Paul and Barnabas Differ Over Mark (Acts 15:36–41)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for an at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH Sunday, June 29, 2025

Just think: Do not raise your hand:

Have you ever hurt someone with your words?

Have you ever been in tears because of gossip or rumors?

Have you ever been angered because of something wrongfully said about you?

Have you wrongfully said something about someone else?

Have you spread the gossip or the rumor?

Have you been unloving?

Have others been unloving to you? I know this is broad.

The church is a place for sinners. The church is a place for people who do wrong things, and I am one of them. However, the church is also a place where, once we commit to Christ, we commit to growing and changing, not deteriorating, but improving.

Ten years ago, I was with my three-year-old, Mercedes, who wanted to build a sandcastle with gravel on the driveway. She did not know that little bit of gravel on the driveway would not build a sandcastle. She did not know how much better the sand on the beach would be. Likewise, we come to know Jesus, and we are sinners; we are sinners for our whole lives. However, as we grow in Christ, we grow out of certain sins. This means that we realize that life is different. Before we were playing, we were trying to build sandcastles with gravel on a driveway, but Jesus wants us to grow into Christ followers who are not wrestling daily with the same old issues.

Jesus wants us to have a renewed perspective. Let me make that example make some sense… Is gravel very malleable?

I have a bucket of gravel right here. Let me pour some out. Do you think it is malleable? No, we cannot build a sandcastle with this, and God can do anything, but sometimes we are not even like gravel; we are like rocks, and God needs to make us like sand so that He can work within us.

Now, I have sand, let me pour some out into another bucket. Is this malleable? Is it? Can you work with it? Can God work with it? Can a child work with it?

We need our relationships to be like sand, not like gravel or rock.

Then we will still offend people and still sin, but hopefully not the same old stuff and not as much. Hopefully, then we make things right. So, let’s talk about that.

Let’s talk about that now. Let’s look at a passage in which the Apostle Paul had a difference of opinion with Barnabas. They part ways, but I want to make the case that though they part ways, they do so agreeably. I want to discuss biblical restoration.

Read Acts 15:36-41 with me:

Acts 15:36–41 (ESV)

³⁶ And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

1. Context
   1. What is our context?
   2. In the previous section, we talked about the Council of Jerusalem.
   3. The leaders of the church came together to discuss what Gentiles must do when they come to faith in Christ.
   4. James, Jesus’s half-brother, made the ruling.
   5. They sent out a group, which included Paul and Barnabas, to share a letter from the leadership.
2. Notice that Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement.
   1. This disagreement is in verse 37. Barnabas was an encourager; he wanted to give John Mark a second chance. Now, what happened with John Mark? In Acts 13:13, Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary journey, and John Mark went home to Jerusalem. There may have been several reasons for this: NIV text note of Acts 13:13: Homesickness to get back to Jerusalem, an illness of Paul necessitating a change in plans and a trip to Galatia, and a change in leadership from Barnabas to Paul have all been suggested as reasons for John Mark’s return. Paul’s dissatisfaction with his departure is noted later (15:37–39).^[1]
   2. Either way, now Barnabas is saying, “Let’s give him a second chance.” Paul says, “No way.”
   3. Verse 39 says that they had a “Sharp” disagreement.”
   4. Have we ever had a “Sharp” disagreement? What do we do? How do we handle it?
   5. I have listened to and read lots of counseling books and documents, and it is recommended that people need timeouts, but they are hard to take.
   6. I think Paul, the Apostle, needed a timeout.
   7. Paul is a “Driven” personality. “Fight or flight,” Paul fights.
   8. They had a sharp disagreement. Paul and Barnabas were partners, and sometimes we like to take this passage and say even the best of Christians have massive arguments. I read one source that suggested we sometimes take this passage too far. We take it and make it look like they had a “knock-down, drag-out fight.” We don’t know that. We know they disagreed; we know they disagreed strongly and sharply, and we know they needed a timeout. However, we also know that it appears there were no hurt feelings. Look at these verses:
   9. 2 Timothy 4:11 (ESV) ¹¹ Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
   10. 1 Cor. 9:6: Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
   11. So, it does appear that Paul and John Mark were okay later. It appears that Barnabas and Paul eventually were okay with each other.
   12. What else happens in this passage? Sometimes we are stuck making sandcastles in a driveway with a little bit of gravel. Step back.
   13. In verses 39-41, two missionary journeys happened instead of one. Barnabas took John Mark, and Paul took Silas. God spread the Great Commission more this way. Isn’t that awesome?
   14. Secondly, Paul chose Silas, and Silas was a Roman citizen, and we will hear more about that in Acts 16:37.

