ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In Acts 14:19- 22, Paul is stoned in the city of Lystra. Those stoning him thought he was dead; they dragged him outside the city, but the disciples gathered around Paul and he got up and he and Barnabas left for the town of Derbe.
It's easy to look at this story and in a human sense say, "Well, that didn't turn out well," when actually some amazing things went on there in Lystra.
In Galatians 6:17 we read Paul talking about this event saying, "from now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." The leftover marks from the stoning. And 2 Corinthians 11:25 Paul tells us "…once I was pelted with stones."
Yet inspite of that horrible event - 3 lives were changed (2 Timothy 1:5) - 3 people were converted to faith in Christ in the city of Lystra:
- A grandmother - Lois
- A mother - Eunice
- A teenager - Timothy
After being stoned, believe it our not, Paul goes back to Lystra to see Timothy. Acts 16:1-2 tells us that Paul takes Timothy as his son in the faith and Timothy accompanies Paul in the following missionary journeys. Timothy becomes one of Paul's dearest friends and trusted co-workers. This all happened in a city where everything looked like it had gone wrong.
What we learn:
A profound lesson: often times in those places where we feel things have not worked out well, God is working behind the scenes to do things that are absolutely amazing. From these verses we get to see what happened in the spiritual realm at the stoning at Lystra that day. God was moving mightily, even though with human eyes it didn't look good. It was! God was working!
As we face challenges and difficulties today, we need to be strong and courageous and take heart, because just as the Hebrew Scriptures say: "The Lord our God is with us!"
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