ACTS 14. MISSIONARY WORK Preaching the Gospel globally means that those with the mission to take the Gospel to people in various parts of the world will have to learn to adapt to different people, places, and practices. Before the New Testament scriptures were written, miracles were done by the Lord through His servants to authenticate and give power to the message they preached. Miracles, wonders, and signs were very important to the Jews, but they were not limited to the Jews as proof of the truths presented by Gospel preachers. The Gentiles were also brought to understand the power of God in the Gospel to change lives through the performance of miracles of healing.
Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium after they were cast out of Antioch in Pisidia. Rather than stay at Iconium when division and contention sidetracked the people from the Gospel, they moved on to Lystra and Derbe, cities in Lycaonia, where they had a different language unique to that area. That was likely one of the places Paul was given the gift of tongues to use to preach the Gospel.
“Preaching boldly” is not carnal energy done in one’s own strength but is how the Holy Spirit moves God’s servants to press home the necessity of believing the Gospel. Great opposition stirs up great boldness. The “message of grace” was the message of who Jesus is, what He did for us when He died on the cross, and the power and authority of the Gospel because of His resurrection and ascension into heaven. The message of a living Savior makes the Gospel a present and living message, not merely a historical account of past events. When a situation arises that does not further the work of the Lord in a particular location, usually, the best thing to do is to move on to another place. If the Lord opens a door later, well and good. If not, they will still know they had an opportunity to repent and believe the Gospel.
Missionary Experiences, v.1-20 Sometimes, missionaries wish God would perform some sign miracles, hoping that would convince the people that the message of the Gospel is true and important to act on right now. It is a waste of time to want that to happen because, like with Paul and Barnabas and any other of the missionaries, God will do that if He chooses to for His reasons. It is our work to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Then we are to baptize believers and make disciples of those who are saved and teach them to “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” The Holy Spirit will do what He does when He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. He will guide those who seek the Lord into “all truth” and show them “things to come.” He will reveal Christ, and He will make the work of God to accomplish His purposes.
An Example of Faith, v.8-9. “A man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth.” Because he had never walked, he likely never hoped to be able to walk until he heard Paul speak. The liberty and joy of being able to move independently was a hopeless dream. However, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Whether it is preached publicly or read in the Bible, faith comes through the word of God, and that is the victory that overcomes obstacles in life. The cripple heard the word of salvation, believed the message, and believed in the risen Savior who can heal.
When Paul saw evidence of the man’s faith, the Spirit of God gave him the insight needed to address the man’s need based on the reality of his faith. No question was asked, only a command was given. In an act of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and responding to the command of Paul to “Stand up on your feet,” there was no hesitation or saying, “I can’t,” or “I have never walked before.” He just jumped right up and walked. In one act of faith, the man who was the picture of helplessness leaped to his feet for joy! There was no question as to the sudden, powerful, and completeness of the work of God on his behalf.
Salvation is like that. We are, by nature, lost in sin. When faith accompanies the preaching of the word of God, the Holy Spirit directs us to the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a sudden work of God generates new life in a spiritually dead person. New actions, attitudes, and new life follow. God is pleased when faith is unreservedly placed in Him.
An Example of Foolishness, v.11-13. “The gods have come down in human form.” A legend from the past in Lystra was that two pagan gods came there in human form, and no one would have anything to do with them except an old couple. Consequently, the old couple was rewarded, and all the rest of the people were killed. The people in Lystra weren’t taking any chances on it happening again, thinking that Paul and Barnabas were two gods who had come to town, so they wanted to honor them and worship them. The gods of idolaters are merely figments of human imagination, but spiritually blind people are moved to enthusiastically defy common sense and the obvious reality of a living God who can heal, and they will still keep their false gods.
People today act differently in crowds than if they are sensibly speaking privately. They do things so far removed from normal human conduct in response to events or messages given that excite them. They are easily prompted by deceptive people who know how to move a rabble crowd to foolishness. Once such senseless passion claims some people, peer pressure moves others to do the same things even though they hardly know what the cause is in the first place.
When the word of God is read and preached, light shines in the darkness, and understanding follows. Truth is unchanging, but the way it is presented may be different in one place than in another. Some are studious people who rely on the intellectual response of hearers to produce a good result. Others speak the truth with simple words and illustrations with controlled passion. Most people who respond in faith are not complicated in their thinking by the opinions of educated agnostics who are never really sure of anything they cannot see, touch, smell, hear, or taste.
An Example of Faithfulness, v.14-20. “We preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God.” The message of the Gospel is passed on from those who experienced the foundation of the work to those who believe and accept the truth by faith. They trust the messenger and accept as factual all that the original apostles taught who were with the Lord when He was here. Those who believe and find the joy of the Lord the indwelling Holy Spirit gives to them, find that God uses them as tools guided by Him to further the work of the Lord. When we do what we know God wants, we find great satisfaction and comfort in knowing that God has entrusted us with such a life-changing truth.