We do not know how Paul and Barnabas reconciled. We are not sure they needed to be reconciled.

So, have you been offended? Have you offended someone else? Perhaps it’s time to make things right. Maybe it is time to apologize. Ask for forgiveness. Yes, we are all sinners. We are all sinners; we are all making sandcastles on a driveway, not on a beach. However, as we grow in Christ, God wants us to be more like Him and less like the world, which means that God wants us to be more loving. God wants us to be reconciled. God wants us to step back and see the beauty of the beach. God needs us to be sand, not rock. God needs us to be malleable.

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

^[1] Kenneth L. Barker, ed., NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020), 1923.

The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1–35)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, June 15, 2025

Junior Church

The truth matters.

We must be informed:

Bubba goes to the revival and listens to the preacher. After a while, the preacher asks anyone with needs to come forward and be prayed over.

Bubba says, “I don’t know preacher, it’s not until next Wednesday.”

C.S. Lewis, some years ago, wrote not a very well known article called “Man or Rabbit.” In it, he was dealing with this. He says some people will say, “All I’m interested in is leading a good life. I’m going to choose beliefs not because I think they’re true but because I find them helpful.” See, now that’s very typical. What people say is, “I don’t know whether something is true or not. I want to know what works.”

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”^[1]

My theme;

The Jerusalem Council meets and frees the church for evangelism. In doing so, they affirm that the Gospel is for everyone (verse 14), which means they decide not to make it difficult for non-Jews to become Christians (verse 19).

A simple application: We must not make it difficult for a nonbeliever to become a Christian.

Okay, now let’s talk about this. Let’s break it down.

