How God opened the door of faith (Acts 14) *

How God opened the door of faith

Acts 14:1-28

Key verse - Acts 14:27

Today’s passage describes the conclusion of Paul and Barnabas’ first mission journey. This was the first journey of its kind in church history. It began with God telling the church of Antioch to set Paul and Barnabas apart for the work to which He had called them. On returning to the church in Antioch, these men reported two things: everything that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. These two things dictated how the church was to carry out all future mission works to come.

Soon after this mission journey ended, there arose a critical issue within the church. How were the Gentile believers to live, in regards to the Law of Moses (Ch. 15)? The answer to this question might be found in the apostles’ understanding. It might also be found in what God did in the actual lives of these Gentiles. So what He did for them through the first mission journey bears enormous importance for finding the right answer to this question. At the same time, the impact of this confirmation by Paul and Barnabas carried a heavy weigh for how the church should go about future mission journeys. Through this periscope, I would like to look at these two conclusions, pray, and hope that, in our mission work today, we may fully accept and adopt the two principles of doing mission work found in this passage.

  

I would like to review what happened during the first part of this mission journey.

First, Paul and Barnabas went to Cyprus. There, Paul rebuked a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, the assistant of the proconsul, whom God inflicted with temporary blindness. Then, the proconsul opened his mind to Paul’s message of the Gospel and came to believe.

Their second stop was Pisidian Antioch. There, Paul spoke to both Jews and converted Gentiles in a synagogue. Here, Paul’s message was recorded for the first time in its entirety. He started with God’s calling Abraham and then explained events from King David’s life. He noted that David was a king after God’s own heart whose life fulfilled His promise to Abraham, implicating that the coming Messiah, the Son of David, must also be after God’s heart. Jesus showed his obedience through his suffering and death. Because he served people in godly love and power, God raised him from the dead, which confirmed him as the promised Messiah. Finally, Paul proclaimed what the law could not do, i.e. saving people from their sins, was what God did through Jesus’ forgiving work. He concluded that Jesus was the Savior God had promised. It was a very concise summary of the Gospel, or the entire message God gave to Israel. The response to Paul’s message was remarkable.

“When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.” (Acts 13:43).

On the second week, some Jews contradicted Paul and Barnabas’ teaching and heaped insults on them; they responded that they would go to the Gentiles instead. The final conclusion of their missionary work at Pisidian Antioch was described in this way:

“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48).

This was the confirmation of all that God had done through them during this mission journey. Practically, their trip to Pisidian Antioch was the first of Paul’s missionary journeys! During it, Paul and Barnabas recognized and deeply felt the most important truth - God had made an appointment with those whom He would save. This is the first, and most fundamental and commanding principle of all mission work!

At their third stop in Iconium, this happened:

“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1).

Once again, Paul and Barnabas preached at a synagogue. This time, their preaching was so effective that a large number of Jews as well as Greeks came to believe in Pisidian Antioch. Their effectiveness was noted in the result, i.e. a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.

What made the message so effective this time? As noted above, there were two things that stood out - the message and the keen realization that all whom God appointed for eternal life would be saved. When it says ‘all’, this was a very remarkable statement. Whatever God’s will was, it was fully accomplished. The two principles that were communicated  through the outcome of the message they presented at Pisidian Antioch were later applied to Paul’s message in Iconium. So the message’s effectiveness came about, not through Paul’s method of delivery, but in these two things: the message itself and the belief that all who God wanted to save would be saved.

David’s suffering in obedience was lens the Jews and Gentiles needed to see and understand Jesus’ obedience on the cross, bearing men’s sins, and his resurrection as evidence of God’s approval of his sacrifice. In addition to this, since it was God who was making appointments with those whom He would save, and since that message was very effective, we can conclude that, what Paul and Barnabas learned were the ways in which they were to deliver the messages in all mission work from this point on.

Lystra was the fourth city they visited during their missionary journey. Here, Paul saw a lame man, probably sitting near Zeus’ temple. When he saw that the man had faith to be healed, he called out, “Stand up on your feet!” (14:10) At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. The crowd’s response  was very surprising:

“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.” (Acts 14:11-12).

They quickly identified Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes. Zeus was the chief of all gods in Greek mythology. Hermes was the messenger of the gods. Barnabas was older than Paul and Paul had spoken to the lame man and they had done what only a god could do; thus, such an understanding was quite reasonable, based on the peoples’ knowledge of these gods. Simply, in their minds, there was no God of Israel, or Creator of the world, so what Paul did was interpreted according to what they knew and understood.

