FAR FROM DEAD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Acts 14:20-28

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Paul was left for dead after being stoned outside of Lystra by a crowd stirred to violence by Jews who had come from Iconium and Antioch with the sole motivation to instigate trouble. Like the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem before them, they thought they could kill the Gospel by killing those who delivered it.

But there was one thing they didn’t know. The Gospel could not be stopped. Ever.

Jesus was killed but God resurrected Him from the dead and then empowered His followers to carry on His work after bringing His Son to His side.

Stephen was stoned to death and broad persecution of Christian believers ensued. But instead of the Gospel perishing under the weight of oppression, it flourished and expanded as Christian believers fled Jerusalem and first spread into Judea and Samaria before heading far beyond Israel to the ends of the earth.

Paul and Barnabas were part of the global expansion plan for the Gospel and so it was of no surprise that Paul came under attack, stoned outside of Lystra as mentioned.

So what happened in this instance of Christian persecution?

The Gospel once again not only survived but thrived.

We read where Paul was not only able to live on but he didn’t waste any time getting back to work, heading to Derbe with Barnabas where they “preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples”. They then “returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch”, investing time “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith”.

I’m sure those listening to Paul and Barnabas were aware of the persecution they had gone through during their first missionary journey. It wasn’t easy for the apostles and so they stated the obvious to their audience, ensuring they were prepared for what might be ahead for them. They said:

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

Indeed, Jesus had told His disciples that if He was hated, they would be hated as well, and we see how true His words turned out to be. Even today, people all over the world go through many hardships as they carry out the work of the Lord along the journey to God’s kingdom.

Seeing the need for leaders within the Christian church in each city they visited, the scriptures tell us that “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” The apostles wanted the Christian church to remain strong with the Lord growing the seeds of the Gospel they had planted.

We read where they finished up their first missionary journey strong, “going through Pisidia”, Pamphylia, Perga, where they preached the Word before going to Attalia. They then returned from where they started, sailing from Attalia to Antioch, the place where “they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.”

Once in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas “gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

The Gospel was far from dead. It had made its initial rounds and there were still many more places for it to go to. But before that, Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch “a long time with the disciples” there.

Tomorrow, we’ll start to look at Acts 15 and see how the Jewish attacks on Christianity continued to happen, this time in Antioch.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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