Last
week, we talked about the proof of the resurrection, focusing not so much on proofs for the
resurrection as on what the resurrection proves to us. We also reviewed
the gospel message as presented in Paul’s quote from an early creedal statement
in 1 Cor. 15:3-5 that I call The Deborah (DBRA) Creed because of the acronym formed
by the four points of the creed.
D: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures
B: he was buried
R: he was raised on the third day in accordance with the
Scriptures
A: he appeared
to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve, 500+, James, Paul, etc.
This is the good
news that we call the Gospel. What
was to be the focus of the church? Not end-times speculation, but the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:6-8)!
The early church
was a church of witnesses. In contrast to the chief priest and guards who
knowingly lied about the resurrection (see the previous post) the disciples spoke
of what they knew to be true…Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. This was the
gospel witness that was preached wherever they went, even when threatened with
punishment or death, those early Christians stuck to their story.
Here are a few
characteristics of that gospel witness that we can observe as we read about the
last stages of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey in Acts 14.
1. Gospel Witness Can be Divisive (v.1-7)
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.
But
the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles
and poisoned their minds
against the brothers.
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.
But the people of the city were divided;
some sided with the Jews and
some with the apostles.
When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and
Jews,
with their rulers, to
mistreat them
and to
stone them,
they learned of it and fled
to
Lystra and Derbe,
cities of Lycaonia, and
to
the surrounding country,
and
there they continued to preach the gospel.
The message was consistent and the miraculous signs accompanying the Gospel witness
were indisputable “but the people of the city were divided” (v.4). This is another indication that miracles or
“signs and
wonders” do not guarantee universal belief. The Lord himself bore
witness through the display of his healing and delivering power and yet not all
believed. The city was divided…it is no different today. It is [fallen] human
nature to explain away the work of God. It reminds me of the humorous anecdote,
John was driving down the street in
a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place.
Looking up toward heaven, he said, "Lord, take pity on me. If you find me
a parking place I will go to church every Sunday for the rest of my
life and give up beer." Just then a parking place miraculously appeared!
John looked up again and said,
"Never mind. I found one!"
I think it is also
good to see that despite a divided audience they showed relational resilience
and, “remained for a long time” (v.3).
They stayed as long as they could until united opposition (v.5) made staying any longer untenable and would have endangered the new believers. They then “fled” 19
miles to Lystra.
2. Gospel Witness transforms those who have
faith (v.8-10)
Now at Lystra there
was a man sitting who could not use his feet.
He was crippled
from birth and had never walked.
He listened to
Paul speaking.
And Paul, looking intently at him
and
seeing that he had
faith to be made well,
said in a loud voice,
“Stand upright on your feet.”
And he sprang up
and began walking.
I wonder what it is that people hear us talking about? Does it lead to faith?
Have we trained our
hearts to act in faith on another’s behalf?
The gospel still has the
power to change lives…even the unbelievable ones. Jesus is not in the business
of just putting things back they were, but of transforming lives. In this case,
the man who had never walked before jumps up and walks! What would Jesus do in
our lives if we looked to him with faith to believe he can do the unbelievable?
3. Gospel Witness can be misunderstood
(v.8-18)
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!”
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes,
because he was the chief speaker.
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.
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul
heard of it,
they tore their garments and
rushed out into the crowd, crying out,
“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.
In past generations
he allowed all the nations to walk
in their own ways.
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.”
Even with these words
they scarcely restrained the
people from offering sacrifice to them.
When
the Lord confirms gospel witness by radically, miraculously, changing lives why
do we try to fit such gospel experiences into our old worldviews? Why do we
credit the old gods, our Irish luck, the American dream (by my own boot-straps,
etc.) instead of recognizing God, the one True God, at work?
These
Lycaonians gave credit to Zeus (Jupiter) and Hermes (Mercury). Paul’s
message of the Creator God’s goodness to all (v.15-17) is in addition to other
messages preached about Jesus the risen Messiah. The previous time of natural
revelation had now been upgraded to a new witness from God, the good news of
which Paul speaks here in verse 15, “turn
from these vain things” was a clear call to conversion to the one True God.
The language is very like that of 1 Thess. 1:9-10
“For they themselves report concerning us the
kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to
serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
I.
Howard Marshall writes, “The world of nature should have led men to recognize
the existence, power, and goodness of the Creator.” (Acts, p. 239)
Our
culture is stacked against our authentically giving credit to God to the degree
that we find it hard not to take credit! When we point to the Lord, people tend
to dismiss us. In Paul and Barnabas’ case, it quickly led to
something far worse. Human glory is fleeting indeed!
4. Gospel Witness is a dangerous mission—but
it’s not over ‘till it’s over.
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.
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.
Gospel witness is
not for the wishy-washy who cut and run at the first sign of danger. It is a
dangerous business! Those who had wanted to kill Paul back in Iconium walked to
Lystra (over 100 miles from Antioch in Pisidia) and persuaded the crowds (who
have a habit of being persuaded to do wrong things more than right things) to
kill Paul by stoning. Imagine how strongly they must have felt about Paul to go
to such efforts to see him dead. I am pretty sure they would check their work.
