When shopping, it is sometimes easy to find the very thing you want - but when you look at the price you might have to say, “It’s too costly. I can’t afford it.”
Let’s learn about something very precious, that I am sure you would love to have. It is costly; yet nobody will be able to say, “I couldn’t afford it.”!
The people in the town of Lystra had wanted to treat Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods. The apostles had had a difficult time, trying to convince them that it was wrong to think like that about any human beings. (Acts 14:14-18.)
No human being, except Jesus Christ, the Son of God, should be thought of or worshipped as God. (John 20:26-29.)
The mood of the crowd in Lystra quickly changed. Some Jews who had caused the apostles much trouble in other towns had followed them to Lystra. “They won the crowds over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.” (verse 19.)
What about those people who had only recently believed the Good News Paul had come preaching? What would they think about all this? How eager they had been to have that wonderful free gift of Eternal Life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It hadn’t cost them anything to become a Christian. They just had to turn, from believing that religion or good works could save them and to put their trust in Jesus Christ instead. (Ephesians 2:8-9. Galatians 2:16.) Would they now think “Christianity’s too costly?” They too would have to face much opposition from religious people and “friends”! (John 15:18-21. 16:31. Matthew 5:10-12. 10:34-39.)
As those troubled believers stood around Paul that day, he made a miraculous recovery, but he did not get up to run away from those sinful needy towns. The apostles went back to them, and there they “strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God,’ they taught.” (verse 22.)
Later, the apostles went back home to the Church that had sent them out as missionaries. They “reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” (verse 27.) Paul and Barnabas did not think “Christianity’s too costly”; they were glad to serve God as messengers of the Good News about their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Acts 5:41.)
Wouldn’t you like to have forgiveness of sins and Eternal Life? God offers you these as a FREE GIFT. (Romans 6:23.) Don’t let the fear of the opposition you can expect from “friends” and others keep you from deciding to trust and obey Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
It is very much more costly NOT to become a true Christian - the difference between Heaven and Hell! (Matthew 10:28. John 3:16-19, 36.)
Read about how costly it can be to be a Christian in Acts chapter 14, verses 19-28.
For the next reading from Acts of the Apostles go to NEXT
In order to browse further "Good News Compage" prompts and commentaries for Acts of the Apostles go to
Acts COMPLETE index.
---------------oOo---------------