Acts 14 -- Problems With Success

“Once again, the unbelieving Jews stirred up hatred and opposition …” my commentary said.  I keep noticing as I read that the very people of God had gotten to the point that they would often incite riots, but generally they would let others fight their battles for them.  They were cowardly, it seems, but by getting others to do their dirty work they may have been hedging their bets (they thought) just in case they were wrong.

 

Paul and Barnabas had just left Cyprus as a result of just this sort of thing, and they came to Iconium, where they stayed a long time, “speaking bravely for the Lord.”  Then a cloud once again showed up:  “But the city was divided.”  Amazingly, there appeared to be only two sides – the Jews and the apostles.  The Gentiles were having to decide which side they were going to come down on.  Unfortunately, Paul and Barnabas were about to be stoned, so they quickly left the city, traveling to Lystra and Derbe.

 

A miracle from God, given to help unbelievers to have faith, was taken the wrong way by the hearers in Lystra.  A man who’d been crippled from birth was healed by God as Paul spoke.  The locals, though, believed that their own gods had come down as Paul and Barnabas, and they tried to worship them.

 

Once again the Jewish troublemakers showed up, and they incited the crowds against them, and where minutes before the locals were wanting to worship Paul and Barnabas, now they were stoning Paul!  They left him outside the city, thinking him dead, but the followers gathered around him and he returned to the city overnight before heading to Derbe.

 

Despite the dangers, they returned to the cities they’d preached in as they made their way back to their home church in Antioch, and in each city they took time to organize the new local churches and strengthen the believers.  My commentary said, “The local church is both an organism and an organization, for if an organism is not organized, it will die.”

 

Father, relatively speaking, we have it so much easier than they did.  We have much better transportation and communication, and a wealth of resources.  How much more we should be able to do.  Show us this very point this weekend as we do our best to reach people we might otherwise never reach through our Back To School Bash with Flame.  Use it to glorify Yourself and lean nonbelievers to You.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford