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The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 13:44-14:28 Rejection and Acceptance 13.44 - 45. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city assembled together to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they began to contradict what Paul was saying by reviling him. Having received a response to the gospel message from the Gentiles and some of the Jews in the synagogue in Antioch Pisidia Paul returned the following Sabbath to find that the whole city had come to hear them. This infuriated the Jews who were envious at the response of the people, particularly the Gentiles. So they continually heckled Paul and Barnabas contradicting and opposing everything they said to the point of blasphemy. 13.46. Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, "It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles. This did not deter either of them but did the opposite they became bolder and spoke directly to these opposing Jews. They had been given the first opportunity to hear the gospel message but had rejected it even as they rejected Christ. By their rejection they had passed judgment on themselves that they were not worthy of eternal life and because of their blasphemous words they will be judged by God as it will be so by all who follow in their footsteps. 13.47. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' " To show that it was according to God’s will and purpose for him to preach the message to the Gentiles he quotes from Isaiah 49: 6 that the Jews would have known. 13.48 - 49. When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed. So the word of the Lord was spreading through the entire region.
On hearing this the Gentiles praised and gave thanks to God for His Word and many believed and trusted in Jesus Christ as their Saviour thus receiving eternal life according to Christ’s words (John 3: 15). As a result the Gospel message spread right throughout the area. 13.50 - 52. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their region. So after they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, they went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Because of this the Jews incited men and women of high standing and influences in the city too persecuted and drive Paul and Barnabas away. However, the apostles did as Jesus instructed His disciples (Math. 10: 14) and went on to Iconium filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5: 41).
Holy Ghost Boldness 14.1 - 2. The same thing happened in Iconium when Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a large group of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. On arriving at Iconium according to their custom they first preached with power in the synagogue where many Jews and Gentiles believed and were saved. Again the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles against the apostles. 14.3. So they stayed there for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through their hands. This only served to stimulate Paul and Barnabas to remain a long time in the city fearlessly preaching the Gospel message. They continued to bear witness to the saving grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Word and the Lord gave them power to work miracles and wonders. 14.4 - 7. But the population of the city was divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made an attempt to mistreat them and stone them, Paul and Barnabas learned about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region. There they continued to proclaim the good news. The townspeople were divide into two camps those for the Jews and those for the apostles in fact the division was really between those who were for Christ and those opposed to Him. A plan to stone Paul and Barnabas was made known to them so they fled to Lycaonia and preached the Gospel there.
Giving God the Glory 14.8 - 10. In Lystra sat a man who could not use his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, he said with a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And the man leaped up and began walking.
At Lystra there was a man who had been lame from birth who listened and received as Paul was preaching. Paul perceiving that the man had faith to be healed cried out to him in the power of the Holy Spirit “Stand up on your feet� and the man immediately jumped up and walked. 14.11 -12. So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The response of these pagan people was to believe that two of their so called gods had come to visited them in human form. Barnabas being Zeus - the king of the gods and Paul, Hermes - the messenger of the gods because he did the talking. 14.13 - 14. The priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, The priests of the temple of Zeus in the town brought bulls to sacrifice to them. When the apostles heard about this they immediately took steps to stop them. 14.15 -17. Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways, yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and your hearts with joy." Paul’s approach to these heathen was to appeal to them from the basis of things they were familiar with the creation and the Creator. 1. Paul and Barnabas were no different to them - human, sinners needing a Saviour. 2. They brought the good news, the Gospel of Christ. 3. Exhorted them to turn from the vain and foolish things they were trusting in and believed. 4. Turn to the living God who made all things. 5. The universality of sin (Rom. 3: 23) 6. God gave man up to the degrading power of sin (Rom. 1: 24 &26). 7. However, God by His grace and mercy did not leave man without a witness but clearly showed His love and kindness in creation (Rom. 1: 20). 14.18. Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them. Even though Paul told them these things they still found it difficult to stop them making a sacrifice.
Great Courage 14.19. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead. At this point Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium. They had most probably followed them in order to arouse hostility against the Gospel message and the apostles. They persuaded enough people to join them and took Paul and stoned him and then dragged him outside the city thinking he was dead. 14.20. But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city. On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. The disciples formed a circle around him; it doesn’t say that they prayed or did anything they just stood there and Paul recovered got up and went back into the town. The following day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
Consolidating the Church 14.21 - 22. After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch. They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, "We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions." After preaching the Gospel in Derbe where many received Jesus Christ as their Saviour they made the return journey to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. Their purpose for doing this was in order to strengthen the believers in the Faith encouraging them to stand firm and warning them of the persecution (torture and torment) hardship and trouble they would have. Paul never once taught that the Christian life was a bed of roses neither did Jesus Christ (John 15: 20, John 16: 33). 14.23. When they had appointed elders for them in the various churches, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the protection of the Lord in whom they had believed. Furthermore they appointed elders in the churches and prayed for them with fasting committing them to the Lord in whom they had put their trust. 14.24 - 25. Then they passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia, and when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. Then they travelled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia, preached again in Perga and went on to Attalia. 14.26. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. Finally they return by ship to Antioch from where they had been sent out from by the church having completed the work that the Holy Spirit had called them to do.
14.27. When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported all the things God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. On arriving they called all the church together and testified how God had opened effectual doors for them to witness to the Gentiles and of the many souls that had been saved. 14.28. So they spent considerable time with the disciples. They remained with the church at Antioch for some time. © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2015. Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org