ACTS of the Apostles

Wednesday, June 2

ACTS of the Apostles

Learning How to be Daring and Dynamic

Read Acts 14:1-18

Focus Verses: Acts 14:11-12

And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

In our posts so far this week, we see that Paul and Barnabas are traveling SO MANY MILES together in order to spread the gospel. They've been to the island of Cyprus, then onward to the region of Pamphylia, and then further still to Antioch. Many believed in Christ, but again, because of persecution, the men moved from city to city, region to region.

In today's passage, Paul and Barnabas fled from Iconium because they uncovered a plot against their lives; so, they moved on to Lystra and began teaching there. (Need I say, these men are daring and dynamic?!)

When Paul sees a man in the crowd who had been crippled from birth, he looked intently at him, and saw that he had faith to be made well, and said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he sprang up and began walking (v. 9-10). The miracle created a stir in the crowd and they all began worshipping the two apostles as gods.

In the misguided clamor, Paul spoke boldly about the living God. He tried to persuade them, saying,

"(This God) has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. But even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them" (v. 16-18). Paul spoke, but seemingly to no avail.

I'm thankful for Paul and Barnabas who are showing us how to persevere in times of persecution, in times of misguided worship, in times of acceptance, and in times of rejection. Everything they confronted, they faced with the power of the Holy Spirit...now that's the biggest lesson of all! Here are two other things we can glean from this passage:

1. Be careful to not idolize anyone, whether in ministry or in the secular world. We are called to worship God alone.

2. Do your part in sharing Christ with someone, but leave the results to God. This too, can strangely become an idol. We are called to share and to pray; God does the heart changing.

Let's be like Paul and Barnabas-- strong in the faith, bold in the Spirit, always moving forward with the good news of Jesus.

Dear Lord,

You alone are God. Forgive us when we get carried away by anything other than YOU! Help us to honor you in our hearts, and continue walking boldly in your Spirit in each and every circumstance we face. Amen.