{"id":770,"date":"2021-04-17T08:06:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-17T13:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=770"},"modified":"2021-04-17T08:08:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T13:08:25","slug":"the-call-is-never-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=770","title":{"rendered":"The Call Is Never Easy Acts 14:1-28"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lesson 27<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Call Is Never Easy but It is Ongoing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts 14:1-28<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cannot number the times when it\nwould have much easier to quit than to persevere.  Some of the most difficult times have been in\nchurch.  Like most of you I have seen\nthings occurring that are just unacceptable. \nProbably the most difficult is when I have seen leaders just being\nexcoriated without any recourse.  I have\nbeen a firm believer that a man of God should only be asked to leave for\nreasons that would disqualify him from the ministry, but I have seen men attack\nothers because of their own agendas.  This\nis hard to accept and has caused me to consider leaving the church more than\none time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is obvious I have not followed\nthrough because I do believe the God established the Church to be His body and\nbodies are not perfect.  Therefore, I\nhave chosen to strive to do everything I can to help the church grow.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not unlike so many churches we are not\nseeing a harvest because we are part of a church that God cannot use. Until we\nbegin to actually hear His call to impact our world things will never change.  We know that we do not have a clear picture\nof the kind of church that God wants us to be because we spend so much time\nfocused on ourselves and allowing issues to become a crisis that cause people\nto walk away from the church.  When we\ndecide to focus on the important things every church should be doing, then we\nwill see a different result. God has called us to follow His Instruction Manual\nand to reach out into a world in chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul and Barnabas could have quit at\nany time because things did not go their way, but they chose the higher road to\ntravel.  In this chapter will be seen\nwhat they experienced after being driven out of Pisidian Antioch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acts: 14:1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iconium was another Roman outpost\nlocated some 90 miles east of Pisidian Antioch. \nPaul and Barnabas continued on their missionary trip going deeper into\nthe world where the worship of false gods was prevalent.  According to their previous practice whenever\nPaul and Barnabas entered a city, they began their ministry in the\nsynagogue.  Iconium was no\ndifferent.  As they began to proclaim the\ngospel the words resonated with the Jews and the Greeks and many of them became\nbelievers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Why did Paul and Barnabas not turn back after\ntheir experience in Pisidian Antioch but continued further into Asia Minor?<\/li>
  2. How was the response in Iconium like that of\nthe previous city?<\/li>
  3. In what way was it different?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Acts 14:2-6<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here comes the opposition again.  It seems it is those who were supposedly the\nmost religious were the very ones who refused to hear the good news.  It was not enough for them to reject it but\nthey even built an alliance with the Gentiles to oppose Paul and Barnabas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We can only imagine how the Jews\ntwisted the truth to get the Gentiles to join them.  The word blasphemy is now used here. It is\nused of those who turn against the One of whom the gospel speaks, therefore is\nto reject the very God who sent Him.  Because\nthe opposition only came in the form of words at this point, Paul and Barnabas\nsaw no reason to leave Iconium.  They\nstayed there quite awhile and as the Scripture says they were, \u201cSpeaking boldly\nwith reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace.\u201d  Unlike before, they were now able to perform\nmiracles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Even with all that was taking place\nthe city was still divided. Some were for the apostles and some against.  Finally the opposition had had enough and was\nplanning to stone them so they left Iconium and went on to the district of Lycaonia\ninto the cities of Lystra and Derbe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. What was it in the message of the apostles\nthat would cause such different reactions?<\/li>
    2. What evidence is present that the opposition\nthe apostles faced in Iconium and Pisidian Antioch were different? (The people\nof Iconium planned to stone them. In Pisidian they were driven out of town.)<\/li>
    3.  Why did\nPaul and Barnabas decide that they could remain in Iconium in the face of\nopposition and flee like they had from the previous city?<\/li>
    4. Why was it that God allowed them to perform\nsigns and wonders in Iconium?  <\/li>
    5. Why do we not have a record of any miracles\noccurring in Pisidian Antioch?<\/li>
    6. What actions should we take when faced with\nopposition like that of the apostles?<\/li>
    7. In a situation like the one just described\nabove when is discretion the better part of valor and you decide to leave?  <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Acts 14:7<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      No matter where they went, these two\nmen continued to preach.  They did not\nallow circumstances keep them from their assignment. Often commitment to the\ntask is hard to maintain in the face of great adversity.  Although not written they received\nencouragement from the Holy Spirit and the results they had experienced both in\nPisidian Antioch and Iconium.  In both\nplaces, yes there had been strong opposition, but they had also seen many come\nto salvation through the message they had preached and the teaching that had\noccurred.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Why did Paul and Barnabas continue to preach?<\/li>
      2. How would they have viewed the opposition that\nhad occurred?<\/li>
