Acts 14 (Wednesday Evening Bible Study)

Acts 14

• Context:
• At the end of Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas were just leaving the city of Antioch they didn’t leave because they wanted to but because they were expelled from the city because the Jews there encouraged the leaders of the city to force them to leave.
• The Romans had built some good roads in fact you can still see them in places. One such road was the Via Sebaste which ran from Ephesus across most of Turkey and passed thru Pisda Antioch.  Paul and Barnabas use this road to go on to the town of Iconium. Which was only a 90 mile walk from where they were at in Antioch. We continue along with Paul and Barnabas tonight on their 1st missionary journey. We may notice some patterns develop as we work our way.  
• Acts 14:1-7
• In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them, 6 they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside. 7 There they continued preaching the gospel.
  • Paul and Barnabas get into town and go looking for the best place to find potential converts…where is that?
    • Do you see a pattern here? Gospel goes to the Jews first.
  • How did the people respond to the gospel message?
    • See verse 1… There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 
  • Notice how Luke describes those who do not accept the gospel message?
    • They refused to believe…what does that sound like…like they will never accept it…not only do they not believe it but they are trying to actively oppose it.
  • Why do you think the unbelieving Jews were so against the gospel message of grace?
    • It would remove the boundaries between Jew and Gentile. Making the Jews less distinct, it would also threaten their traditions and take away their spiritual superiority.
  • What did the Jews of Iconium opposing the gospel say to get the non-Jews on their side?
    • We don’t know for sure…
    • Tell them Jesus was crucified and was a rebel against Rome if you support him you are a rebel too. 
    • Tell them Christianity was a new religion that did not support traditional ideas. (The Ancients did not see new as good but rather untried and untrue.) 
    • Misrepresent Paul and Barnabas… distort the message… 
  • Do you see another pattern here when it comes to the Jews and the gospel and how they respond?
    • Unbelieving Jews actively resist the gospel message and try to keep it from others, even working with Gentiles. 
  • What was the reaction from Paul and Barnabas to this initial opposition?
    • See verse 3…  They don’t move on but rather dig in and Get bold…they spend some time there.
  • What did God do to help them?
    • Verse 3 the Lord confirmed the message what does that mean?…by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 
  • What divides the city?
    • Verse 4…Gospel acceptors Vs rejecters
  • What are Paul and Barnabas called in verse 4?
    • Apostles. Is Barnabas an apostle? Yes, because the Greek word means to send or one who is sent. Here it is not a reference to the 12 apostles. But in a more general sense. Both Paul and Barnabas were sent by the Holy Spirit.  And Paul considered himself as an apostle to the Gentiles. 
  • Were Paul and Barnabas chickens to run away from Iconium?
    • No they used their brains and thought it was better to go down the road to the next city. Rather than be murdered. In fact they not only got out of town it looks like they hide by going out to the country side to smaller towns.
• Acts 14:8-13
• 8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
  • Where do Paul and Barnabas go?
    • What kind of place was this? A pagan city, it doesn’t appear there is a synagogue here. This place is a 12 mile walk from the major trade route.  The makeup of the people of Lystra was different then Iconium and Antioch.  Its population was not as educated as the other cities.  These people would have known Greek but they also had their own tribal language.
  • Do you think Paul and Barnabas would have stood out as they came to the city gate?
    • They were not locals.  This all may have happened right at the city gate. This where beggars may have been and city leaders.
  • How could Paul tell if someone had faith to be healed?
    • Maybe his expression or maybe the directing of the Holy Spirit.
  • Does this healing remind you of any earlier healing?
    • Acts 3 where Peter healed the beggar by the temple in Jerusalem, who was lame from birth. Peter healed him so he could walk.
  • How does the crowd react when they witness this miracle?
    • Verse 11. They think Paul and Barnabas are Zeus and Hermes…   Now why would they think that? 50 years earlier the Roman writer Ovid retold an ancient legend about Zeus and Hermes visiting that region disguised as mortals seeking lodging among the residents but they were turned away repeatedly. Finally a poor couple let them stay in their tiny home.  The gods turned their humble home into a temple with marble columns and a golden roof.  Then they destroyed the houses of the people who had refused them a place to stay. This would have been a well-known story back then.
  • Would Paul and Barnabas understand right away what was going on?
    • No because in their excitement the people were speaking in their own language.
• Acts 14:14-20
• 14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting, 15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them. 19 Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. 20 After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
  • What do Paul and Barnabas do once they realize what is going on?
    • Tear their clothes.
  • Paul begins explaining about the one true God.
    • Why doesn’t he quote scripture like he does with the Jews?  He talks about God from the creation aspect.
  • Satan doesn’t want the gospel preached to anybody so what happened to blunt the efforts of Paul and Barnabas?
    • See Verse 19. 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
  • What did these Jews say to the people to get them to oppose the miracle workers?
    • Told them they are against their religion…served a false god.
  • What did the disciples do after Paul is left for dead?
    • They gather around him…what do you think they did? Prayed…Was Paul dead, unconscious or asleep? God helped him no matter what.
• Acts 14:21-28
• 21 After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 After they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 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. 27 After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent a considerable time with the disciples.
  • How did the people in Derbe take to the gospel?
    • Large number become followers of Jesus. 
  • How far is Derbe from where Paul and Barnabas started this trip?
    • Much shorter then retracing their steps. 
  • What did Paul and Barnabas think was important?
    • To go back and strengthen these churches.
  • How do they strengthen these new congregations?
    • Encouragement, they appoint elders in each congregation, laying hands on them. Fast and pray with them.
  • Why did they give a report on the trip once they got back?
    • To encourage the people there and to be accountable to those who helped to send them out.  It would have been encouraging to hear how God was working.
• TAKE AWAY:
  • That ends the 1st mission trip. How would you rate it?  Was it a success?  Did they have trouble?
  • How many churches did they plant? Around 6 or 7
  • Who did they take the gospel message to?
    • They took the gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles…to the uneducated and the educated.
  • Was the gospel message controversial?
    • Yes…Not only did they win people over to Jesus, they made some enemies of those who opposed their message.
  • Are we to still make disciples of Jesus?