SATURDAY July 15, 2023
Divided Hearts
But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. And they were preaching the gospel there.
Acts 14:4-7
As Paul and Barnabas continued to preach the Word of God with boldness, the multitude listening to them had divided hearts. Some sided with the Jews, and others sided with the apostles. There were mixed emotions among the people. Whenever there are mixed emotions in a large crowd, there is a potential for utter confusion.
Look what happened! Within the multitude, although some people were peaceful, others became very agitated and angry. Those who sided with the Jews became extremely violent against Paul and Barnabas. They not only wanted to abuse them, but in anger, they wanted to stone them! Things were really getting out of hand!
The apostle knew their lives were at stake, but they also knew they were in God’s hands. If it was their time to die, it would happen according to His divine time. However, they were not foolish. Once they became aware of the situation, knowing their lives were in danger, they used wisdom and made the decision to flee to other cities in Lycaonia. Instead of being discouraged by adversity, they looked for other opportunities to preach the Gospel. In fact, the more pressure they were placed under, the more they wanted to preach!
As a missionary, when preaching the Gospel of Christ, be aware that some people might become very agitated by the Gospel message. They may become violent! You have to count the cost. Are you willing to die for Christ? If you are going to die, know that God will give you His grace to endure. God’s perfect love will cast out all fear (1 John 4:18). I can think of no better way to die than to be preaching the Gospel of Christ!
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
~Jim Elliot~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
