DAY #203: Acts 14:8-28

The major event of Lystra involved a man with crippled feet. Paul recognized the fact that this man had faith to be healed, so he addressed the man with authority. “Stand up!” the apostle commanded, and the man started walking for the first time ever.

When Paul was sensitive to the moment, when he made himself available to be used by God, and when the crippled man put his faith in the power of God, then God worked a miracle! God wants to do big things in and through his people, but they need to live with a sense of eager expectancy. To see changes in their lives, believers must trust fully in God.

Evidently, the crowd that witnessed this miracle was large. The response was immediate and emotional. Concluding that these men were gods in human bodies, they went so far as to decide that Paul was Hermes and Barnabas, Zeus. According to Greek and Roman mythology, Zeus and Hermes (the Roman names were Jupiter and Mercury) had once visited this city and, according to the legend, no one offered them hospitality except an old couple. So Zeus and Hermes killed the rest of the people and rewarded the old couple.

When the citizens of Lystra saw the miracles of Paul and Barnabas, they assumed that the gods were revisiting them. Remembering the story of what had happened to the previous citizens, they immediately honored Paul and Barnabas, showering them with gifts. Barnabas and Paul were horrified by news of an impending sacrifice on their behalf, so they tore their clothing, a common Jewish gesture of horror or sorrow.

Paul and Barnabas affirmed the fact that they were not visiting gods but merely human beings just like the residents of Lystra. They immediately took advantage of the startled, gathered, and attentive crowd to preach the Good News. These sincere, excited believers in Zeus had been ready to spend the time, money, and effort to worship a god that didn’t exist. So Paul directed them to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth. The residents of Lystra needed to redirect their affection and attention from these worthless things (referring to their pantheon of gods) to the one true God.

This miracle only deepened the jealousy and heightened the resolve of the Jewish leaders to take drastic action to rid themselves of them. The Jews turned the crowds into a murderous mob. Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city, left for dead. According to Scripture records, this is the only time Paul was stoned (2 Corinthians 11:25). Nothing is said about what they did to Barnabas.

This is one of the most powerful moments in the whole book. Paul, surely bloody and bruised from the stoning he had just endured, surrounded by believers (maybe some who had just come to faith through his ministry), got up and went back into the city. This courageous messenger, who had faithfully preached the Good News and had been hounded for it at every turn, got up, dusted himself off, and went back to work. Others would have quit, but not Paul. The next day he left for the next stop on his missionary journey—the town of Derbe.

SO WHAT? (what will i do with what i have read today?)

Paul was the man. I am humbled by his perseverance and his tenacity. I am moved by his dogged determination. How many of us, after being beaten and bloodied would have the stamina and steely will to keep preaching? How many of would have packed our bags and headed back home? Not Paul. God's love compelled him to keep preaching and reaching.

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all..."

2 Corinthians 5:14 (NIV)

I am hoping and praying that God will use this passage in your life today to give you some encouragement to stay the course in your own life. Maybe you're on the verge of quitting something. Maybe your marriage or a relationship or a job. Maybe you're tired and your strength has grown weary. Don't you dare give up. Don't you dare.

I don't care if your friends are telling you to throw in the towel. I don't care if your family is urging you to"move on". I don't care if you just don't have the stomach for the fight anymore. Until God gives you the green light to quit, you stay put. You keep on keeping on. Stay the course.

"So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit." Galatians 6:9 (MSG)

Here's a good reminder for us all about staying the course. (from Sunday's sermon)


Lee Strobel, who wrote the case for Christ, tells about a time at his church back in Chicago when he was baptizing people. He says, “A few years ago, we were doing a baptism service. The way we did it there was baptize lots of people at once. We had many people being baptized. During the first part of the service we explained the message of Jesus and what it was all about. Then people would come up to be baptized. Those who were to be baptized were wearing a nametag but often they would bring someone with them for moral support in front of such a big crowd.


Some people were kind of nervous. So a woman came up to be baptized. She had her nametag on. She was about sixty years old or so and a guy was with her. Very tough looking guy, sort of a construction worker kind of a guy. You could tell this guy was tough as nails They came up and I said to her, “Are you here to be baptized?” She said, “Yes, I am!” I said, “Have you given your life to Jesus Christ?” She said wholeheartedly, “Yes, I have!” I was just going to baptize her but I turned to this man and said, “Are you her husband?” He said, “Yes, I am.” I said, “Have you given your life to Jesus Christ?” His face sort of screwed up and burst into tears, weeping and sobbing, “No, I haven’t. But I want to right now!” Time out! I said, “Great!” And I led him in a prayer, he confessed his sins and he received Jesus Christ in front of thousands of people and I baptized him and his wife together.


Then after the service I walked down off the platform and another woman came running up to me, threw her arms around me. She’s weeping and crying, “Nine years! Nine years! Nine years!” I said, “Who are you? What do you mean nine years?” She said, “That’s my brother you just led to Jesus Christ. That was my sister-in-law you just baptized with him. We’ve been praying for him for nine years and we’ve seen no glimmer of spiritual interest, no indication, whatsoever that he had any interest in Jesus Christ. Look at what God did today!”


Some of you are thinking, you have a son or a daughter, a mom or a dad, a best friend from college or someone in your life and you can’t even count the years you’ve been praying for them. and you see no hope. I want to say to you, Don’t give up hope. Don’t give up. Keep praying consistently and specifically and fervently.