Miraculous Survival

 

The famous British explorer and naval captain, James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778. His arrival happened during the Makahiki festival. This was a time when Native Hawaiians honored Lono, their god of peace, agriculture, and rain. Because Cook's ships arrived in a clockwise pattern around the islands—which matched the rituals used to honor Lono—many Native Hawaiians believed that Captain Cook was Lono returning to them. They treated him like a god and gave him food and gifts.

After Cook's ship left, it got damaged in a storm and he had to return to Hawaii for repairs. The relationship with the Hawaiians became tense. The Hawaiians were tired of the sailors taking their resources, and someone stole one of Cook's small boats. On February 14, 1779, Captain Cook went ashore to kidnap the local Hawaiian chief to hold as a prisoner until the stolen boat was returned. A violent fight broke out on the beach. The Hawaiians realized Cook was just a mortal man when he bled and cried out in pain. They stabbed and killed him.

Acts 13 record the events of the first part of Paul’s missionary journey to Galatia. Paul and Barnabas had a successful ministry in Pisidian Antioch. We are told that “the word of the Lord spread through the whole region.  But the Jewish leaders stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium” (Acts 13:49-51).

“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders”(Acts 14:1-3).

Iconium, a key city in Galatia, became the next stop after the dust-shaking departure from Pisidian Antioch. In Iconium there was a synagogue.  Paul and Barnabas followed their customary practice of beginning their ministry in a new city by visiting the local synagogue. This setting provided an audience already acquainted with Scripture and a platform guaranteed by the custom of inviting visiting teachers ( Acts 13:15).

In that synagogue they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. Luke delights in portraying the effectiveness of preaching in quantitative terms and the church in a growth mode. He speaks of new believers joining the church daily(Acts 2:47); the number of disciples multiplying(Acts 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 11:21); believers edified and walking in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31); The whole city coming to hear the word and the word spreading throughout the region (Acts 13:44,49).

Paul and Barnabas spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. The word “believed” means they considered the teaching to be true and therefore worthy of their trust. Belief led to repentance and salvation. The effectiveness was not polished rhetoric, their ability to articulate the message was enhanced by the Holy Spirit; He empowered them to speak with boldness and clarity.

In Acts 4:31 we are told that the disciples “were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly”. Years later Paul asked the Colossians to pray “that God may open a door for our message … Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should (Col. 4.3-4). He asked the Ephesians, “pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel… Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I should (Eph. 6:19).

He wrote to the Corinthians, “when I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom... My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Paul and Barnabas effectively shared the Gospel because they did it in God’s power and for His glory.  

The Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord. As we read Luke's description, we can envision the tension rising in the city creating an environment which would tend to intimidate most missionaries. But, the rising tension had the opposite, seemingly paradoxical effect of inspiring Paul and Barnabas rather than intimidating them!

This time they did not shake the dust off their sandals and move out, they stood their ground. Notice that their speaking boldly for a long time follows the Jews stirring up the Gentiles. The conjunction “so” can indicate a response and in this context the response is that the missionaries stay a long time rather than running! This is not the "natural" response to opposition; Bold perseverance in the face of hostility is as much an evidence of the power of God as the great numbers who come to Christ.

The Lord confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. The phrase “message of his grace” is a beautiful description of the Gospel, which Paul later describes as "the good news of God’s grace" (Acts 20:24).  They preached of God's unmerited favor which was manifest as power to convert a sinner, granting them forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt (justification) and the supernatural power to progressively become Christ-like.

Signs and wonders validated that Paul and Barnabas were indeed servants of the living God. These two missionaries were simply "vessels of honor" (2Tim. 2:21), through whom God worked.  A sign serves as a pointer to something. A wonder is a phenomenon, something exceptional, causing the beholder to marvel. Wonders are signs of a supernatural God at work.

One day Jesus said to a crowd “the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him ”( John 8:29). Jesus enjoyed a constant companionship and support of the Father throughout his earthly ministry. The presence of the Father was not occasional but continual. Acts 10:38 describes Jesus as one “anointed... with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went around doing good... for God was with Him”.

When Jesus said, “I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32), he stated a fact, not a hope. He said his father “has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29). Perfect obedience, even “to the point of death” (Phil.2:8), was the reason for the uninterrupted presence of the Father in every moment of His life. This assurance was crucial as Jesus faced increasing opposition from religious leaders.

“The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel” (Acts 14:4-7).

 Again we see spiritual opposition, undoubtedly stimulated by Satanic forces. Satan hates genuine preaching of the Gospel and will never let it go unchallenged! He has key people in his possession that do his bidding. Persecution is part of preaching the Gospel. Satan brings persecution to discourage Christians in their missions. Jesus promised, “if they have persecuted me, they will persecute you as well” (John 15:20).

“Paul and Banarbas fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel” (Acts 14:6-7). One might think that the first rejection might have dampened their enthusiasm for evangelism; clearly that was not the case. Far from halting the mission, persecution redirect their efforts to fresh fields.

Next they went to Lystra a small town southwest of Iconium. Since there is no record of a synagogue in Lystra, Paul and Barnabas instead headed to the streets where Paul noticed a lame man and he saw that he had faith to be healed. Paul, therefore, said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on thy feet.” The man leaped up at once and walked. The crowd was amazed by the miracle.

They began to speak in their native Lycaonian language, excitedly telling one another, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.”They ran to the local temple of Zeus, told the priest what had happened and he quickly brought garlands and bull to sacrifice to these two powerful visitors. The apostles were horrified! They tore their robes as they ran into the midst of the crowd and with great difficulty restrained them.

It would have been easy for Paul and Barnabas to say, “we will not offend these people and perhaps if we are given a place of honor by them we will have a better opportunity to win them to Christ”. But they resisted a peril, before which multitudes have fallen. The greatest peril to the Christian servant happens when men bring garlands to worship him. Paul was not seduced because he was living in such a fellowship with the Lord that it was impossible.

Notice how Paul approached these pagan Gentiles. He did not start with the Bible as he always did with the Jews. He was speaking to pagan people, who did not know the Jewish scriptures. And so he started with nature and declared that God created the heavens, earth and all living things. He began where these pagan people were in their understanding. God has revealed Himself, to those who do not have written revelation, in nature.

As he was speaking “some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe (Acts 14:19-20).The Jews were not satisfied to drive these men from Antioch and Iconium, but they trailed them to Lystra and persuaded the people to stone Paul.

The people who were so enthusiastic about worshipping Paul quickly changed. They stoned Paul until they supposed he was dead, and dragged his body out of the city. The disciples stood around him as he lay on the ground until he regained consciousness. He rose up and returned into the very city where he had been stoned. As the stones fell thick and fast upon Paul, maybe he remembered Stephen dying vision.

Dragging Paul outside the city symbolizes the rejection of his message by the local populace. The presumption of his death signifies the severity of the attack and the miraculous nature of his survival. Paul later mentioned this incident in 2 Corinthians 11:25 where he recounted his sufferings. Possibly he also had it in mind when he wrote, “we are ... persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:9).

The believers’ immediate response was to get close, stand with him and pray. This is a reflection of the early Christian practice of communal care and prayer. Years later Paul wrote “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26).Despite being stoned and left for dead, Paul continued his mission, demonstrating unwavering faith and commitment to the Great Commission (Acts 9:15-16).

We see in the diversity of the Apostle’s experience how God deals with his servants. Why did God protect Paul at Antioch and Iconium but permitted him to be stoned at Lystra? The answer is only known by him. In his last letter which was written to Timothy Paul mentioned these persecutions. He wrote “you know the persecution I endured at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra but out of them all the Lord delivered me” (2Tim. 3:11).