What A Man Says
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Posted: July 30, 2022
Author: Christopher Brock Acts 14:19-20, New International Version “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.” |
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I am currently in the process of teaching a class through the book of Acts. As I have been reading this book, there have been multiple times that the Lord has revealed new things to me that I had never noticed before. The story of Paul takes up a large part of the Acts and one of the stories is found in chapter 14. Paul was a person who desired to obey the Lord above anything else and in that obedience, he often encountered intense resistance.
In this instance, Paul had been preaching and teaching the Word of God in the town of Lystra. A miracle had taken place and a man was miraculously healed. This opened the door for Paul to begin to preach and teach about Jesus. However, even though a miracle had taken place and Paul was acting in obedience, the people who he was there to serve turned against him to the extent that they even tried to kill him. Imagine going to a place and seeking to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the people only to be rejected to the point that they attempt to murder you. How much hurt and how much discouragement do you believe that might bring into your heart? I believe that for many people, that would be the end of their efforts. They would say, “Well that is enough of this! I am done and will just do what I want to do.” I believe the last thing we would want to do would be to go right back and continue on doing the work of the Lord. Paul was different though. The moment Paul had recovered and got up, he went right back to the very place where he had just been rejected and stoned. He was not deterred and he was not going to stop doing what God had told Him to do, even if it cost him his life.
When you hear about this story, it very likely is inspiring to you. You may feel encouraged to hear about this tenacity and this desire for the Lord. But the real question that I have for you today is this, will you also move forward in the calling of the Lord no matter what it may cost you? When you experience discouragement, rejection, and resistance are you willing to march forward? Will you, just like Paul, march right back into the place where you were just rejected and continue to show the love of Christ? This may sound like a difficult task and the truth is, it is! But the good news is this, God will always be with us and he will never leave us or forsake us. When the Lord sends us to do a job we can be assured that the presence of His Holy Spirit will be right there to prepare the way for us. Be encouraged today to continue on fighting the good fight and doing the work that He has called you to do.
In this instance, Paul had been preaching and teaching the Word of God in the town of Lystra. A miracle had taken place and a man was miraculously healed. This opened the door for Paul to begin to preach and teach about Jesus. However, even though a miracle had taken place and Paul was acting in obedience, the people who he was there to serve turned against him to the extent that they even tried to kill him. Imagine going to a place and seeking to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the people only to be rejected to the point that they attempt to murder you. How much hurt and how much discouragement do you believe that might bring into your heart? I believe that for many people, that would be the end of their efforts. They would say, “Well that is enough of this! I am done and will just do what I want to do.” I believe the last thing we would want to do would be to go right back and continue on doing the work of the Lord. Paul was different though. The moment Paul had recovered and got up, he went right back to the very place where he had just been rejected and stoned. He was not deterred and he was not going to stop doing what God had told Him to do, even if it cost him his life.
When you hear about this story, it very likely is inspiring to you. You may feel encouraged to hear about this tenacity and this desire for the Lord. But the real question that I have for you today is this, will you also move forward in the calling of the Lord no matter what it may cost you? When you experience discouragement, rejection, and resistance are you willing to march forward? Will you, just like Paul, march right back into the place where you were just rejected and continue to show the love of Christ? This may sound like a difficult task and the truth is, it is! But the good news is this, God will always be with us and he will never leave us or forsake us. When the Lord sends us to do a job we can be assured that the presence of His Holy Spirit will be right there to prepare the way for us. Be encouraged today to continue on fighting the good fight and doing the work that He has called you to do.
