Ep 419 – Acts 14:19-28

One minute, Paul and Barnabas were being treated like gods. The next thing they knew, they were being treated like dangerous criminals, with Paul even having to experience being stoned nearly to death. But the ups and downs of ministry didn't seem to faze Paul or Barnabas. They seemed to know that it came with the territory. It was part of their job descriptions as ambassadors for Christ. For these two men, the real issue was that they had been trusted with the task of bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world. And they knew that God had opened up a door of faith to these people, because they had watched as countless numbers of them were streaming through the narrow gate and walking the path that led to righteousness. The way of Christ. And Jesus had warned that His way was not going to be the easy or the popular way. "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it" (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT). Paul knew the way well. And he had discovered that the road was indeed difficult and the journey fraught with dangers of all kinds. But he viewed any suffering he may have to endure along the way as well worth the effort and nothing compared with the value of the final destination.