READ | ACTS CHAPTER 14
In Iconium
1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.
In Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 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.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria
21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a] for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.
In Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 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.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria
21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders[a] for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
DEVOTIONAL
In one story we see the extreme opposite ends of the Devil’s strategy towards silencing and suppressing the Gospel. A man, who from birth could not walk, is healed. It is a miracle from God! An interesting part of this healing is how the passage tells us that when Paul looked directly at the man, he saw that the man had faith to be healed. Think about that. Paul, filled with the spirit, was able to look at a person and see their faith. What an amazing thought! The spirit gives us insight and allows us to look past the physical facade and glimpse into the spiritual. A question we should ponder is what a spirit-filled person observes when they look at us. Do they see faith that is willing and ready to stand up and do something we’ve never done before? Or do they see someone who is faithless, hopeless, and unable to see their situation as anything different from what it currently is?
The healed man did not just stand with faith, he jumped up and began to walk! We should all pray that we would have faith that jumps! The Greek gentiles who had witnessed the miracle shouted out that gods had come down in human form in Paul and Barnabus. These two apostles of Jesus were faced with something foreign to their travels. They were loved; worshipped even. The people heaped praise on them. If Paul and Barnabus wanted, they could have remained in the city and lived like kings (or gods) for many years. They would have received continual praise, extravagant gifts, and held incredible authority, prominence and control over that region. Oh, what a temptation lay before them. A ticket to luxury was being handed to them. Most people in that situation would have attempted to gain all they could. However, Paul and Barnabus were quick to honor God and tell the people that they too were only human. They shared only the gospel and diverted any praise, honor, or worship away from themselves to where it truly belonged. They had passed the test. Honor, praise, authority, influence and popularity can be tools for temptation in the hands of the Devil. Satan even tempted Jesus with these after 40 difficult days in the wilderness. If fear, intimidation, pain and suffering are not working, why not try another tactic and go extreme in a totally opposite direction? How many Christians over the years have forfeited their calling and purpose to chase after human luxury? How many pastors and leaders have pursued the approval of man over the approval of God? How many fathers have abandoned their family because of an affair? How many of those called have given up a life in pursuit of eternal things in exchange for seeking comfort and security in this present world?
The crowd soon soured towards these men who would not elevate themselves in pride. Jews from Antioch who had followed the missionary team began to stir up the crowd and turn them against the apostles of Christ. Troublemakers traveled over 100 miles just to oppose and stir up trouble for Paul and Barnabus! It’s amazing to think about how far and to what lengths evil will go to oppose the gospel. Soon, the praise and honor directed at Paul and Barnabus turned to shouts of hatred and condemnation. Oh, how fickle a crowd can be. It is a dangerous thing for any spiritual leader to cultivate or allow any kind of hero-worship. The same people who give this honor will feel terribly betrayed when their leader is shown to be human and flawed. In a rage, the frenzied crowds threw large rocks at Paul until they thought he was dead, then dragged what they thought was his bloodied, lifeless, corpse out of the city and left him there for the animals to take care of. But God was not done with Paul, and Paul was not done with the city. He got up and went back into the city to continue preaching the good news of Jesus. Many theologians think that Paul was killed and raised to life again, because stoning was usually a reliable form of execution. This idea wouldn’t be unbelievable. The same God who could cause a lame man to walk could also raise up a man thought dead. It is also not unbelievable to think a witness to all that happened in Lystra that day was a young man named Timothy. One who would years later become a disciple of Paul and a prominent leader of the church.
It’s amazing how in just one chapter we see confrontation, hatred, division, then pride, praise and flattery, followed by another round of pain and suffering towards the apostles of Christ. As followers of Jesus, we need to be prepared to stand firm in the face of whatever extreme emotional response comes our way. Whether it be extreme oppression and hateful words or actions of extreme praise and accolades. We should always keep the main thing first and foremost in your thoughts. We are here to proclaim the name of Jesus and expand the kingdom of God. That high calling will always be met with resistance of some kind, even if it’s not what we expected.
The healed man did not just stand with faith, he jumped up and began to walk! We should all pray that we would have faith that jumps! The Greek gentiles who had witnessed the miracle shouted out that gods had come down in human form in Paul and Barnabus. These two apostles of Jesus were faced with something foreign to their travels. They were loved; worshipped even. The people heaped praise on them. If Paul and Barnabus wanted, they could have remained in the city and lived like kings (or gods) for many years. They would have received continual praise, extravagant gifts, and held incredible authority, prominence and control over that region. Oh, what a temptation lay before them. A ticket to luxury was being handed to them. Most people in that situation would have attempted to gain all they could. However, Paul and Barnabus were quick to honor God and tell the people that they too were only human. They shared only the gospel and diverted any praise, honor, or worship away from themselves to where it truly belonged. They had passed the test. Honor, praise, authority, influence and popularity can be tools for temptation in the hands of the Devil. Satan even tempted Jesus with these after 40 difficult days in the wilderness. If fear, intimidation, pain and suffering are not working, why not try another tactic and go extreme in a totally opposite direction? How many Christians over the years have forfeited their calling and purpose to chase after human luxury? How many pastors and leaders have pursued the approval of man over the approval of God? How many fathers have abandoned their family because of an affair? How many of those called have given up a life in pursuit of eternal things in exchange for seeking comfort and security in this present world?
The crowd soon soured towards these men who would not elevate themselves in pride. Jews from Antioch who had followed the missionary team began to stir up the crowd and turn them against the apostles of Christ. Troublemakers traveled over 100 miles just to oppose and stir up trouble for Paul and Barnabus! It’s amazing to think about how far and to what lengths evil will go to oppose the gospel. Soon, the praise and honor directed at Paul and Barnabus turned to shouts of hatred and condemnation. Oh, how fickle a crowd can be. It is a dangerous thing for any spiritual leader to cultivate or allow any kind of hero-worship. The same people who give this honor will feel terribly betrayed when their leader is shown to be human and flawed. In a rage, the frenzied crowds threw large rocks at Paul until they thought he was dead, then dragged what they thought was his bloodied, lifeless, corpse out of the city and left him there for the animals to take care of. But God was not done with Paul, and Paul was not done with the city. He got up and went back into the city to continue preaching the good news of Jesus. Many theologians think that Paul was killed and raised to life again, because stoning was usually a reliable form of execution. This idea wouldn’t be unbelievable. The same God who could cause a lame man to walk could also raise up a man thought dead. It is also not unbelievable to think a witness to all that happened in Lystra that day was a young man named Timothy. One who would years later become a disciple of Paul and a prominent leader of the church.
It’s amazing how in just one chapter we see confrontation, hatred, division, then pride, praise and flattery, followed by another round of pain and suffering towards the apostles of Christ. As followers of Jesus, we need to be prepared to stand firm in the face of whatever extreme emotional response comes our way. Whether it be extreme oppression and hateful words or actions of extreme praise and accolades. We should always keep the main thing first and foremost in your thoughts. We are here to proclaim the name of Jesus and expand the kingdom of God. That high calling will always be met with resistance of some kind, even if it’s not what we expected.
