Paul and Barnabas’s mission to Iconium, Lystra, Derbe of Lycaonia (Acts 14) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Paul and Barnabas’s mission to Iconium, Lystra, Derbe of Lycaonia (Acts 14)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

Scriptures reading Acts 14

¹ At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jew and Gentiles believed. ² But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴The people of the city were divided, some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. ⁵ There was a plot afoot among the 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 were they continued to preach the good news.

⁸In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame 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!” ¹²Banabas they called Zeus and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³The 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” Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way.¹⁷Yet 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, thing 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 Events on the return to Antioch

²¹ They preached the good news 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. ²³Paul and Barnabas appointed elders 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, ²⁵and 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. ²⁷On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

 

Verse 1 Lystra. About twenty miles from Iconium.

Verse 12 Zeus. The chief god of the Greek Pantheon. Hermes. The patron god of orators. In two Greek legends connected with Lystra (and familiar to Paul’s listeners) Zeus and Hermes had come down and had become life men (v.11).  Jupiter in Roman mythology. Mercury in Roman mythology.

Verse 19 They stoned Paul. After suffering the crushing blows of the victim was dragged outside the city and left to the dogs and beasts. It was a miracle that Paul could get up and leave the next day. Some think the vision mentioned in 2 Cor.12:1-5 occurred at this time, and it is also possible that he received the marks spoken of in Gal.6:17 during this stoning.

Verse 22 Man’s soul is composed of his mind, emotion, and will. To establish the souls of the disciples is to establish them (1) in their mind, that  they may know and understand the Lord and the things concerning Him (1Cor.2:16;Phil 3:10); (2) in their emotion that they may love the Lord and have a heart for the Lord’s interest (Mark 12:30;Rom 16:4 and (3) in their will that they may be strong to remain with the Lord and do the things that please the Lord (11:23; Col1:101 Thes. 4:1). Remain persevere and firm and not depart from the faith, into which they had entered.

Verse 23 all the church here in which elders were appointed by the apostles had been established within less than one year. Hence, the elders appointed in these churches could not have been fully mature. They must have been considered elders because they were comparatively the most mature among the believers. They were not voted in by their congregations but were appointed by the apostles according to their maturity of life in Christ. They were charged by the apostles to care for the leadership and shepherding in their churches. In every church equal in every city in Titus.

Verse 27 This was the end of Paul’s first ministry journey, which began in 13:4. For fellowship regarding God’s move in the spreading of His gospel, not for a report concerning their mission.

 

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986