Many Troubles
Acts 14:21,22
They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
With what joy the new Christians must have received this good news! They could be confident of life after death in heaven because of this Savior Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s missionaries, Paul and Barnabas traveled all throughout modern day Turkey bringing this good news. Many believed. But at every stop, they faced resistance. They were insulted in Perga. Conspired against in Iconium. Stoned in Lystra. Each time Paul and Barnabas moved on. But the new Christians still remained in those places.
Before returning to their home base in Antioch, Syria, Paul and Barnabas went back through the cities where they’d started Christian congregations. They came to encourage the new Christians to hold onto to their faith in Jesus in spite of opposition. And they told them, “We must go through many troubles on our way to the kingdom of God.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Christian life were easier? If there were no opposition to loving God and loving our neighbor in the way God commands? If being a Christian meant not only the promise of no more troubles in heaven but even no more troubles on earth? Why so many troubles?
The truth is trouble comes to unbelievers and believers. Wise King Solomon recognized this: “I said to myself, ‘The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?’ I said to myself, ‘This too is meaningless’” (Ecclesiastes 2:15). Job recognized it, too, “Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). We live in a sinful world. Troubles will come to us. Perhaps, believers could save themselves some trouble by giving up the faith and assimilating into the world. But that would not stop troubles from coming. As Jesus says, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Troubles would not stop coming on earth, nor would they ever end.
But notice the promise at the end of Acts 14:22. “On our way to the kingdom of God.” By faith in Jesus we know that our troubles will come to an end. Jesus has put the cause of our troubles to death on his cross. “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:55,56). Sin has no power over us because Christ fulfilled the law for us. Death has no sting because sin cannot accuse us. Though we pass through troubles, we are not groping about in the darkness, wandering aimlessly from place to place. Because of Jesus, we are on our way to the kingdom of God.