However, either they were wrong about him being dead, or Paul was raised up in
yet another miracle, as the brothers gathered about him (presumably in prayer).
He went right back into the city which gives some credence to the idea that there
was no double jeopardy of a second stoning to be faced.
This danger
associated with the mission is also described in Paul’s “Tribulation” testimony in 2
Corinthians 11:24-28,
Five times I
received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
Three times I
was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.
Three times I
was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
on frequent
journeys, in danger from rivers,
danger from robbers,
danger from my own people,
danger from Gentiles,
danger in the city,
danger in the wilderness,
danger at sea,
danger from false brothers;
in toil and
hardship, through many a sleepless night,
in hunger and
thirst, often without food,
in cold and
exposure.
And, apart from
other things,
there is the daily pressure on me
of my anxiety for all the churches.
Will we choose to
accept the dangerous mission of being a gospel witness? I hope so. As we pray
to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest (Matt. 9:38;
Luke 10:2), we need to ask how we can participate in answering that prayer.
5. Gospel Witness is Realistic & Relational
(v. 21-23)
When they had preached the gospel to that city
and had made many disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
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.
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.
Paul
had said, “From now on let no one cause
me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17). He was
realistic about the cost of discipleship as was Jesus. There was no "bait and
switch" going on. We are called to a life of discipleship, and to making disciples,
but should not enter into such a commitment without realizing that it is not
an easy life. Gospel witness is realistic.
What
is a disciple? It is different from merely being church attendees or sermon hearers.
The verb “discipled” (mathēteuō /mathēteusantes)
is used only here and three times in the Gospel of Matthew…
After
teaching his followers in parables, Jesus asked them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And
he said to them, “Therefore
every scribe who has been trained
for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings
out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (Matt. 13:51-52)
Joseph
of Arimathea, in whose tomb Jesus was buried was described as one who “had become a disciple of Jesus.” (Matt. 27:57)
Jesus, in his
final address to his followers before ascending into heaven, commissioned them, “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matt. 28:19-20)
This discipleship involves teaching and training
in both the words and the ways of the Master—Jesus Christ. In 2
Timothy, the Apostle Paul describes discipleship (without using the word) as
well as mentions this incident at Lystra,
You, however, have followed my teaching, my
conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my
persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at
Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed,
all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while
evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being
deceived. (2 Timothy 3:10-13)
No bait and switch
here— “all who desire to live a godly
life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” makes it clear enough! Christianity is not for the
weak-hearted, but for those whose weakness has led them to be strong in grace!
6. Gospel Witness is both a journey and an abiding
with (v.24-26)
Then they passed
through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.
And
when they had spoken the word in Perga,
they went down to
Attalia, and
from there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to
the grace of God for
the work that they had fulfilled.
Having reached the farthest extent of their mission, Paul and Barnabas returned to their sending church (Antioch
in Syria). However, they didn’t take the shortest route home. They could have traveled east through Paul's hometown of Tarsus. Instead, they retraced
their steps, spending time strengthening and encouraging the new believers. Theirs
was a journey of purpose and that purpose involved an abiding love for the
churches. Their mission was not merely a task but the experience of a
relational community. It was not just a travelogue, but a testimony!
7. Gospel Witness is to be Celebrated
(v.27-28)
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.
And
they remained no little time
with the disciples.
They had been commended to the grace of God.
Their home church in Antioch had handed them over to God’s grace for both protection
and enablement for ministry. This prayer and trust led to opened doors of faith,
opened hearts, and despite the presence of opposition the witness of the Spirit
worked great signs and wonders.
They returned to report on what God had done.
As Marshall writes, “Although it
might not have been apparent during the tour, the missionaries were now able to
look back over what had happened and recognize the hand of God at work.
(Marshall, 240) We might not see how everything works together while on the
journey, or in the crisis moments, but afterward, we may see God’s grace at
work—if we take the time to look.
The real partnership of the sender with the
sent. Paul and Barnabas valued the partnership they had with the Antioch
church and returned to tell them all that God had done through them. Just as being sent
would have encouraged the missionaries, so receiving a report was encouraging
to those who had commended them to God’s grace; as David G. Peterson writes,
“Reporting back was a way of encouraging
those believers to see how God in his grace had been answering their prayers.
Reviewing their experiences, Paul and Barnabas were able to see the hand of God
in everything that had happened.” (Peterson, 416)
Bonus: Gospel Witness is not the job of an elite few.
We are all called, commissioned,
and empowered by the Holy Spirit and the Word to participate. However, we need
to accept the challenge. Will we answer the call to be disciples? Here are a
few directives for the week ahead, as we seek to participate in the proclamation
of the Gospel to the world:
- Be filled with the Holy Spirit!
- Ask Jesus for opportunities to share the gospel message.
- Learn what the Bible says about Jesus so that you can more accurately represent him.
- Trust Jesus and his plan for your life—thankfulness is a better witness than anxiety.
- Read the Bible and worship in a community so that you don’t get distracted.
- Seek to know what you believe.
- Seek to know why you believe it.
- Seek to live like you believe it.
See you next week and I look forward to hearing your report
of how God used you.