According to the poet Ovid, Zeus and Hermes visited the Lycaonian Valley in human form to test their hospitality. No one, except for an old couple, showed any hospitality. In their anger, these gods moved this old couple to the top of a mountain and flooded the valley, killing all the people. It was likely that it was in such a context of understanding that these people understood what Paul did for this lame man.

Here, Paul and Barnabas faced a very serious situation. They tore their clothes and ran down to them, shouting:

“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” (Acts 14:15).

They declared that they were mere human beings, as the Lycaonians were, and it was the God of creation, the living God, who was the one that made their lives possible. However, were they successful in helping the crowds understand?

“Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.” (Acts 14:18).

They were trying to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. Why? They believed that they were two of their gods. They worshipped capricious gods and the only way they knew of to avert punishment was to appease them through offering sacrifices. In this frame of understanding, their minds were driven by their fear of punishment and had little room to accept anything else.

Even though Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes, shouted loudly,and  tried to introduce them to the God of creation, their message never reached the peoples’ hearts. Instead, the shocking power of these capricious gods loomed so large in their minds that they made every effort to offer sacrifices to Barnabas and Paul. It was an awful thing for Paul and Barnabas to be honored and served as gods; it was blasphemy and defaming to God’s name. What was meant to reveal God’s glory among the pagans had now turned into a way of defaming His name! How did this ‘horrific situation’ end? The Jews from Antioch and Iconium came and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside of the city, thinking that he was dead.

What can we learn from this? Or how can we understand this event? On the surface, Paul’s healing of the lame man looked the same as what Peter had done in front of the temple gates (Acts 3:1-10). When Peter healed a lame man, the miracle was obvious to the Jewish crowd that it was accomplished through God’s power, with which they were well acquainted. However, the people of Lystra had no understanding of the God of Israel or the God of creation. The only gods they knew were ones of their own making; the most prominent ones were Hermes and Zeus. This display of miraculous power was the first message this pagan crowd received and they understood it according to their own understanding. Their response tells us about their frame of mind. They were under great pressure from these false gods and had no mind or room in their hearts to hear or understand anything else. It is not uncommon to find people who hold such a mindset. Practically speaking, their minds were confined to pagan gods of their own tradition or making.

Likewise, there was a clear difference between these two[i]. Paul made a subtle allusion that he alone was in charge when he called for God’s power, most likely driven by his own zeal or passion to draw these peoples’ attention. God did come along with him, but eventually he had to learn to be humble and rely on God’s grace and power.

Additionally, what did this teach Paul and Barnabas, or us? In the vacuum of ‘biblical truth’ or in minds framed around pagan gods, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding God’s miraculous works. This event teaches us how important it is to plant the basic truths about God, man, and salvation as our first priority when engaging in mission work.

Paul faced a very similar situation in Athens. There, he did not perform miracles in order to get the crowds’ attention; instead, he delivered the gospel message, tailored for their understanding. Paul learned a great lesson in Lystra; he learned that miracles are the works of God Almighty. Whatever a miracle’s outcome might be, it must be attributed to God’s glory. One thing we know is that God-oriented mission works never fails. All of these experiences serve as God’s teaching, in respect to communicating His truth, principles, purpose, and direction. This becomes clearer as we look at the next event.

“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.” (Acts 14:20).

The Lycaonian people thought Paul was dead, but, after the other disciples had gathered around him, he got up and reentered the city. He not only survived that attack but also suffered no physical or spiritual damage. He was still filled with the spirit to preach, so he went back to the city and left the next day for Derbe.

How could this be possible? There seemed to be no residual impact from this near-death experience! Was it meant to show them that Paul was a superman or so unique in his strength that only he could do such a thing? Unlikely! It was God’s grace, given to Paul and the Lycaonian people, which protected him from all harms.  

What happened in Lystra was not the conclusion of the mission work they accomplished in this area. In order to understand this better, let’s go back and look at v6-7.

“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 gospel.” (Acts 14:6-7).

Here, Luke did not say that they went to Lystra as their next stop on their mission; instead, they went to the cities of Lycaonia, i.e. Lystra and Derbe. That means that what happened in these two cities must be considered holistically, in order to recognize the whole picture of God’s work. In this regard, what happened in Lystra must be considered together with their work in Derbe. So, if we try to understand what happed in Lystra alone, we may not have a full picture of Luke’s intent; only when we consider what happened in Lystra along with what happened in Derbe, can we have a true and full understanding of God’s work. What happened at Derbe is described in one, powerful statement.

