Friday, December 01, 2006
An Outline of Acts Chapter 14
In Iconium (14:1-7)
The missionaries moved further inland, to Iconium. There, again, they began with the synagogue but soon moved into the Gentile community. Again, the Jews were jealous and angry and plotted to take their lives. Hearing of the plot, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra.
In Lystra and Derbe (14:8-20)
In Lystra, Paul healed a crippled man, much to the amazement of the pagan community, who thought that the missionaries were the incarnation of the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. When the local citizens prepared to worship Paul and Barnabas, the missionaries protested. In 14:15-17, we find Paul's first sermon to an entirely pagan audience. This sermon differs radically from his previous ones and from the other sermons we have already read in Acts. Because of the pagan audience, Paul made no reference to the Old Testament or to prophecy, but rather appealed to what is known among theologians as "natural theology."
Some of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium had apparently been following the missionaries, and in Lystra their campaign against Paul resulted in his being stoned and left for dead. But he recovered and left with Barnabas for Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria (14:21-28)
After a brief ministry in Derbe, the missionaries began to retrace their steps through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. In light of the persecution and violence they had suffered in these towns, this seems like a foolish thing to do. But Paul's goal was to encourage and strengthen the recent converts and appoint local leadership for each fledgling Christian congregation (14:22-23). Here we see the "pastor's heart" of Paul. He was not a hit-and-run evangelist, interested only in the statistics of conversions. His goal was the establishment of solid, enduring congregations.
On this return visit, Paul told the new converts, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (14:22). Above all, Paul was honest with these "baby" Christians. He wanted them to understand that their faith would be more than "love and joy"—although there would be plenty of that. Real discipleship has always involved sacrifice and hardship.
From Asia Minor the missionaries sailed home to Antioch, where they reported to the church "all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (14:27).
The missionaries moved further inland, to Iconium. There, again, they began with the synagogue but soon moved into the Gentile community. Again, the Jews were jealous and angry and plotted to take their lives. Hearing of the plot, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra.
In Lystra and Derbe (14:8-20)
In Lystra, Paul healed a crippled man, much to the amazement of the pagan community, who thought that the missionaries were the incarnation of the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. When the local citizens prepared to worship Paul and Barnabas, the missionaries protested. In 14:15-17, we find Paul's first sermon to an entirely pagan audience. This sermon differs radically from his previous ones and from the other sermons we have already read in Acts. Because of the pagan audience, Paul made no reference to the Old Testament or to prophecy, but rather appealed to what is known among theologians as "natural theology."
Some of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium had apparently been following the missionaries, and in Lystra their campaign against Paul resulted in his being stoned and left for dead. But he recovered and left with Barnabas for Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria (14:21-28)
After a brief ministry in Derbe, the missionaries began to retrace their steps through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. In light of the persecution and violence they had suffered in these towns, this seems like a foolish thing to do. But Paul's goal was to encourage and strengthen the recent converts and appoint local leadership for each fledgling Christian congregation (14:22-23). Here we see the "pastor's heart" of Paul. He was not a hit-and-run evangelist, interested only in the statistics of conversions. His goal was the establishment of solid, enduring congregations.
On this return visit, Paul told the new converts, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (14:22). Above all, Paul was honest with these "baby" Christians. He wanted them to understand that their faith would be more than "love and joy"—although there would be plenty of that. Real discipleship has always involved sacrifice and hardship.
From Asia Minor the missionaries sailed home to Antioch, where they reported to the church "all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (14:27).
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