“Continue in the Faith”
[Acts 14:19-28]
June 20, 2010 Second Reformed Church
When we left Paul and Barnabas, they were trying to convince the residents of Lystra that they were not Zeus and Hermes in human form – that they were not to be worshiped – and that they would not turn them into wolves, as their mythology suggested. Paul and Barnabas explained that they were just men, and the Message they brought – the Gospel – was about God Who became Man – it is about Jesus – not them.
The Message that Paul and Barnabas brought to the people of Lystra was that God did come to earth as a human – Jesus Christ – He is the Savior of all those who will believe – Jew and Gentile. He lived and died and rose and ascended back to His Throne at the Right Hand of the Father and now intercedes for all those who will believe in Him. He Alone is Salvation – not any of the idols and false gods that they had previously served.
While they were trying to convince the Lycaonians that they were just men, the Jews who had persecuted Paul and Barnabas in Antioch in Pisidia and in Iconium arrived in Lystra. Can we imagine the rage that brought the Jews – some from over a hundred miles away – to hunt Paul and Barnabas down?
These Jews began to persuade the crowds, “See, they admit they are not gods. They have come here to mislead you – to confuse you. They have blasphemed the gods; they ought to be put to death.”
And they convinced the crowds. Since Paul was the main speaker, the crowd surrounded him and stoned him until he appeared to be dead – or perhaps he was dead – the commentators disagree. And they left his body outside of the city, where the garbage was thrown, showing their contempt for him and his message. And they went back into the city, satisfied with themselves.
But those who had believed his message – the disciples – gathered around him, and Paul walked back into the city. Can we imagine the faces of those who saw him? They thought they had just killed him – and even if he wasn’t dead – here he was coming back into the city that had shown him such violence – was he crazy? He spent the night, and then left for Derbe.
Let us understand, first, that attempts made on our life, for the sake of the Gospel, are no reason to keep quite. Even if someone should try to kill us for the sake of telling others that there is Only Salvation in Jesus Alone, that is not a reason to keep quite. We who have believed savingly in Jesus must speak and let others know that there is Salvation in Jesus Alone.
Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28, ESV). Don’t be afraid of the death of the body – as Christians, we shouldn’t fear even being put to death, because we know that the same God Who breathed life into Adam when he was a lifeless being will gather us up on the last day and breath life into our bodies and bring us back to life, perfected and holy. The worst the enemies of God can do to us is put our bodies to death. But those who deny Jesus will be cast, body and soul, into Hell – it is God Who is to be feared – not man or devil.
Has anyone tried to kill you for talking about Jesus? Probably not. The worst that has happened to me, thus far, is I have been cursed at. How about you?
The bigger concern is that in this country, in this place, in this time, is that we don’t say anything. We say that the two things we shouldn’t talk about are religion and politics. Well, we talk plenty about politics. And we may talk about religion – our-pot luck lunches, why the church is dirty, why the lawn isn’t trimmed the way you like, why the coffee hour food isn’t what you like, whether or not we should recycle, how everyone’s hair looks – and fellowship of this type is fine. But do we ever talk about Jesus?
Do we ever say, “In then end, I believe that the Only Hope we have is to believe that Jesus is the Savior God sent. Jesus has forgiven me for my sins. I’d love it if you would come to worship with me to hear more about Him”?
Do not be afraid. The devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). But our God is the Almighty – our Savior – our Father – our Hope – and the Hope for the world. Is this Good News not worth sharing with everyone, no matter what the cost – not matter what the risk?
Fall in love with Jesus and seek Him first. Jeremiah Burroughs wrote, “[Paul] accounted all things dung and dross, dog meat, for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Luther accounted the whole Turkish empire as a crumb that the great Master of the family casts to His dog. Here’s an argument that the saints have their conversations in heaven, that they can look upon the things of the earth as so low and so little, as indeed they are” (A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness, 107).
In the morning, Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe. Derbe was about seventy-five miles east, and there, again, the preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Only Way to Salvation to the residents, and, again, many people believed and became disciples.
After spending some time in Derbe, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch in Pisidia – the very places where they had almost been killed. So, we have to ask – following Jesus aside – were they suicidal? They had been to these towns and preached there and many had believed, and then God had allowed them to leave with their lives. Why did they go back?
For two reasons:
First, Paul and Barnabas knew that Christians need to be discipled – the Church needs to provide discipleship. What does that look like? In this passage, we have three things noted that Paul and Barnabas went back to teach these news believers – these new disciples:
First, Paul and Barnabas discipled the new believers by strengthening their souls – by further teaching and explanation of the Scriptures. Understanding the Word of God is a life-long process – and we won’t fully understand it until we enter into glory – and even then, we will not know the full Mind of God, because God is God and we are humans, with finite minds. Yet, what we can understand, we will understand perfectly.
The Church then and the Church now needs to offer times of teaching and instruction, both during the worship service and outside of the worship service that we all might learn the Word of God better and grow in our love of God and neighbor. That’s why we have our Sunday morning Bible study and our periodic Wednesday evening studies and our Saturday prayer meeting.
