Paul Raises a Man from the Dead and Prophesies Apostacy

Today I read Acts 20 and I can't help but wonder, what must it have been like in those days to hear the Apostles speak and see the miracles that followed them. It must have been amazing I think. I say this because in this chapter Paul and his brethren are preaching to the people and performing miracles, I mean raising people from the dead miracles.

Paul was preaching in a church and it must have been a very tall church because there was a young man sitting in the window sill of the windows 3 floors up and he fell asleep due to Paul's long preaching. After he fell sleep he fell out of the window sill and was killed from the fall. Paul then brings him back to life and finishes his sermon. This must have been incredible to see, to have personally witnessed a death like that only to have it reversed before your very eyes? If there were any that were not converted prior to that, I imagine they sure were afterwards.

I often wonder what it would be like to live during different time periods than our own, without instant communication or travel. What must it have been like to be going about your life and then you hear from someone that there is a man in town that just raised someone from the dead in front of at least a hundred people. It must have been an interesting time, no modern conveniences, working in the fields every day most likely, a very different world indeed. I think I would miss air conditioning and forced air heating the most. But I digress.

I wonder how the Apostles did it back then. I mean they knew, they KNEW that all their efforts were essentially not going to last because an apostasy of the church was going to happen, no question. In fact Paul straight up tells the people that as soon as he leaves there will be false prophets and a falling away from the truth. But I think they were able to do it because they weren't focused on the long term, they knew that every soul is precious in the sight of God and knew that they owed it to those who they could help here and now to do all they could to build up the kingdom and not let any of the souls they might have helped suffer. The Lord told them that they were not doing this for the long term, the time had not yet come for that. They were instead sent out to gather the elect that were currently on the earth in their sphere of influence.

That must have been a hard message to receive on the part of the Apostles. It would be hard to know that what you are doing would not last. However, these men did it anyway because that is what Jesus required of them. They are truly an inspiration to everyone to do as they are asked and not question the Lord's plan. We could all learn from them. It is a hard talent to cultivate to just do as you are asked and not question the Lord. But as we learn to do it, we will become a better, more profitable servant. And isn't that our goal? Until tomorrow.