It is important, when speaking to those who are not familiar with the truth of God and the word of God, to find some common ground to open the subject of the Gospel. Paul and Barnabas identified themselves to the people of Lystra as “men of like passions” who had been changed by the grace of God. They wanted honor from God, not people. Most people today, even in western world countries, have no knowledge of the Bible or biblical Christianity. They have no biblical convictions from which to learn the way of salvation. Modern “Christianity” bears little resemblance to biblical Christianity and has brought contempt for the Christian faith by the media and non-biblical religions. Many “Christian congregations” no longer accept the Bible as the infallible word of God.
Paul’s short message didn’t condemn the audience as being worthless people, but by finding common ground that they could understand, he preached the goodness of God toward all mankind. He began with creation, which they all could see, and he pointed out that God is the sovereign creator. He didn’t preach about Jesus and His redemptive work until the hearers understood the reality of a living, all-powerful, all-knowing God who provides for us all we need.
After the important fact of a living God was made plain, which they could believe by faith; then he would be able to tell them that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Foundational facts that are formed on the common ground of understanding, open the way for the salvation message of the Gospel.
An Example of Inconsistency, v.19-20. “They stoned Paul, and drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.” People have their own preconceived ideas about God, life and death, and the future after death. If those who preach the Gospel are committed to telling the truth about sin and the need for salvation, as well as the love and grace of God; many people will oppose and reject them. Faith that costs nothing will give nothing.
Hardships accompany the outreach of the Gospel. Gospel work outside church buildings interferes with the apathy and complacency of comfortable sinful living. We live in a post-Christian culture, and the world is not going to come to us asking how to be saved. Our culture does not speak a Christian, respectful language anymore. To cross into the areas in which lost souls live, Christians have to show love, understanding, and acceptance of people as of high worth to God and us. Yet, we cannot overlook sin and the fact that sin is a barrier that separates people from God. If we have to lose our reputation for a righteous reason to show the kindness of God to people, so be it. If we put our own interests above the need of others to be saved, our love is not the “love of Christ” that constrains us to keep on preaching the Gospel.
There is a big difference between garlands and stones, and the Lord’s servants may have to experience both in order to be faithful to God's call. There is a great distance between “Hosanna” and “Crucify Him.” Those who preach the Gospel need to recognize on whose side we are and not be inconsistent in our lives and testimonies. We still need to reach the world with the Gospel.
Accountability is Essential, 19-28. Preaching the Gospel in public places and in areas where the clear presentation of Bible truth has not been proclaimed before, can be costly to those involved. The cost of commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ and the commission He gave to His own, will be in finances, time expended, and personal sacrifices. In some cases, there will be physical pain and suffering. Those whose faith costs them nothing will ultimately get what they paid for. Faithful witnesses who endure afflictions will receive their recompense from the Lord whom they serve.
Being a true disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ calls for full commitment to Him and His sovereign will. Disciples belong to our Lord. We are accountable to Him and if we are to partake of the “sufferings of Christ” in some little measure, it is reason to be thankful that He counts us worthy of that. Believers are not independent. We are “not our own”. We have been “bought with a price.” It is our responsibility to glorify God in our bodies and spirits that belong to our Savior and Lord.
Helping the Saints, v.19-28. Paul had been left for dead by the side of the road out of Lystra. Those believers who had been saved when they listened to the Gospel preached by Paul and Barnabas, gathered in a circle around his body; then he stood up! God was not done using His faithful servant because there were kings and those in authority, he had not yet reached. It was likely he had died when he “was caught up into paradise.” The exact moment a person leaves the body and is taken to heaven, may not be all that clear-cut in distinction to the person leaving the body as they experience that separation from the body, as it seems to those of us who watch it happen. On-lookers see a final breath, and soon, a pronouncement is made by someone of “their passing.”
Whatever happened to Paul is not clearly stated, but we know that wounded and bruised, he was encircled by those who knew and loved him. One of them was likely a young convert named Timothy, who would be there with the other believers and would have seen first-hand the real cost of commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
In spite of the pain and suffering in his body, Paul went with Barnabas to Derbe to preach the Gospel. The work of the Lord continued to prosper through those two men who were conscious of being accountable to the unsaved people, as well as to those who were saved through their preaching.
Missionaries are more than itinerant evangelists. The needs of missionary activity, involve teaching believers, pointing out those who are leaders in new assemblies, and spending private time with them teaching practical methods of leadership. It also means the assembly needs to know who are those who have been gifted by the Holy Spirit for leadership and why they are qualified for that work. The believers in the local church need to understand the need to accept the leadership and act responsibly toward those “who have the rule over you.”
Paul and Barnabas knew they must go back to confirm the saints who lived in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in the area known as Galatia. Pisidia, Lycaonia, and Pamphylia were all sections of the country we know as Turkey today, and Galatia in the times of the apostles.