Some of you may be thinking, “Well, I listen to so-and-so on the radio or on the TV, and that’s good enough for me – it’s all I have time for – and so-and-so is a better preacher, teacher, and/or storyteller than anyone we have here.”
And that’s true – there are better preachers, teachers, and storytellers than anyone we have here. But if this is where God has called us to serve, we ought to be involved in learning – and teaching – here. And we also need to learn with each other in groups. Learning on our own is all well and good, but there is an added dimension in meeting together with other Christians that is essential to our health and growth. Yes, you and I are healthier and grow better – even when we are in worship and study with so-and-so...you know who I mean.
We are a body that is learning how to function at its maximum. All the parts of the body need to be together to be healthy and grow in the most productive way. If one of our fingers decided to break off and be by itself, the nail might grow for awhile, but we must admit, the finger would be much healthier if it remained attached to the hand, right? In a similar way, it is good for us to study on our own, but we need to be with our fellow Christians to learn from each other and teach each other and grow in the most healthy way, as we receive the Whole Word of God.
So, Paul and Barnabas risked their lives to return to organize these churches and to teach them – for a time – to gather them together as the Body of Christ – that they would grow and mature as they ought.
That teaching included the second point of continuing in the faith – to stand strong against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the temptations that confront us. They taught them that the way to live this life for Christ is to keep our eyes on Him and on the Promise of the Kingdom which is even now coming among us. If we get distracted by the shiny things of the world, we will take a wrong path, but if our eyes remain fixed on Jesus, we will more likely walk the narrow road that God has set before us.
And so we ought to ask ourselves questions like: Is a fleeting moment of pleasure worth the effects of sin? Is a fleeting moment of pleasure worth throwing the crucifixion back in Jesus’ Face? Is what I am doing now something that brings glory to Jesus – to our Triune God? Or is it something that takes my eyes – others eyes – away from Who God is and what He has done?
Our purpose, as we have heard John Piper explain it, is to make much of God – to show others how great He is – how great the Salvation is that He gives those who receive Him. And when we do that, God blesses us with His Joy. The only pleasure that is lasting is the pleasure of showing others how great God is – of seeing how great God is – of worshiping and praising God for how great He is. Do you want everlasting pleasure?
Continue in the faith. Hold fast to the Promises of God. Don’t be discouraged by pain and disease and failure. Jesus will return. You will be healed and perfected and glorified. Remember what Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV). Being stoned to death was nothing compared with the glory that is to be revealed. Paul believed that and could continue in the faith and encourage the new believers to do the same as persecution followed them – and they were crucified and fed to the lions and stoned to death. Has that ever happened to you? Can you continue in the faith? Do we believe that what is coming is that much greater that the worst we could ever endure on earth? If we do, we can continue in the faith.
And so we see that Paul is realistic with the new believers – they had just seen him stoned to death, and he told them that tribulation – suffering – is expected and normal for us as we enter the Kingdom. As bizarre as it sounds to the world – and maybe even to us at times – if we are suffering for Jesus and His Gospel – that is proof that we are entering into the Kingdom. Paul promises, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).
The Church needs to provide discipleship through teaching and preaching both in the worship service and outside of it. It is through this discipleship that our souls are strengthened – and we mature in the faith, we continue in the faith – understanding the worth of Jesus and His Salvation as compared with everything else in all of Creation, and we understand that suffering is normal and to be expected, so let us remember the Promises: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long, we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things were are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39, ESV).
Lastly, Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for the churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. God is a God of order – and there is to be order in the Church – and God has called some to be elders – those who are to teach and maintain doctrinal purity in the church – to enact discipleship.
Paul and Barnabas could not stay at every church that they organized – they set up elders to teach and keep false doctrine out. And from among these elders, pastors were chosen to lead the people. And the elders made sure that the pastors did not stray from the clear teaching of the Scripture. And the elders also taught the people that all would mature in the faith – continuing in the faith – through the tribulation that they faced.
Nothing has changed today: we have elders in our churches who are charged to teach and make sure that what is taught is according to the Word of God.
Paul and Barnabas went home to Antioch in Turkey and they gathered the Church together and told them all that God had done with them and how God had opened the door to the Gentiles. And they stayed with them for some time.
God has work for the Church – for us – and God will accomplish it through us. God will accomplish His Plan and bring us into His Kingdom.
Would you like to have joy?
Let us tell others that there is Salvation in Jesus Alone – let us invite people to worship to hear about Jesus.
Let us join together in discipleship – in teaching and learning together – that we would be strengthened and continue in the faith and endure suffering in the joy of the glory that is to come.
And let us support and encourage the work of those called to church office.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for not asking us to pretend that this life is not hard – that there is no suffering – that no one will be persecuted for following You. Thank You that despite the various forms of suffering that we will endure for You, You provide us with each other and with Church officers that we might be encouraged, and strengthened, and continued, and matured in the faith. May we always seek Your Kingdom first and receive Your Joy. Come, Lord Jesus. For is it in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
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