Jump Start # 906

Acts 14:19-20 “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.”

We continue our look into Profiles of Courage—great examples of faith demonstrated by those who loved the Lord. Our example today comes from the life of the apostle Paul. He was a man of courage who dealt with internal fears and depression. It’s hard for some to think of Paul like that. They want him to be perfect in every way, almost a mini Jesus. His own words tells us that he had fears and depression. However, he did not allow those thoughts to keep him from advancing the cause of Christ. This shows us that courage will often press us on when we don’t feel like going. If we have to have complete assurance and all of our questions answered, then we will never do much for the Lord. The fear of rejection will keep our mouths closed. The fear of failure will keep us from trying. The fear of something hard and difficult will make us find the easy and comfortable.

Our passage is taken from one of Paul’s early journeys. Everywhere he went, the Jews followed. They resisted, opposed, challenged, threatened and tried to stop the preaching of Christ. On this occasion, they followed Paul to Lystra. They turned the crowds against Paul, and threw rocks at the apostle until they assumed he was dead. They dragged his body out of town and dumped him there. No trial. No burial. Violent mob running on rumors, fears and anger, seemed to win. Some think that when Paul mentions going to the “third heaven” in 2 Corinthians, that he had this occasion in mind. That possibly he did die, but God brought him back. Could be.

The disciples stood around him. I expect they didn’t know what to do. Not just with the body of Paul, but where do we go from here. What are we supposed to do? It looks like they were defeated. As they stood looking, Paul got up. He was alive. This wasn’t over.

Then, in a most powerful act of courage, our passage states that Paul “Entered the city.” He returned to the very place where he was stoned. He went back where the mob was. He went back to the city. He didn’t return with his own mob. He didn’t sneak in during the middle of the night. He got up and entered the city again. Amazing. I’d be so scared. My first choice would be the fastest vehicle going out of town. Not Paul. He entered the city.

That’s courage. That’s doing the right thing. That’s putting principle above self. That’s a great example for us. Now, we don’t have folks throwing rocks at us and dragging us out of the city. But we do have people who attack our character and say mean and hurtful things. They exclude and avoid and make it very clear that they want nothing to do with us. They influence others. This happens at work. This happens at school. Sadly, this happens in the family and worse, in the church. Rocks of criticism are thrown at us. Rocks of ridicule. Rocks of gossip. Rocks of blame. Rocks hurt. They cut. They bruise. It takes a long time to get over rocks. Some never do.

For some, they leave the job because of the pressure of co-workers. The number one reason people switch jobs is not money, but better working conditions among co-workers. Some will leave a congregation. Some will quit “church” altogether because of how they were treated.

I recently talked with a man who was the source of rumors and charges of falsehood. He left the city for another job. He now has the opportunity to return. I thought of this passage. I told him it would show a lot of character to go back to the place where people treated him badly.

This takes courage. It takes courage to stay, when the easy thing to do is run. IT takes courage to return after others have hurt you. It takes courage to continue on when it seems that some don’t appreciate what you are doing. Courage.

No one made Paul return to the city. No one would have thought less of Paul if he moved on. But for what he did, we think MORE of him. What he did amazes us. It makes us think, if Paul could return immediately to the city after they thought they had killed him, can’t I put up with some loose talk? Can’t I continue on with some shallow minds? Can’t I keep on?

The hurtful words of others have made some younger men stop preaching. They were criticized harshly. The rocks did the job. Courage was lacking. Don’t let others stop you from doing what is good and right. Don’t let jealous hearts, prejudiced minds, shallow thinkers, or the workers of evil stop you from doing what is right. But it hurts. Yes, it does. I’ve had verbal rocks thrown at me. Rocks hurt. I’ve been deflated and nearly defeated. I considered quitting more than once. I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad I go up and returned to the city.

Returning to the city doesn’t magically make everything right. It doesn’t take away the pain. For Paul, those Jewish rebels would continue to harass him. They would follow him to Ephesus, then Philippi, then Thessalonica. Chasing him like hornets, Paul continued on. There have been some who went to their graves without ever apologizing for throwing rocks, verbal or literal. God will be their judge. We don’t stop parenting because our kids complain and think we are terrible. We press on. We don’t stop. God is the one we please. If we are doing that and others still complain, we get up and return to the city. If they don’t like our style, method, thought, manner or way of doing things, as long as God does, we get up and return to the city. We cannot stop what we are doing because of critics, especially those who do not walk with God.

We must get up and return to the city. Is that hard? Yes. Can we do it? Yes. It takes looking beyond self. It takes faith. It takes courage.

It may be time for some of us to return to the city…

Roger