Sunday, April 10, 2016

Persevering for Christ



Fickle?

 Paul and Barnabas went into Lycoania and there in the city of Lystra preached to the people.  So impressed were the inhabitants that they supposed these missionaries to be gods and called Barnabas "Jupiter" and Paul "Mercury" (for he was the chief spokesman).  So they brought animal sacriifces and garlands with which to honor these "gods."  When Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they rent their clothes and cried out in protest that they were there to preach salvation through Christ.

So the people took Paul and stoned him, thinking him dead, dragged him outside the city.



Jan Lievens - The Stoning of Saint Paul at Lystra

Paul was a god one minute, and a corpse the next.

Yet Paul survived and he and Barnabas went to Derbe.  But this does not end their efforts with Lystra, for they returned to that city!

Perseverance in the Cause of Christ!  (Acts 14)

The Stoning of Saint Paul at Lystra
 Drawing by Jan Lievens
Pen and Brown Ink, c.1621

4 comments:

kc bob said...

Someone asked me on Friday about why I persevere in faith. I told him it was because I know God. Methinks Paul and Barnabas did too.. ツ

vanilla said...

KC Bob, the perfect testimony! "I know whom I have believed."

Vee said...

I am always enlightened by your Sunday sermonettes.

vanilla said...

Vee, if you benefit at all it makes the effort worth it.