Paul and Barnabas reminded the new believers of their new life in Christ, they said, “We must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Notice it’s ‘we’ – We must suffer. Not that they would suffer. We must. Every follower of Jesus…
21 After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. 25 They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.
26 Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. 27 Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. 28 And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.
Acts 14:21-27 NLT
Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journey was a great success in making many disciples of the Lord Jesus. This was true even among the Gentiles, to whom God had opened faith. We take it for granted that the gospel of Jesus is for all people everywhere, but in these days, following Jesus was something that Jews did. Jesus was Jewish and his followers did not automatically relate to Gentiles with the gospel – they kept themselves separate as was their custom prior to Jesus coming.
God had a different plan. He always wanted the Gentiles to know his son and experience redemption, which is found in the prophecies of Isaiah and others. It was now coming to fruition in the missionary journeys of the apostles.
What I also notice about Paul and Barnabas’ impact is their encouragement to the new believers in Antioch of Pisidia. They encouraged them to continue in their new faith, and they made a proclamation to them that perhaps is familiar to us from Jesus’ words in John 16:33: In this world you will have trouble… Followers of Jesus are not promised an easy life. In fact, the life of a disciple of Jesus is one of persecution and suffering.
Paul and Barnabas had just been through this as they were run out of town and Paul stoned nearly to death for preaching the gospel. So, when they reminded the new believers of their new life in Christ, they said, “We must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” We… notice that Luke talks about what Paul and Barnabas taught the people using the first person plural. We must suffer. Not that they would suffer. We must. Every follower of Jesus.
Are you ready for that? Will you join Jesus in his suffering for the sake of the gospel? Jesus sure did… He suffered for Jews. He suffered for Gentiles. He suffered for you. He suffered for me. He suffered for all…
Amen
Marc Kinna
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