14:24 And after they
had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25 Now when they had
preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they
sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the
work which they had completed.
27 Now when they had
come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with
them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 So they
stayed there a long time with the disciples.
Acts 14 is exhausting. City after city. Resistance after
resistance. Stoning, threats, mobs, and even being followed from one city to
another. Just as in real war with guns and tanks, Paul and Barnabas are pushing
the front lines forward. They are claiming new territory and the battle is
fierce. For them the territory is not countries or even cities. The territory
is hearts and minds. Every person that realizes the love of Jesus and chooses
to follow Him is both a victory and a seed. They also represent territory lost
by Satan and he hates to lose.
Through chapter 14 the
battle rages. Literally left for dead in Lystra Paul presses forward. Then
after Derbe he begins to retrace his steps bringing encouragement to the new
believers in each city as he goes.
Now at the end he
returns to Antioch. The first Antioch he went to. The place where believers
were first called Christians. He gathers them all together. It's like a mini
camp meeting. He shares with them all the victories God had won. He shared how
God was reaching out and winning the hearts of the Gentiles. It was a good news
gathering.
Then it simply says: "So they stayed there a long time
with the disciples".
It was a time to rest and recuperate. A time to relax among
those who believed. A time to have shelter from the relentless resistance they
had been facing. Ministry can be tough and exhausting, especially ministry that
is pushing the front lines. It's not something that can be done without time
off. The church is both a mission base and a refuge. Jesus had a place of
refuge also. It was the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. You
can find Him there often in the accounts of His ministry. Jesus knew what some
struggle to understand. Life is balance. You can't spend every moment on the
front lines. You can't spend every moment away from them either. A life lead by
God is a life in balance. Work is as important as rest and rest is as important
as work. I am fortunate. This weekend I am technically working yet I am home.
The last year and a half or more have been a seemingly endless series of front
line events. In every battle God has been right with me but a battle is a
battle. Now he has brought me to a place of rest. Unfortunately it is a short
stay but I'm looking forward to returning to my home in Alberta. I'm looking
forward to whatever assignments he has for us next. I just want to be in step
with Him because He is the author of perfect balance. Science has discovered if
the earth rotated any closer to the sun we would burn up and any further away
we would freeze. Our God knows exactly what we need and we can trust Him.
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