      3. From what sources did they receive courage to\ncontinue?<\/li>
      4. How would they have compared the results of\nchanged lives to the opposition faced?<\/li>
      5. What was the importance of staying a long time\nin Iconium even after the opposition began? <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Acts 14:8-10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Notice when they arrived at Lystra\nthey did not go to the synagogue.  This\nfact would indicate that there was a lack of Jewish men in that city.  In order to have a synagogue there had to be\nat least ten adult male Jews in that location. \nPaul began to speak in the open air. \nLuke tells us that there was a crippled man there listening to what was\nbeing said.  Paul realized that his words\nwere having an impact on the man and that he had the faith to be healed.  He told the man to get up.  The man responded by leaping to his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. What would indicate that there was no\nsynagogue in Lystra?<\/li>
        2. What did it take for the Jews to start one?<\/li>
        3. What kind of message does it take to have\npeople to respond as did the lame man?<\/li>
        4. How did Paul know that the man had faith to be\nhealed?<\/li>
        5. What would it take for us to have that same\nkind of discernment?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Acts 14:11-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The reaction of the crowd should not\nbe surprising even though it caught Paul and Barnabas off guard.  The people acknowledged that something out of\nthe ordinary had occurred in their midst that could not been accomplished by\nmere mortals. Therefore, they began praising the two men as Zeus and\nHermes.  Barnabas possibly because of his\nbearing was called Zeus and Paul the spokesman, Hermes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The priest of the temple of Zeus\nlocated outside of the city brought oxen to the gates to offer as sacrifices to\nthe gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          There is a legend which will possibly\nexplain this over reaction to the healing. The story goes like this.  At some point in the history of Lycaonia that\nZeus and Hermes came down to earth to visit mortals. There was no one in the\nland that offered them hospitality except and old couple named Philemon and\nBaucis.  As a reward their humble abode\nwas changed into a temple of which they were made guardians.  When they died they were transformed into two\ntrees, an oak and Linden.  The rest of\nthe people were destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Even if the legend was not true the\npeople believed it and wanted to make sure that they did not make the same\nmistake again.  Believing that the two\nmen were gods, they were going to do everything in their power to make them\nwelcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. What do you think about the reaction of the\ncrowd?<\/li>
          2. Why would they believe that Paul and Barnabas\nwere gods?<\/li>
          3. If you were in their position what would you\nhave done?<\/li>
          4. Why does the writer of Hebrews 13:2 encourage\nus to be hospitable? Also see 1 Peter 4:9.<\/li>
          5. What may be some instances in your life when\nyou wish now that you had been more hospitable?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Acts 14:14-15<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            It took a short time for Paul and\nBarnabas to realize what was happening because they did not understand the\nLycaonian language.  The two men showed\ntheir distress over what was happening by tearing their clothes and trying to\nstop the celebration. Paul immediately began to try to convince the people that\nthey were just men like everyone else. The good news was being spoken in their\npresence was to help men turn away from the vain worship of false gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Why did Paul and Barnabas not understand what\nwas taking place?<\/li>
            2. What was their reaction?<\/li>
            3. When he finally gathered himself what was his\nmessage to them?<\/li>
            4. What clear and to the point message did Paul\nshare in all of the confusion that was taking place?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Acts 14:16-18<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              The living God of whom Paul spoke in\nverse 15 had been at work throughout history. \nUp until this point in time He had<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              • Permitted nations to operate as they pleased<\/li>
              • Witnessed of Himself by doing good, giving\nthem rain from heaven and \u201cfruitful seasons,\u201d and \u201csatisfying your hearts with\nfood and gladness.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Their lack of response shows how\ndifficult it is to change the minds of those who believe in what they are\ndoing.  The people may or may not have\nunderstood what Paul was saying.  One\nthing for sure he was having trouble getting through to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                1. Why did God allow the nations go their own way\nfor so long?<\/li>
                2. What would the term gospel have meant to the\npeople?<\/li>
                3. In what ways is it difficult to get the message\nof the gospel across to people today?<\/li>
                4. What has been God\u2019s ways to draw men to\nHimself even before they knew Him?<\/li>
                5. What had changed that removed any excuse for\nman to continue down the road on which he was travelling?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  Acts 14:19<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  If things were not difficult enough,\nJews had showed up from Iconium. Why they came to Lystra cannot truly be\nknown.  Maybe they were following Paul to\nmake sure he did not spread the gospel any further.  They may have travelled there for some other\nreason.  How they got there is not really\nimportant, but one thing is certain they quickly influenced the people who in\nturn stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city.  He was taken out of the city because what\nthey had done was illegal and if the Roman authorities found about it they\nwould be in trouble.  They thought they\nhad done away with the one who was a threat to their way of life.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  1. If the Jews were following Paul and Barnabas\nthe question is why?<\/li>
