The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 14, verses 19 through 20.

Tony Clark: They came over 100 miles for the purpose to finally do something to Paul and Barnabas. Especially Paul, seeing that he was the chief speaker of the two. These unbelieving Jews came there, and verse 19 says, "having persuaded the multitudes." Now, we do not know what they said to them, but whatever it was, it worked. It was very effective because now the crowd that wanted to worship them and offer up sacrifices to them are now ready to stone them. Oh, isn't this what they did to Jesus?

Matthew 21 and verse 9 says as He was coming into Jerusalem as their Messiah, the crowd shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Then the very next week, Matthew 27, verses 20 to 23 says the chief priest and the elders persuaded the crowd to say, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Let Him be crucified!"

See, this is the danger of seeking validation from people, whether it is in your family or on your job, and especially through social media. One minute the crowd was saying, "Blessed are you who comes in the name of the Lord," then the next minute on social media, they were saying, "Crucify him! Crucify her!" Do not allow how many likes or loves you get on a picture or how many times your posts have been shared, do not allow that to validate you.

Seek validation from God. He is the one who sent Jesus to die for you, so God sees that you are worth saving. You want to seek validation from Him because you ultimately want to hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." That is the validation you want to seek, not by how many likes or loves. I understand that trap, I do, I really do, but do not allow that to validate who you are. Seek your validation from the one who loves you, the one who sent His son to die for you, which is Jesus Christ.

As we can see, the crowd is fickle. One minute they wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas and offer up sacrifices to them, and now they are ready to stone them. Now, did they do it? Well, the second part of verse 19 says they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city. The real question is, the real question is why didn't they stone Barnabas?

Maybe the angry mob was holding him back saying, "Don't you try to interfere, or we're going to rock you to sleep too." We don't know, and we aren't told what Barnabas was doing as they were stoning Paul. Maybe they stoned Paul because he was the chief speaker, like verse 12 declares to us. But as for Barnabas, I am sure that he was heartbroken. He was devastated as he was seeing his friend being stoned.

I believe Paul had in mind the picture and image of Stephen from Acts 7, in verses 54 to 60 when the people stoned him. The angry mob stoning Stephen laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul, who later became Paul. And I am sure he had this in mind. Oh, can I just pause right here before I move on? There is a universal law that God has instituted in the universe. It is called the law of sowing and reaping. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Here it is: an unbeliever, young man named Saul, he was radical. He was going against the Christians, and they stoned Stephen, and all the people laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And now here it is, Saul, I am sure he had that picture in mind as he was being stoned by this crowd. This is why whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Be careful of what you are sowing because you're going to reap it.

You're trying to destroy someone's career, you are trying to destroy someone's reputation, be careful because next thing you know, you are on the other end of that. It is a law of sowing and reaping in the universe. So, I am sure that Barnabas was mortified seeing his friend being stoned. I am sure Barnabas wasn't at the market. I am sure he was there. They were probably holding him back, and he was mortified.

I just wonder how do you feel when someone close to you is being stoned, either at a family reunion or in the break room or on social media? Do you sit by quietly, or do you lovingly say something? Or do you sit by quietly in fear that you might be stoned next? Oh, you've got to be very careful. Barnabas must have felt horrified and helpless at this particular sight.

I want to bring something else to your attention. At the end of verse 19, it says they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. The question is whether Paul died from the stoning and was resurrected, or whether he was revived and not actually dead. Some scholars argue that he died and that this incident that he records in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 1 through 6, that he talks about him going to heaven, that is when that took place.

For a long time, I believed that. I said, yeah, yeah, when he was stoned, he died and then God took him and showed him heaven. But upon closer examination, I want to bring this to your attention. I don't think Paul actually died from the stoning because of the word Luke, the author, uses. He said that the angry mob dragged him out of the city, "supposing" him to be dead.

I have to unpack that a little bit further. The Greek word for "supposing" is *nomidzo*, which means to suppose something that is not true. This is how Luke, the author, uses it throughout his book. In Acts chapter 7, verse 25, *nomidzo* is used to describe how Moses supposed the Israelites would understand that God sent him to be the deliverer. Moses supposed something that wasn't true.

It is used again in Acts chapter 8 and verse 20 when Simon the Sorcerer supposed or thought wrongfully that the Holy Spirit's power could be bought with money. So if Paul died and was resurrected, then why would Luke use the word *nomidzo*? It shows that he wasn't actually dead. What happened next? Verse 20 says the disciples gathered around him.

