A Sure Foundation

During the first mission of Paul and Barnabas, they preached in Iconium where the city became divided between those who believed and those who didn’t. When the latter group threatened to stone the missionaries, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra where the continued to preach the gospel. Luke recounted this miracle that took place: “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” At the sight of such an incredible manifestation of God’s power, the immediate reaction of the people was to essentially worship Paul and Barnabas: “And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.” This, of course, was abominable to the missionaries and “they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God.” With their pleadings they were barely able to “restrain they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.” What is most surprising, though, is what Luke told us this “people” did in the very next verse: “And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead” (Acts 14:8-19). So, at one moment they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods and they were trying to worship them with sacrifices, and the next moment they let the begruntled Jews from Iconium convince them to stone Paul and throw him out of the city. How unstable and quick to be swayed they were!

                This reminds me of Mormon’s description of the Nephites when they had become wicked shortly before their destruction. He wrote, “But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they” (Mormon 5:18). This people at Lystra had no spiritual foundation and so they were led about with no anchor, seeking one moment to worship other humans and the next to kill them. Surely there are many today who similarly are swayed by whatever the world values at the moment. With no true foundation, they believe whatever the voices of the world believe and are led about like chaff before the wind. Perhaps Paul was thinking of this experience in Lystra when he wrote these words to the Ephesians: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:19-20). We must build our foundation upon the words of the prophets and apostles, with the Savior as our chief cornerstone. He must be our rock and we must anchor ourselves to Him—what He thinks of us and what He wants us to do should be the most important thing for us. What we need is faith in Christ which “maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4). If we are anchored by our faith in Jesus Christ then we will not be pulled in every direction to believe whatever is the most popular idea at the moment in the world. Isaiah put it this way: “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” (Isaiah 28:16). We must “not make haste” to follow every new philosophy from the world like these people so easily swayed in Lystra but rather focus our lives around that sure foundation of Jesus Christ.