Missionary Memoirs

The apostle Paul was a great and important man, but he didn't want the focus to be on him.

First, says men. Why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you can preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In other words, don't look at us. Don't burn a candle to us. Don't try to us. Those are vain, empty things. Look to God who created all that there is refocus their attention.

As the apostle Paul ministered and served and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, he refused any attempts to elevate him or give him undue esteem. Paul also acted similarly regarding the circumstances of his own life. He wasn't concerned with the trials and the difficulties that came with his life of ministry. Paul's focus was not on himself, but on how great God is. We're going to explore that today in this vintage wisdom lesson called missionary memoirs.

Stephen Davy is our Bible teacher here on Wisdom for the Heart. And he taught this series of lessons many years ago.

The truth is just as relevant today. So settle in for today's Bible lesson right now.

We resume our study in the Book of Acts with Chapter 14, and we're in the midst of Paul and Barnabas, his first missionary journey into Asia Minor. If I were to ask the average Bible student what they thought, Paul and Barnabas, his feelings would be related to their first missionary enterprise, I'm sure that we would throw in the words like exhilarating, exciting, effective, successful. But I want you to listen as I refer to Paul's own diary, some comments made public. Years after the fact that we're intensely personal and I might add, incredibly encouraging and surprising. Rarely will you read such transparency and someone out front. I'm reading from Second Corinthians. You got to turn there unless you wanna hold your finger next. But I want to skip around a little bit. Let me just read you from the memoirs of this missionary. He writes for we do not want you to be unaware brethren of our affliction, which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively beyond our strength so that we despaired even of life. One paraphrase expands his words this way. We want you to know about the hard time we went through in Asia. We were really crushed and overwhelmed and feared we would not live through it. How's that for a missionary report?

Poor. How? How to go on the field. It was all hallelujahs, right? Oh, I have to tell you, it was really hard.

There were there were moments when we were crushed. We weren't we were overwhelmed.

Frankly, I have to be honest with you and tell you that I didn't think we were gonna live live through it. Pogo's on the right.

We felt we were doomed to die and saw that we were powerless to help ourselves. The word powerless means we were utterly without a way of escape. The words for crushed or burdened excessively comes from a word that the Greek language refers to the emotional burden of being treated unfairly and unjustly.

Here's the missionary, the great missionary, saying the experience we had crushed us, hurt us, overwhelmed us.

So at times we even despaired of our lives. You know, as I read these comments, doing a little cross referencing the next Chapter 14, I couldn't help but think there are some things in here for us to learn. Certainly. I, I give you a couple of them. If you're following along in your notes when facing tough times, number one, don't deny that serving God can bring heartache and discouragement. Some people paint the smile on their face and give the quick Aymen and hey serving God. You know, on the front lines or in the corporate world or testifying for him. It's all hallelujahs. Well, you're not being honest. Second, don't ignore the discouragement that comes naturally. Paul admitted it and he had the most to lose. Being the leader, he was there. Don't forget that ultimately God designs it.

He creates pressure with this that presses us to him that create dependency upon him. Something will ever get past the stress and the problem. You you talk to them and all they have is a report of of how difficult it is. They never get to the point where they say, but this is what God is using it in my life to challenge and and change me. There's a balance between the natural difficulty and the spiritual development. And we all live somewhere in between, don't we? Times were overwhelmed with the natural difficulty. At times we're exhilarated with what we perceived to be the spiritual development. But we we wrestle with these two issues in our Christian lives. What would you like an example of ballons? You have it here, Paul, after admitting those deep issues of despair and a sense of being overwhelmed at being treated unfairly, says in verse nine. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead parrot. Fraser says it this way. But all this was good. Why? Because it caused us not to trust in ourselves. But to put everything into the hands of God. What a wonderful balance. He doesn't just jump into. Hey, our missionary trip really causes us to develop in our trust of God's power without first saying it was tough. Difficult. It was crushing. Overwhelming.

God taught us through that how to rely entirely upon his power and his grace. Great balance. Well, when was this period in Paul's life in which he was crushed and overwhelmed and despaired of his own life? Well, Chapter 14 puts us right in the middle of it. So let's look there at the conditions surrounding the context that would then produce these powerful words that we've just read in the epistle to the Corinthian Believers Act. Chapter 14 is where we left our study off. Let's pick it up there then with verse one.

And it came about that in iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke in such a manner that a great multitude believed both of Jews and Greeks. But the Jews who disbelieves up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren, literally, they poisoned the minds of of the Gentiles. They stirred into the soup bowl of imagination all kinds of lies and rumors and and untruths to stir up contention and strife.

