The Fickle Crowd

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 14:8-20

TO CHEW ON: "Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead." Acts 14:19

Have you ever been to a sports game where the hometown team starts making mistakes? Very quickly a cheering crowd turns into a hissing, booing one.

Paul and Barnabas found this out. When they came to Lystra, Paul healed a man who had never walked.

"Paul heals the man at Lystra" - Caspar Luiken, 1672-1708

After seeing that, the people were in awe of Barnabas and Paul.

"Paul in Lystra" - Artist unknown, 1897

They tried to pray to them. Paul quickly told them to stop and explained they should worship only the God of heaven.

"In Lystra" - Artist unknown

But then some of the Jewish leaders from the towns where Paul and Barnabas had visited earlier, arrived in Lystra. They persuaded the crowd Paul and Barnabas were bad men who deserved death. The crowd turned from worshiping Paul and Barnabas to trying to kill Paul. They stoned him then they dragged him outside the city thinking he was dead.

"Paul stoned" by J. C. Weigel, 1695

We can’t measure our success by how we’re treated by the crowd. We may be popular with the crowd one day, and persecuted the next. Instead we live to please only one person. Who is that?
- Our parent?
- Our friend?
- Ourselves?
- Jesus?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to stay loyal to You, no matter what the crowd around me does. Amen.


MORE: Many Miles
Draw the rest of Paul’s journey and the return trip on your map.
1. From Iconium to –> Lystra to –> Derbe.
2. The return trip: Lystra –> Iconium –> Antioch –> through Pisidia –> Pamphylia –> Perga –> Attalia –> sailed back to Antioch

3. Bible teachers think Paul and Barnabas were away on their mission trip for a year and a half (18 months). In that time they covered about 1250 miles. They traveled most of the land miles by foot – walking!

ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God's All-seeing Eyes

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 5:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Acts 5:2

Some early Christians sold their property and gave the money from those sales to help others. Ananias and Sapphira decided to do this too. But instead of bringing the whole amount, they brought just a part and kept back some for themselves.

There was nothing wrong with this. But then Ananias did a sneaky thing. He gave the money to the leaders as if it were the entire amount. He tried to leave the impression that he was giving everything, even though he wasn’t. Later his wife Sapphira lied in the same way.

But God saw their deception. He told Peter, and Peter exposed their lie. That day Ananias fell down dead when Peter confronted him with what he had done.

"Death of Ananias" by Raphael

Later the same thing happened to Sapphira. It was God’s judgment on them for trying to deceive.

"Death of Sapphira" by Nicolas Poissin-1652

PRAYER: Dear God, I cannot fool You, even if I try. Help me to be honest with myself, with others and with You. Amen.


MORE: Old Sins Lying Around?
In the Bible, God rarely punished people for sins as immediately as he punished Ananias and Sapphira. But someday God will make public the things we have knowingly covered up and tried to hide.

Have you ever told a lie? Did you get away with it? Know that God sees and knows your lie, even though nothing has ever happened to you because of it. It’s a good idea to confess it to God now and know His forgiveness.

It may be a good idea for you to also say sorry to the person you deceived. Talk to God about this. Then do what He tells you.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Greedy Lying Gehazi

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 5:15-27


TO CHEW ON: “When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, 'Where have you been, Gehazi?'
'Your servant didn’t go anywhere,' Gehazi answered" - 2 Kings 5:25

Naaman offers gifts to Elisha

After he had left, Elisha’s servant Gehazi couldn’t get the thought of Naaman’s gifts out of his mind. My master was too easy on Naaman, he thought. But I’d sure like some of those things.

He ran after Naaman’s carriage, caught up to it and said, “My master has changed his mind. He has visitors and could use some of your gifts.”

“No problem,” Naaman said. He loaded two servants with many pounds of silver and two new sets of clothes.

When they came near to Elisha and Gehazi’s house, Gehazi took the things from Naaman’s servants and sent them back. Then he hid the clothes and money in his room before he went to wait on Elisha.

“Where have you been?” Elisha asked him.
1. What did Gehazi answer? (2 Kings 5:25 ) ____________

He should have been smarter than to try and hide anything from God’s prophet. For God had told Elisha exactly what had happened. “Didn’t I see you when you approached Naaman’s carriage?” Elisha asked. “This isn’t the time to collect stuff.”

2. Then Elisha told Gehazi what his punishment would be. What? (2 Kings 15:27) _______
Gehazi learned the hard way that it never pays to tell a lie.

PRAYER: Dear God, I can never fool you with a lie. Help me to learn that. Amen.

MORE: Old Lies
Have you ever told a lie and got away with it? Are you sure there is no one who knows about the lie you told?

Though you may never get found out the way Gehazi did, there is Someone who knows. God. And His opinion about lying is clear. He doesn’t approve of it and tells us in Proverbs that our unconfessed lies will eventually be punished (Proverbs 19:5,9).

Here are some things you can do to take care of old lies.
1. Admit they are sin and confess them to God.
2. Confess those lies to the people you lied to.
3. Ask God to help you recognize and overcome the habit of lying – in both words and actions.

Answers


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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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