Willingness to suffer
This week is on Acts 14:21-25:
These verses take place after Paul just got done getting beaten and left for dead. Instead of getting scared off, he goes to the next town and tells people that they will go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. That's some serious dedication.
The hardships are something we don't often consider in our Christian lives. There's nothing in the typical gospel tract that promises floggings, electrocutions, beatings, and executions as part of the blessing God has for us. Paul finds this out the hard way, and instead of giving up, he warns other people to be strong. He tells them what they're getting themselves into, and demonstrates that it's worth it.
Our salvation, and our participation in God's kingdom, is hard to explain sometimes. On the one hand, it isn't something we can earn, or that we must purchase, but on the other hand, it isn't something that comes to us without any effort on our part either. Much as Jesus suffered and died on the cross in order to deliver his goods, Paul found himself being abused, and ultimately killed, in order to deliver his. It's useful to ask yourself, especially if you're considering a missionary call, "Is this something I'm willing to endure?"
If Paul wasn't willing to endure the abuse of the people in Lystra, the story would have ended there. The people in Derbe, and all the cities and regions that followed, may not have heard the gospel or found healing and deliverance. Paul's message to the people was only possible because he endured hardship and mistreatment and decided to absorb the cost.
At this point, we have to ask ourselves, how does our story potentially continue? If persecution came on us tomorrow, which fork in the road would we choose? Paul's message to the people in the various cities wasn't to puff himself up. It was to give them the opportunity to steel themselves before the day of persecution came. It's useful to make the decision before the trouble comes, like a fire drill, so that we know what to do and don't waste time doing it.
Be willing to suffer, if need be, so that others can be saved and have their lives affected.
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.
These verses take place after Paul just got done getting beaten and left for dead. Instead of getting scared off, he goes to the next town and tells people that they will go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. That's some serious dedication.
The hardships are something we don't often consider in our Christian lives. There's nothing in the typical gospel tract that promises floggings, electrocutions, beatings, and executions as part of the blessing God has for us. Paul finds this out the hard way, and instead of giving up, he warns other people to be strong. He tells them what they're getting themselves into, and demonstrates that it's worth it.
Our salvation, and our participation in God's kingdom, is hard to explain sometimes. On the one hand, it isn't something we can earn, or that we must purchase, but on the other hand, it isn't something that comes to us without any effort on our part either. Much as Jesus suffered and died on the cross in order to deliver his goods, Paul found himself being abused, and ultimately killed, in order to deliver his. It's useful to ask yourself, especially if you're considering a missionary call, "Is this something I'm willing to endure?"
If Paul wasn't willing to endure the abuse of the people in Lystra, the story would have ended there. The people in Derbe, and all the cities and regions that followed, may not have heard the gospel or found healing and deliverance. Paul's message to the people was only possible because he endured hardship and mistreatment and decided to absorb the cost.
At this point, we have to ask ourselves, how does our story potentially continue? If persecution came on us tomorrow, which fork in the road would we choose? Paul's message to the people in the various cities wasn't to puff himself up. It was to give them the opportunity to steel themselves before the day of persecution came. It's useful to make the decision before the trouble comes, like a fire drill, so that we know what to do and don't waste time doing it.
Be willing to suffer, if need be, so that others can be saved and have their lives affected.
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