                  2. How were they able to influence the people so\nquickly?<\/li>
                  3. What happened to those who were only a short\ntime before calling him a god?<\/li>
                  4. What does it say about the hearts of the\npeople?<\/li>
                  5. What does this say about us that we are\nwilling to believe something negative about others?<\/li>
                  6. Why were they willing to violate the law in\norder to get rid of Paul?<\/li>
                  7. To what extreme do we sometimes go to\neliminate those with whom we disagree?<\/li>
                  8. What kind of attitude does Jesus call us to\nhave?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Acts 14:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    It is amazing that Paul survived the\nstoning especially when the mob believed that he was dead.  You can imagine the shock and impact on the\ndisciples standing there when he got up and went back into the city.  The following day he left for Derbe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    1. Why did Paul survive the stoning?<\/li>
                    2. What does it say about Paul that not only did\nhe go back into the city but stayed there for another day?<\/li>
                    3. What kind of courage does it take to go back\ninto the enemy\u2019s camp?<\/li>
                    4. What kind of message is there in this account\nfor us when we face difficult situations?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                      Acts 14:21-22<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      After Paul and Barnabas preached the\ngospel in Derbe, they retraced their steps going back through Lystra, Iconium\nand Pisidian Antioch.  In each church\nthey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      • Strengthened the souls of disciples<\/li>
                      • Gave them encouragement to be steadfast in\ntheir faith<\/li>
                      • told them that the road to the kingdom would\nfull of tribulations that must be faced.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        1. Why did return to the places where he had\nfaced opposition and was stoned?<\/li>
                        2. What did he do in each church?<\/li>
                        3. In what way are these words applicable for us\ntoday?    <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          Acts 14:23<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          There was one more crucial thing he\ndid.  He appointed elders in each\nchurch.  The question may be if elders\nare supposed to be godly men how could he find such men who were brand new\nChristians?  The answer lies in the fact\nthat there godly men coming out of the Jewish faith who would have the\nattributes that would qualify them to be spiritual leaders in the church.  Paul then prayed for and fasted in each\nchurch.  By doing all he could he was then\nleaving them in the hands of the Lord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          1. Why was important for him appoint those who\nwould have oversight of each church?<\/li>
                          2. What qualities did these men possess that\nwould qualify them to lead?<\/li>
                          3. In what way are these same attributes needed\nin the church today?<\/li>
                          4. What did it mean after Paul prayed and fasted\nwith the church that he stated that he was commending them into the hand of\nLord?<\/li>
                          5. In what ways do we show that after praying and\nfasting that we trust God to work out the details and give guidance to the\nchurch and in our own lives?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                            Acts 14:24-26<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            Notice on their return trip that Paul\nstopped in Perga and shared the gospel. \nRemember on the journey inland they had pretty much just passed through\nthe city.  It is possible that by this\ntime Paul had recovered sufficiently from his illness to be able to spend a\nshort while there.  Leaving there the two\nmen ended their first missionary trip by returning to the church that had sent\nthem out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            1. Why did Paul stop in Perga on his return trip\nand not preach there the first time he was in the city?<\/li>
                            2. Why did the two men end the first missionary\ntrip at this point and return to Antioch?<\/li>
                            3. Why must the church have a strategy to reach\nthe lost world?<\/li>
                            4. When do we know that we have completed the\nfirst steps of that strategy?<\/li>
                            5. In what ways do we sometimes bite off more\nthan we can handle?<\/li>
                            6. When we do who is in control?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                              Acts 14:27-28<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              The first thing they did when they\narrived was to call the church together to give a report.  The news was simple and straightforward.  They shared, \u201cAll things that God had done\nwith them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. This verse\nindicates that for a while Paul and Barnabas\u2019 travelling was put on hold as\nthey spent an extended period of time with the church at Antioch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              1. Why was it important for the church at Antioch\nto hear all that Paul and Barnabas had done?<\/li>
                              2. To whom did Paul give credit for what had\noccurred on the first missionary trip?<\/li>
                              3. Why do we not see any mention of the\nopposition the two faced in each city?<\/li>
                              4. What are the positive things that you share\nwith those at church?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                You<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                1. Look to Paul as the example for the way to\nhandle adversity in our lives.<\/li>
                                2. Look for ways you can encourage those around\nyou.<\/li>