They confirmed the souls of the disciples, v.22. This is a very important part of the work of the Lord, because in the early days of a new work; new believers, and a new assembly of called out people to the Lord Jesus Christ meeting in His name, need to be established in the faith. Their life of faith is new, and changes come at different rates in different people. Some people spiritually mature quicker than others, although they were saved at the same time. Maturity in the things of God brings criticism from those who are slow in maturing, and some don’t ever get too much farther.
Confirming souls in the faith strengthens them against the enemies of the world, the flesh and the devil, and teaches them to observe all things the Lord commanded. Going back over the truth of God through the word of God and dealing with young converts as a caring father is a fundamental need. The young in the faith need to know what the whole armor of God is and how to put it on and use it effectively.
The experience of older believers is a great help in giving practical guidance for the life, walk, and work of faith to which we have been called. In spite of the physical suffering Paul endured, he and Barnabas went back to those places where they had been physically and publicly rejected. God had His people there, and they needed to know that they, too, would go through trials of faith that are more precious than gold that perishes. A careful unfolding of the scriptures, line upon line, precept upon precept, and illustrated by the personal experience of those whom God has worked in and through in life, is what is needed to establish a solid foundation for a work.
They exhorted others to continue in faith, v.22. The Christian life is not an easy stroll through enemy territory on our way to heaven. There is the fight of faith, which is a “good fight.” Our feelings of inadequacy are not necessarily bad for us. It is then we realize our need for God, and our faith becomes real to us when we face our own limitations. Our failings are also a common-sense awareness of our lack of strength as we war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The perception in our own minds of what we appear like to others is also dealt with when we become conscious of the living Lord who “having not seen, we love.” He is the One who really counts as far as appearances are concerned.
Continued trust in God and His promises is our victory. Our faith may lead us through serious hardships, suffering, and tribulation. The Lord Jesus Christ said to people of faith: “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Our faith is in Him, and the exhortation to us is the same as the early apostles gave to those saved in their meetings, “Continue in the faith.”
They ordained elders in every church, v.23.Trustworthy men who have a heartfelt interest in the people of God don’t just happen to have that by chance. They are given certain spiritual gifts by God, to meet the on-going needs of God’s people in an assembly. Those who labor in the word and doctrine, are men who have experienced God at work in their own lives. They, in turn, are able to apply the word of God they have practiced to the training and building up in the faith of other people.
The grace of God and willingness to be consecrated to the Lord makes them better qualified to do a specific spiritual work for the Lord than others of the Lord’s people in the local church. These people have no reason to be proud but are humbled that God is willing to use them and gifts them to be able to serve the Lord by serving His people in very important ways.
They commended them to the Lord, v.25. To commend others to the Lord is to commit them to Him in the sense of handing them over to him in a deliberate way. Then they take their hands off what had been their responsibility because they were going to be away for a long time, but the Lord would be with them all the time. To turn another person over to Him is to recognize each believer is His private property. What He does with them or through them is His right to do as seems good to Him. When God does with us whatever He chooses, is real liberty for us even though the labor may be hard and the results unseen and unknown. He has bought us with His own blood and freed us from the bondage of sin and its consequences. He has the right to do what He wants with each of His own people. His love and grace are sufficient motives for us to joyfully serve Him each day.
They preached the word, v.25. When the word of God burns in one’s soul, there is an earnest desire that doesn’t go away. We want to reach out to others to see them saved from the wrath to come. Even though the labor and suffering are difficult, and body, soul, and spirit are put to the test, we are never more alive than when we are able to speak for our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether it is in private conversations or in speaking in public, to be able to witness for our Lord in ways that are appropriate, is what it means for us “to live is Christ.’
They rehearsed all that God had done (v.27). Being able to tell plainly what God has done for us is a joy that brings gratitude and thankfulness, and we “count our blessings.” God has saved us and done great and wonderful work in us and for us. All saved people can testify to those wonderful blessings.
When God allows us to tell what He has done with us, He takes us into the field of the Lord, where theology and strategy in His work can be adapted to be used by His servants in ways that are different from one’s home church. Consecration to God’s service opens the way for us to be used by Him in ways we would never have thought of until we are put in unusual situations.
Missionaries in places of different languages, social mores, and nationalities, rely on the Lord working with them to be able to do the right things. When a servant of God, whomever they are and wherever they are, is available for the Lord to use as He chooses, that person is working with the Lord. There is a new reality that goes along with the new birth and a person being a new creation in Christ Jesus. People cannot continue to live as if nothing happened. There is a new outlook on life, a new mentality, and new values that accompany true repentance and faith in Christ. There is a reorientation of life as we live among others in response to the work of God that has been done in us by our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person is saved, God has done a great work for us. When a person is consecrated, God does great work with us.
FREEDOM IN CHRIST