Acts 14

 Good morning. Not sure if you saw it, but beautiful sunrise this morning. Lots of reds, oranges, and yellows...and I am reminded of the adage, "Red sky at night- sailors delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning!" The morning before our December snowstorm was an absolutely stunning sunrise. I wonder what tomorrow will bring!!

Here is the map from yesterday, for ease of following the travels of Paul and Barnabas. I like Jack's commentary from yesterday- it seemed like a travelogue of their adventures! And the adventures continue today!

Paul and Barnabas' First Missionary Journey

After being kicked out of Antioch, Paul and Barnabas "left, full of the joy of the Holy Spirit" (13:52) and went to Iconium (v 14:1). First place they go is the synagogue. Lots of discussion about that yesterday. First- where else would you go to find a bunch of people that already have a monotheistic theology! Also, it was tradition, when a Jew was travelling to check in at the synagogue of the city they visited. When there, if worship was occurring (and it usually was) the elder would hand a scroll to the visitor and have them read and then teach on a part of scripture. Can you imagine doing that in church? I think I will do that with my next visitor.  When they come in, hand them a Bible and say, "OK, you're turn!" 

Paul and Barnabas presented the gospel in a way that invited belief. The way they preached encouraged people to believe in the message of who Jesus is and what He had done for them. We see some struggle (v 2)-- good and honest preaching often causes tension and some people do get upset at the "truth." Does this happen in your home church? Paul and Barnabas stayed as long as they could, despite the opposition, leaving only when it was necessary. They knew that these Christians in Iconium needed all the grounding they could get to stand strong in a city with much opposition.

Paul and Barnabas were forced (v 5) to leave Iconium and travel to Lystra and Derbe (about 20 miles away). They weren't ready to become martyrs in Iconium!

While in Lystra, they meet a lame man and they begin chatting with him. The crippled man heard Paul preach about Jesus. When he heard about Jesus, his face and manner showed that he believed Jesus could touch his life. Have you ever noticed that in people you talk with? There was something about this man’s faith that was evident, and it is likely that God gave Paul the gift of discernment, so much so that Paul knew God intended to heal the man at that moment. The words Paul uses are similar to the words Jesus used in John 5: "Pick up your mat and go!"

The people have Lystra have not been fully converted and they still believe in gods. These people saw a great miracle happen before their eyes, yet their idea of who God is had not changed. Therefore it seems logical to them to consider Paul and Barnabas gods (vv 11+). In Greek mythology, it was common for the gods to come to earth in human form, though they did not always do so for the good of man. The people of Lystra had a legend that once Zeus and Hermes visited their land disguised as mortals, and no one gave them any hospitality except for one older couple. In their anger at the people, Zeus and Hermes wiped out the whole population, except for the old couple. This may help explain why the Lystrians were so quick to honor Paul and Barnabas.Hermes was the messenger of the gods- and since Paul did all the talking- that was the name he was given; Barnabas was "Zeus" as he apparently had an authoritative air about him! Paul and Barnabas didn't really understand (the people were speaking in Lycaonian language) until the chief priest of Zeus came with a bull and flowers, Then they responded- "Whoa! Wait a minute here!" (v 15). Paul called the Lystrian crowd to consider the real God (15- 16), the One who stands behind all creation, not one of the lesser (and imaginary) Greek gods.

To compound troubles, Jews from Antioch traveled more than one hundred miles just to make Paul and Barnabas miserable (v 19- 20). They were dedicated adversaries of Paul and Barnabas.They incited the people of Lystra against Paul and Barnabas, and instigated the stoning of Paul. This was obviously an attempt to execute Paul and Barnabas – with the rocks being thrown by the same people who wanted to worship them shortly before. This is a dramatic demonstration of how fickle a crowd can be. This never happens in your church- does it?!

Paul was miraculously saved here. Some commentaries say that he was even actually killed and raised to life again, because stoning was usually reliable form of execution. Paul comments in both Galatians and 2 Corinthians about this incident. Do you think Paul thought of Stephen as he was being stoned?

When Paul was revived, he did not flee the city that stoned him. Instead he immediately went back into it (v 20). He had been driven out of Antioch and Iconium by this traveling mob, and he was determined to leave Lystra on his own terms.

Paul and Barnabas decided to head back home to Antioch, they passed through the cities they had visited before(vv 21- 22), to strengthen and encourage the Christians in those cities. Their message, "We must suffer many things to enter God's kingdom" (v 22b) was the message that helped strengthen and exhort these disciples. This was a simple message, proved in Paul’s personal experience. Paul could preach that message because he had lived that message. This is for many a forgotten message today. They consider any kind of tribulation completely counter-productive to Christian living, failing to note the significant place suffering has in God’s plan.I have said many times in worship and other gatherings that nobody ever said this life was going to be easy. Jesus never promised us an easy life!

This first trip was a great success, though not without great obstacles: The difficulty of travel itself, the confrontation with Elymas on Cyprus, the quitting of John Mark, being driven out of the cities of Antioch and Iconium, the temptation to receive adoration, and being stoned in Lystra. Yet Paul and Barnabas would not be deterred from the work God had them to do. Their success with evangelism among the Gentiles, and the blessing of God that it demonstrated, showed that what God did in Antioch was not unique. God wanted to replicate this work all over the world.Back at their home church in Syrian Antioch, we can assume that Paul and Barnabas took a long break and found plenty of ministry to do back there.

Tomorrow we read about the first Jerusalem Conference (49AD) that proposed what Jewish "traditions" the new Christians had to observe and affected the course of Christianity!

Enjoy the day- ready for winter's return??!!

Shalom+
Pastor Paul