Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

1. The Pagans were so convinced in their beliefs that they did not believe Paul’s sermon, giving evidence to the living God in creation, conscience, and benevolence.

2. The crowds were finally “restrained” (katepauō - cease, restrain) from offering sacrifice “to them (autois).”

B. The Jews Instigated Paul’s Stoning (Ac 14:19).

1. The violent emotions against Paul and Barnabas brought the Jews from Antioch (Ac 13:50-51) and Iconium (Ac 14:5-6) some one hundred miles.

2. Again, their work was that of instigation. They “won over” (peithō - persuade, seduce, win over) the fickle crowds and convinced the mob to stone Paul.

3. They supposed that he was dead and dragged his lifeless body outside the city.

C. Paul Survived and Went to Derbe (Ac 14:20).

1. Paul was surrounded by his disciples who were grieving to be sure. Then, simply put by Luke, Paul “got up” and went into the city.

2. Some suggest that it was a miraculous resurrection while others maintain that Paul was not dead.

a) Since Luke appears to be unemphatic here, we could say that the mob was mistaken in supposing that Paul was dead. The word “suppose” (nomizō - custom, or to assume or think) certainly can carry the idea of mistaken assumptions (cf. Lk 2:44; 3:23; Ac 7:25).

b) The word “got up” is the Greek word anistāmi and can mean resurrection (Jn 11:23-24; Ac 2:32), but it is also used literally to “stand up” (Ac 1:15; Ac 8:27), which is its basic meaning. It seems strange that Luke would refrain from mentioning this as a miracle. It would also be out of place for this to be evidence of a miracle while using the word “suppose.”

c) Some have connected this incident with Paul’s account of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2Co 12:1-4). But the time of Paul’s third-heaven experience (42-43 AD cf. 2Co 12:2) does not reconcile with Paul’s first missionary journey (46-48 AD).

d) Paul does record this incident without ever mentioning that he died and was resurrected (2Co 11:25; 2Ti 3:11).

3. The incident does however show God’s providence in Paul’s total commitment to the gospel and the ministry. For the next day, Paul went with Barnabas to preach the gospel to Derbe, some sixty miles away.

II. ENCOURAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCHES (Ac 14:21-23).

A. Paul and Barnabas Preached at Derbe Before Returning (Ac 14:21).

1. In Derbe, they preached the gospel and “made many disciples.” To make a disciple (mathāteuō - make a follower and learner), the gospel had to be presented and then received (Jn 1:11-13). Then the new disciple (convert) had to be instructed in the teaching of the Scriptures (Mt 28:19-20).

2. Having preached the gospel to that city, they returned to the cities where they had previously preached the gospel, including Lystra where Paul had been stoned.

B. They Encouraged and Prepared the Brethren (Ac 14:22).

1. Their purpose in returning to these cities was to encourage the new believers and help organize their churches.

2. First they “strengthened” (epistārizō - support, make firm) the souls and spiritual lives of the disciples in their new faith (Ac 15:32, 41; 18:23). This could include assuring them in the faith as well as grounding them in the faith.

3. Secondly, they “encouraged” (parakaleō - come alongside and exhort) them to “continue” (emmenō - remain in or persevere) in the faith and not lose heart because of persecution (cf. Ac 13:13).

4. They emphasized the truth that believers will have to endure persecution to one degree or another. They said, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” The word tribulation (thlipsis) can refer to the general distress in life (Jm 1:27) or the affliction of the persecution of believers (2Th 1:4; He 10:32-33).

5. Tribulations are sure to come (1Th 3:3; 2Ti 3:12*), come in many ways (2Co 4:8), can cause believers to lose heart (Ep 3:13), are an evidence of salvation (2Th 1:4-5), and are not worthy to be compared with the future glory (2Co 4:17; Ro 8:18*).

6. The term “kingdom of God” often refers to the future kingdom (Re 11:15; 12:10). But it also can mean salvation and entrance into heaven (Ac 8:12; 20:25; 28:31) as well as have God’s rule in their lives (1Co 6:9; Col 1:13-14). Perhaps both are implied here (salvation - individual believer and the future kingdom - church).

