THE KING’S BUSINESS
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commanded the man t o "do the naturally impossible. He told him to stand upright on his feet. This was something he had never done in all his life, something he had no strength to do, but all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23), and this man had faith and proved his faith by obedience. vs. 11-13. "And when the people ( multi tudes) saw what Paul had done, they lift ( lifted) up their voices (voice), saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas Jupiter, and Paul Mercurius (Mercury), because he was the chief speaker. Then (And) the priest of Jupiter, which was before their (whose temple was before the) city, brought qxen, and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people (multi tudes).” The people were now ready not only to listen to Paul, but also to worship him. The human heart always seeks a man to worship. Men are always ready to fen der unto the instruments God uses the adoration and gratitude that belongs only to God Himself. Underneath the heathen idea here set forth, that the gods visited the earth “ in the likeness o f men,” ithere was a great and glorious truth, viz., the truth o f the incarnation (cf. John 1:14; Phil. 2:6, 7). But their way o f expressing the truth was most crude and very far from the exact and actual truth. The actions of these- Lystrans seem .very ignorant and foolish to us, but do not many Christians today bow down and lay their offerings and garlands at the fe e t,o f men God greatly uses, as if the man himself were something, instead o f giving their adoration to God Himself to whom alone it belongs? There is something very like to Worship in the way that.many congregations treat their ministers and many cities treat the evange lists that come to them and are greatly used o f God: vs. 14, 15. “ Which (But) when the apos tles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of ( add, it), they rent their clothes (garments), and ran in (sprang forth) among the people
ing (seeing) that he had faith to be healea [made whole), said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet; and he leaped (add, up) and walked.” Here we have another point at which the healing recorded differed utterly from many o f the alleged healings by “ divine healers” and Christian Science practitioners today. There was no magnetic touch, there were no treatments, there was just a look and a word, and then a perfect and not questionable, a real and not imaginary cure—and then there was no charge for the treatment. The man did not claim to be healed, he was healed, he was visibly healed. He was not alleged to have been healed while having all the symptoms o f his old trouble, but every trace o f his old trouble had disappeared. He “leaped up and walked.” What a world-wide difference there is between the healing here recorded and that that one hears about in testimony meetings of Christian Scientists, and that one hears among the alleged cures o f men and women who advertise themselves as divine healers today. Paul did not attempt to heal every man he met. Healings o f this kind seem to have been the exception rather than the rule. God directed ■his attention fo this man and gave Paul to see that he had “ faith to be healed.” How did he get this faith? Evidently by hearing Paul speak (cf. Rom. 10:17). Something o f this kind was needed to gain Paul a hearing in Antioch and so this miraculous healing was granted. There may be times when some thing o f this kind is needed today, and when it is needed God is willing to work it if we meet the conditions. Paul thor oughly studied and understood the case before he spoke the word. He fastened his eyes upon the man and mastered the situation before he spoke. How unlike the thoughtless, impulsive actions o f some today who imagine they are following in the footsteps o f Paul and declare that some one is going to be healed without any guidance from God, without having thor oughly considered the case, and the people are not healed and God is dishonored. Paul
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