The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is
readily seen in the preaching of Barnabas and Saul in Iconium, a relatively
short distance form Antioch in Pisidian. Although a great multitude both of
the Jews and the Greeks believed, the power of the gospel also brought
trouble, temptation, and persecution to Barnabas and Saul. The manifestation
of Jesus in one’s life will always bring others to Jesus. It will,
however, also cause some to rise to their feet of defiance to protect their
self-righteousness.
The preaching of grace is powerful when it is done by grace. Barnabas and
Saul spoke "boldly in the Lord." The phrase "in the
Lord," implies that their preaching was being done by the Lord Himself.
Or, as Saul would later say to the Corinthians, "But by the grace of
God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in
vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace
of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). In the context of Acts
of the Apostles 14, Saul would say, "I preach more than all the other
apostles, yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me." He
preached, but it was not him preaching. It was a message of grace by grace.
Saul would state to the Galatians that his entire life, not just his
preaching, was by the grace of God. He wrote, "I am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me" (2:20). Saul was alive but he
knew his life was not attempting to live for Christ. It was actually Christ
living in and through him. He lived in and by the grace of God.
Saul also stated to those same Galatians that his entire preaching of the
message of grace to the Gentile was, again, by grace. He wrote, "For he
that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision,
the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles" (2:8). What was it that
was efficiently active (literal meaning of wrought effectually and mighty)
in both Peter and Saul? It was the grace of God: "And when James,
Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was
given unto me . . ." (2:9). Saul preached grace by grace.
In his letter to the Philippians, he gave a clear definition to what the
phrase grace of God actually means. He told the Philippians that since he
was not going to be able to be with them again that they would have to
experience salvation by experiencing Jesus among themselves. Then, he stated
that they could experience salvation among themselves without Saul being
there "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his
good pleasure" (2:13). God’s purpose or satisfaction (literal meaning
of good pleasure) in one’s life is actually done by God Himself. He
gives the "to will" and He does the "to do." God works
out His will in everyone’s life.
Because Barnabas and Saul were speaking boldly in the Lord, the Lord then
"gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and
wonders to be done by their hands" (Acts of the Apostles 14:3). The
preaching of grace by grace is powerful. It will always bring people to
their knees of repentance or to their feet of defiance. It cannot be
resisted.
In Iconium, the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ brought many
believers both of the Jews and the Greeks. It also brought trouble. The
unbelieving Jews stirred the emotions of the Gentiles to bring harm to
Barnabus and Saul. Although many signs and wonders were done by God in their
preaching of grace, the city was divided. Many were believing with the Jews
against Barnabas and Saul and many were believing the message of Jesus
Christ.
Finally, when the trouble grew to the point that Barnabas and Saul were in
danger of physical harm, they fled the city and went into Lystra and Derbe.
Again, the message of freedom brought sufficient trouble from the
self-righteous Jews that the missionaries had to flee for their safety. The
rejection of the message by some, however, would once again give the
opportunity for others to accept and be blessed by the grace of God.
In Lystra, the confrontation from the enemy of the cross would come from a
different front. The challenge for Barnabas and Saul would not be
persecutions. It would be the temptation of self-adoration. As Saul was
preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, there was a man listening that had
been crippled from birth. During the message, Paul looking intently upon
this man perceived that he had faith to be saved or delivered (literal
meaning of healed). Paul spoke, "Stand upright on thy feet"
(Acts of the Apostles 14:10). He, who had never stood, leaped to his feet
and walked. The power of the message of grace healed the man.
When the message of grace comes forth by grace, there is such a
manifestation of truth that Paul could see into the soul of the needy man.
The connection formed between Paul and the man, a connection formed by
Jesus, enabled Paul to know that Jesus was there to deliver the man. The
manifestation of truth, the manifestation of Jesus, reveals the heart and
the soul of its participants.
Paul would later write to the Corinthians concerning the power of the
message of grace by grace. He wrote, "But have renounced the hidden
things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of
God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to
every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Corinthians 4:2). When
the gospel of grace is not disgraced (literal meaning of dishonesty)
by preaching it with craftiness (using trickery or sophistry) or deceitfully
(adulterating it), something very powerfully occurs. The preaching of brace
by grace brings forth the manifestation of truth.
