Unbelievable Persistence

Intro - There are many stories of persistence. One of my favorite is Louis Zamperini. Adrift on a raft for a month and a half, enduring wickedly cruel torture in WWII, he was eventually liberated. Only to be taken captive again by the poison of alcohol, nightmares of a prison guard called “The Bird”, and hatred. However, after coming to a Billy Graham Crusade, he got saved and truly freed…it’s stories like his that make persistence with the unbelieving necessary…

TR: let’s examine this resilience in this passage by first discussing the poisoning in Iconium...

The Persuasion

“Wherever there is persuasion there is poison”

Acts 14:1–2 ESV

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

There is a pattern that we see with the Apostles and their preaching. They go from one city to the next, set up shop, gather disciples, and then are ran out of town.

In this passage we see that Paul and Barnabas were ran out of town from Antioch and land here in Iconium

Iconium was another key cultural center of the Greeks, there they had a lot of commerce and intersectionality of different people groups.

As is usual the Apostles went to the synagogue to preach.

This was strategic because going to the Gentiles first would have effectively caused the Jews to disregard them. From a religious standpoint, the Jews usually thought themselves superior and the Gentiles unclean, therefore Paul and Barnabas would not have been able to enter the synangogue for sometime and even then would have no creditability.

In the world that Paul and Barnabas are living in they have to be shrewd and an inability to do so would not only cost them their lives prematurely but would also impact the spread of the Gospel message.

Yet Paul and Barnabas did and in doing so ended up leading a great number of Jews and Greeks to salvation.

One of the elements here that I’d like for you all to focus on, especially as a pattern throughout Acts, is the desire of these men to go to their own group to convince them of truth.

We consistently see that no matter the persecution that they just recently endured, Paul especially is eager to go right back to them because of a genuine love that he has for them.

Romans 9:3 ESV

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Some of us won’t back to a church because someone said a bad word, gave us a bad look, or we weren’t greeted properly. Yet here we see that Paul and Barnabas were pretty much thrown out by Jews in the last city and went right back to them in the next…why? Because the love of the people superseded their own personal offense.

Because of this we see that many were saved! Praise God!! They were persuaded of the truth!

Each of us are given a people, this may change over time, but we are given a sphere of influence, a group we connect with whether culturally, linguistically, experientially, etc. and we must connect with them.

Yet just as sure as there is persuasion, there is poisoning, wheever there is truth there is something to taint it, and whenever there is hope there is hesitancy.

Here we see that as Paul and Barnabas preached the Word of God there was opposition.

The Jews, without question fearing that they would lose the masses, poisoned the minds of those around them.

Literally, it speaks of them “embittering” their minds.

Have you all ever brushed your teeth and then went back and drank some orange juice? The bitter taste that overwhelms your mouth can be unbearable

The reality is that some people consume so much of one substance that when you introduce another, although it is good for them, it causes repulsion.

EXPECT for the message of Christ to be rejected if you are consuming too much of another flavor.

Let me take it off the top shelf so you can reach it.

IF WE HAVE BEEN CONSUMING LARGE AMOUNTS OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, SELF-RELIANCE, SELF-AGGRANDIZEMENT, SELFISM, than the Word of God is going to leave a bitter taste in your mouth!

One of my favorite animals growing up was the King Cobra. The King Cobra is unique because it’s venom is one of the rare snake venoms that is a neurotoxin. When it strikes, it’s venom doesn’t effect your blood, but instead moves to your brain and effects your central nervous system. It’s venom is described as “The toxins affect the victim's central nervous system, resulting in severe pain, blurred vision, vertigo, drowsiness, and eventually paralysis.

Here’s the reality, the reason why some of us are in pain, the reason why some of us can’t see straight, walk straight, are lazy, or don’t move altogether is because we’ve been poisoned!

So when the Word of God comes and says, “here’s the way out of pain” and points in the direction to go…we reject it. We have a neurotoxin of sin, tribalism, fear, etc.

