“Miracle of Love” (Acts 14:8-20)

My Grandfather
My grandfather has always been my hero. He was a North Korean defector. To save his life, he had to swim across a river to the South right before the Korean War broke out. Living there alone, struggling with hardship, he once considered ending his life. But one day, a friend invited him to church. There he met Christ, and his life was forever changed. Later, he was called to ministry.

Throughout his lifetime as a Methodist pastor, he was appointed to several different churches. Wherever he served, the church came alive and revived. In his journal, he recorded in detail the surprising work of God at his last appointment, where he served for 27 years. He wrote,

“During those 27 years, 13 people were set free from unclean spirits in the name of Jesus and became faithful Christians and leaders, 4 paralyzed people were healed. 7 people (5 children and 2 adults) were raised from the dead. Quite a few people suffering from cancer were healed in Jesus’ name.”

Since he was my pastor when I was young, I personally witnessed some of these stories.

But for me, an even greater miracle than those healings was the miracle of love. In that church, there were chronically difficult people who bullied my grandfather and our family. Yet he never fought back. Instead, he continued to shepherd them, love them, forgive them. He stayed in touch with them and stayed the course. Many people, including myself, saw how he had responded and were drawn to Christ and his church.

Paul in Lystra
In today’s scripture, we see two miracles. While Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra, there was a man crippled from birth. Paul saw that this man had faith to be healed. So he watched him closely and said, “Stand up straight on your feet!” Then the man jumped up and began to walk! Everyone was amazed. They thought the gods had come down in human form. So they wanted to offer sacrifices. When Paul and Barnabas heard this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, barely able to stop them.

Now comes the second miracle – the greater one. Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, the previous cities that Paul had preached, turned the crowd against Paul. So they stoned him and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day, he and Barnabas left for next town, Derbe, to preach the good news. There they made many disciples. But then, Paul chose to return to Lystra, the very place where he had been stoned, to strengthen and encourage other believers. Many who saw Paul’s response to suffering and persecution were drawn to Christ. I would call that the miracle of love.

The Sermon on the Mount
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares two kinds of people – not moral versus immoral, but religious versus Christian. On the outside, both do the same things. They give, they pray, they fast. But on the inside, they are different. The religious person does all these things to be seen, to feel good, to make much of themselves. But the true Christian gives, prays, and fasts out of love and gratitude to Christ.

Jesus’ moral standard is far higher than any other religious law. He said, “You heard, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” “You heard, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

How can we do that? The answer is in the Beatitudes. Christ, the Messiah, meaning the “Blessed One,” became the cursed one, so that we might be blessed. Deuteronomy 21:23 says, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Christ became a curse for us to set us free from the power of sin and death” (cf. Gal 3:13) Jesus became poor so that we could inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus became hungry and thirsty, so that we could be filled. Jesus was humiliated and persecuted, so that we might have his righteousness and his kingdom. Jesus did it for us. When we receive Christ, trust him, and place him at the center of our life, our hearts are changed. We receive “inner” righteousness.

Paul had always been religious. He obeyed all the laws – tithing, giving, praying, fasting, everything. He even persecuted Christians, thinking he was doing it for God. But inside, he was proud, insecure, hateful, judgmental. Only after he encountered the risen Christ, Paul became a new person – his inside and outside became one. And now, even after being stoned, he returned to that same city. He forgave, he loved, and he preached the good news of peace.

The Rabbi’s Gift
There was once a monastery that had fallen on hard times. Only five elderly monks remained. Once vibrant, it now stood silent and tired. In the woods nearby lived a wise Rabbi. One day, the Abbott went to visit him, seeking advice. The Rabbi welcomed him warmly, but after listening, sighed, “I know… The spirit has gone out of the people. It is the same in my town.” The two old men wept together, read from the Scriptures, and sat in silence. As the Abbott rose to leave, the Rabbi said quietly, “I have no advice, except this: the Messiah is one of you.”

The Abbott returned, confused. “He gave no advice,” he said his brothers, “except that the Messiah is one of us.” The brothers began to wonder: could he mean the Abbott, our leader? Or Brother Thomas, so full of light? Or Brother Elred, grumpy but wise? Or Brother Philip, so quite yet always shows up when needed? Or… could it be me? From that day on, each monk began to treat the others with deep respect, just in case one of them was the Messiah. And they began to treat themselves with care, just in case it was themselves.

Something beautiful happened. Visitors began to sense the love and light that filled the place. They felt peace there. Some stayed. Others returned. Soon, the monastery came alive again, all because of the Rabbi’s gift: the miracle of love.[1]

Foretaste
I believe the most powerful force for church renewal and revival is love – agape love, Christ’s love.

Isaiah, by the Holy Spirit, prophesied God’s peaceful kingdom this way:

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. (Isaiah 11:6-8, NLT)

God’s design for the church is to foretaste this peaceful kingdom here and now. Wherever and whoever acknowledges the lordship of Jesus Christ can experience this miracle of love. Jews and Palestinians can live together. Children of Ukraine and Russia can play together. Democrats and Republicans can work together – under the lordship of Jesus Christ. May the Lord fill our hearts and our church with renewed agape love. May the miracle of love begin with you and me. Amen.

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[1] M. Scott Peck, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace (Touchstone, 1998), 13-15.