You would think now that there is going to be a rather short and iconium truth is, they evidently had a conversation and went more like this, Barnabas. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I sure am. This is a wonderful place for ministry to happen. What do you say we stay here a long time?

Really? Well, verse three, therefore, we'll stop there now. Remember now, as you study the Bible, whenever you see, therefore you need to ask what is therefore it is there for us to realize that in spite of verse to the mounting opposition, the pressure of the embittered people who resent their presence in ministry, they didn't leave in spite of verse two.

Therefore, verse three says they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord. Good. You could underline the phrase with reliance upon the Lord, because that's the key. It isn't that they naturally enjoy confrontation, that they naturally enjoy people resenting their ministry. Oh, it was because they relied entirely upon him, gave them strength. By the way, that's the best place in all the world for all of us to be relying entirely upon him in the midst of opposition and confrontation, strife and resentment. But relying upon him, as Spurgeon wrote it, the best place in all the world to be spiritually is is shipwrecked on the island of God's sovereignty. Well, let's go on. He was bearing witness to the word of his grace, granting the signs and wonders be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided and some sided with the Jews and some of the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and to stone them, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Laconia, Lyster and Durban, Dabi and the surrounding region. And there they continued to preach the gospel. We see now the mood of the people is changed. It's now turned murderous. It's no longer a battle of theology or ideology. It is a battle where they are not gathering stones and they're writing the names Paul and Barnabas on each one of those stones. So Jesus Christ, in his own words in Matthew Ten said when they persecute you that that is when they attempt to take your life, flee and go to another city and preach the gospel. It's one thing to witness to a man on his porch as he rails against you and Christ in the church and spews his venom and hatred. It's one thing to stand there and testify of Jesus Christ, but it's nothing to stand or witness to. While he's loading shells into his shotgun. Commonsense goes says go to another house. Well, this wasn't the only time Paul narrowly escaped with his life, but he did. Now, verse eight introduces us to an entirely different problem. It's one thing to keep your chin up when you're persecuted, when you're misunderstood. It's another thing. And just as difficult to keep your pride down when you're appreciated and praised, follow along and verse a listener. There was, sir, sitting a certain man without strength in his feet, lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and it seemed that he had faith to be made. Well, now, let's stop here for just a moment. In other words, Paul is preaching. He can't help but notice as he's preaching this this rapt attention. This man is giving him. He notices from that from that visage that that expression on this man's face that God is granting him the faith to believe the message that he is delivering. And in the case of this particular man, the gift of faith in Christ will be coupled with the gift of healing. It would be as a sign gift that Paul is indeed the messenger from God in this foundational era. And we've already spent much time studying that issue, so known as verse ten, Paul said with a loud voice.

Stand upright on your feet. Paul the divine healer reveals the power of God, the divine one.

You notice here that Paul doesn't pray first. Notice that he never even mentions the name of Jesus. He doesn't call upon the Holy Spirit. You didn't ask certainly for a seed gift. He didn't say to Barnabas standing nearby. Boy, I hope this works.

Oh, no. He said at will stand to your feet.

And he leaped up and began to walk. Verse eleven. And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the light Koni in dialect, our language. The gods have become like men and have come down to us. And they began calling Barnabas Zoos and Paul Hermès because he was the chief speaker.

This is interesting. Go back to verse eight for just a second. We're told three different ways that this man can't walk a certain man without strength in his feet. No one lame from his mother's womb, number two, could never walk number three.

In other words, only a God could perform this miracle. This was a hopeless case and they were right at that respect. The only thing is they had the wrong God. So they began cheering in verse eleven and the like. CONI in dialect.

The gods are here. Suzanne, Hermès are here.

Now, at this point in time, Paul and Barnabas, whoever, definitely don't know that, like Kony and dialect don't know what's happening, but it sure a lot nicer than what happened in the last village. Right. It's not until verse 13 that they get the full picture notice. And the priest of Zus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. And these temple assistants are helping the priests of zoos get ready to begin the worship ceremony. Verse 14. But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul heard of it, that literally means when somebody explain to them in their language what was going on. So explain the worship service that was about to begin. They took their robes and rushed out into the crowd.

Can you imagine? The scene is two ordinary guys perform an extra ordinary supernatural miracle and are now being claimed to be. Is this an Hermes? And garlands of flowers are draped about them. The priest is there. The people are bowing down. They're singing their praises.

And you could probably get used to that. Now, granted, as I read this and studied this and know that all scriptures profitable for our application, I think what we do have here, however, is a good model for us. Now, nobody in here cleaning myself for certain will not be mistaken for zoos as probably a safe thing to say or Hermes. But they do in their response provide some things that we can certainly model when we receive undue praise, flattery, when we receive appreciation that may even go too far. That develops pride, first of all.