1. First, what is the Jerusalem Council?
   1. This was an official meeting of the church. They had to decide on a doctrinal position. We will get into that. We are going to skim over this passage.
   2. You know how, when you fly in an airplane, you see things, but it is not in great detail? That is what we are going to do with this passage. I am going to pick out some mountains, but for the most part we are going to give you the theme and some applications. What was the theme?
   3. The Jerusalem Council reaffirmed that the Gospel is for everyone. (verse 14). That is the simple theme. They decided not to have barriers, or great barriers, in front of Jewish people who become believers.  
2. The problem erupts in Verses 1-5:
   1. Acts 15:1–5 (ESV) But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. ³ So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
   2. Tim Keller shares:
   3. You have to remember how successful Paul is. Paul has taken off. He is in the middle of an incredibly successful career. In fact, it’s ridiculous to realize how successful he was. Do you know how successful he was? I mean, after Jesus Christ, he was the main architect of the greatest, most influential, and largest human movement in the history of the world.
   4. Here’s a way of measuring career success for you. If 2,000 years from now millions of people every single week are meeting to study your writings, and they even study every word of the writings … Two thousand years from now, millions of people are studying your writings. I think you could call yourself a success then. That’s what Paul is!
   5. He had one of the most successful careers in history, and yet here he is in the career. He is doing his job. Why didn’t he say, “I’m too busy and important to go to Jerusalem to have a theological debate. Who wants to get into doctrine and dogma and all that? I know what I’m doing. I’m seeing success. Things are really going. I’m changing the world”?
   6. No, he stops and goes and has a theological discussion. Why? Because he knows how important it is for his theology to be right, for his doctrine to be accurate, how important it is to make sure the truth of the gospel is accurately held and understood and grasped. This is hard for us to understand because we live in an individualistic culture. In an individualistic culture, what matters is how I feel about things.^[2]
   7. Okay, so we see a low-level fly-by showing us that some people are trying once again to mess with what the Lord is doing.
   8. The NIV notes that since they were from Judea, they were given a hearing. Not that they correctly represented the apostles, they may not have.
   9. They were probably Pharisees from verse 5.
   10. Paul and Barnabas had a great debate with them about this.
   11. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas are to go to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles and elders regarding this matter.
   12. They passed through Samaria and Phoenicia, sharing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and this brought great joy.
   13. John MacArthur shares: Throughout its history, the church’s leaders have met to settle doctrinal issues. Historians point to 7 ecumenical councils in the church’s early history, especially the Councils of Nicea (d. 325) and Chalcedon (a.d. 451). Yet the most important council was the first one—the Jerusalem Council—because it established the answer to the most vital doctrinal question of all: “What must a person do to be saved?” The apostles and elders defied efforts to impose legalism and ritualism as necessary prerequisites for salvation. They forever affirmed that salvation is totally by grace through faith in Christ alone.^[3]
3. In verses 6-11, Peter gives his testimony.
   1. Acts 15:6–11 (ESV) ⁶ The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. ⁷ And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
   2. This was no small issue. There was much discussion.
   3. John MacArthur study note: Peter gave the first of 3 speeches at the Council that amount to one of the strongest defenses of salvation by grace through faith alone contained in Scripture. Peter began his defense by reviewing how God saved Gentiles in the early days of the church without a requirement of circumcision, law keeping, or ritual—referring to the salvation of Cornelius and his household (10:44–48; 11:17, 18). If God did not require any additional qualifications for salvation, neither should the legalists.^[4]
   4. Peter refers to this experience (Acts 10 Cornelius) as the early days.
   5. Peter says they are putting God to the test by giving the Gentile disciples a burden that the Jewish Pharisees and their fathers couldn’t bear.
   6. They couldn’t keep the law.
   7. The law was given to show them that they were sinners (Romans 3:20).
4. In verses 12- 21, we hear Paul and Barnabas’s testimony, and James makes a ruling.
   1. Acts 15:12–21 (ESV) ¹² And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³ After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. ¹⁵ And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, ¹⁶  “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;  I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, ¹⁷          that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,  and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things ¹⁸ known from of old.’ ¹⁹ Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰ but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
   2. I want to fly higher at this point to emphasize the theme.
   3. Paul and Barnabas talk about signs and wonders. The signs and wonders would confirm to the Jews that God is truly behind what is happening.
   4. Then we see that James makes a ruling. This James is the same James who later wrote the New Testament epistle of James. He is Jesus’s half-brother. It seems obvious that He is the man in charge. He is the spokesperson for the group. We would think Peter would be in charge, but he is not. It is James. We would think Paul, but he is not it is James. James was not an early disciple, but he was pastoring the Jerusalem church, and he was in charge.
   5. In verse 14, he states that God intended to choose a people from the Gentiles for His name. That is extremely phenomenal. The Jews were God’s people, but now this wraps the Gentiles in as well. This is a special verse for today. He is saying that the Gospel is for everyone.
   6. Then James quotes an Old Testament passage regarding Gentiles.
   7. Then he says we do not need to get in their way much more.
   8. See Acts 15:19: ¹⁹ Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
   9. Keller:
   10. This is a church historian talking about Tertullian, who was one of the early church fathers but who he thought slipped back into legalism. Listen. This is what the historian says. “When the church loses its way, which it often does, and teaches believers they are justified not by grace alone but by being sanctified …” See, when the church starts slipping back, saying, “Well, you’re not justified just by grace, but you also have to be holy in all these ways; otherwise, God won’t love you …”
   11. He says then what happens is it produces “… an unconscious need for lists of clean and unclean activities and a rebirth of Pharisaism. Hard-line fundamentalists like Tertullian ruled out many intellectual activities: the theater (because of its origins in pagan worship), the dance (because it might inflame ill-controlled sexual passions), and cosmetics (if God meant you to smell like a flower he would have given you a crop of them on your head!).”
   12. The point is Christians are always losing their spiritual freedom, always slipping out of the idea, “We are saved by grace, and they’re saved by grace.” That’s not the only issue here. It’s linked, because not only was spiritual freedom the issue here but also cultural freedom. Think about the Levitical laws. When I say cultural freedom, the Gentiles were being told, “If you want to become a real, saved person, you need to become culturally Jewish.”^[5]
5. The ruling:
   1. Make sure they stay away from food sacrificed to idols.
   2. Stay away from fornication.
   3. Stay from what is strangled by blood.
   4. Now, then James has a letter written which Paul, and a few companions will send, and this starts in verse 22. The letter will explain this and provide them with more contact information for the churches.
   5. The end of this chapter marks the beginning of Paul’s next missionary journey.

Close:

Acts 15:19 (ESV) ¹⁹ Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God…

Look at:

Acts 15:27–29 (ESV)

²⁷ We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. ²⁸ For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: ²⁹ that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

Notice how they said, “Good to the Holy Spirit”?

I like what Tim Keller shared:

Look carefully what it says. It’s fascinating. “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us …” That’s almost hilarious. How did they know? How did they know what the Holy Spirit wanted? Did they sit and listen for a voice? No. What did they do? They studied the Bible together in community. When they agreed on what the Bible taught, they said, “That’s what the Holy Spirit is saying.”^[6]

Do you know why we don’t need all those Old Testament Laws? Jesus fulfilled them. All the blood and the sacrifices were pointing to Jesus. Jesus became the scapegoat. Jesus became the sin substitute.

