By Robert Olsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
THE TRUTH
Acts 14:11–23
Misdirected worship (11–13)
After Paul and Barnabas healed a lame man in Lystra, the crowd became excited and claimed that the gods Zeus and Hermes had visited them! Upon hearing this the priest of Zeus came with two bulls to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas. Seeing this blasphemous act, Paul made sure to let the people know that he and Barnabas were just mortal men.
One temptation in ministry is to think that you have a role in the success of the ministry. God is choosing to use you and your gifts to minister to others, and so success comes from God using you, not from your own effort. There are many Christian leaders who began to think of themselves as someone special and above the advice of Christians around them. They think that because their ministry has been successful in the past their ideas will work in the future, so they do not consider God’s plans. Many ministers have fallen because of this.
Proclaiming the living God (14–18)
Being declared gods was the last thing Paul and Barnabas wanted. To turn their attention away from themselves, Paul told them about the one true God. Notice how in this discussion with the Gentiles, Paul focuses on common grace by pointing out how God sends rain for crops and provides for their needs and pointing out that there is only one God instead of many. For a Jewish audience, Paul focuses on Christ as fulfillment of Scripture. This is a great model for sharing the gospel. We need to know our audience because then we know what areas to begin with when sharing the gospel. Do they already believe there is only one God? Are they atheists? Are they of a different religion? We need to know our neighbors so that God can use us to minister to them.
Opposition faced (19–20)
As before, Jews from other cities followed Paul and Barnabas and turned the crowd against them. Paul got stoned and was left for dead, but when he was revived he went right back into the city. This shows Paul’s willingness to suffer for the gospel and it gives us a model. Paul was so concerned for the gospel that he was willing to die for it.
Christians have historically faced persecution for their faith, and we should expect it as well. In the history of missions, countless Christians have given up their lives to spread the gospel. We can know that this suffering is not unexpected, and God can use our persecution to actually spread the gospel as has happened many times in the past.
Encouragement given (21–23)
Paul and Barnabas returned to the cities they had previously visited to help encourage the believers. Many times ministries focus on communicating the gospel but not on discipleship. But the Great Commission in Matthew 28:20 says you should be “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” This shows that Jesus was concerned not just with sharing the gospel but with building Christians up so that they could be steadfast in their commitment to Jesus.
Discipleship needs to be a major focus for our churches. The culture is no longer a Christian culture, and society seeks to turn people away from Christianity. If our people do not understand what the Bible says, they become easy prey to be led astray. We must train people up in the truths of the Bible.
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