And we're gonna work our way through this with these thoughts. Be willing to refuse it. Look at verse 14. But when the apostles, Barnabus and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes, rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you do. You can't you can't say that kind of thing unless you're willing to be absolutely open, transparent before this adoring audience. We are also men of the same nature as you. In other words, we're made up of the same fragile stuff that you are.

I think we need this today.

I think the church models the world with its celebrity status. I think we need more singers and authors and radio personalities and conference speakers and pastors and teachers and ministry presidents and statesmen who are willing to say to those who follow the writings of their ministry. You want to know something I made out of the same stuff you're made out of.

Don't build a shrine at my feet. Would that be encouraging to those of us who follow their writings? And Eugene Peterson, however, sadly notes that in the church today, we have celebrities, but not saints.

We have the same hero worship within the church. I fear that we have in the world. And the blame is to be laid at our feet as well. Those of us who follow, who read, who honor, I was reading the words of a gentleman who really provoked my thinking. Ogilvy's his name. He writes, We have a seemingly limitless capacity to give the honor that belongs to Christ, to the people who introduce us to him.

That interesting pastors, parents, leaders, friends, teachers who have brought us the good news are often made the source of our security. We elevate them to super sainthood and mis for ourselves the dynamic that has made them admirable. We make matinee idols out of Christian leaders. We put the communicator on a pedestal and the vade the communication. Interesting thought. The reason there are so many proud Christian celebrities today is that we've given the messenger more honor than the message.

Mind if I get a little personal? Some of you have raised children who are now godly serving the Lord faithfully. People come up to you and ask for advice and ask you how you did it.

How do you respond? Well, 30 things. I'm under the impression that if you receive any praise, you've received undue praise.

People may perceive in you the marriage that they want to have, they come up to you and say you have got it all together. How did you do it? And in that fleeting moment, what do you say?

Do you even buy it? I think we have way too much popularity in the Christian community. I think it's because we do not portray ourselves realistically to people when the approval comes. We do not resist. We certainly don't refuse.

So be willing to refuse it. No. One second of all, be willing to refocus it. That's the critical point. Move forward and helping these people.

First off, teens says men. Why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

In other words, don't look at us. Don't burn a candle to us. Don't pray to us. Those are vain, empty things.

Look to God who created all that there is refocus their attention away from you to them.

They were willing to risk losing every bit of the popularity, even though at this moment they have a hearing.

Pragmatists would say today that they ought to take advantage of that hearing and hush down the truth a bit. They did in verse 16 and in the generations gone by. He permitted all the nations to go their own way. Now, here's where it gets convicted.

He says to them, in effect, do you, like all the other nations, have been allowed to go your own way into these vain, empty pursuits? You see that temple out there? It's vanity. It's emptiness. You see this priest here? He follows a vein teaching. But God, by his forbearance, has allowed you to go this way.

By his long suffering, looking for 17.

Yet he did not leave himself without witness in order that or in that he did good and gave you reigns from heaven and a fruitful season, satisfying your heart with gladness. This area, by the way, was known for its magnificent orchards. Perhaps Paul gestured as he said that God has given you the reins, which has brought this protest a God that you have ignored as you've followed after your vain and empty religious pursuits.

And he left you with a witness, though you ought to circle that key word in verse 17 witness. You ever been asked, what about those who've never heard the gospel? Will God hold them responsible? Surely God wouldn't judge them. I've never had this book. Well, evidently, Paul and Barnabas believe and they're telling them here in Lystra that before they ever got there, the citizens of Lystra had received a witness from God.

And what was that witness? The rains. Those orchards creation will be willing to refuse.

It is undue praise, refocus it, risk losing it, finally be willing to restrain it. Know it's one thing to not accept undue flattery or praise, but it's another thing to go out of your way to stop it. That's what they're doing here. Notice verse 18. And even after saying these things, they with difficulty restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

Imagine that after saying, look, we're just ordinary men. My name is Paul, not Hermes. This is this is Barnabas. He's not Zus. Take these flowers back and your oxen don't do this. A case of mistaken identity going on here. Stop it.

Even after all of that, they persist. How the human heart persists and worshiping something it can see and touch feel they still want to go on with it.

I mean, you'd almost think the poem Barnabus could leave and they'd still have a worship, but evidently they stopped. Why don't these people get it? Well, maybe a legend from this era will help over.

