DAY 14
Acts 14:1-28
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. 3 But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.
5 Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. 7 And there they preached the Good News.
Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe
8 While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting 9 and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. 10 So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” 18 But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch of Syria
21 After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. 25 They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.
26 Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. 27 Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. 28 And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.
1. Testifying to God’s works with boldness has become a common theme throughout Acts. Take a moment to reflect on your own life – are you a bold witness of God, or do you find it uncomfortable to be that forthright? What might it look like in your life to live out your faith in a bold manner? What do you think the effect would be?
2. In Acts 14:9, Luke writes that Paul saw a man with crippled feet who had faith to be healed. What do you make of this statement? Think back to the life of Jesus where similar statements were issued. It is clear in Scripture that a person’s faith had something to do with the effectiveness of their ability to be healed. What does this say to you about the role of faith in your own life? Is there a difference between belief and faith? What might those differences be?
3. When Paul and Barnabas were regarded as gods because of the miracle they performed, they immediately told them that they were only human and urged them not to make sacrifices to them. Contrast this with Herod’s reaction and death at the end of Acts 12. What does this contrast teach you about how God desires us to live? Which of these two reactions would be more normal to you if someone was praising your talents and works?
4. As Paul preached his sermon, he reminded the crowds that testimony of the evidence of God could be found everywhere, and even within nature itself (Acts 14:17). John Stott (in his book The Message of Acts) mentions this helpful bit of advice in accordance with the message of Acts 14:
“We need to learn from Paul’s flexibility. We have no liberty to edit the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ. Nor is there ever any need to do so. But we have to begin where people are, to find a point of contact with them. With secularized people today this might be what constitutes authentic humanness, the universal quest for transcendence, the hunger for love and community, the search for freedom, or the longing for personal significance. Wherever we begin, however, we shall end with Jesus Christ, who is himself the good news, and who alone can fulfill all human aspirations.”
In what ways do you need to learn to be flexible in your witness of Christ to be effective? Do any of the final descriptions John Stott mentions ring true in your own life? Do you find yourself described in any of those phrases? If so, take a few moments to pray to recenter yourself in Christ and Christ alone. If not, take a moment to pray for God to show you a way to be flexible enough to be effective in the context that you’ve been placed within – that is, to be an effective disciple for Christ in your own life and for others around you.
God, in your infinite goodness and mercy, I ask that you would build my faith and center it in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Make my life a testimony of Your goodness to others, that I may be an effective living disciple and witness, point all others towards the same goodness and mercy that You’ve shown to me. Continue to cultivate a deep sense of humility in me, so that I begin to recognize that everything You’ve given me isn’t mine at all, but is Yours. I place my life in Your hands, trusting in Your perfect plan for me. Amen.
LIFE IS NOT MEANT TO BE LIVED ALONE. YOU WERE CREATED TO EXPERIENCE LIFE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.