Yesterday we started the First Missionary Journey of Paul. It continues in Acts 14 with Paul and Barnabas going to Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. They continued the pattern of preaching to the Jews first and then the Gentiles. People from both groups were putting their faith and confidence in Jesus by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

In Lystra, God healed a crippled man through Paul (Acts 14:8-10). This led some of the people to assume that they were their gods of mythology. They identified them as Zeus and Hermes, and tried to worship them because of the healing. Paul tried to dissuade them and share the message of God’s love in Christ with them. But the arrival of hostile Jews from the cities where Paul and Barnabas had just been managed to turn the crowd against Paul, and he was stoned and left for dead.

Thankfully, God was not yet done with Paul. He went on to preach in Derbe, and more were led to faith in Christ. Then they went back and strengthened the faithful in the cities they had visited and returned to Antioch to mark the end of this First Missionary Journey.

When I read about the misunderstanding of who Paul and Barnabas were in this chapter, I was struck by the way Christians today are still misunderstood. People on the outside do not understand that Christianity is not just another religion of rules and regulations that you must do to accomplish your own reward. It is all about what God has done for us in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:19 God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Christianity is not about condemnation, but rescue, salvation and life.

1 Timothy 2:4 [God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Christianity is not exclusive, but inclusive.

1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

We need to be sure that we live in a way that shows our faith in Jesus. We know and believe that His death has paid for our sins. We know and believe that His resurrection has opened the way to eternal life for all people. We live with the confidence that we are redeemed, forgiven children of the one true God.

Those on the outside will not understand what Christianity is all about – God’s love in Christ – and we need to be careful not to add to the confusion. Peter, who had his share of missteps and failures,  offers this encouragement to life the new life:

1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Lord, help me to live in a way that will show You and Your love to the people I meet today. Amen.