The manifestation of truth actually brings the speaker and the hearer to
such an awareness (conscience) in the face (literal meaning of sight)
of God that the two set together (literal meaning of commending) in
the presence of truth. Setting together in the presence of truth, the
speaker knows the problem of the hearer and the hearer knows the answer of
the speaker. They experience together the power of grace being preached by
grace.
The power of the message of grace became apparent to everyone. Not only did
Paul and the lame man experience the power, the people who witnessed the
miracle also knew something had happened. They immediately began to lift
their voices saying, "The gods are come down to us in the likeness of
men" (Acts of the Apostles 14:11). Although most men desire such
recognition, Barnabas and Saul knew immediately the temptation they were
facing.
They knew of the temptation of Lucifer (Ezekiel 28:11-19), Adam and Eve
(Genesis 3:1-5), and the Children of Israel (Deuteronomy 1:21-46). They were
well aware by the history of their own nation that no one, except Jesus
Christ, had ever successfully conquered the temptation that they were
facing. For all practical purposes, they were being tempted as Jesus was in
the wilderness of Judaea. Although they tore off their clothes and ran into
the crowd to persuaded the people with great difficulty that they were not
gods in the likeness of men, they were being tempted to perceive that what
happened in their preaching was the product of their own doing.
As Lucifer battles within himself to come to believe that he was above all
of the rest of creation, Barnabas and Saul were being looked upon as if they
were not "men of like passion" but something special beyond the
ordinary man. Just as Eve was tempted to believe that she could become as
God, they were hearing from the people that they were gods. They, too, could
had fallen to the temptation as their fathers, the Children of Israel, did
when they entered the promised land. The fact that they took such drastic
action indicated they knew the seriousness of the situation.
Perhaps, the example of the fall of the Children of Israel will help to
illustrate the point of their temptation. When the second generation of the
Children of Israel was ready to go into the promised land, Moses gave them
special instructions and warnings. He also told them what would happen. He
said,
. . . when thou hast eaten and art full,
and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and
thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all
that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou
forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of
Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and
terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and
drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the
rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy
fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee,
to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power
and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. (Deuteronomy
8:12-17)
The temptation of every man, which he
continually faces, is to perceive, at best, that he himself has a part in
experiencing the blessings of God. At worst, he will perceive that he alone
is responsible for the life he is experiencing.
Barnabas and Saul moved quickly to prohibit the temptation from taking root
in their minds. Perhaps, they remembered the instruction of Jesus when He
taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father, which art in heaven . . .
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13).
The temptation will always be there because man always experiences the
blessings of God. His prayer, his dependency, therefore, must be always to
entreat God to not let him be carried inward (literal meaning of lead)
into that blessing as if he produced it.
From persecution to temptation and back to persecution, the journey of
Barnabas and Saul continued. It was not long until the self-righteous Jews
from Antioch and Iconium came to stir and to persuade the people against
them. They were able to excite the crowd into action. Saul was stoned,
carried outside the city, and left for dead. They no doubt though this was
the end of this adversary to their belief and practices.
As the fellow disciples stood around him, however, Saul rose up as if
nothing had happened. He came back into the city and the next day Barnabas
and Saul departed on their journey. The God who separated them and called
them was not finished with them.
Barnabas and Saul; retraced their visit to the various cities of this first
missionary journey. As they went, they preached again the gospel of grace by
grace to support the new converts. Recognizing the difficulty of the grace
of God being accepted by people, they exhorted them that it is only through
tribulation that entrance into the kingdom of God can be obtained.
They selected some of the elderly disciples in each of the churches to care
for the souls that had believed on Jesus Christ as their Lord. After pray
and fasting from them, "commended them to the Lord on whom they
believed." They then departed for Antioch.
Arriving at the city where they had surrendered to the grace of God to begin
their journey, they told their story of how God was faithful to fulfill what
he had begun. The gathered disciples rejoiced over their testimony. Barnabas
and Saul had went forth preaching grace by grace and the door had been
opened for the Gentiles to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord.
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