He Got Up and Went Back

Acts 14:19-20 (NIV) Then 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.

The rabble rousing Jews thought they had finally silenced Paul.  They dragged him outside the city gates and left him for dead. Can you hear their evil words of hate?  “There, that should do it!  Let this be a lesson to anyone else who might be tempted to continue talking about Jesus.  We will get rid of anyone else who dares speak of such things.”

You have to love the tenacity and faith of this man, Paul.  The next line, the words in bold above, he got up and went back into the city; this action is the stuff of heroes. This is what we need today.  Can you see it now?  Look around at the decadence and decay of our society.  Notice the changes which take place when we idolize the wrong people.

We live in a time when sports figures and Hollywood stars are viewed as role models. Our own government, which was founded on Christian principles, now denies these principles. Our freedoms are being eroded by those who have the agenda of the evil one who prowls like a roaring lion. (1Peter 5:8)

Paul got back up and returned to the city.  What a lesson for us to embrace.  When kicked and knocked down we must follow Paul’s example and get back up. Even more than that, we must get back into the fight.  We know the end of the story; we know who the victor is so we can battle Satan with confidence.  The evil one is desperate in his pursuit of us because he also knows the ending.

Acts 14:19-20