Family let the Word of God syphon that poison out of your system...

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

How do you do that? Romans 12:1 says to present your body as a living sacrifice!

And if you’re on the receiving end of someone that has be poisoned…let me tell you what you can do...

TR: Be patient…because wherever there is patience…there is power...

The Patience

“Wherever there is patience there is power”

What to me is one of the most amazing things about this passage is the first word in v. 3, it is the word “so” or “therefore”

The KJV actually has it most accurate here because it places an emphasis on the “long time”....

So literally, BECAUSE OF THE POISONING…Paul and Barnabas stayed there a long time....wait…what???

Most of us, if we were to deal with a crowd full of people that had poisoned minds, we’d be out…on to the next.

Some folks changes church memberships like they change Netflix specials. Consume them on a binge then swap em out for the next best thing.

Yet here Luke makes it clear…it was because of the opposition that Paul and Barnabas stayed as long as they did.

They committed to the work at hand. They weren’t deterred by the obstinance.

In the Greek it’s clear that the “unbelieving” Jews were willfully rebellious. It wasn’t because they didnt understand. They CHOSE not to believe and reject it.

In addition to that, they sought to get everyone on their side.

Yet without question, because of Paul and Barnabas’ committment to the disciples that were made there and to the people that were misled, they remained.

They were patient and spoke boldly!!! And because of this the Lord granted many signs and wonders to be done.

Listen, when you settle in to the fight, when you take a breath and say, “these people are worth it to God”....something amazing usually happens.

Family, let’s be honest…there are many times when we give up on people way too quickly.

I’m reminded of the man that first tried to pour into me. His name was Josh and he would come over my house, even before I was a believer, and teach me about the Bible. My mom and I would argue in front on him, then when we’d get done, he’d just start back where he left off. He was so patient!

I’m not telling you to stay and be abused but I am saying that there is a hope and a resiliency that we need to develop.

There’s a work that most often happens AFTER the opposition has begun.

Family we are called to a people…not a product!

We are called to love people, display the love of God to them, and if possible disciple them.

We’re not called to use them to prop up our own ministries, fuel our own biases, or provide an echo chamber for our own self-righteousness...

Here we see that as a result of the poisoning and manipulation, schism has taken place.

People separated into groups…you had two parties beefing…where have I heard that before????

As the poison makes it’s way to the head…it distorts and makes people think that the opposing group is the problem…yet be aware...

TR: Whereever there is persecution there is persistence...

The Persistence

“Wherever there is persecution there is persistence”

The poisoning now has reached all the way to the leaders and in the first display of unity in this passage…it is a unification against the preaching of the Gospel.

Make no mistake that the goal of this all is to embarrass, humiliate, and ultimate snuff out the Word of God.

Listen family…there is a poison that is in the veins of many right now. It manifests in different ways.

Some are near sighted, some are sitting still, some are so disoriented that they seem like they’re tossed to and fro with every new doctrine that comes out...

LAND IT LOUD

YOU MUST REMAIN VIGILENT!!!

Persecution, poisoning, opposition will come…it will attempt to sweep you away into the gutter

NO matter what may come you must remain discerning and persistent!

We live in a day and age where we have TRULY been convinced that the problem is “them”

Yet when that poison spreads…when the pain attempts to turn and consume you…remain persistent in PREACHING THE GOSPEL!!!

I lost my mom in June and one of my dearest friends in Pastor Bob a few months later…the reality is I’ll never be the same. When I meditate on the truth that my mother at this moment is facing the wrath of God, while my good friend is resting in the grace of God…I stop being swept away in the hoopla of it all.

Paul and Barnabas make it clear to me that all that mattered was the preaching of the Gospel

Not the latest scandal going on in Rome or the ambitions of a career…they didn’t tuck their heads in the sand and give up.

They persisted until eventually it ended up taking their very lives...

Whatever challenge you are facing, whatever poisoning is threatening you…PERSIST IN WELL DOING…PERSIST IN RIGHTEOUSNESS!