In God’s good time and in God’s good way, Paul became a missionary.

He’d already traveled far spiritually. His journey of faith carried him from being a persecutor of churches into being a pastor of churches. This part of his faith journey took about 20 years.

Now Paul was sent by the church in Antioch to travel far geographically. Together with Barnabas and Mark, Paul spent months on a journey preaching the good news about Jesus and establishing churches of new disciples.

On this journey, Paul, Barnabas and Mark encountered many hardships. Indeed, Mark gave up and left them (Acts 12:25; 13:13).

Nevertheless, Paul and Barnabas stayed calm and carried on. No matter what!

On the island of Cyprus, they faced opposition from “a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet” (Acts 13:6). Paul denounced him as “‘a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!’ . . . . [I]mmediately mist and darkness came over [the false prophet], and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand” (Acts 13:10-11).

As Barnabas and Paul traveled through modern-day Turkey, they went to synagogues, speaking to Jews as well as to God-fearing non-Jews who worshiped at the synagogues (Acts 13:26).

“[M]any of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who [were themselves Jews] and who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43). However, when other “Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying” (Acts 13:45).

Eventually these jealous Jews “stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region” (Acts 13:50). Nevertheless, “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). In particular, non-Jews “were glad and honored the word of the Lord” when they learned that God was providing “a light for [non-Jews]” that would “bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:48,47).

Not that it is easy spreading Light, even when your purpose is to bring salvation to the ends of the earth by lighting the world. The opposition to Jesus (wrongfully resulting in his persecution, torture and murder) proved this. Now the opposition to Paul and Barnabas proved it yet again.

In the next city that Paul and Barnabas visited “[t]here was a plot afoot . . . to mistreat and stone them. But they found out about it and fled . . .” (Acts 14:5-6).

This was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire! In the next city “[t]hey stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead” (Acts 14:19).

Nevertheless, Paul “got up” (Acts 14:20). Furthermore, despite all the aches and pains he must have felt, “[t]he next day he and Barnabas left” for the next city (Acts 14:20).

And so, when I become discouraged or think I’ve got it tough, I remember Paul’s persistence and perseverance. He kept spreading Light no matter how many hardships and setbacks he suffered from Darkness.

Indeed, if Paul hadn’t persisted and persevered—if he’d given up and returned to the church at Antioch with his tail between his legs—he’d never have succeeded. He would have told the church at Antioch tales of defeat instead of tales of victory.

But Paul never quit! And eventually, Paul and Barnabas reached a city where they did not find persecution. Instead, they found proof that persistence and perseverance pay off. Because “[t]hey preached the good news [about Jesus] in that city and won a large number of disciples” (Acts 14:21).

Paul never gave up! Persecution never intimidated Paul. He did not seek an easy, safe way to get back home to Antioch. He chose the hardest way. He went back through the heart of Darkness, teaching people the Way of Jesus. Overcoming Darkness by spreading the Light of Jesus!

Paul and Barnabas traveled right back through the very places where they’d been persecuted and almost killed. They lit the world as they went, “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” (Acts 14:21-22).

Paul and Barnabas used their administrative experience to help these new disciples become strong and remain true to the faith. They “appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust” (Acts 14:23).

Paul and Barnabas left no doubt that lighting the world is not a task for the faint-hearted. They told these new disciples: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Because disciples of Jesus Christ are not the Mighty of the World.

Followers of the Way of Jesus are not the Powerful of the World.

We are not the Rich of the World.

We are not the Superstars of the World.

We are not the Sex Symbols of the World.

We are the Light of the World!

We are the Light of the World because we live the Way that Jesus taught us to live—loving the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and loving our neighbor as ourself. (Matthew 22:37-39).

We never need to quit spreading Light. Why? Because the Holy Spirit goes with us as he went with Paul and Barnabas through all their hardships and setbacks.

And if we never quit, we will tell tales of victory instead of tales of defeat.

We will tell tales showing how God is lighting the world “[n]ot by might nor by power, but by [his] Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).

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This blog is based on pages 69-71 of my book, Lighting the World. For ease of understanding, I use the term “non-Jews” instead of the words “the Gentiles.”

A note related to this blog is found in my book, Lighting the World. The bitter divisions that arose between Jews and Christians (as reflected in New Testament accounts, including this one) climaxed in the genocide of the Holocaust, wrongfully persecuting, torturing and murdering millions of innocent Jews.

Let us pray that followers of the Way of Jesus (an innocent Jew who was wrongfully persecuted, tortured and murdered) can help to heal this ancient animosity between Jews and non-Jews.

As I explained in my book, Lighting the World, at pages 77-79, and in my blogs “Overcoming Divisions,” in the category “Wisdom From History,” and “Why We Need Visions,” in the category “Visions of America,” the only way to overcome divisions is to give people a vision of the future that makes them want to overcome their divisions.

Therefore, all Humanity must pray for the wisdom and the willpower, the persistence and the perseverance, to fulfill this ancient Vision of Isaiah that the Light of the LORD will someday overcome all Darkness:

In the last days . . . [m]any peoples will come and say, . . .

“[The LORD] will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

He will judge between the nations

and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

 

Come, [all Humanity],

let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Isaiah 2:2-5