C. They Appointed Elders in Every Church (Ac 14:23).

1. Knowing that they were on the last leg of the missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas “appointed” (cheirotoneō - here install, also elect by raising hands, 2Co 8:19) elders in every church. These spiritual leaders were commended to the Lord with prayer.

2. The term “elder” is prosbuteros, which literally means “older man,” but specifically refers to a spiritually mature man who can teach and lead the church (1Ti 5:17; Tit 1:5). The spiritual qualifications for elders are given in 1Ti 3:2-7 and Tit 1:6-9.

3. The main function of elders had been defined in Ac 6:4 and the concept of elders had already been established in Ac 11:30.

4. Here we see the appointment of elders (plural) for every church (singular). This suggests a plurality of elders for the church as opposed to one man (pastor) ruling the church. True, it could suggest one elder per house-church, but if the house-church were large, it is likely they had more than one elder. Still we would suspect that the elders of the city would gather together for making decisions. We see that a plurality of elders was the standard in the NT (Ac 15:22; 20:17; Php 1:1; Tit 1:5; 1Ti 4:14; Jm 5:14; 1Pe 5:1-2).

III. RETURN AND REPORT TO THE CHURCH (Ac 14:24-28).

A. They Went through Pisidia, Pamphylia, Perga to Attalia (Ac 14:24-25).

1. For the most part, Paul and Barnabas had retraced their steps.

2. Quite possibly, they did not preach the gospel in Perga on the first visit, so they made sure they did not miss an important city (Ac 13:14).

B. They Sailed from Attalia to Antioch (Ac 14:26).

1. From Attalia, they sailed to Antioch of Syria. Antioch is where they were called by the Holy Spirit (Ac 13:2).

2. They were also sent by the church (Ac 13:3) and commended to the “grace of God” (protection, direction, and power) for the work of missions and establish churches.

C. They Reported God’s Work to the Church (Ac 14:27).

1. Understanding that they were instruments of God (“God had done with (meta) them”), they reported all that had happened.

2. They especially reported that God “had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” The gospel had been offered to the Gentiles (Ac 13:47), it was a message of faith (Ac 13:39), and it was God’s sovereign work (Ac 13:48).

D. They Remained with the Disciples (Ac 14:28).

1. The successful missionary journey lasted one to two years and they probably spent another year ministering to the church in Antioch of Syria.

2. Sometime after this, it is believed that Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians, which most likely referred to the churches in southern Galatia, i.e. the cities they visited.

IV. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS.

A. All believers must enter through many tribulations. The only way to avoid it is to be silent.

1. Being silent in a sense is losing heart

B. Elders are to be the spiritual leaders of the church, who also encourage the body in tribulation.

1. Elders we encourage everyone to share their faith.

2. Tribulation is inevitable; we must be there to support them.

3. Often you will hear, they are Too fanatical.

C. Missionary quality: total commitment - the state of being dedicated to the cause of Christ.

1. We had mentioned some of the qualities to be a missionary (or a servant of God). They were:

a) An insatiable desire to share the gospel,

b) A knowledge and a use of spiritual gifts,

c) A tenacity through difficulty and persecution,

d) A boldness to speak in the face of opposition (Ep 6:19-20; Php 1:19-20).

e) A discernment to know when to shake off the dust

f) A God-honoring humility.

g) An ability to defend the faith.

h) An ability to care and equip the church (leadership).

(1) Make disciples and teach them.

(2) Strengthen them and encourage them

(3) Make them aware of inevitable tribulation.

i) A total commitment to Christ and His kingdom.

(1) Imagine what it took for Paul to survive being stoned, then to go back into the city that stoned him, then travel sixty miles (probably by foot), in order to preach the gospel, then to come back into Lystra and strengthen the believers.

(2) He had a powerful object lesson in the marks of his body. Galatians 6:17 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.

(3) It took a total commitment to Christ and His kingdom. Commitment is defined as “the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause.”

(4) He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. Jim Elliot Oct. 28, 1949 (martyred Jan. 8, 1956)

(5) Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain Php 1:21.

Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516