be at peace with others, as best we can, and to love our enemies.  And, we should try hard, without compromising, to build bridges and not generate hostility.

We can do what we can to turn down the temperature.  But, that doesn't mean we should back off from our convictions.  Hearts and lives are at stake, and we can be passionate about winning those who don't know Christ to Him.