Paul Stoned To DEATH S5e92 Acts14:21

"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." No kidding.  How about stoning to death.  Paul is stoned just after they wanted to worship him in Lystra.  But, it was not a surprise to him.  15 years prior, the Lord showed him how much he was to suffer.  I wonder if it was like a movie trailer showing him all the exciting suffering parts.  Anyway, he probably was not shocked.  He probably wasn't thrilled about it either.

After regaining consciousness, he does not flee but re-enters Lystra.  He then goes to the furthest point of the 1st missionary journey about 58 miles away.  On his return, he goes into this town that recently stoned him a second time.  His beat up bodily presence must have been quite a witness.

We get to see Paul's passion for the early gentile church here.  He is encouraging them to continue in the faith.  He is telling them that it is through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.  He appoints elders by fasting and praying. (no more rolling of spiritual dice). The Holy Spirit is at work.  Sign up for a daily email blast early in the morning at bewithme.us or writing bewithme.us@gmail.com

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:01

Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to episode 91 of be with me, I'm going to title today stoned to death because Paul is stoned to death or at least they think they stoned him to death in the city of Lisandra listen to the story. He's getting some pretty significant opposition. First of all, they try to worship Him. And then they get some visitors from Antioch that are Jews that convince them otherwise. And we talked about the reasons why Paul's good news can be turned into bad news. All right, I'm going to start with verse 18. I'm in chapter 14 of Acts, Acts 1418. Even with these words, they carefully they scarcely restrain the people from offering sacrifice to them. But Jews came from Antioch and I conium. They came for about 100 miles away. And having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. Verse 20, but when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, because back to the city, and on the next day, he went on with Barnabas, to Derby 50 miles away. When they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to LIS dra, and I quote him and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they appointed elders, for them in every church with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Alright, so Paul gets hands laid upon him and stones thrown upon his head and shoulders and knees, and whoever else you're stoned. And he had been threatened before he was in Iconium. And an attempt was made to mistreat them and to stone them. But they learned it in fled, so he flees for my conium. Then when he's in the Cydia Antioch, he gets opposition, he gets contradiction of his message, and then reviling against him. But as far as we know, no one lays hands on him. Then when he was in Damascus, they had to let him Let him through the wall in a basket because people were seeking to harm him. But as far as I know, this is the first time that he actually had physical persecution. Now, I've seen must have been horrible. It's, you know, I don't underestimate what it's like to be stoned. I don't ever want to experience that. But I'm sure it was extremely unpleasant, unpleasant. The only thing that's good about this is that the Lord told him that he was going to suffer in some very specific ways. So listen to this, this is at the conversion of Saul. So this is probably 15 years before this moment in time, at his conversion. The Lord talks to him, and then he gets holed up and blinded, and then he sends this man and an iris to him, to extend the hand of fellowship to him. And Anya says, Are you sure do you really want me to go see Paul. And then the Lord says this to Anand is about Paul. This is in from Acts chapter 915. But the Lord said to him go, for he Paul is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name. So the Lord says the n n is that I the Lord will show him I will show Paul I will show saw how much he must suffer for the sake of My name. So the Lord song told. Paul showed Paul, how much he was going to suffer. So he knew this was coming. It may be you know, I'm sure well, is it gonna happen on that conium is going to happen in Damascus, is it going to happen in Antioch, Persia, and now when it does happen, finally, in Lissandra, where he is stoned to death, it probably was not a surprise to Paul. Okay, but when the disciples gathered about him so my next question about this passage is where did the disciples come from? Apparently, there were there was only one convert at least Dre are not very many at least up to this point. It was The man who was healed and then they wanted to worship Paul, but no other believers are mentioned. So there must have been some believers from the 15 years before Paul and Barnabas went on this missionary journey. How did that happen? That was from the scattering that happened back in the eat the chapter eight of Acts. You know, and perhaps there was, there was a few, I don't think they were counting just the crippled man that was healed. And, and the apostle Barnabas, because Barnabas is actually referred to as an apostle, not not a disciple at the time. All right, so I think it's from the scattering of previous believers. And that means the Holy Spirit is active. Alright, so the fun thing about the city is right after he gets stoned, they drag him out of the city. So he starts the story in the city being stoned, then they drag him out. And then when they had preached the gospel, or no before that, but when the disciples gathered bound, he rose up. And what does he do? Do you think that he would leave Leicester, they just stoned him the last time he was there. As soon as he regains consciousness, he goes back to the city. And then he goes on to Darby. And then after in verse 21, the missionary journey has reached a tide Tidemark, if you will, and now they start to backtrack. So they go from Derby, which is the farthest point on the trip, and now they're going to come backwards, you'd think they would skip Lister, they do not they returned to Lister, and then do I conium, and then the annex, so they're backtracking. And what they're doing is they're strengthening the church, strengthen the souls of disciples, continuing the face and then saying, no kidding, that through many Trump tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. And if you say those words to your Sunday school class to you, the people that you rub shoulders with, through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. They're gonna say no kidding, Buster. That's what the church is about is standing with people while they go through tribulations. And then he talks about the final thing he does is he talks about organization, he points elders for them in every church, how do they get them with prayer and fasting and committing them to the Lord in whom they believe? Alright, so this is some of the hard stuff about being a Christian. There's persecution, there might be physical persecution unto death, by the way, there's organizational things, and then there's just plain old tribulation. Wow, lots today in the passage. Thanks for listening. And I pray that you would persist, that your soul to be strengthened that you would continue in the faith that you will endure the tribulations and that you would stick with your church. Thanks for listening