Acts 14:13-28 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Acts 14:13-28. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Acts 14:13-17 (NIV)
13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
15 “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.
16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way.
17 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.”
On verse 17: When the people of Lystra try to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas thinking that they are reincarnations of their gods Hermes and Zeus, Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes to emphasize their humanity and urge them not to worship people but the living God whom they cannot see. To persuade the crowd about God’s kindness and goodness to them, Paul and Barnabas point to evidence such as the rains that come, the crops they harvest, the food they eat and the joy that they have.
What can we learn from this? As James 1:17 tells us, every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father. In other words, every good thing we know in life is a gift from God. When we receive any good thing, whether it’s rain, or a return on our investment (“crops”), or food, or things that bring us joy, remember to thank God for His goodness.
Acts 14:18-19 (NIV)
18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19 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.
On verses 18-19: What a bummer when your critics go out of their way to find you and hurt you. That’s what happens with Paul and Barnabas. Their critics who tried to hurt them in Antioch and Iconium travel to Lystra to try to hurt Paul and Barnabas again there. They succeed in getting the crowd of Lystrans to stone Paul and drag him outside the city.
Acts 14:20-23 (NIV)
20 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.
21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,
22 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.
23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
On verses 20-23: I love Paul’s courage and perseverance. After the people of Lystra stone him and drag him outside their city, Paul still gets up and goes back into the city. After going to Derbe (about 35 miles away from Lystra) and having a fruitful ministry there, Paul, Barnabas and their team even decide to go back to Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch, the very places where they had encountered so much persecution. They do so for the sake of following up with the Christians there, “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” (v22). They also take it upon themselves to help the churches they started in these cities to establish a leadership structure so that each church could continue to operate and grow (v23).
The willingness of Paul, Barnabas and their team to risk their lives for the sake of strengthening the believers and churches in different cities is truly remarkable.
What can we learn from this? To do a pioneering work, going where no person has gone before, you need to be willing to risk something of yourself and you need to be resilient in the face of opposition.
Another lesson is that people don’t just need to hear about Jesus, but after they respond positively to Jesus they need a home church to belong to and to grow with. For this you need good leaders who are willing to lead the church and watch over the people.
Acts 14:24-28 (NIV)
24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia,
25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
27 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.
28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
On verses 24-28: After preaching in Perga, the city where they parted ways with John Mark before (Acts 13:13), Paul, Barnabas and their team make their way back to their church in Antioch in Syria, where they were first sent off on their assignment (Acts 13:1-3). There in Antioch they report to the church about all that God had done through them and stayed a long time with the disciples there.
What can we learn from this? We all need a base to come home to, a refuge from the pressures of being out in the world, a place where people know us and we know them and we can call each other family. That home is your local church. Just as Paul and Barnabas had been busy establishing local churches in each city where they went, so they returned to their own home church in Antioch to rest, to report on what they experienced, and to be refreshed.
Another lesson I learn is the power of the local church. Here was one local church in Antioch that ended up making a big, life changing difference in the cities of Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Debre, and Perga, all because they were willing to give of themselves for the sake of the gospel. May we as a church family be willing to give of ourselves and what we have for the sake of others being able to hear about Jesus and know Him.
Father, thank You for every good thing we can know and experience on earth. I pray that I would be willing to sacrifice and give away some of the good that You gave to me so that Your gospel around the world could advance and other people could be blessed. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
