Heading Back For More

Heading Back for More

Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. Acts 14:19-20

Something nobody wants to see is a player down on the field. In fact, the training staffs of both teams are ready to run out and attend to an injured player, no matter who is hurt. I’ve seen trainers from the opposing team in the most heated of rivalries race onto the field to help a fallen player. Even fans wait in hushed silence to see that an opposing player is okay.

In this story from Acts, Paul’s mission was almost life-ending. He was stoned, dragged outside the town limits, and left for dead. But then, miraculously, Paul got back up and headed back into town for a night, setting off the next day to finish the trip.

Some people would say that’s perseverance. Others might call Paul crazy or obsessive. Still others might suggest that Paul was totally sold-out to what he was being called to do and to the God who called him to do it. And yet still others might say the apostle Paul was totally in love with the person who changed his life forever on the Damascus Road—God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

We might never have to experience what Paul went through as a result of the call upon our lives to follow Jesus Christ. There were many more painful moments, disappointments, beatings, imprisonments, and heartaches that Paul would experience in his service to the Lord. But Christ calls us to follow Him all the way to the cross if that is His plan. What we need to embrace, in addition to our relationship with Jesus Christ, is the passion, persevering spirit, and example of the apostle Paul in our journey to serve and touch the world for Christ.

We may or may not be beaten or jailed for it. We may or may not lose our life in the process of doing what we do for Christ. We may or may not know of any life that is different because we lived for Christ. What is important for us is that we are sold-out for Christ to the point where we are able to persevere through anything we face—until the last breath we take for Him.

Uncommon Key > Reflect on any difficulties you’ve encountered when you’ve shared Christ with someone. Then thank God that you were able to be a witness for Him. There is one and only one way to follow Christ—sold-out!