“…strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Acts 14:22 (NASB)
I picked up my first Bible from off my book shelf the other day. I haven’t touched it in years because I read the Bible on my phone or iPad now. I found it amusing to read the front and back inside binders, full of my hand written inscriptions. There were many tidbits of wisdom and scripture references that were personal revelations in my early days after Jesus changed my life.
I looked at my young handwriting, and recalled the spiritual place I was at, in my life back then. I was a twenty year old single college student, still living at home. My only responsibility was to school, homework, tests, and thinking about future goals. I was developing my friendship with Jesus, which showed through my hand written notes in my Bible. Today’s scripture reference was written down inside the back binder, with words that read “ it is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.”
I went to the 14th chapter of Acts and read it. Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra, preaching and healing people, and the crowd thought that they were two mythological gods who came down from heaven to them. Paul restrained the crowd from worshipping them as gods. Before that episode ended, the Jewish opposing authorities came and won over the crowd, and then they all decided to stone Paul. After they stoned him, he lost consciousness, and the disciples carried him out from the city, thinking he was dead. Paul finally woke up and went on to the next city. After he preached the gospel in that city, Paul wrote this scripture saying that it is necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
The persevering spirit of Paul was to never stop believing, never stop moving forward, never stop preaching and to shake the dust off himself and keep heading on to whatever God had next for him. He went from being worshipped as a Greek god to being stoned like a criminal, all within hours in the same day. He didn’t invest his hope in being favored by people, having gone from extreme popularity, successful meetings and good times, to stressful situations, being despised and losing friends, through no fault of his own. Paul expected hardships and tribulations, and he survived many throughout his ministry. His tribulations were mostly physical beatings and stoning, being hated just for preaching the gospel.
Today, we are not likely to be stoned or beaten, but God’s people are suffering in other ways. Relationship issues, health problems, loved ones who are far from following Christ, and underlying battles of the mind, all of which can be harder on our spirit and soul than any physical beatings are. Paul once said “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” While we live, we need to take every thought captive, and fight to keep ourselves living for Christ, not for the favor of people. It doesn’t come naturally, because we are emotional beings, and life gets very complicated and messy. In spite of the problems that are before us, we need to remind ourselves that we were once alienated from God, but are now reconciled to Him. We are God’s people, Holy, and irreproachable by faith in Jesus. Whatever we are going through, we still belong to Christ, He has purchased us with His blood and filled us with His Spirit. We resolve to live for Him. Paul said that he rejoices in his suffering and affliction, and he had peace knowing it was all leading him to heaven in the end. (Colossians 1:24)
As I read my inscription written in the binder of my Bible, written when I was young and carefree, and excited to know Jesus, I reflect on all the events of my life over half a century. That sounds amazing, half a century of knowing Jesus. Fifty years later, after ups and downs in my faith, I can say today that to live is Christ, and He is my rock and my refuge, still leading me to heaven through all the tribulations.
Lord, thank you for your keeping power over us, and let your Holy Spirit fill each reader now with the assurance that you are with us and bringing us to heaven, through every hardship we have suffered. Amen