Salvation Is Jesus

Acts 14

The Gospel Preached in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe

In Acts Chapter 14, Paul and Barnabas continue their missionary journey and travel to three more cities: Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.

At Iconium

Verses 1-3:

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So 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.

Once again Paul and Barnabas are met with opposition from some of the Jews that are gealous of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even through God was continuing to confirm what Paul and Barnabas were saying through miracles, the Jews were still successful in poisoning the minds of many. Eventually some of the people who were against the Gospel’s message created a plot to stone Paul and Barnabas,

Verses 6-7:

But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the good news.

Again and again we see that no matter what type of persecution comes to Paul and Barnabas for Christ’s sake, they continue to preach the Gospel. This is because salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. There is no other way and so they are compelled by love to continue to reach people and tell them God’s plan of salvation no matter what the risks.

At Lystra

So Paul and Barnabas continued to preach and minister to the cities of Lystra and Derbe.  First in Lystra, they healed a man who was crippled from birth.

Verses 8-10:

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

Much like the many miracles that Jesus did, this miracle became the focus of many people instead of Christ, the source of the miracle. The crowds started calling Paul and Barnabas Hermes and Zeus. They even brought bulls to be sacrificed to the two men.

Verses 14-18:

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “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. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet 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.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

The two Apostles were clearly upset with the crowds desires to glorify them rather than God. It appears as though the crowd was more interested in tricks and miracles than truth…

Verses 19-20:

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. 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.

Paul had people pelting him with large stones until he looked as though he were dead. If all religions were equal in the eyes of God, then Paul should not have had any problem in the Lystra people worshiping Zeus and Hermes, or even lifting up Barnabas and Paul as gods. Everyone would have been happy believing their own “truth”. But there is only one way to salvation, by believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for our sins.

At Derbe, Then Returning to Antioch

Verse 20-22:

…The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 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.

At Derbe, the Gospel was preach and received by many, and it seems the Apostles met no trouble in that city. Amazingly, their next course of action is to go right back to the cities that just tried to murder them. The Apostles warn the believers that there will be many hardships in following Christ. This is a fact that is easily forgotten here in America where we have such tremendous religious freedom. But if the early Christians like Paul and Barnabas had not preached the Gospel of Christ through the hardships, America and the principles that it is founded on would not exist today.

Paul and Barnabas journey back to Antioch, the city they originally departed from. On their way back they continued to encourage the new believers and appoint leaders and elders in the local churches that were starting.

Verses 26-28:

…they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On 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. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.