The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. And there they preached the Good News. While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
Acts of the Apostles 14:1-20 NLT
Did Paul and Barnabas know it was going to be so dangerous to be missionaries? They were just trying to tell people the Good News. They probably did know; Christianity was persecuted from the very beginning, starting with Jesus, then Stephen, then James. Paul—who had been a persecutor—was beaten with stones, almost to death. Yet he did not quit – he went back into the town and continued the mission. He had been told before he began that he would suffer for the name of Jesus (9:16). It is hard to proclaim the truth in a dark world.
Persecution of Christians has not ended. There are Christians around the world who are dying for our faith. Even in countries where there is religious freedom, Christians often get scorned and ridiculed. Jesus is worth it all. He gives us a family of faith to support us. He gives us joy and freedom. He lives inside of us and gives us strength to overcome. We bless those who curse us. Our goal is to win over our enemies with love. This is the way of Jesus. It is hard, but with His power we can do it – and change the world.
How will you pray for persecuted Christians today? Can you make God a promise today: to follow Him no matter what?
