KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:13” Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.”

Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra and preached there, too. They had been persecuted wherever they went, yet they never gave up preaching the word. No challenge must make us stop doing what God has asked us to do.

In Lystra, he had an open-air preaching. He saw a man impotent in his feet. This man listened attentively to Paul, and he had faith to be healed. Apostle Paul knew by insight that this man had faith to be healed. What did this man hear? I believe Paul was talking about the grace of our Lord Jesus that brings healing to all the sick. I believe he spoke about the Lord’s atoning work on the cross by carrying away our sicknesses and pains (Isaiah 53:4,5). The man heard and so had faith to be healed. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:17) What does it mean for him to have faith to be healed? It meant that out of what he heard, he was settled in his heart that the Lord Jesus Christ had taken away his sicknesses, and therefore, he was healed.

Apostle Paul commanded him to get up. He had received the word of healing, but he did not know what to do to experience his healing, so Paul had to tell him. He got up and was well. When you believe any message from God, act on it, and you will realise the impact of the word.

From our key scripture, when the people saw what Paul had done, they came to them shouting that the gods had come to them in human flesh. Apostle Paul and Barnabas ran through the people after tearing their garments and saying, “We are men of like passions, so don’t do these things.”

These people were right and wrong in a sense. They were right because according to the Bible, every child of God is a partaker of the divine nature and has divinity working in him (2nd Peter 1:4). Psalm 82:6 “I have said ye are gods and all of you are children of the Most High”.

Conversely, they were wrong because they thought they were the gods they worshipped, who had come in human flesh. They were going to perpetuate their idolatry. They were not in any way going to see this as the glory of God through his son Jesus Christ. As much as they acted to prevent them from perpetuating idolatry, they would not take God’s glory. He said, ‘Do not do it, for we are men like you’. Please never take God’s glory. Let all glory be unto Him who does all miracles.

Apostle Paul acted to prevent them from perpetuating any idolatrous activities that would have hidden or drawn the very intention for which they came there. They came to project Christ and not themselves .. We must never seek attention for ourselves as we preach God’s word. No matter how powerful or glorious God uses us, every glory must always go to Him.

CONFESSION

I am one with Christ. He is alive in me, and I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. It is Christ who does these things through me, and all glory belongs to him.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Peter 1:3-4 ” According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us their great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world6 through lust.”

Philippians 4:13 ” I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”