“They returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, “It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:21-22 (NASB)
I recently browsed through a Bible which I hadn’t looked at in years, since I’ve been reading the Bible on my iPhone for quite some time. I found it amusing to read what I once wrote on the inside binders of that old Bible. The neat handwriting of my younger days had inscribed tidbits of wisdom that I was learning at the time, along with favorite scripture verses that had impacted my life.
That was the Bible I used from my college days throughout my first marriage and while raising my twin boys. While reading my hand written notes, I was reminded of the different phases of my life, all the while maintaining my relationship with Jesus. One of the verses I wrote on the inside binder of that Bible was today’s scripture verse,
“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Whatever I was going through at the time, the circumstances always change over time, which is proof that every stage of life will have its own tribulations to contend with.
I turned to the 14th chapter of Acts, just to read and refresh my memory on the background of this specific scripture verse. The story was about Paul, successfully preaching the gospel in the city of Lystra, until the Jewish religious authorities of that area, came and convinced the crowd to stone Paul. He was stoned until he fell to the ground unconscious. His disciples and friends carried him away, assuming he was dead.
Paul recovered and resiliently went on to preach in many more cities after that, but he returned to Lystra to strengthen the souls of those believers and to encourage them to continue in their faith. That’s the background for the scripture verse today. The believers in Lystra were inspired by Paul’s faith and probably very relieved to see that he was alive and well.
The persevering spirit of Paul could be summed up in two words……
”Never stop.” He never stopped trusting God, never stopped continuing in his faith, and never stopped encouraging others to continue in their faith as well. His message to the city of Lystra is a timeless one for all Christians, that through many tribulations we will enter the kingdom of God. We can find courage and inspiration in Paul’s message, that whatever happens, “Never stop.”
Paul didn’t invest his hope in becoming popular or finding favor with the crowd. He knew how quick people could change and turn against him. In fact, Paul expected tribulations, and he survived many of them during his ministry. Just as the Lord gave Paul resilience, He wants to make us resilient as well.
Thankfully, we are not likely to be stoned, beaten or killed for our faith in this nation, but believers in countries like North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria and others, are suffering with imprisonment and death for their Christian faith.
Christians today still suffer with various tribulations, though not always directly for their faith. They may lose friends for taking a different stand on ethical issues. Some are suffering with medical problems, or have a loved one who is terminally ill. They might be grieving over prematurely losing a loved one, while some are dealing with chronic mental health battles, which can be harder on one’s spirit and soul than physical suffering is.
As we reflect on our own lives over the past decades, we have all had ups and downs, wins and losses, blessings and hardships, but Jesus is forever our rock and our refuge, the One who makes us resilient as He did for Paul. He walks with us through every tribulation, giving us the resilience to never stop believing, and inspiring us to encourage others to continue in their faith.
That scripture verse written in the binder of my old Bible, are words that are relevant for all believers, of all times, so that we will keep pressing on, and never stop, because the Lord is with us through every tribulation, leading us on to the kingdom of God.
Lord, thank you for giving us the resilience to continue in faith, by trusting you, and help us to encourage others who are facing tribulations, leading us all to the kingdom of God. Amen
