Articles
We Must Enter the Kingdom of God
The book of Acts is well known for its stories and chronicles related to the start and growth of the church Jesus Christ died for. Twenty-eight chapters saturate the events surrounding the growth and importance of the gospel in a way that no one could ever imagine. By the time we arrive in Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas have been keeping busy on their first missionary journey travelling through various cities and towns encouraging and making disciples. It was on this journey something would go horribly wrong. The Jews grew tired of Paul and the gospel and they sought his life. They almost succeeded when they stoned him in Lystra and dragged him out of the city assuming he was dead, but God had other plans. A badly bruised and ailing Paul got up and kept on preaching and encouraging as best as he could.
Luke recorded the events in this manner: “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God"(Acts 14:21-22). Noting what was said in the latter part of verse 22, we are left to wonder what possessed Paul and Barnabas to continue to put their lives on the line? They had already been through a great deal of suffering with Paul almost losing his life but that did not affect their spirits, nor did it deter them from doing what mattered the most. They understood something we all need to understand and remind ourselves of constantly: Is there anything that’s more valuable than a soul being saved? The answer is no. After all Jesus put it this way: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt. 16:26).
That statement, while easily understood when read, is not an easy one to digest. You see when we evaluate that and when we look at what happened in Lystra, we come to the realization that God isn’t concerned with our worldly pleasures and the level of our comfort zones. Through much tribulations if necessary, we ought to strive to save ourselves and others. Does that mean that if we are called on to suffer for the sake of the gospel, we go through with it? I’ll let you decide for yourselves. We live in a country where we are blessed to have so much and enjoy great luxuries that others don’t have and may never have. We take these things for granted and God forbid we should even begin to think that we can’t survive or even serve Him without these things. I read an article not too long ago where a preacher was baptizing some folks in crocodile infested waters somewhere in Africa. Now, understand that this man and the people who were with him had a clear understanding of the risk they were taking. I had learned that the preacher was unfortunately killed by a crocodile during one such baptism.
I share that story with you because it shows us the great faith and perseverance of people who understand the need to enter the Kingdom. God never promised His people that things in this world would be easy, but He did promise it would be worth it! Now a story like that would be enough to deter anyone from going back to those waters but would you be surprised if I told you that people are still going back there to be baptized? No one wants to die, and certainly no one wants to abandon their families and loved ones if they could have a say in the matter. However, the greater danger lies in spending eternity in Hell. If it should be that we lose our lives, but our soul is saved, would you have a problem with that? If we could save a soul and it required our lives in the process would you lay down your life? “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
