It happens to the best of us. We spend time and energy paying attention to outcomes whether they are how our favorite team fared over the weekend, how our candidate is polling, or how the markets end on a given day. Maybe it is human nature or our ever shortening attention spans, but something within us pushes us to oversimplifying everything down to only focus upon the results. Is this what God dreams for us?
In Acts 14:1-18 we hear two stories depicting heroes of faith sharing with others the Good News of God. However, the outcomes of the stories could not have been more different. Let us look back at Paul and Barnabas to learn about something beyond results-based living.
In a synagogue in Iconium the two apostles spoke such that many Jewish and Gentile people became believers. There were others who did not believe what the men said. And, as they continued to preach, teach, and show signs of God’s wonder many became angry. Both the Greeks and the Jews turned to violence in an attempt to shut the apostles up, as they attempted to stone the men, which led Paul and Barnabas to leave.
In Lystra the apostles did precisely the same thing, as they preached, taught, and showed signs of God’s wonder, but this time things were drastically different. A man who had been unable to use his feet and had never walked in his entire life heard Paul speaking. The message that the apostle spoke compelled the crippled man so much that when Paul intently looked at him his faith in God showed clearly. Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” The man sprang up and began to walk around, which amazed the crowds.
As a result of this healing the crowds were so enthralled that they thought that Paul and Barnabas were Greek gods who had come to earth. They called Barnabas Zeus, king of the gods, and Paul they called Hermes, as he was the chief speaker. The apostles revolted against such comparisons claiming they were mere mortals. They even went on to direct the crowd’s attention away from worthless worship of lesser gods, so that they might turn towards the One, True God. Even in this though they were unsuccessful, as the people wanted to direct sacrifices to the men they thought immortal.
Two stories in this passage from the Acts of the Apostles. One was unsuccessful and the other was seemingly successful in making the masses happy, but even in Lystra they struggled to direct others to taking hold of the message of Christ. These two encounters beg the question what does success look like in God’s eyes?
In the first story the apostles converted many. In the second they cured, but who knows if the crowd went on to believe in the One, True God. If we are purely focused on the results perhaps we might feel better about the second story, but was the first one any less significant? How do we measure good results in our spiritual lives and in our lives in general?
Life in Christ does not have a scoreboard, political tracker, or stock ticker. Faith focuses upon consenting every day to God’s will for us not with how many souls we save. While success may make us feel good for a moment, we would do well to learn to dwell in the Truth that God will take care of the results. God invites us to live life in Christ and to teach, preach, and share his ways with others. When we trust in God the results take care of themselves.
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