Acts 14:19-28
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.
Paul and Barnabas by this time have already traveled and preached a considerable amount. They have traveled to Cyprus, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, and now Lystra. There has been a mix of reception and rage at the preaching of Jesus. They were driven out of Antioch in Pisidia and left for Iconium, where they preached in the synagogue and a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. They stayed and preached for a long time until the opposition arose to the point that they were planning to stone them. They fled to the region of Lystra and Derbe where Paul heals a crippled man. The same Jews who had run Paul and his associates out of Antioch and Iconium came to Lystra and persuaded the crowds. This time Paul was unable to flee, and they stoned him until they believed he was dead. When the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and entered the city, and the next day they left for Derbe. They preached Jesus in that city and made many disciples. They, in the face of the persecution that they had fled from, returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to strengthen the disciples there. They appoint elders in every church and committed them to the Lord. Paul and Barnabas make their way back to Antioch preaching Jesus along their journey and are received back in the church at Antioch, where they are commended to the grace of God for the work that had been fulfilled. They remained for a long time with the disciples.
The accurate preaching of the Gospel will produce disciples and persecutors.
Acts 14:19–21 “19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,”
Many disciples are being made and Paul is also being stoned. The church must be able to deal with both ends of the Gospel. To think there will be no pushback is naive, and to not preach because of that is weak.
Acts 14:22 “22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
The Gospel preached will be a stumbling block to people. Jesus did not come to unite everyone. The Gospel divides; it doesn’t need our help. A church that does not expect some rejection and criticism will be tempted to change the Gospel in order to avoid the pain.
2 Timothy 4:1–5 “1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
The preaching of Jesus as savior will never be accepted by all and inevitably will be not only rejected but persecuted. Paul instructs Timothy to be prepared for it: “endure suffering.”
Believers in tough places need strengthening.
Acts 14:21–23 “21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
Paul takes a risk to return to the places he had experienced persecution in order to strengthen the believers there. This type of investment cannot be calculated. They continued to teach and encourage. They gave them the proper contextualization of difficulty.
Rejection is part of the experience. We are to have a short memory when it comes to rejection. If we are not in a tough place, we should be spending energy to encourage those who are.
Paul and Barnabas appointed leaders. It is important to promote leaders. The church advances by the promotion of those who can provide leadership.
Titus 1:5–9 “5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
The testimony is worth the travel.
Acts 14:27 “27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
Paul and Barnabas left with a call of God on their lives to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles, but no one was able to predict exactly how it would go. What they returned with was a testimony to the faithfulness of God in how he confirmed and worked out the specifics of that calling.
The church needs the testimony of faith. Those who are willing to go now inspire those who will go later. Without this testimony, the church suffers. Dying churches have lost the pattern of going, telling, returning, and telling.
This testimony helped steer the entire church in times where the Judaizers were attempting to force circumcision on Gentile believers.