“Be Reminded Of The Supremacy Of Christ V!”

“Be Reminded Of The Supremacy Of Christ V!”
In Lycaonia Paul healed a man who was born lame and had never walked. The crowd, marvelled at what happened shouted, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Paul was with Barnabas. They called Barnabas Zeus, and called Paul Hermes. Greek mythology holds that the gods resided on Mount Olympus. Zeus was like the Chief of the gods, but not as if he had full authority over the other gods. Hermes was like a messenger of the gods who often came down to transmit to humans messages from the gods. He was more like their spokesman.
Barnabas must have had a commanding personality for the people to call him Zeus. There was a legend that Zeus and Hermes once visited that area and nobody recognized them, except an old couple. The people did not want such an error to repeat itself.
Zeus was a patron god of the area and his temple was outside the city gate. His priest went and brought bulls and wreaths to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas stopped them shouting, “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you…” Even so, “they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.”
And this is where we have gotten it wrong in our generation! For one miracle that God performs through a man of God, he gets carried away by the applause of the crowd and goes along with them to accept to be crowned as a god. Once we are puffed up with the praise of men we can now put a fixed time for healing and deliverance. One cannot fix the time at which God will use you for a miracle healing. It just happens when it happens.
We must always be conscious that the ignorant crowd is always ready to dress us in borrowed robes. It is our place to say, “No!”
The reason why people stay long in power in the African continent is the praises of the ignorant crowd. On the eve of elections you find crowds begging incumbents who have been very long in power to stand again. No doubt too that powermongers are the ones who send their agents to manipulate the crowds.
Paul and Barnabas could have accepted the praise of the moment and accept the godhood ascribed to them. But that would have derailed them from their mission.
They remained focused as they told the Lycaonians about the Supremacy of God over the gods of Mount Olympus. They told the people, “We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Have you noticed that the apostles did not mention Jesus Christ yet? They talked about the God who has always been there with the Lycaonians, even when they paid allegiances to the worthless gods of Mount Olympus.
My friend, Paul’s message is still relevant to anyone who idolises any thing other than the living God. “We are bringing you good news…turn from these worthless things to the living God.”
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit humble us that we may not be lured into falsehood by the praise of men. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.