Press Into Christ

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

Acts 14:19-20

Have you ever thought about your life and what motivates you? Why do you do the things you do? These are questions that come to my mind when reading the above scripture. We see in Acts 14 that Paul continues to preach the gospel regardless of what context he finds himself in. The book of Acts, up to this point, has illustrated an explosion—in a good way—in the church. We see thousands upon thousands saved—Jews and Gentiles alike. This explosion is encouraging. This explosion brings confidence. This explosion brings boldness. This explosion also brings murder, persecution, arrests and a host of other horrible reactions towards those who are preaching the gospel. So why do it?

Why preach the gospel if this could be the reaction from those we are preaching it to? Why risk ridicule? Why risk losing friends? Why risk losing our lives—actually dying—for this gospel? We must not run from these questions or keep these questions locked away inside of our hearts. These questions should make us press into Christ and His Word because that is the only place answers will be found.

Take another look at verse 19. Paul, after preaching the gospel is stoned and dragged out of the city to be left for dead. Do you think Paul knew this was a possibility? Do you believe he was shocked at the reaction of the crowd? Of course he wasn’t. This reaction was of no surprise. Paul, himself, participated in this type of persecution before God saved him and was well aware of the desire of some to suppress the gospel.

So why do this, why preach the gospel if Paul knew what could happen? He answers this question in Philippians 1:12-14.

             I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

He did this for the advancement of the gospel. Paul did not walk into the mission field to lift himself up. Paul did not seek his own glory. Paul’s only motive was bringing God glory. We know this because even while he was in prison he was concerned with the spread of the gospel. Paul was not worried about his safety or comfort. Paul is exclaiming the good news and can have peace, while locked up, knowing that the gospel is being advanced. Paul’s imprisonment brought about boldness and confidence in the gospel. Brothers and sisters didn’t tuck their tale and run, no, instead they stiffened up and fearlessly preached the gospel.

2 Corinthians 11 tells us that Paul faced a great deal of obstacles during his life; beatings, stoned, danger of robbers, danger from people, danger in the wilderness, sleepless nights, and anxiety. Paul was prepared to risk it all because he understood what mattered most—Christ and His glory. Jesus transforms us—our hearts, minds, and desires.

We see this clearly in Paul’s journey. God grabbed a murderer, a terrorist and completely changed him and his focus. Please don’t miss that. Paul could face those stone throwers because he had glory on his mind. Paul could face imprisonment because he knew that the chains that held him on this earth would be broken for eternity. Paul could face anxiety and sleepless nights because he knew and trusted that his eternity was secure and he would be soaking in the glory of the Almighty Lord forever and ever amen.

Did Paul rethink his calling after the stoning—the attempted murder? Did Paul turn in a letter of resignation because things were starting to get tough? No, he rose to his feet and joined Barnabas on the mission field. Paul could not be sidetracked.

So I ask again, what motivates you? Why do you do the things that you do? I pray that you are motivated by the truth found in the inspired Word of God. This truth shows us that apart from Christ we are truly hopeless. We need a Savior. This truth motivated Paul to completely sell out to Christ. It is this motivation that allowed Paul to get up after being stoned, nearly to death, and continue to preach the gospel.

When this is our motivation we share Paul's anxiety for the lost and intentionally preach the gospel without fear. Truth-motivation allows us to let go of the superficial longings of this world and hold fast to eternal longings for Christ. 

Fearless Because of Christ

Due to the recent health decline of my grandmother I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about death and getting older. Death is real. It is the one thing we all have in common. Christians and non-Christians will die. Republicans and Democrats will die. Jocks and geniuses will die. The list goes on and on. We are all going to die eventually. Have you ever thought about that? Does this scare you?

I remember when I was nine years old I thought about death quite a bit. I would lie in bed at night and wonder if I was going to wake up in the morning. I often feared that I would wake up but no one else in my family would and I would be left alone. These are disturbing thoughts in the mind of a nine year old. I didn’t have peace. I couldn’t get away from that constant state of fear. Where did this fear come from? How could I shake it? I met with a therapist but ultimately this fear wouldn’t subside until God saved me and I understood the unlimited amount of love poured out from Christ on the cross for me.

We can be fearless because of what He did. We can be fearless because Christ conquered death.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

I love Paul’s focus in these verses. We thank God because He produces the victory. Apart from God we will always lose. Apart from God we are swallowed up by death. I praise Him today knowing that He saved me. He saved me from sin, death, and an eternal hell.

When this truth dug its claws into my heart I was overcome with an unbelievable peace. I no longer fear death. I no longer fear the things that I cannot control. I find peace in the One who has seen it all, done it all, and conquered it all. Please take hold of this truth.

While thinking about this truth I cannot help but think about my grandma. The last few years have been rough on her physically. She has dealt with mini-strokes and falls. Her most recent bout with a fall happened about a month ago. This resulted in a broken hip, which led to a blood clot that now has her, according to the doctors, a mere hours from death. I have watched her body slowly give up. This is what happens with age. Scripture points to this as well.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed… Ecclesiastes 12:1-3

These verses are scary if you are apart from God and His saving grace. Verse 1 tells us that there will come a day when we will not even want to wake up, “I have no pleasure in them”. What happens when you get old? Strong men are no longer strong. Your mouth that once was full of teeth is now vacant. Your eyes that could see everything grow blurry. Your ears that you took for granted began to fail you. This is the truth of life. Your body and eventually your mind will want to give up.

These truths can bring sadness but I pray they bring peace and joy. How can joy be found in such depressing Scripture? The joy is found in the Father. The joy is found in the One who conquered it all. This body, this fallen state that we are currently in is going to fail us, but our God, our Savior will never fail.

I find peace knowing when my grandma closes her eyes for the last time she will immediately see the King (2 Corinthians 5:8). She will immediately be worshiping the One who paved the way for her. Her eyes that were growing dim on this earth will be able to see the indescribable glory of God. Those ears that were failing her will hear the multitude of angels singing God’s praises. That body that plagued her will no longer be a burden. No more walkers, no more confused speech, no more stumbling, no more pain and no more tears (Revelation 21:4). This is what she is looking forward to. This is the truth of her eternal future. This is exactly what Paul was discussing in 1 Corinthians.

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:42-49

I love these words. This truth allows us to no longer have fear. This truth allows us to long for the day we are face to face with Jesus. This truth allows us to trust in the all saving power of God. This truth points us to the importance of the Gospel. Apart from God this will not be our truth. Apart from God our eternity is going to look very different. This is why we take hold of Him and the truth found in His Word.

I pray you take hold of this truth. I pray that your life would not be plagued with a fear of death. I pray that you would find comfort in the God inspiring words of the Bible. Will we suffer? Will we hurt? Will we face obstacles on this earth? We will absolutely deal with these things while here on earth but look what eternity holds. Dig into the Scripture and find peace knowing that we are not alone in these trials. Christ suffered, hurt, and faced obstacles as well. He did this willingly and He overcame. This is the victory we rest in—His victory.

I have peace knowing that my grandma is going to spend eternity praising our Savior our God. This pain and discomfort will no longer hold her back. The boundaries presented by her physical fallen body will no longer exist. I thank God for His saving grace and I thank God for grabbing ahold of my grandma all those many years ago. He is my treasure and He is my peace.