No doubt this was a fearful scene as they gathered around the unconscious, battered body of their leader. I believe that they gathered around him for prayer and perhaps for protection from further abuse. We can't be for sure. But this verse shows us a beautiful picture of Christian love. They gathered around Paul when they thought that he was dead. Oh, it is so good to have brothers and sisters in church or a small group to gather around you when you are feeling dead and when you've just been stoned and you are feeling wiped out.

People who will pray for you and make you feel resurrected or revived. Paul had this in his life, as we see here. The question is, do you? Do you have these kinds of people in your life? You find this by joining a small group, a women's group, a men's group, a marriage group. It is a wonderful thing to have because verse 20 goes on to say Paul rose up and went into the city. Oh, this is the epitome of courage under fire.

Paul regains consciousness and courageously went back into the city again. Most people would have taken time to recuperate, but not Paul. He courageously went back into the city. Oh, the question is, can you go back to the place of the people who just stoned you? Or are you saying, "Well, I'm not doing that"? See, and I know there was a thing that circulated throughout social media and a lot of people liked it and shared it: "Get rid of toxic people out of your life, even when it's your family." And everybody was like, "Yeah, yeah, that's the one."

If that was the case, Paul would have said those people are toxic. They just stoned me, I'm not going back in there. Paul went back in there. Can you go back around the people that just stoned you? People on the job? "I ain't going to that family reunion because the last time I got stoned." Those people, we just have to admit it, all of us have got family that's a hot mess. That's just what family is, they're just a hot mess. Every family has them. Nobody's family is exempt.

But can you go back after they stoned you? Or you go back there and you've got a little attitude? You've got your little coffee and your little leg crossed? You know how you've got your leg crossed and you're dangling your foot and not talking to anybody? Paul went back into the city. That blows me away. How was Paul able to demonstrate such courage?

Paul would later say in Acts 20 and verse 24, when talking to the elders of Miletus, he said, "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." In other words, Paul was saying in essence, "I wasn't finished telling you about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My ministry among you wasn't finished. So, let me pick up where I left off where somebody picked up the first rock. Let me pick up where I left off."

Paul was able to do this because he said, "I don't count my life dear to myself." He understood that his life belonged to God. He would later write to the believers in the city of Philippi, in Philippians 1:21 he says, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." In other words, he says if I live, I'm going to live for Christ. If I die, then I'm going to go be with Him. Either way, it's gain for me, Paul would say.

He told the believers in the city of Colossae in Colossians 3 and verse 4, he says, "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." The only way, dear people, the only way that we can have courage under fire like Paul demonstrates is if we don't count our lives dear unto ourselves. When we live for Christ exclusively and if Christ is our life.

Without this, we will crumble under the pressure. We will get burned by the fire, or worse yet, worse yet, the very stones that people are stoning us with, we pick them up and we throw them back. That is the worst that can happen. You know why? It reminds me of David. On two different occasions, Saul threw a spear trying to kill David because of his jealousy and envy of him. 1 Samuel 18, verse 11, and then 1 Samuel 19, verse 10. Two different occasions. Threw a spear, saw David and threw a spear. David ducked and ran out of there.

Now, had David taken that spear out of the wall and said, "I'm tired of you throwing these things at me. Don't run, don't run!" and thrown it back, he would have become Saul. See, when the people who are stoning you out of jealousy and envy or whatever reason they are using to stone you, when you pick up those rocks and you throw them back, you've become them. You are no better than they are. We are called to be different as believers.

When you can dodge the rocks and the spears and leave them in the wall, leave the rocks on the ground, and you trust the Word of God that says, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." When you trust the Word of God that says it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, then you leave them in the Lord's hands. Ah, now you're understanding what it means to be Christ-like.

Anybody can throw a rock back. Anyone can take a spear out the wall and sling it back harder. Anyone can do that. But it takes a believer submitted to the Holy Spirit that can dodge the spear and the rocks and look at them and keep it moving. This is how Paul was able to do this. He went back into the city. He didn't say, "You know, a couple of those rocks really hurt. Let me take some R and R, Luke, take a little time off, maybe a week or so."

Or, like us, this is what he would have said like us: "Well, it must not have been the Lord's will that we come here, because look, I got stoned, so God must not have been in it." Why do we do that? Why, because we experience some adversity, we immediately chalk it up to it must not have been God's will, as if God's will contains no tribulation. You know, I remember 1 Corinthians 16, right around verse 9, Paul said, "A great and effective door was opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."

God opened up the door, he said, but there are many adversaries. For us, we would have said, "Look at all these adversaries. It must not have been the will of the Lord to go through this door." Why do we do that? Paul said, "I'm not done," and went back into that city. That took courage. That took only God can do something like that, to go back to minister to the very people that stoned him and thought he was dead, supposing him to be dead. Oh, amazing thing.

