THE KING’S BUSINESS
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by the most patient and rational protest. Man seems to be born to adolatry as the sparks fly upward. They have little dis position enough to worship the true. God, but a never ceasing tendency to worship some man or thing as God. v. 19. “And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who per suaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. (But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead).” W e see here how lit- , j||j dependence is to be placed upon popu lar favor: one day the people o f Lystra were determined to worship Paul, now we see them stoning him to death. Fortun ately Paul was not depending upon man’s favor, but upon God’s (1 Cor. 4:3, 4). The man who depends upon the favor o f the people, and even upon the favor of professedly Christian people, is in a pitia ble condition. This was not the only exper ience o f being stoned that Paul ever had (2 Cor. 11:25, 27). Every one who is loyal to Christ and His truth may expect this same sort o f treatment in this' God-hating -world (2 Tim. 3:12; John 15:18-20). The world is not essentially different today ' from what it was then, and the faithful witness for and servant o f Jesus Christ may expect this kind o f treatment to the end o f the present chapter. But there are abundant compensations (2 Tim. 2:12; Rom. 8:18; Matt. 5:10-12; 2 Cor. 4:17, 18)! There are many who think that it was at this time while, in this condition o f real or apparent death at Lystra that Paul was “caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words” (2 Cor. 12:2-4). v. 20. “Howbeit (But) as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city, and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.” The appalling treatment that Paul received at Lystra did not stop his preaching. He rose up after his terrible sufferings and went right back into the city where they had stoned him, and then to the |next city,
Derbe, and preached the same Gospel that he had been stoned for preaching in Lystra, and then back again he came to Lystra. It is evident that Paul was a man o f indom- initable courage, and o f loyalty to Christ and His truth that could not be crushed, i Oh, for men today with such courage and persistence, and such unquenchable love for Christ and man, that no suffering will deter them from witnessing for Christ even to the very ones who stone them for their faithful testimony. Abundant success attended his preaching, at Derbe (v. 21). Returning to the cities o f Lystra, Iconium and Antioch that had treated him so out rageously, he confirmed the souls o f "the disciples, and exhorted them to “continue in the faith,” urging upon them a truth that we much need to bear in mind today, that we must through many tribulations unter into the kingdom o f God.” Let us learn from this that it is- not enough' to bring men to Christ, we must strengthen and build Up young converts. This is one o f the principal points o f failure in much o f o u r, modern evangelistic work. It is not enough that men start in the. faith, they must “continue in the faith” (cf. John 8:31, 32; 15:4-6, 9, 10; Col. 1:22, 23; Rev. 2:10). It needs to be emphasized over and over again in our day o f easy-going Chris tianity that “we must through many tribu lations enter into the kingdom o f God.” Our modern, / soft, self-indulging piety is not the religion o f the Bible, it is as far from it as is conceivable (2 Tim. 3:12; Matt. 10:21, 22; Matt. 16:24; Luke 22:28, 29). Paul’s sort o f piety is a mtjch .more hardy and noble sort. The Christianity he taught was not a Christianity-of picnics and bazaars, and frolics and inter-church ball matches, etc., etc., it was a Christianity o f endurance, and “much tribulation” and service, a Christianity like our Lord’s own (cf. Matt. 16:24; 1 John 2 :6 ). That is the kind that Is sorely needed today. But hard as it was it paid, there were to be “many tribulations,” but through them they were to “enter into the kingdom o f God.” Into what do we enter through the easy-going, frolicsome Christianity? Hell.
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