Do you remember Lady Macbeth walking around, going out of her mind with guilt? She goaded her husband to kill somebody, and once she did, she couldn’t live with her guilt. She literally went insane. She went around. She saw blood on her hands. There was no blood on her hands, but she saw blood on her hands. Remember? “Out, damned spot! […] All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”

She went crazy, but you don’t have to go crazy. Do you know why? When you believe in Jesus Christ, all the damned spots go out. All the damned spots of your life are purified. Do you see the importance of gospel accuracy? Because it leads to gospel liberty, it leads to gospel community, and it leads to gospel purity.^[7]

Keller: The Levitical laws were pointing to had come. They were a shadow. The reality has come. Jesus himself!^[8]

Secondly, now believers are not only Jews, but all tongues, tribes, peoples, and nations. Christians are going to be out everywhere taking the Word of God everywhere. What that means is, if you’re a Roman, you don’t have to become culturally Jewish. You don’t have to become culturally anything. If you’re Asian, if you’re African, if you’re Roman, if you’re Greek, whatever you are, you become a Christian where you are.

You don’t have to leave and become culturally something else in order to become a Christian.^[9]

Now, all tribes, tongues, and nationalities can follow Jesus.  

Have you ever been to a church from a different culture? I have been in multiple different cultural worship services. They are not like us. When I was in the Dominican Republic, they were not nearly as focus on time as we are. They all valued worship, but it wasn’t focuses on time. It was not focused on the time it would begin or end.

We are all different and we criticize them, and they criticize us. We all bring different expressions of worship.

When I was serving a church in Alliance we had a monthly men’s breakfast with a black church. We would rotate speakers. They invited me to speak at their revival meeting. I loved it! The are all active in their worship service.

Tony Evans writes:

One of the great experiments when it comes to nationality is the American Experiment. The American Experiment is unique because of its intentionality to bring people from all walks of life, from every nation, under the banner of a single flag and to intentionally seek to bring across to these shores people from all kinds of other nations who would make up a union called the United States of America. This Experiment brought people together who would pledge allegiance to a single flag even though their backgrounds were different, unique, and dissimilar. We acknowledge our differences by annotating our original heritages to our current nationality with terms like Irish American, Swedish American, Polish American, African American, or Hispanic American. The introductory phrase cites the uniqueness. The last word cites the unity. Whatever I am uniquely based on regarding culture, history, background, or previous location, I am that under the American Banner. There was in this Experiment an attempt to have a United States even though the people seeking to be unified were totally different. What the American Experiment represents from a cultural, historical, and geographical perspective to this nation, the church of Jesus Christ was meant to be for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords—people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, all pledging allegiance to the cross.^1016,[10]

Review:

The Jerusalem Council meets and frees the church for evangelism. In doing so, they affirm that the Gospel is for everyone (verse 14), which means that they decide not to make it difficult for non-Jews to become Christians (verse 19).

First, is your heart right with Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

^[1] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[2] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ac 15:1–30.

^[4] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ac 15:7.

^[5] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[6] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[7] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[8] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[9] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive, 2012-2013 (New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

^[10] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 336–337.

Paul and Barnabas Witness in Lystra (Acts 14:8-28)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, June 8, 2025

We are journeying our way through Acts and we come to an amazing passage. Think about the complexities in this passage:

• This is a passage where the Apostles can heal someone, yet be stoned in the same passage, really?
• This is a passage where Paul will be stoned and left for dead. Yet, he will preach so that people can receive real life immediately after that. Preaching the Gospel, you were just stoned to death for? They are killing you, but others are receiving real life!
• This is a passage in which we realize Paul’s ability to identify with an audience through preaching. We see an abbreviation of a sermon which he will preach in Acts 17:16ff.

Who’s your god? Do we make people gods as well? Paul and Barnabas wouldn’t allow themselves to be worshipped?

When I was a kid in school, I recall studying ancient Greek culture and the gods and goddesses it worshipped. The idea was that they had many gods, whereas we worship only one God. We were studying in public school, so the majority of the class believed that in today’s time, many people don’t believe in or worship a God at all. The idea is that we have advanced, we know these things about Zeus and Hermes aren’t true. Looking at the church across America, I wonder, have we really advanced? The Ten Commandments say, “Do not commit idolatry.” Do we?

Can you remember a time when you got something new? For me, it is hard to get something new and not let that “thing” consume me. When I get a new car, that is all that I think about. I might even commit idolatry with that man-made thing. It has been said that worship is our response to what we value most. It has been said, “If you follow the trail of your time, energy, passion, money, you will find out what you worship.” It could be money, yourself, friends, things, your past, etc. The point is that we were created to worship.

We are about to turn to a passage in the New Testament where people who have worshipped Hermes and Zeus now try to worship Paul and Barnabas.

1. Let’s look at the miracle.
   1. Acts 14:8-10:
   2. ⁸ Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, ¹⁰ said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.
   3. Context is everything.
   4. Look at the previous seven verses.
   5. Paul is on what we call his first missionary journey.
   6. Paul had left for this journey back in Acts 13:4. They had already gone to Pisidian Antioch and preached there.
   7. While still in Antioch, in Acts 13:46, the Jews got jealous; consequently, Paul and Barnabas moved on to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. This seemed to start a precedent for Paul that he would always go to the synagogue first and then to the Gentiles. In Acts 13:50, the text tells us that the “Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.”
   8. That leads us to the beginning of Acts 14. They have now moved on to Iconium. They followed the same procedure in Iconium as they had in Pisidian Antioch. Paul and Barnabas first went to the synagogue and spoke to the Jews. Many Jews and Greeks believed. In Acts 14:2 the text tells us that the Jews who disbelieved “stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.” However, Paul and Barnabas stayed around and spoke boldly. Still, verses 5 and 6 tell us there was an attempt to stone them, and Paul and Barnabas found out about it and left. They then went to Lycaonia, Lystra, and Derbe, and the surrounding region. Verse 6 tells us where they went, and then verse 7 tells us what they were doing. They continued to preach the Gospel in those locations. Now, that brings us to verse 8. Now, what happened at Lystra?
   9. The miracle (Acts 14:8-10).
   10. We will look at the miracle but first notice how Paul and Barnabas were persistent in preaching the gospel.
   11. They tried to stone them! In verse 5, it says this. Did that shock you? It didn’t shock me. The first-century person would have been shocked by this. Stoning was a terrible punishment. The accused would usually be taken outside the city and stripped. Then, the witnesses would cast the first stones, followed by everyone else. I have heard that they would throw stones until the person was buried.
   12. Although this occurred in the previous city due to Paul and Barnabas preaching the Gospel, they continued on to share the Gospel.
   13. Paul and Barnabas were focused then, but what was about to happen would have tested me.
   14. Verses 8-10: Now they are in a city called Lystra. This is a city in what would be modern-day Turkey.
   15. Verse 8 tells us that a man who had no strength in his feet was sitting. How long was he lame? The Bible tells us from birth. Then the same verse gives an extra emphasis by saying he had never walked. Now, if the text has already said, “Lame from his mother’s womb.” Why does the text need to say that he had never walked?
   16. Luke emphasizes that this man had never walked before. Luke is preparing us for what is about to happen. Why? What is about to happen is a miracle.
   17. This man was interested in the Gospel.
   18. Paul looks at him and can tell that this man had faith to be healed. What does that mean?
   19. We can’t be sure what this passage means by saying, “Faith to be made well.” What I think is that the Holy Spirit supernaturally showed Paul that he believed in Christ and had faith. It is overreaching to take this passage and say that everyone who is not healed doesn’t have faith.
   20. Just because in this case it says he had faith to be made well does not mean that when someone is not healed it is a faith issue.
   21. In Inductive Bible Study, this is called:
   22. Fallacy of Composition: This fallacy involves the assumption that what is true of the part is necessarily true of the whole.¹² If one were to infer that because Luke presents some Samaritans as more generous (10:29–37) or grateful (17:11–19) than some Jews, he wants his audience to conclude that all Samaritans are morally superior to Jews, then one would be going well beyond the evidence and committing the fallacy of composition. The same would be the case if one were to infer from the story of the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3:1–10 that Luke thereby teaches that all who are in need of physical healing will find it if they likewise place their faith in the name of Jesus.^[1]
   23. In verse 10, Paul told this man to stand upright. This man leaped to his feet.
   24. I notice no hesitancy in Paul’s voice, I notice no physical therapy for this man. He leaped to his feet.
   25. Many of you are parents and grandparents. Remember when your children started walking? Did they just leap and start walking? Of course not! There was a slow process of learning to walk, not in this case!
   26. The application is that when God is involved, things can happen quickly.
   27. This is the third time in Acts that a lame man is healed (Acts 3 and 9:34).
   28. God doesn’t heal everyone; however, we do need to understand that the Holy Spirit is still active today. The Holy Spirit hasn’t hidden in a cave or retired.
   29. One last thing about this: When someone is made well due to our medical advances, give the Lord the credit. God works.
2. In verses 11-13, we see the reaction to what God had done.
   1. Acts 14:11–13 (ESV)
   2. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
   3. A whole crowd appeared to have seen what God had done through Paul.
   4. The crowd started speaking in the Lycaonian language. The people were probably speaking in Latin to begin with. It appears that at this location, they knew Latin and Greek. There is also evidence that this native language was used up until the 6^th century A.D. “There is evidence that two Christian monasteries in Constantinople (Byzantium), founded in the sixth century, used the Lycaonian language in their liturgy.”
   5. Why would they think that the “gods” had come down? One reason would be the miracle. Just imagine, you are sitting at the hospital with someone who can’t walk, and suddenly they jump to their feet!!! This would be amazing!
   6. Another reason is this: Local Phrygian legend told of an ancient visitation by Zeus and Hermes to Phrygia. In the story only one couple, Baucis and Philemon, received them graciously; the rest of the population was destroyed in a flood. Knowing some form of the story in their own language, the Lycaonians are not about to make the same mistake ancient Phrygia had made; they want to honor Paul and Barnabas, whom they mistake for gods. People sometimes considered miracle workers as gods.^[2]
   7. Do we do this today? Do we worship people? What about actors? Athletes? Do we worship video games and things? Cars? Houses? Careers?
3. Verses 14-18 show that Barnabas and Paul will not be worshipped.
   1. Acts 14:14–18 (ESV) ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
   2. They tear their clothes which is a sign that they have seen idolatry. They say:
   3. We are men like you.
   4. We preach the Gospel that you should turn to the living God who:
   5. Made everything.
   6. God has given you a witness of Himself, and He gave you rain, food, and fruits.
   7. They said these things and, with difficulty, restrained these crowds.
   8. Do you notice it? They were being worshipped! They could have accepted it, but instead they turned their attention to God. They were God focused!
4. In verses 19-20, Paul is stoned.
   1. This is amazing.
   2. Acts 14:19–20 (ESV)
   3. ¹⁹ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
   4. Notice this, Jews came from Antioch (not the same Antioch as Acts 13) and Iconium.
   5. They persuaded the crowds and dragged Paul out of the city, and stoned Paul.
   6. Wow!
   7. They thought he died.
   8. Verse 20 is so simple. The disciples gathered around him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
   9. Did the disciples pray, and was he healed?
   10. Was there another miracle?
   11. Were there two miracles in this passage- the lame man and the healing of Paul?
   12. We don’t know.
   13. Acts 14:21–23 (ESV) ²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
   14. Notice, they continue preaching the Gospel. They are also returning to the same cities that threatened them.
   15. Let’s read the rest of the chapter:
   16. Acts 14:24–28 (ESV) ²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, ²⁶ and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they remained no little time with the disciples.
   17. Notice that they are returning to Antioch in Syria. They are returning and celebrating what the Lord has done.

Notice two things:

Paul and Barnabas would not allow themselves to be worshipped. Always look to God. Always point people to God.

Secondly, these miracles were to point people to the gospel. Miracles in the New Testament are always about spreading the Gospel.

¹² Engel, With Good Reason, 93–94; Rudinow and Barry, Invitation to Critical Thinking, 281.

^[1] David R. Bauer and Robert A. Traina, Inductive Bible Study: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 259.

^[2]Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Ac 14:9). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

Paul and Barnabas continue to preach the gospel. They persevere through persecution (Acts 14:1–7).

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, June 1, 2025

Swindoll:

In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl wrote these amazing words:

“We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last pieces of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: The last of his freedoms is to choose his own attitude in any given set of circumstances—to choose one’s own way.”¹

I could not be in greater agreement. We make a choice every waking moment of our lives. When we awaken in the morning, we choose the attitude that will ultimately guide our thoughts and actions through the day. I’m convinced our best attitudes emerge out of a clear understanding of our own identity, a clear sense of our divine mission, and a deep sense of God’s purpose for our lives. That sort of God-honoring attitude encourages us to press on, to focus on the goal, to respond in remarkable ways to life’s most extreme circumstances.

It was that kind of remarkable attitude Paul and Barnabas consistently maintained throughout their missionary journey. The two Antioch-sent servants faced and overcame countless and extreme obstacles with a relentless determination to stay focused on the goal.

We all need a reliable game plan for facing extreme circumstances. The situation that now looms in front of you may be fixable, or it may seem impossible to overcome in your own strength. It might be the result of your own actions, or you may be an innocent victim, caught in the backlash of someone else’s consequences. Whatever the case, we can easily become intimidated, even fearful, and eventually immobile when facing such obstacles. The only way to move beyond that sort of paralyzing stalemate is to learn to accept and trust God’s plan. You release the controls and wait for Him to move. And while you wait, maintain a good attitude.[1]

We are continuing our trek through Acts.

My theme today: Paul and Barnabas continue to preach the gospel. They persevere through persecution.

The application: persevere in what God calls you to do.

1. First, we see that a great number of both Jews and Gentiles respond to the message (Acts 14:1-2), but some stir up contention.
   1. Acts 14:1–2 (ESV)
   2. Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
   3. Remember, they are on their first missionary journey. They are taking the gospel to many other cities.
   4. In the previous section, they were forced to leave Antioch because of persecution. This is Antioch in Pisidia. It is not the same as the city of Antioch that is north of Jerusalem (Acts 13:1-3).
   5. This is modern Konya.^[2]
   6. Again, they enter a Synagogue.
   7. Interesting that they go back to the synagogue after all the persecution they have already gone through.
   8. They spoke in “such a way”–what does “such a way” mean?
   9. It must have something to do with persuasion and convincing.
   10. A large number of Jews and Greeks believed.
   11. One source shares: Because the native language of Iconium was Phrygian, Paul and Barnabas may address mainly the Greek-speaking upper social strata, or they may speak through interpreters (cf. 14:11, 14); but it is more likely that most of the crowd understands Greek, even if it is not their first language.
   12. Among the deities that the Gentiles of Iconium worshiped, the most prominent was Cybele, the Phrygian mother goddess; Phrygian mystery cults were also common. But inscriptions testify that the Christian faith spread and Iconium later became a major center of Christianity in Asia Minor.^[4]
   13. Look at verse 2:
   14. Even though a large number believed this verse makes it clear that there were Jews, at least, who didn’t believe.
   15. These Jews make the Gentiles angry. They “stirred up” or, actually, the NIV says, “poisoned their minds” against Paul and Barnabas.
   16. I once heard that only one percent of rat poison is poison. Ninety-nine percent of it is fine. That means that to incite trouble against Paul and Barnabas, all they may have had to do is change some small and subtle things about them, or that Paul and Barnabas were saying and change the truth.
   17. That type of stuff happens in the church today and is dangerous.
   18. Gossip can do a lot of damage.
2. Paul and Barnabas spend time discipling converts (Acts 14:3).
   1. Look at verse 3: So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
   2. Again from Swindoll: A sentence in the diary of James Gilmore, pioneer missionary to Mongolia, has stayed with me since the day I first read it. After years of laboring long and hard for the cause of Christ in that desperate land, he wrote, “In the shape of converts I have seen no result. I have not, as far as I am aware, seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian.”
   3. Let me add some further reality to that statement by taking you back to an entry in Gilmore’s journal made in the early days of his ministry. It expressed his dreams and burdens for the people of Mongolia. Handwritten in his journal are these dreams: “Several huts in sight. When shall I be able to speak to the people? O Lord, suggest by the Spirit how l should come among them, and in preparing myself to teach the life and love of Christ Jesus.”
   4. That was his hope. He longed to reach the lost of Mongolia with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How different from his entry many years later, “I have not, as far as I am aware, seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian.”
   5. What happened in between? He encountered the jagged edge of an authentic ministry. When I write about succeeding in the work of the Lord, I’m not promising success as we define it in human terms. I’m not saying because you are faithful to proclaim the Word of God your church will be packed. Some of God’s most faithful servants are preaching their hearts out in places where the church is not growing. A great temptation for those in that difficult setting is to turn to some of the other stuff that holds out the promise of more visible results. Don’t go there. Stay at it. God is at work.[5]
   6. They were not only speaking but speaking boldly.
   7. God confirmed His message with signs and wonders.
   8. Do signs and wonders happen today? Do we look for them?
   9. I once heard a man on Focus on the Family preaching, and as he was preaching, his voice was restored. A while before that, he had an illness which made it very difficult for him to talk. His voice was never supposed to be the same again, but it was healed. Praise God!
   1. Look at verse 4:
   2. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.
   3. This verse notes that the people of the city were divided.
   4. Some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.
   5. An apostle is one who is on a mission. Paul’s message divides the city in half (Acts 14:4).
3. Paul and Barnabas flee (Acts 14:5-7).

1. 1. Look at verses 5-7:
   2. Acts 14:5–7 (ESV)
   3. ⁵ When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, ⁶ they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, ⁷ and there they continued to preach the gospel.
   4. The Jews from verse 2 were somewhat successful because now there is an attempt made by not only the Jews but also the Gentiles and the rulers to mistreat and to stone them.
   5. In verse 6, the text talks about the other areas that Paul, Barnabas, and their group went after finding out about the plot.
   6. They fled to Lystra and Derbe which were cities of the district of Lycaonia:
   7. Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium, a Roman colony that was not on the main roads of Lycaonia. Because of its relative isolation, its local character was able to be preserved.^[9]
   8. Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra.^[10]
   9. Sproul shares:
   10. Luke tells us that the Apostles fled to Lystra and Derbe, which were situated in the province of Lycaonia. This minor detail is of great significance. In the nineteenth century we saw an unprecedented attack by liberal scholarship against the trustworthiness of the biblical record, and at the very front of this assault was an attack against the historical reliability of Luke, who gave us this history of the expansion of the early church. One of the things about which the critics carped was this little clause, “They fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.” The critics said that Lystra and Derbe, while closely situated, were not in the province of Lycaonia but in different provinces. That, the critics said, is a clear example of a historical error and inaccuracy in Luke’s writing.
   11. One of those scholars, distinguished for his historical expertise, was the British Sir William Ramsay. Ramsay decided to embark on a journey that followed the biblical record of Paul’s missionary journeys and wherever possible to do archaeological research pertaining to the accuracy of the details supplied by Luke. Ramsay was a skeptic. He agreed with the liberal viewpoint that Luke’s book had been filled with error, but everywhere he went, every time he turned over a shovel of dirt, his findings verified the details Luke had included in both his Gospel and in Acts. When Ramsay came in his journey to the places noted in this particular passage, he found the boundary marker between Derbe and Lystra, and indeed the boundary marker had the two cities in different provinces. However, upon further examination he found that at various times in antiquity the boundaries of those provinces changed, and, to his amazement, he discovered that between the years d. 37 and a.d. 72 Lystra and Derbe were in the same province—the exact province Luke mentions here in the text. At the end of his tour Ramsay said that he could not find a single error of historical reliability in the book of Acts, and he joined other later scholars who now call Luke the most reliable historian of the ancient world.^[11]

Again from Swindoll:

Paul’s ministry was saturated with the Word of God. Fifteen times in chapters thirteen and fourteen the phrases “God’s Word,” the “Word of truth,” the “teaching of the Lord,” the “Law and the Prophets,” and the “Good News” are mentioned (13:5, 13:7, 13:12, 13:15a, 13:15b, 13:32, 13:44, 13:46, 13:48, 13:49, 14:3, 14:7, 14:15, 14:21, 14:25).

On that first journey Paul took with him just enough to live on, sufficient clothing to cover his nakedness, a heart full of hope in God’s truth, and a confidence in God that would keep him faithful. That’s what held him together. That’s what steeled him against the tightening jaws of mistreatment in the ministry.

Could it be that you’ve grown a little soft in the past few months in your commitment to time spent in the Scriptures? It may be happening to you just as it happens to me from time to time. Please heed this gentle warning: If you’re getting ready to go off to school, or preparing to take on new ministry responsibilities, or getting ready to launch a new phase of your career, don’t do it without first establishing a regular time to meet alone with the Lord, preparing yourself for the new challenge by spending time in His Word. Your spiritual future depends on it. Without that commitment to saturate your life with God’s Word, you step into the unknown future at your own risk. I urge you to spend sufficient time with the Lord so you might be strengthened within. It can begin with as little as fifteen minutes each day.

Some of you are thinking, I don’t have fifteen minutes a day! Try cutting your lunch break short so you’ve got time on the other end to spend reading through a Psalm or two or digesting one of the New Testament letters.

If Paul could saturate his life in the Word of God, you and I can too. You are touching some people in your sphere of influence that likely no one else will touch. Be known for your biblical commitment, your biblical counseling. Be known for your biblical advice. Be appreciated for your biblical stand on moral values. It all starts with your investment of time in the Bible. Go there. Become saturated with the Word of God. That in itself will carry you miles down the road toward establishing an authentic ministry.[12]

[1] Viktor E Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (New York: Pocket Books, Simon and Schuster, 1976).

Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com

Accessed on website on 04.28.2025: https://www.insight.org/resources/daily-devotional/individual/good-attitude1

^[2] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2112.

[3] Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com

Accessed website on 04.28.2025: https://www.insight.org/resources/daily-devotional/individual/elusive-popularity1

^[4] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 14:1–4.

[5] Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com

Accessed on website 04.28.2025

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⁵⁸ For bibliography and further discussion, see chap. I, n. 61.

^[6] John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 311.

^[7] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ac 14:5.

^[8] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 14:5.

^[9] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Ac 14:6.

^[10] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Ac 14:6.

^[11] R. C. Sproul, Acts, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 251–252.

[12] Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com

Accessed on 04.28.2025

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