“They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples.” (Acts 14:21a).

This is a simple and very concise conclusion of the entire events that occurred in the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe.[ii] This statement stands in comparison to the long discourse found in the previous eight verses, concerning what happened in Lystra. How does this sentence contrast with the previous event?

First, it was they who preached, meaning Paul and Barnabas together. This stands in contrast to what Paul alone did in Lystra. This also seems to be a subtle allusion to Paul’s healing, although somewhat tainted with his personal zeal, though we are not certain.

Second, they preached the gospel. At Lystra, Paul performed a miracle, before he did any preaching. In contrast to that, Paul and Barnabas preached and did not do any miracles! So salvation’s power was not established through miracles, but by the Gospel message! God imparts salvation, not only through miracles but through the word of the gospel! It is God who convicts people and provided the faith that led them to salvation!

Third, they preached the Gospel in that city, rather than in a synagogue. This indicates that they preached more to the general public. Also ‘that city’ stands in contrast to a specific city of Lystra. As we have noted, these two cities were mentioned together as the cities of Lycaonia (v6). They were about fifty miles apart, which meant that the minds of the people of Derbe were not much different from those of the people of Lystra. Though we can never know with certainty, since Luke compared what happened in Lystra with what happened in Derbe, by emphatically saying ‘that city’, we are pretty sure that these two cities also shared a similar context of mind. Despite the similarity of these peoples’ mindset, when Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel, a large number of people understood, accepted, and believed their message! This testifies to one thing. Even to such people as this, whose minds were like the desert - not having anything in regards to the truth and being filled with all kinds of ‘pagan gods’ - the gospel message had the power to bring a sizable number of people to faith. God was willing to give salvation even to these ‘novices of faith’! What is this, other than God’s grace! [iii]

This is stated as the conclusion of Paul and Barnabas’ Lycaonian mission work. The conclusion was clear: when God’s word is planted or the Gospel message is preached, even such Gentiles as these Lycaonians will be quickened to receive His salvation.

Derbe was the last leg of Paul and Barnabas’ first mission trip. On their way back home, they stopped by each city to encourage the believers there. When they arrived back in Antioch, the completion of their mission work was described this way:

“From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.” (Acts 14:26).

First, from the journey’s beginning to its end, everything – the safety of their lives, the peoples’ saving, and the mission’s direction and entirety - was entrusted to one thing - God’s grace. During the first Christian mission journey, it was made clear that God’s work was carried out by relying on His grace. Almost all of us begin mission work in God’s grace; however, over the course of time, many of us find ourselves running the mission, not by God’s grace, but by human wisdom, zeal, or private and hidden motives. When we do so, then the result is not by God’s efforts but by our own. Man-made results always stand against God’s work, as we can see from Ishmael’s life. Bad trees cannot bear good fruit. When we rely on God’s grace, the outcome will be something out of His grace. When we rely on Him from beginning to end, and throughout  the application of the entire mission work, many will be saved.

Second, God opened the door for the Gentiles.

“On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:27).

His grace is extended to even the pagans, like the people of Lycaonia, where peoples’ minds were saturated with pagan idolatry. It opened the door of salvation for all human races, no matter how much their minds or spirits were corrupted by the gods of their day.

We must be committed to God’s grace. The mainstay of this grace’s delivery is through the message of the Gospel of Jesus!

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[i] In order to not be confused with what Peter did at the temple gates, it’s good to look at what happened at the temple gate in Jerusalem, as recorded in detail in Acts 3.

“When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.”” (Acts 3:3-5).

Two differences are evident in comparing these two events; first, Peter did this miracle among the Jews who were well acquainted with the God of Israel and His miraculous power, while the people of Lystra had no understanding of the God of Israel. They viewed any power that was suggestive of a god’s power, as belonging to either Zeus or Hermes. Secondly, Peter called on God’s power, in agreement with John (Acts 3:4), but Paul did it all by himself (Acts 14:9).

In other words, it was not Peter’s sole decision to heal this man, but it was a mutually agreed upon decision. In Lystra, Paul “saw that he had faith to be healed”, which looks very similar to Peter’s act; however, there was a clear difference. Peter and John healed the man, but Paul saw and did all of these things by himself.

[ii] This view is seen in v6-7, comparing what happened in Lystra to what happened in Derbe within a people of the same context, i.e. the Lycaonians.

[iii] It is possible that the context of the peoples’ minds in Derbe were changed by what Paul did in Lystra. This may be less likely because there is an emphasis on ‘that city’, making a clear contrast to the city of Lystra.