Acts Chapter 14

The Gospel Message to a New City

After leaving Antioch in Asia Minor, Paul and Barnabas moved inland to Iconium, another city where the population was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. They then followed their familiar pattern of evangelism; they went into the synagogues first. For many weeks, they declared Christ to the Jews and God-fearers who gathered for worship. Their preaching was a huge success. The number who believed among the Jews and Gentiles were a great multitude. The success of the Apostles did not come without opposition from the unbelieving Jews. Some of the Jews resented the new teachings and angrily rejected it. In their daily interaction with the Gentiles, they slandered Paul and Barnabas causing even the Gentiles to rise up against them. Even though God gave the Apostles the power to do great miracles as proof that it was of His power, the people was still divided. Because of the hostilely of the unbelieving Jews and the threat to stone them, Paul and Barnabas fled into Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia. There they began to preach the gospel .While preaching in Lystra Paul encountered a man who was lame from birth. Paul being filled with the Holy Spirit perceived that the lame man had faith to be healed and commanded the man to stand upright and walk.

The miracle led to results Paul and Barnabas never anticipated. By the miracle being performed in a public place and in a short time, everybody knew about it. The people flocked to the Apostles claiming that they were gods who came down from heaven in the likeness of men. The town folks even had names for them. Barnabas was called Jupiter and Paul was called Mercurius. Jupiter and Mercurius were two popular gods in the Roman world. There was a local tradition that these two gods had visited the city once in the past and seeing what took place, they decided that they had come again. When Paul and Barnabas saw the priest bring a sacrifice they recognized that things had gotten out of control. They rush among the people and rent (torn) their clothes crying out that they should stop because they were mere ordinary men such as themselves. Paul told them that God has never been far from their lives. He has always been the source of every good thing. From Him came refreshing rain, plenty harvests and satisfying food. Until now He had allowed the nations to walk in their own way. Even then, however they had evidence of the existence of God in creation and in providence. Paul message had its desired result. The people reluctantly ceased from their intention of offering sacrifices to the Apostles.

Jews from Pisidia Antioch and Iconium caught up with Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. They succeeded in turning the people against them. The same crowd that wanted to reverence them as gods now stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that they had killed him. The Scripture does not tell us if Paul was really dead, but what it does tell us is the commitment of the man named Paul. Paul and Barnabas departed for Derbe the next day. In Derbe, the Apostles had the rare opportunity to preach in peace without opposition. They saw many turn to Christ and they were able to spend time discipling them. Afterward, they traced their steps through the cities where they had already established churches. It appears that they entered each city unnoticed and stayed only a short time because there is no record of further opposition. Yet, they stayed long enough to accomplish several key objectives: (1) They “confirmed” (strengthened) the believers by teaching sound doctrine, (2) hey warned them that the only path to the kingdom of God leads to many days of trouble; (3) They ordained elders for every church. That is, they chose men who could serve as pastor-teachers and (4) they gave time to prayer and fasting. The theme of their prayer was to seek God’s blessing upon His work. After returning home (Antioch of Syria) and without delay, they summoned the whole church and told them everything that happened on their missionary journey (mainly how God open the doors to the Gentiles to receive salvation). Paul and Barnabas lodged in Antioch for a good long time.

Questions/Answers:
1. What does the word “rent” means?
Tearing or pulling garments apart, often as a sign of mourning: Gen. 37:34; Lev. 10:6; 21:10; 1 Sam. 4:12 etc., repentance: Gen. 37:29; Josh. 7:6 etc., blasphemy: Matt. 26:65; Mark 14:63.

2. Who were Jupiter and Mercurius?
Jupiter the Latin name of Zeus king of the Greek gods. The King James Version translates Zeus as Jupiter. Mercurius in the King James (Mercury) was the Greek god of commerce, science, invention, and cunning. He also served as messenger and herald for the other gods. Hermes was identified by the Romans with Mercury.

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Acts Chapter 13

Saul and Barnabas Are Commissioned by God

Acts chapter 13: 28-31 deals with the ministry to the Gentiles and the spread of the church around the world. Paul replaces Peter as the central figure in the book. Paul completes three missionary journeys and ends up imprisoned in Jerusalem and transported to Rome to stand trial. The city of Antioch becomes the central base of operation. The book of Acts ends, abruptly, showing that the history of the church is not yet complete.