                                3. Prepare your heart for the things that may\noccur in the future by doing the task to which God has called you with all of\nyour energy.<\/li>
                                4. Be ready to always give God the glory for the\nsuccesses that you experience.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                  We<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  We may not be called to go to the\nPisidian Antioch\u2019s, Lycaonia\u2019s, Iconium\u2019s, Lystra\u2019s and Derbe\u2019s of the world, but\nwe are to give our best efforts to the work to which God has called us.  There will always opposition to be faced and\nto be overcome with the help of God. \nFinally let us learn to wait on the Lord.  Paul was willing to go back to Antioch and\nwait until God gave him further instrument. \nWe too must learn to wait on God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  As we continue with the story of Paul\u2019s\nministry Luke will show us in Acts 15 why God had Paul back in Antioch.  His work at that church and the places he had\ntravelled prepared for the next challenge he would face in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Additional Notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  DM-From the very beginning the pattern\nof Paul\u2019s ministry was the same in every city. \nHe would approach the people in the Synagogue and then after they\nrejected his message he turned to the Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles believed\nwhen they heard the good news.  The main\nopposition usually came from the Jews, some Gentiles stirred up by the Jews,\nmerchants affected by loss of business, or the local authorities.                                                                                (Acts 14:1-2, 5, 19; 17:1-9, 11, 13)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  C- In Iconium many Jews and Greeks\nbelieved upon having heard the message from Paul.     (Acts\n14:1-3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  DM- Paul was determined to speak out\nboldly in every place he visited.                                    (Acts 14:3, 7; 19:8; 20:27)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  C- The people of Iconium were\ndivided.  Some were with the Jews while\nothers sided with Paul and Barnabas. \nWhen an attempt on their lives was became known to the Apostles they\nleft the city and went to Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe.  They continued to preach the gospel in all of\nthese new cities. (Acts 14:4-7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  C- Paul healed a man in Lystra who had\nbeen lame since birth.  Nothing like this\nhad ever been seen in the city.  This\nhealing caused the people to believe the two men were Hermes (Paul) and Zeus\n(Barnabas) mythological gods. The apostles had a difficult time convincing\npeople that it was God who had brought about the miracle. (Acts 14:8-18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                   GC- Man finds healing when he is faithful.\n(Acts 14:9)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  RT-The preaching of the word of God is\nto turn man from the vain things of this world.        (Acts 14:15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  TM- The purpose of teaching and\npreaching is to be constantly seeking to turn people from the vain things of\nthis world to the eternal truths found in God\u2019s word. (Acts 14:15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  GC- We must never forget we are just\nmen sharing the good news of Christ. It is not our message but His. We can only\ndo this under the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 14:15)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  C- Things changed quickly as Jews\narrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people of Lystra against\nPaul.  They stoned Paul and left him for\ndead.  He survived and went back into the\ncity. The next day he and Barnabas went to Derbe. (Acts 14:19-20)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  GC-The responsibilities of all\nbelievers are to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  1. Strengthen the souls of others<\/li>
                                  2. Encourage others to continue in the faith<\/li>
                                  3. Develop others into true disciples<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                    (Acts 14:22;\n15:15, 32; 16:5, 40; 18:23; Rom. 1:12; 15:1; 1 Thess. 3:2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    GC- Through many tribulations we enter\ninto God\u2019s kingdom. (Acts 14:22)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    C- On their return journey to Antioch\nthey appointed elders in every church. \n(Acts 14:23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    RT- Even though many of the places\nPaul visited would have been mostly pagan, in a number of them there appeared\nto be a small Jewish presence.  Evidently,\nthere were at least ten men which was required to have a synagogue in the\ncity.  From these men there would be\nthose who would receive the gospel because they truly believed the Old\nTestament prophesies.  Paul certainly\nwould have appointed the wisest and the most fervent to be elders. (Acts 14:23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    GC- Every separate body needs to have\na group of men who are able to lead, protect the flock from the enemy and teach\nothers to become like Christ. (Acts 14:23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    GC- We are to pray and fast with\nfellow believer, but ultimately all of us are placed in the Father\u2019s hands for\nsafe-keeping. It is the act of commending, committing and entrusting each\nperson to the Father. (Acts 14:23; 20:32)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                    Lesson 27 The Call Is Never Easy but It is Ongoing Acts 14:1-28 I cannot number the times when it would have much easier to quit than to persevere.  Some of the most difficult times have been in church.  Like most of you I have seen things occurring that are just unacceptable.  Probably the most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=770"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":772,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770\/revisions\/772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}