2 Corinthians 10:3–6 — 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Isaiah 26:3 – Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
In the past few weeks many people have been in their thoughts and head space. When you’re in headspace you’re not in faith. The kingdom and its principles only work by faith not by emotional health or intellectual thought process. When our thoughts or emotions dominate then the kingdom becomes dormant. If the kingdom is dormant or asleep then spiritual awakening is not present.
Our thoughts create the world we decide to live in. Our thoughts are so powerful they can make us believe things that are not true, and even distract us from the truth. Our thoughts can even create things that hold greater value to us than what God is creating. This wrong thinking causes our faith to activate to form what is temporal and even leads us to not be committed to Gods truth.
I want to turn to the account of Paul’s life in Acts 14. Paul and Barnabas come to Iconium and have opposition. This opposition is coming from unbelieving Jews who are stirring up gentiles. Look at what the verse says:
Acts 14:2 — 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
They made their minds evil. What caused this was because they were unbelieving. The word unbelieving means to be unwilling to be persuaded or to withhold belief and to withhold obedience. All of these are intentional decisions to do the opposite of what they knew to do. They were in rebellion that was coming directly from their thought life. The outcome was the Gentiles minds were made evil. The word evil means to do evil, to ill-treat, to embitter, to exasperate. It was so bad they turned on the brethren. The outcome of the offense was a divided city V.4
Acts 14:3 — 3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
But Paul continued in the midst of division birthing, to continue in his assignment. Eventually the division formed pitting some with religious people —- some with the Apostolic kingdom group. It was so bad they wanted to stone Paul, which means execute him. So, Paul goes to Derbe and Lystra only a day’s journey on foot. Lystra is where Paul will choose Timothy for the mission (Acts 16) and it is here he first meets him.
At Lystra Paul continues preaching and heals a crippled man. This time instead of praying and seeing healing he activates the man’s faith to stand. He has figured how to go beyond the minds and thoughts he just experienced, and to see faith supersede it.
Image the thoughts going through Paul’s mind concerning all he is experiencing and seeing. Most people would draw back but Paul pressed forward. Not only is Paul fighting his own thinking he is also fighting people’s unbelief and a group of people wanting to kill him. But he is also fighting sickness in his own body as he touches on this in Galatians 4:13 as he speaks of first preaching to them having much infirmity!
The crowd calls them gods specifically Jupiter and Mercurius which they worshipped because of what they saw. The miracle was so great they wanted to offer the sacrifice of an oxen instead of just small animals. But here came the group from Antioch seeking to kill Paul and kill people’s faith. This group followed Paul for a season.
Acts 14:19–27 — 19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
Stoning was for blasphemy, among other things. It was not seen as a punishment by hitting someone with a few stones but was a form of execution. The person stoned would be checked for 3-5 minutes to be sure they were not breathing. Then the person was drugged outside the city to rot. Paul states in 2 Cor. 11:25 he was stoned and in verse 23 he was “in deaths often.” Paul could be stating he died and was resurrected many times.
20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
The disciples at this time were Eunice, Barnabus and a young emerging son called Timothy who was 15 years old. From this moment of resurrection Paul then writes later:
Philippians 3:10 — 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.
The word conformable means to take on the same form or likeness, to come to be like him in his death. Paul after such an experience returns to the city and continues to preach and tells the disciples “Through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
We in the west do not want to enter tribulation to see the kingdom come. Tribulation means trouble, affliction, anguish. It means to be pressed up hard like grapes to get wine. But the outcome was that Paul established the church in that region. He ordained city elders. Paul also now had a working model of the church to be formed all over the globe coming out of the Acts 15 Apostolic counsel meeting.
The deepest places of the power of resurrection is where the deepest tribulations occur. Looking back at how the thoughts of others could have stopped Paul. Paul’s own thoughts and infirmity could have stopped him. Anywhere along the way it would have been easy to quit and be justified in doing it. Yet without this confrontation of others thoughts and influences, the model of ecclesia God desired would not have the right foundations.
Today let us not draw back when other people’s thinking opposes our kingdom assignments. Let us not allow opinions to dictate. Nor let our own thoughts of inadequacies or sufferings talk us out of our assignment. If you suffer because of your own poor choices is one thing, but to suffer for righteousness’ sake releases the power of resurrection.