In Acts 12:25 we learned that Saul, Barnabas and John Mark were all at the church at Antioch after returning from delivering the gift of support to the church in Judea. Saul and Barnabas were among the teachers and prophets there. Luke names three of the disciples there. They were Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and one named Manaen. What is notable about this group is their racial, cultural and social diversity. Two are from North Africa (Simeon & Lucius), one is from Cyprus (Barnabas), one from Tarsus (Paul), one is from the holy land (John Mark), and the other (Manaen) Luke does not inform us where he is from. We know much about Barnabas (5:36; 11:22). Simeon called Niger (which means “black”) may have been the same Niger that carried the cross for Christ (Luke 23:26). Lucius of Cyrene was probably one of the men from Cyrene who first took the gospel to the Gentiles in Antioch (11:20). Manaen had ties to the royal family of Herod the great, ruler of the Jews when Jesus was born. In Greek, the expression “brought up with Herod” implies that they were childhood friends. This Herod Antipas was the one that beheaded John the Baptist and sent Jesus back to Pilate (Mark 6:14-29; Luke 23:6-12).

With the death of Herod, the church was again free to preach the gospel. The last great advancement in winning souls had been the addition of many Gentiles to the church in Antioch. Antioch (this Antioch is of Syria) will now become the springboard for the next great advancement. The Holy Spirit directed the Disciples to separate Saul and Barnabas for the work he has for them. He did not reveal exactly what that work would be. Rather, they would find out as they followed His (Holy Spirit) day-by day direction. The church spent much time in prayer and fasting. No doubt they asked God for strength and protection for them as they prepared to travel to dangerous places preaching the gospel. After praying and fasting, they laid hands on them. The laying of hands in this instance does not constitute ordination, but separation for a special task and the approval of its mission. The events leading to Saul’s first missionary journey show the way God usually puts new missionaries in the field. (1) God impressed on Saul and Barnabas his desire that they serve him as missionaries, (2) He confirmed to the church that these men were indeed called by God, (3) The church prayed for God’s blessings on their work, and (4) The church sent off the missionaries with the laying on of hands.

Saul and Barnabas traveled to the port city of Seleucia on the Mediterranean. The first place they went was Cyprus where the Jews had already heard the gospel. In Salamis, one of the principle cities, they followed a strategy that Saul used throughout his years of ministry. They focused on the Jews first, going into all the Synagogues and preaching on the Sabbath. John Mark became the third member. Saul and Barnabas eventually made their way to Paphos, another principle city on the island. This Paphos was the capital of Cyprus. They went to the home of the governor, Sergius Paulus, described as a “prudent man”. That is, he was wise and discerning and he took an interest in the message of Saul and Barnabas. Yet he had come under the influence of another Jewish religious teacher, a false prophet and sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas. The fact that he was Jewish is not surprising because many Jews engaged in various forms of magical practices during this era. As Saul and Barnabas preached to the Governor, Elymas realized that if the governor believed in Jesus he would be out of a job. He stood and tried to argue with them. Finally, Saul grew so annoyed that he sharply rebuked Elymas, calling him a child of the devil and an enemy of righteousness. Saul who is now called Paul, called on the Lord to strike Elymas with blindness for “a season” (that is, temporarily). He immediately lost his sight. The motive behind Saul’s harsh treatment of Elymas was not anger or spite. Saul was controlled not by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. Paul remembered his experience on the road to Damascus that blindness is very useful for humbling a proud man. He brought physical blindness on Elymas in hope that it would open his spiritual eyes. After witnessing this event, the governor believed and came to the Lord.

With their success in Paphos Paul and Barnabas now sailed from there, intending to take the gospel to the vast unreached regions of Asia Minor. They landed on the southern coast at Perga in Pamphylia. For some reason not given, John Mark decided not to go along. Instead of giving more help to the cause, he went back to Jerusalem. Years later, Paul still viewed him as a quitter, but eventually Mark regained Paul’s respect. Paul and Barnabas did not stay in Perga, but traveled inland a short way to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they found the local Synagogue and sat down with the congregation. The service went according to custom. First, there was a reading from the Old Testament Scripture. Then, there was a sermon explaining and applying it. Recognizing Paul and Barnabas as teachers the rulers invited them to address the congregation. Paul accepting the invitation stood up to address the audience. In his opening words he addressed two kinds of people in the audience. There were Jews and there were “God fearers”. The term “God fearers” was a common way of describing Gentiles who regularly attended a Synagogue and worshipped the God of Israel.

