Paul didn’t go looking for trouble, but he did expect it (Ac 14:22). He realized a price had to be paid in order to rescue people for God, and he had decided to pay that price, whatever it might be. But the price he paid for preaching in a small Roman military outpost called Lystra turned out to be enormous. He walked over 150 miles from Pisidian Antioch to get to that remote city of about 2,000 people. Initially a stunning miracle moved the people to try to worship him, but in the midst of that chaos the crowd suddenly turned against him, and watched as he was executed by stoning. Thankfully, God raised him up and restored him so it was possible for him to continue his ministry, but he went through the rest of his life severely scarred by that terrible attack (Ga 6:17), and apparently it left him injured in some debilitating way (Ga 4:13-15; 6:11; 2Co 12:7-10). All for a few disciples. Was it worth it? Yes, of course, every soul is of infinite worth to God. But couldn’t that same number of souls be won somewhere else, with much less suffering? And why did God bring Paul to that same, mean city…four times? God alone knows His reasons, but I think one of those reasons was a little boy named Timothy.

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