Villains: The Murderous Mob of Lystra
A crowd can be fickle. One moment they love you, the next moment they are trying to kill you. That’s exactly what happened to Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. The people of Lystra worshiped the missionaries as “gods” when they first arrived. But after some provocation, the crowd turned into an angry mob who tried to execute Paul by stoning him. When crowds turn on us today, how will we respond? Will we return insult for insult and injury for injury? Or will we remember the encouraging words of Paul after he was stoned, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God”? (Scripture: Acts 14:19-22)