Acts Chapter 14
Acts 13:46
Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Acts 14:1And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
- Greeks here means Gentiles
- Having turned to the Gentiles, they STILL went into the Synagogue, in the hopes some Jews would be saved (to the Jew first, and also the Greek)
- This would have also been accessible to them, being Jews, as a platform for their use
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
- It needs to be noted that it is the UNBELIEVING Jews, not all Jews, who are the resistance here
- Included in this resistance are the "stirred up Gentiles" (v.5)
- The enemy does not want anyone to be saved, and unbelievers are easy to use for this, discouraging others to get saved is his method of operation, and it is useful
Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
- Signs and wonders done at "their hands" includes Barnabas who, in verse fourteen, is called an apostle!
- There are again Jews present for the signs and wonders
- God always gave testimony to them as to His grace, throughout time, their history
But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
- Doctrine divides; this is a perfect example of that.
- "The Liberal fiction, often preached and taught by Fundamentalists, that Christ came to unite societies or reconcile races, people, or institutions is just watered down Communism with a drop or two of Scripture injected to give the thing a “Biblical” color; it is still poison. Christ tore things up just about every time He opened His mouth (John 10:31, 11:48, 9:40, 8:59, 7:43, 6:66, etc.)."
- Ruckman, Dr. Peter S.. Acts Commentary (The Bible Believer's Commentary Series).
And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,
- When belief meets unbelief, sparks can fly, people get hurt, there are stonings
- A hundred years ago it was communism mostly doing it, and today it is "ISLAM"
- It started with words, intentions announced, verbal assaults, threats, etc.
- An attack or violent onset, whether by an individual, a company, or an army. An assault by private persons may be made with or without weapons. As assault by an army is a violent hostile attack; and when made upon a fort or fortified place is called a storm, as opposed to sap or siege.
- An attack by hostile words or measures; as, an assault upon the prerogatives of a prince, or upon a constitution of government.
- In Law, an unlawful setting upon one's person; an attempt or offer to beat another, without touching his person; as by lifting the fist or a cane, in a threatening manner. If the blow aimed takes effect, it is a battery. ASSAULT', v.t.
- To attack or fall upon by violence, or with a hostile intention; as, to assault a man, a house or town.
- To invade or fall on with force; as, the cry of war assaults our ears.
- To attack by words, arguments or unfriendly measures, with a view to shake, impair or overthrow; as, to assault a character, the laws or the administration.
Acts 14:6
They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
- Wiping the dust off of their feet, they move on to more fertile ground
And there they preached the gospel.
- Paul's Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of the living Christ, not a kingdom-building Gospel, not a uniting-with-the-world Gospel, not one of comfortable living, to build a mega-church, but to get people saved
And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
- This was therefore known to all, and not from a recent accident
- All of ones life, crippled, with no doctor to heal him
The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
- "Faith to be healed" is not the same as "faith to be saved", as is shown in Mark 6
- Some had both faiths in Scripture; some just came to be healed, ignoring the salvation message
- They were healed anyways, despite all of that
And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Acts 14:10
Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
- He never laid a hand on him, just told him to get up
- Never having used legs, it is apparent that this man's legs were also given strength in the muscles, tendons and bones to walk, as his body would have atrophied, and had no strength on its own to walk
- This is a healing miracle-no tongues, perhaps because there were no Jews present
And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
- A natural reaction for pagans is to assign their religion to God's work
- A natural reaction also for pagans is to assign miracles to their gods
- A natural reaction for pagans thirdly is to worship men as gods
- They have their own ideas about what a god is, and it is not the Creator God
- The Gospel presentation will be creation evangelism here, in contrast to the presentation to the Jews, which was a rehash of their history from Abraham through to the crucifixion of Jesus at their hands
- The next step in thinking that the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men is to make statues, idols of these men and worship them
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
- They have seen the signs and wonders and not yet heard the truth of the Gospel
- Witnessing miracles at the hands of mere mortal man makes people worship them, not recognizing the true source of the miracle
Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
- Pageantry and vainglory is always big in paganism
- The priest of Jupiter has found his idol, and it is Paul
