When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the Lord's message; and those who had been chosen for eternal life became believers.

But the Jews stirred up the leading men of the city and the Gentile women of high social standing who worshiped God. They started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their region.

The people of the city were divided: some were for the Jews, others for the apostles.

Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshiped God.

But some Jews were jealous and gathered worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason, in an attempt to find Paul and Silas and bring them out to the people.

When they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes and saying to them, "If you are lost, you yourselves must take the blame for it! I am not responsible. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Crispus, who was the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with all his family; and many other people in Corinth heard the message, believed, and were baptized.

Paul went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly with the people, holding discussions with them and trying to convince them about the Kingdom of God.

But some of them were stubborn and would not believe, and before the whole group they said evil things about the Way of the Lord. So Paul left them and took the believers with him, and every day he held discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

But what if some of them were not faithful? Does this mean that God will not be faithful?

What answer did God give him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not worshiped the false god Baal."

His choice is based on his grace, not on what they have done. For if God's choice were based on what people do, then his grace would not be real grace.