So, what happened next? The next day, the end of verse 20 said that he, Paul, departed with Barnabas to the city of Derby, which was a 40-mile walk. And we will see next time what happened when they arrived there. Now, he just finished getting rocked to sleep, and he gets up the next day and said, "All right, Barney, you awake? It's time to go, bro. We've got a 40-mile walk. Let's go, boy, let's go." Don't you read this Bible? I see that stuff.

Let me conclude with this: courage under fire. Do you have it when you are being stoned by those around you? You can by making Jesus not only the Lord of your life but by making Him your life. Please understand this. I don't even know if you got it. There is a huge difference of making Jesus the Lord of your life and making Him your life. There's a huge difference. There are many people who've prayed a prayer, who've walked an aisle, who've signed a paper, who did whatever. There's a huge difference in making Jesus the Lord of your life and He's your life.

When Jesus is your life, then you understand what Paul, when he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "to pray without ceasing." You understand what that means. You understand what the saints of old like Brother Lawrence, who wrote about practicing the presence of God. When Jesus is your life, you understand things like that. He's your life. He's your everything. Before you do anything, you're asking, "What would the Lord do? Would you have me to do this?"

You understand what it is to wake up a long while before daylight and to spend time seeking His face. You understand what it is to be awakened by the Lord at night. He's drawing you to spend time with Him because we are often so busy during the day He can't get a word in to us, so He has to wake us up to speak to us, to talk to us. When Jesus is your life, you understand such things.

You understand what it means to be divorced from this world, to have this world crucified from you and you from this world. I'm constantly praying, "Lord, take the taste of this world out of my mouth, so I can know what it is to have Jesus as my life." Oh, I've got a long way to go. But when Jesus is your life, there is a huge difference. The question is, does that describe your life?

If not, it can, because this kind of persecution that we are seeing here, yes, is being experienced by our brothers and sisters around the world, but also here in America. I remember when I was finishing up the Gospel of John and we were about to go into Acts, I said the things that the early church experienced, we're going to start experiencing these things here in America. And you know what? It is true.

I made mention of how the fire chief in Atlanta, maybe you are following that story. Been fire chief like 30-some years, did great, did a great work. So he wrote a book. He's a Christian, big-time Christian, wrote a book, a men's book, about how to live for God and how marriage is between one man, one woman, all this kind of stuff. The city of Atlanta fired him. Fired him! And then I had a huge smile on my face because I just read the other day how Atlanta had to pay him $1.2 million.

I was so happy! I said, now take that! How about that? You can't get away with that mess. Take that! I was so glad. If it were me, I would have held a big check, the big check, and $1.2, and said, "Hey Atlanta!" with the big check. But that is why it didn't happen to me. But this stuff is starting to happen here in our country. We are sending missionaries in America. We don't have to go overseas anymore. We're sending folks around the country.

I never thought my eyes would see this in our country. But the thing is that if you want the courage to be able to face the fire of persecution that is coming, that is here, Christ has to be your life. If not, you will run. You'll run, you'll deny the Lord. One last story. It reminds me of over in Russia, believers were meeting underground. And so there was a group of men with guns came in, burst into the room where the Christians were worshipping.

Said, "All right, we're going to kill all of you," because that was what was going on at the time. They were finding Christians and they were killing them and all that sort of thing. So they burst in there. Said, "Deny Jesus Christ, or you're going to die. You confess Jesus, you're dying. If you deny the Lord and just say 'I don't know Him,' we'll let you go." Who's going to deny the Lord? A bunch of people bailed out of there.

Said, "Anybody else? Anybody else going to deny the Lord?" They said, "Nope." "Praise the Lord, I just wanted to get rid of all the fake believers that were in there." And they worshipped right along with the true believers. Would that have been you who took off running? It's easy to say, "No, I would have stood there! I would have stood there with the other believers!" You'd have been down the street. "Get out of my way!"

Unfortunately, these sorts of things are starting to happen here in my beloved country. And that is why we need to be in constant prayer for our country. Father, we pray that Your Holy Spirit will move in our hearts, move in our minds, Lord. I pray that we will make You our life, not just the Lord of our lives but our life. Lord, may we live for You, may we call upon Your name. Lord, I pray that Your Spirit will move in our midst. Dear God, I just pray, move, Lord.

I pray if there is anyone here who has not made You their Lord and Savior, may they repent and pray to ask You to come into their heart and their lives. Do a work, Lord, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. We're so grateful for who You are. Move among Your people. These are Your people, Lord. Move in their hearts, in Jesus' name. Amen.

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