- This is all just more proof that, if one does not worship the Creator, they will worship anything else they can imagine (Romans 1)
Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
- No real Christian would ever allow himself to be worshipped. Period (Think "POPES")
- Rending clothes is a protest of the highest order, for blasphemy
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Mark 14:63-64
Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
Acts 14:15
And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
- This is the difference between Christianity and all other faiths except perhaps Orthodox Judaism-evolutionism versus the Creation
- This is Creation Evangelism, as opposed to the witnessing to Jews in Scripture-God the Creator (Jews) vs. "Nature worship" (Gentiles) and this is a first in Acts, this method of witnessing, because it was necessary like it is today
- He said this because they do not have a Creator God, just evolutionism
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
- God "winked at" the sins of many nations, letting them build up for centuries with their abominations
- In the Old Testament, any Gentile (person or nation) had to go to and through Israel to learn of God (ie. book of Ruth)
- Once Christ died and rose from the dead, after Pentecost, the veil was rent, the priesthood of all Christian believers began
- With direct, one-on-one contact with the living Creator God comes direct, personal relationship and also accountability for nations and people, Gentiles and Jews
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Acts 14:17
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
- As Paul himself also states in Romans 1, God is self-evident in the natural world system He created, watering and lighting the earth, providing food for all of mankind-even the unbelievers
- So these Lystrans have followed the natural course set out in Romans 1 for all of mankind:
- Reject the Creator God (Romans 1:19-20)
- Make idols of their own imagination, based upon the created Creation itself (Romans 1:23)
- Move on to sexual abominations (Romans 1:24-32)
- It is perhaps this instance (and others) which God used to have Paul write about in Romans 1
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Acts 14:18
And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
- The ground was apparently not very fertile for the seeds of the Gospel here
- They barely were able to stop the pagan sacrifice being done to honor them
- This is a lot to ignore, because their two belief systems here are completely differentiated for them, leaving no confusion as to WHO God is...THE CREATOR GOD
And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
- Enter the circumcision, the religious opposition
- It would not be hard to persuade the people at this point, since they insisted on making them into the gods Jupiter and Mercury
- If God wants you alive, man cannot kill you. Likewise, if God wants you dead, no mere mortal man can save you from death-except Jesus Christ, the God-Man
Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
- This is a resurrection of sorts - stoned, left for dead, then walking into the city
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
- Unlike Lystra, Derbe had some fruit, a flock to shepherd and disciple
- Back into the fire of Lystra, but add to that Antioch, a place of much fruit
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
- Since it was not really a huge revival in Lystra, those few who got saved would have to be fortified through exhortation since they would be warned, "It's gonna get rough!"
- The Christian life is not one of %100 material blessings, with no hardships, with no trials, with no testings, with no refinings
- It is fraught with rocks and ruts in the road, rocks to the head, martyrdom, pain, Cross bearing, persecution, the loss of all for the cause of Christ
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mark 8:34
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Acts 14:23
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
- Church planting only happens with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, fasting, prayer, discipling in the Word
- It is not about duplication, but more of multiplication
- Without discipling, it is only conversion, baby Christians and a short-lived "Churchianity"
And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
- The area was Galatia, and also Pamphylia was an area
- It was an area of warriors, robbers and pillagers-ie. DANGEROUS
And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:
- Attalia, then call Satalia today called Sadalia is a sea port
- It was founded by Attalus Philadelphus II (159-138 B.C.)
- The two cities are only twelve miles apart, but consider they walked
And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.
- They were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26), so sending off missionaries with prayer would be normal
And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
- Again, the door to the Church was hitherto obscured, hinted at in their Old Testament
- The Jewish nature of the book of Acts again shows it is a transitional book, here overtly
And there they abode long time with the disciples.
- They were welcome
- There was fruit
- They perhaps wrote manuscripts, NT Scriptures at this time (or as a result of it), from which we get ours.
