Bullets From The Bible 12/07/17
-
When Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch the people would not receive truth so they shook the dust off their feet and continued to Iconium. In Iconium they did many miracles and many believed their teachings, but some stirred up trouble and were going to stone them, so they left and went to Lystra.
In Lystra notice what happened.
Acts 14:8-10 says, “And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.”
After seeing this miracle you would think all would be well...and it was for a while. The people of the city even tried to worship them for which Paul and Barnabas immediately told them to stop.
Remember those guys in Antioch and Iconium? Those were the ones in both places that were trying to stone Paul and Barnabas. Well the Jews from Antioch and Iconium didn’t stop until they caught up to Paul and Barnabas. They came to Lystra, swayed the multitude to believe them, and stoned Paul.
Notice what it says a few verses later. Acts 14:19-21, “Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.”
The same Jews from Antioch and Iconium were determined to see Paul dead. They finally catch up to him, stir up the people, and get it done. Yet they don’t finish him off. They accidentally leave Paul alive and Paul picks himself up and moves on once again. It simply amazes me the amount of persecution Paul was willing to endure for the Gospel.
People who hate truth will stop at nothing to extinguish it. They will go completely out of their way to stamp out truth and make sure that it is not taught again. Yet Paul continues on. Regardless of the persecution he suffers he knows that there will be other people in other places that will listen. He might be done in Lystra now...but the people of Derbe have still not heard the truth so he is not done. There will come a time to move on...yet there will always be somewhere to move on to. There will always be someone willing to hear truth...although it likely will come with persecution as well it will be worth it for the few who finally get it.