The Roman poet wrote a legend that had become by this time fact a legend about this area, this region, a legend that the gods, zoos and Hermès had visited this region. I think that's what sort of develop this worship to be so obsessed with zoos and Hermès. The legend says this isn't Hermès came down as to ordinary looking men. They came to this particular region of Listerine, D'Arby. They wanted to see how humanity would treat them. And so they sought hospitality in the thousands of cottages and hamlets around those these hill countries. They were refused by everyone, everyone except an elderly couple who invited the men and fed them and gave them a place to stay while they were seated at the table after eating dinner. The wine bowl, the legend says, was empty. And suddenly the wine bowl filled to the top. It was then that this elderly couple knew that these weren't too ordinary men. And so these two ordinary men at that point introduced themselves as zoos and Hermès. Then they invited this elderly couple to follow them and they went up to the top of the hill. And this elderly couple watched as these two gods started fires, as it were, in every cottage, destroying every home in that region.

And then those gods turned toward that humble cottage where this couple lived and turned it into a magnificent palace with a golden roof. This was the legend these people lived by. Now you have two ordinary men who come into their village or town, and suddenly there is a miracle.

There's a man who cannot walk, who has never walked, who was born this way, and suddenly he's walking.

And this crowd assumes they're back.

Zeus and Hermes are here. And this time, let's not make the mistake of our forefathers. Let's honor them and worship them. A miraculous thing has taken place.

And so with great difficulty, Paul and Barnabas had to keep them from worshiping them as they tried to refocus their attention on a creator God. Well, there soon help along that line. Verse 19 Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. Oh, they've traced them here. And having won over the multitudes, they St. Paul and dragged him out of the city. Supposing him to be dead.

Can you imagine people who once wanted to worship them are now wanting to kill them?

I think that maybe, as some have suggested, they're fickle and that they are probably soured on the idea that nobody's home is being turned into a palace with a golden roof.

I don't know how much space took place, but evidently people came to faith because it tells us in verse 20, while the disciples stood around him, he arose and entered the city. Some people believe Paul rose from the dead here. Good commentators. I don't myself. The word arose and his name is used throughout the New Testament over a hundred times for resurrection. But in this very passage, this very paragraph, it's used by Paul. When he tells the man to get up, he tells him to arise. Same word where divine power infused this lame man, where he was able to walk preceding verse says they supposed him to be dead, which also also gives us a hint that he he wasn't. But what you do have here is a miracle any way around it.

But it isn't a miracle of resurrection. It is a miracle of restoration of revitalization. Here is Paul. He's been stoned, as it were, to death. Broken bone after a broken bone, concussion, bleeding wounds, and suddenly there encircling him. These disciples, among them, a young disciple who'd come to faith during this trip by the name of Timothy. They're all there. And suddenly Paul rises, infused with divine strength. Those broken bones are set and healed immediately. Open wounds, bleeding are closed and healed immediately. The concussion healed immediate.

The text tells us that Paul goes back into the city packs and leaves. In a matter of days. He will be preaching again. We'll pick it up there and our next discussion. But before we close, I want to read to you. You can close your Bibles from his memoirs again. He's interesting words. Just listen.

Paul writes, I therefore, since we have this ministry is we received mercy. We do not lose heart. He's talking about this time. We'd all his heart. We have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God by the manifestation of truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. For we do not preach ourselves. Christ Jesus as Lord. We have this treasure in earthen vessels that as we have this wonderful gospel message delivered through clay pots that were at the surpassing greatness of the power maybe of God and not from ourselves.

We are afflicted in every way, not crushed, perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but not for second struck down. But not destroyed. Therefore, we do not lose part. Take it from the memoirs of this missionary got his faithful, was servant, can handle the extremes in life. The highs, lows. And you come to the point like Paul, as he wrote in his memoirs, he came to the point where we realized it was good in that it caused us to rely entirely upon the Lord. Shipwrecked on the island. I've got sovereignty.

Your service of Jesus Christ might take you into difficulty as well.

I hope this time, in God's word will help and encourage you when that happens. If you joined us late, you've tuned in to Wisdom for the heart. Today's lesson is called Missionary Memoirs, and it comes from our vintage wisdom series, from the Book of Acts. If you haven't been on our Web site lately, I want to encourage you to take a look. Our Web site has been completely redesigned. You'll find information about our organization, Wisdom International, as well as this broadcast Wisdom for the Heart. You'll also learn about a new broadcast in the works called The Wisdom Journey. Of course, you can continue to access the complete archive of Stephen's teaching from that site. You can listen to each lesson or download the printed manuscript. The Web site is Wisdom Online, Dawg.

Now, when you go to the store, we have a section where you'll find all of Stephen's study guides. We have a study guide that corresponds to this current teaching series. If you'd like to dove deeper into the Book of Acts, this series is called Ax Volume two, and you'll find the study guide on our Web site. We're glad you joined us today. And I hope you'll be with us tomorrow for more wisdom for the heart.