Like Stephen’s sermon before the Sanhedrin, Paul began with a review of the nation’s history. The lesson Stephen drew from this history was that the nation had always been rebellious. Paul on the other hand wanted to extract a very different lesson. He wanted to show God’s purpose in always being gracious to Israel. God had shepherd and preserved the nation so that someday it could produce the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Paul reminded the Jews of God’s disclosure to David and the Prophets that the Messiah would come from David’s line. Paul now made the sensational announcement that he had been preparing his audience to accept, that the Christ (Greek for “Messiah”) had recently come. He was Jesus. In just a few words, Paul presented a strong case that Jesus was the Christ. He was David’s seed, that is, a descendant of David. The Apostles could declare this fact without fear of contradiction because the truth was well known. During His lifetime, the crowds hailed Him as the Son of David (Matt.12:23; 9:27). John the Baptist, a man all Jews accepted as a Prophet of God, testified that Jesus was the Christ. John said that he was not worthy even to tie Jesus’ shoelace (Matt.3:11). In rejecting Jesus and sending Him to His death, the Jewish leaders brought to pass exactly what Scripture prophesied (Isaiah 53:5).

Paul explained that God raised Jesus from the dead. He then appeared to His own followers so that they could declare to all that He was alive (Acts 3:15; 10:39-41). Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled several prophecies in the Old Testament. Paul emphasized David’s prophecy in Psalm 16:10 that the Holy One would die, but not see corruption. The Jews though that David was speaking of himself, so Paul pointed out that David did see corruption after he died. Paul explained why it is important to believe in Jesus. By believing in Him, we gain two great benefits. First, we obtain forgiveness of sins and avoid the penalty we just deserve. Second, we are justified before God from all things which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. The Jews though they could be justified by the law, but Paul declared they were mistaken (Rom. 3:28; 1Cor. 1:30; Gal. 2:15-16; 3:11; Phi. 3:7-9). Paul’s closing words were a stern warning. He quoted from the book of Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 5, which he applied to the future day when Christ would die for the sins of the world. When the world heard what Christ had done, many would not believe. Whoever despised Him and despised the message of salvation would perish in his sins.

Paul’s sermon hit the mark for some. After, the service the Jews left first as was the custom. The Gentiles wanted to hear more of Paul’s message and asked Paul to return on the next Sabbath. As they left outside the Synagogue, many Jews and proselytes followed them and listen as the Apostles exhorted them “to continue in the grace of God”. As the Gentiles requested, Paul and Barnabas returned on the following Sabbath. Paul’s preaching the good news a week earlier had caused a stir that nearly every Jew and Gentile in the city came to hear Paul preach again .Seeing such a massive crowd of people, the Jewish leaders had a mixture of jealousy and fear. They resented the Apostles’ ability to draw far more people than ever came to hear them, and they feared that if the new teaching was widely accepted, they would lose control of the Synagogue. Leadership would slip away from them. Accusing them of blasphemy, Paul and Barnabas stood boldly and rebuked the leaders. They stated that it was their duty to preach the gospel to them first. But seeing that they denied the words of God and have judged themselves unworthy of receiving ever lasting life they will now go to the Gentiles. Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6, which prophesied that Christ would provide salvation not for the Jews only but for the whole world.

The Gentiles were delighted at this turn of events, that they glorified the word of the Lord. Many more Gentiles believed the message of salvation and were saved. The new believers were so excited about the gospel that they quickly spread the message to the whole surrounding region. Meanwhile in Antioch, the Jews hostile to the Apostles were busy trying to stop them. They enlisted on their side a number of prominent people, both men and women. The women were devout Jews, very attached to their religious traditions. The leaders and the prominent women had enough power to make Paul and Barnabas leave the city. Paul and Barnabas were not defeated. They merely shook the dust of Antioch off their shoes and went on to another city (Iconium) where they continued preaching the gospel.

Questions/Answers
What does it means “to shake the dust off your feet”?
Often Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving a Gentile town on the way back to their home. This symbolized cleansing themselves from contamination of those who did not worship the God of Israel. For Paul and Barnabas to do this to Jews implies that Jews who rejected the gospel were no better than pagans. Jesus had told His disciples to shake the dust off their feet of any village that would not accept or listen to them (Mark 6:11). The disciples were not to blame if the message was rejected as long as they had faithfully presented it.

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Acts Chapter 4

The Sanhedrin Opposes Peter and John

The glorious success of the gospel at Pentecost and for sometime afterward could not last. The inherent hatred of the truth and righteousness on part of the power of the enemy was quickly manifested in the bitter opposition encountered by the Apostles. The first move against the church came suddenly. In the gospel accounts we read how Jesus argued with the Pharisees who were Jews that were strict legalist concerning the Law of Moses. In Acts the Pharisees were friendlier to the Christians. It was another party, the Sadducees, who were now the enemy. What we know of this sect is that they are rich, rude, and they did not believe in the resurrection, which meant they hated the followers of Christ.

