When we left Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13, they had just been run out of town as the unbelieving Jews of the synagogue stirred up the leaders of the city to persecute them. As chapter 14 begins, they enter the city of Iconium and go right back to the synagogue there to continue preaching the same message. And, as you might expect, they same thing happens again. In each place, the gospel goes forth, God saves souls, a church is established, and the missionaries are attacked, persecuted, and banished. What we can see from these repeated situations is an uncanny perseverance that these witnesses exhibit. In 14:1-7, Paul and Barnabas persevere on the mission to which God called them. They persevere in contending for the faith against all opposition, and even when they are forced out of the city, they continue preaching the gospel wherever the Lord leads them.
This is instructive for the church today because Paul and Barnabas are not supermen. They are not free from despair, disappointment, weariness, and uncertainty. Yet something in them spurs them on in their mission. Not only will we seek to follow Paul as he follows Christ, examining his perseverance and applying it to our lives, but we will also see how he is able to persevere through the trials and opposition. It isn’t because he is stronger, smarter, or greater than everyone else.
When we left Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13, they had just been run out of town as the unbelieving Jews of the synagogue stirred up the leaders of the city to persecute them. As chapter 14 begins, they enter the city of Iconium and go right back to the synagogue there to continue preaching the same message. And, as you might expect, they same thing happens again. In each place, the gospel goes forth, God saves souls, a church is established, and the missionaries are attacked, persecuted, and banished. What we can see from these repeated situations is an uncanny perseverance that these witnesses exhibit. In 14:1-7, Paul and Barnabas persevere on the mission to which God called them. They persevere in contending for the faith against all opposition, and even when they are forced out of the city, they continue preaching the gospel wherever the Lord leads them.
This is instructive for the church today because Paul and Barnabas are not supermen. They are not free from despair, disappointment, weariness, and uncertainty. Yet something in them spurs them on in their mission. Not only will we seek to follow Paul as he follows Christ, examining his perseverance and applying it to our lives, but we will also see how he is able to persevere through the trials and opposition. It isn’t because he is stronger, smarter, or greater than everyone else.
Subscribe to the Sermon podcast on itunes or search for "jason velotta" in your podcasting app
Visit http://www.jasonvelotta.com/for more audio, video, books, and teaching materials https://www.fbcmulvane.com
https://www.facebook.com/jason.velotta.1
https://twitter.com/jrv773
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonvelotta/