30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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02 Acts 14 08-20 THE MINISTRY AT LYSTRA 49 Acts 14 18 Ambassadors for Christ
📖 Acts 14:08-20
2/49 – Tue, 09 Dec 2025 – *Ambassadors for Christ*- _Acts 14:08-20_ – THE MINISTRY AT LYSTRA – _II Corinthians 05:20_
_Acts 14:18 And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them._
Barnabas and Paul pleaded with the crowd at Lystra not to consider them as gods. Somehow, the crowd was restricted from sacrificing to them. This perspective of worshipping gods of man’s own imagination is deeply rooted.
Although the Israelites had seen God's power in Egypt and were freed from the Egyptians, they still made a golden calf and bowed down to it while in the desert. _Exodus 32:3-4 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. (4) And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"_ How could Aaron and the people announce that this golden calf was the one that had brought them out of Egypt? This is how deeply idolatry can blind people.
Moses warned and prophesied to the Israelites of how they would turn to idolatry when they would be scattered among the nations because of rebelling against Yahweh. _Deuteronomy 4:28-31 And there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. (29) But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (30) When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (31) *(for the LORD your God is a merciful God)*, He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them._
God told Moses that the people of Israel would fall into idolatry. _Deuteronomy 31:16-18 And the LORD said to Moses: "Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. (17) Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' (18) And I will surely hide My face in that day because of *all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods*._
This is what the people of Israel did as God had told Moses. _Judges 2:11-13 Then the children of Israel *did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals*; (12) and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. (13) *They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.*_
The people of Israel went into exile because of idolatry. _II Kings 17:22-23 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, (23) until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day._
The sin of Jeroboam, which was idolatry, can be seen here in _II Kings 17:7-21_. When they were distressed because of their idolatry, they cried to God, and He forgave them, but soon they went back to idolatry. _Nehemiah 9:26-28 "Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations. (27) Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them; And *in the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven*; And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies. (28) "But *after they had rest, They again did evil before You*. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, So that they had dominion over them; *Yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies*,_
God’s people were bent on backsliding. _Hosea 11:7-8 My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him. (8) "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? *My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.*_
This is the context in which we see ourselves. People are still rebelling against God, though He is compassionate. *Our task is to be His ambassadors.* _II Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, *as though God were pleading through us*: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God._