Dear Friends,
Greetings in Christ!
In Acts 13, a tremendous revival was taking place in Antioch of Pisidia. This provoked the Jewish leaders there to jealousy and Paul and Barnabas were summarily expelled out of their coasts. Paul had not yet written Romans 8:28, but this eternal spiritual principle was in effect as he and Barnabas arrived in Iconium. The gospel is spreading like wildfire in Galatia.
Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 14:1-7
1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they [Paul And Barnabas] went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
Here we go again. The jealous, unbelieving Jewish leaders are contradicting and blaspheming — attempting to stymie the efforts of Paul and Barnabas to spread the gospel. This is a recurring theme throughout Acts. However, these attempts to censor the gospel only furthered it. These episodes may be the first documented examples of the Streisand Effect.
3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
This time, Paul and Barnabas are not forced to leave. Hence, they stayed in Iconium for a long time to strengthen the brethren who were facing persecution. The Holy Spirit vindicated them and confirmed their message with signs and wonders. (Signs and wonders are no longer necessary because we have the testimony of history, among other things, to confirm the New Testament.)
Paul and Barnabas are receiving a lot of hostility as they continue on their journey, but they calmly persevere in the face of opposition. Their persecutors are driven by their emotions, but Paul and Barnabas follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. In The Spiritual Man, Watchman Nee talks about how important it is for Christians to discern between the influence of their emotions and the leading of the Spirit:
Man’s sensational life is most comprehensive, hence highly
complicated; to help believers understand it, we can gather all its
various expressions into the three groups of (1) affection, (2) desire,
and (3) feeling. These groups cover the three aspects of the function
of emotion. Should a saint overcome all three, he is well on the way
to entering upon a pure spiritual path. (1)
Reading Nee’s thoughts on this subject has helped me understand the strange behavior we are seeing in these last days, including some of my own. Reading Nee, I am reminded how important it is to discern between the soul and the spirit (Heb 4:12), and to be led of the Holy Spirit. One of the things I love about Acts is how we see the power available to us when we let the Holy Spirit lead:
What are the servants of the Lord seeking today? Countless ones
aspire to spiritual power. But this power is obtained solely by paying
a price. Should a Christian die to his emotion he will possess spiritual
might. It is because he leans too much on his emotion and is bound
too strongly to his desire, affection and feeling that the Christian
forfeits real power. Only a deeper operation of the cross can fill us
with spiritual dynamite; other than that there is no way to it. When
the cross works upon our desire enabling us to live completely for
God, spiritual power will naturally be evidenced in us. (2)
4 But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
Dr Luke uses the plural form of apostle, showing that Barnabas was an apostle too.
5 And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,
They were such slaves to their emotions that they eventually plotted to murder Paul and Barnabas — two innocent men.
This illustrates why Jesus said Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matt 5:21f) Murder begins in the heart with anger. Jesus went on to say Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. As fellow Jews, they were supposed to be brothers, but, being ruled by their emotions, they eventually gave in to the murder in their hearts and plotted to kill Paul and Barnabas.
6 They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
Paul and Barnabas follow the directive of Jesus in Matthew 10:23: But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another:
7 And there they preached the gospel.
Acts 14:1-7
So, as our section ends, we see that the persecution of Paul and Barnabas only served to further the gospel. Now the gospel was being preached in the region to the south of Iconium as well. These initial gospel outreaches by Paul and Barnabas will eventually lead to Paul writing his letter to the Galatians, one of the most powerful pieces of literature ever penned. (For example, the Epistle to the Galatians was central to the Reformation.) The Galatians were actually transplants from what we know as France — then called Gaul. Hence, Gaul-atia, shortened to Galatia. They had been there for centuries by the time Paul and Barnabas showed up. They were a warrior clan, steeped in paganism, and now part of the Roman Empire. There is more drama to come before Paul and Barnabas are done with their first missionary journey, as we shall see in our next post.
In closing, my takeaway from this post is how important it is to keep one’s emotions in check and be led of the Spirit. When I let the Bible be my guide, I am led of the Spirit. When I let my emotions dictate my behavior, I am in the flesh.
Father, help us immerse ourselves in your word, that your word may live in our hearts, that we may be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led Christians. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
1 The Spiritual Man, pp 423, 424
2 The Spiritual Man, p 433