Peter’s sermon was interrupted by the enemies of Christ, the Sadducees, who descended upon the Apostles with sufficient strength to stop their preaching and cast them into prison. The priests were from the tribe of Levi and were appointed by God to care for the spiritual needs of the people. They were in charge of the temple worship and sacrifices as well as being corrupt (MAL. 1:6-14; 2:1-9). The captain of the temple was in place to keep order in the temple and surrounding areas. The preaching and boldness of the Apostles was apparent, five thousand got saved. This jailing of the Apostles was illegal and no charges were placed against them as it was a highhanded abuse of authority. In light of this, they illegally held Jesus with no charges and put his trial over to the next day. This act on both occasions was not due to any concern for the holy law, but they simply needed time to figure out what they would do.

As they did with Jesus, the leaders came together to question the Apostles, they were anxious to know by what name and power these miracles were done. Peter being filled with the promised Holy Spirit spoke with boldness (1:8; 2:14). Peter knew that the Holy Spirit would speak for him. He explained that the judges who were to judge them were now being judged. While trying to convict them, they will be convicted of crimes against the risen Messiah. Instead of being defensive, the Apostles went on the offensive. In verse 9, Peter asked whether he was wrong to do good to the lame man and heal him. This did not seem to be a court of law because there were no clear charges for Peter and John to answer. Peter instructed them to listen well to what he was about to charge them with. Here is the answer you seek. The deeds (miracles) were done in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Surely you remember Him: He is the Christ whom you crucified and God raised Him from the dead.

Peter accused them of rejecting the cornerstone of which the house of Israel must and will be built. They rejecting the cornerstone was a fulfillment of prophecy (Ps. 118:22-23; Isa. 28:16; Luke 20:18). Jesus the Messiah is Israel’s only hope (Matt. 1:21; John 14:6; Rom. 11:26). The religious leaders came to recognize that the evidence before them could not be refuted. The evidence was standing right in front of them. The leaders argued with Jesus and did not win; they now argued with Jesus’ Apostles and did not win. There was something different about these men. Yes, they had been with Jesus. Not wanting to discuss any conversations before them, the Apostles were told to leave. They admitted that a miracle had taken place, yet they continued to deny the presence of the Holy Spirit. Instead of accepting the power of Christ, they threaten the Apostles. They couldn’t even mention the name of Christ (…no man in His name – Acts 4:17). The apostles would not be deterred in all things that they heard and witnessed. They had the backing of all the eye witnesses. The leaders’ fears intensified. Christ had taught the Apostles and Disciples, that they would be delivered into the hands of the council and condemned for His name sake. But when these persecutions begin, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because of their future rewards (Matt. 5:11-12; Luke. 21:12; John 15:20; I Pet. 4:16). Peter quotes the prophecy of King David (Ps. 2:1-2) which found fulfillment in the action of those who joined together in killing the Messiah. Peter leaves no one out. First, there were the king of the earth, Herod; second, the ruler, Pontius Pilate; third, the nations, the gentile authority; and last but not least the nation of Israel.

Throughout their ordeals the Apostles did not asked God to be spared of the persecution, but to grant them more boldness to preach the gospel. They prayed that God would continue to validate their ministry with signs and wonders. God reassured them by sending a visible sign (shaking of the place where they were) that His promise of miraculous power to the twelve would continue. A communal system was being established and was in compliance with Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matt.19:21). The believers were not only united spiritually (one in heart and mind), but also united materially (Acts 2:44-45). Their selling of their goods was voluntary and distributed by each person. They continued to preach with much boldness concerning the resurrection of Christ. The word Grace (vs.33) is one of the numerous times that the word grace occurs in Acts (11:23; 13:43: 14:3, 26; 15:11, 40; 18:27; 20:24, 32).

Luke introduces Barnabas as a role model from among those who sold their property and laid it at the Apostles feet. This Barnabas will become a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.

Questions/answers:
1. What and who was the Sanhedrin?
The rulers, elders, scribes, and priests made up the Sanhedrin or Jewish “Judicial council”- the same council that condemned Jesus (Luke. 22:66). It had 70 members plus the current high priest, who presided. The Sadducees held a majority in this ruling group along with the Pharisees.

2. Who was Barnabas?
Barnabas was a Levite from the island of Cyprus who later became a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul. His name means “Son of Encouragement” or “The Son of Consolation”.

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