Tag: Derbe

  • Through Many Afflictions Saul and Joseph return to Antioch

    Through Many Afflictions Saul and Joseph return to Antioch

    What afflictions, which tribulations will we suffer for our witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

    ~AD 49 - a return journey
    
    [Just a reminder that Paul is a more local name for Saul from Tarsus beyond the imposing Guyik and Taurus mountains and many brothers address Joseph of the island of Cypress by his encouraging nickname, Barnabas.]
    
      - from remote Derby through Lycaonia to Antioch through Pisidia & Pamphylia to Perga and sailing from Attalia (without returning to Cypress) to their home port in Syria to Antioch.

    Joseph of Cypress and Saul of Tarsus have endured many afflictions for the Gospel, even a stoning of Saul (as he had once witnessed of Stephen in Jerusalem).

    Barnabas

    You’ll recall that Joseph of Cypress, known to his friends as Βαρναβᾶς or son of encouragement is a very Jewish Levite.

    Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement)

    Acts of the Apostles 4:36 LSB

    Joseph had devoted his life to the Apostles’ teaching and gave them money from selling a field. This highly respected older man from Cypress had brought the feared young and zealous Pharisee Saul to the Apostles vouching for the authenticity of his conversion and teaching since encountering Christ.

    Even then he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews, but they were attempting to put him to death.

    So the Church at Jerusalem, led by the Apostles, sent Saul off to the Church at Antioch, nearer to Tarsus as well as Cypress.

    Barnabas continues mentoring a young Saul of Tarsus known to the Gentiles as Paul.

    The Church at Antioch sends them out to Cypress along with Joseph’s nephew John Mark. From there these two apostles proceed to cities and small towns in the Taurus Mountains.

    As a reminder: 
    Luke publishes ACTS OF THE APOSTLES in about AD 62 as a historical account for a growing Church.
    
    This FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY of the Apostles PAUL & BARNABAS occurs over several months and many miles in about AD 47-49.
    

    Another Rising of Saul

    Not too many men or women ever suffer the afflictions of Saul OR the miraculous raisings of a man who seems to have been struck down by God and men to persevere in more persecution for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    conversion of saul on the road to Damascus

    and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

    And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

    And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

    Acts of the Apostles 9:4-5 LSB
    The Jews are divided by Paul’s Gospel of the Messiah Jesus

    Acts of the Apostles 14:

    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.

    Derbe where Paul and Barnabas fled after they were first worshipped as Zeus & Hermes in Lystra then suffered afflictions by the crowds

    20 But while the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city.

    The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

    21 And after they had proclaimed the gospel to that city and had made many disciples..

    Dr. Luke once again accounts for not only the miracle of Paul's rising after being stoned to death and his battered frame dragged out of Lystra, but again that they 'had made many disciples' of the risen Lord Jesus in Derbe.
    

    Their Return Journey to Antioch Pisidia

    map of return journey of Paul and Barnabas from first missionary journey
    [from Derbe] .. they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples..

    The Apostles’ Parting Message:

    .. encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying,

    “Through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.”

    θλῖψις – Afflictions, Tribulations, Pressure & Persecution

    So you want to enter the kingdom of God?

    You hope for THE LIFE in a risen KING- the Son of God JESUS.

    AND THIS IS the GOSPEL GOOD NEWS Paul proclaims?

    thlipsis STRONGS G2347:

    properly, a pressing, pressing together, pressure (Strabo, p. 52; Galen); in Biblical and ecclesiastical writings, a Greek metaphor, oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits;

    Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

    Gospel of Matthew 24:9 KJV – a prophesy of Jesus to his disciples

    Paul and Barnabas have already seen much tribulation. But now others – Jewish converts, Hellenists, even Roman believers among so many saints of these growing churches will also suffer afflictions as disciples of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    The Gospel of Paul comes with more than a change of heart and soul – these Christians will see afflictions and tribulations — troubles never before encountered when they did not claim the risen Christ Jesus as their Lord.

    Galatia map with its capitol Pisidian Antioch

    The SOULS of the disciples of these NEW CHURCHES will need much STRENGTHING from leaders ENCOURAGING them to CONTINUE in THE FAITH.

    Paul and Barnabas will continue that work which they begun by returning to these new disciples on their return journey to the Church at Antioch from which they were sent out by the Holy Spirit and church.

    A foundational ministry in the mountains

    • they had proclaimed the gospel [in Derby] and had made many disciples,
    • they returned
      • to Lystra
      • and to Iconium
      • and to Antioch

    And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

    Acts of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas 14:23
    Antioch Pisidia map
    And when they passed through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia. – ACTS 14:24

    And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

    route of Paul and Barnabas returning to Antioch Syria after first missionary journey
    Acts of the Apostles 14 – Paul & Barnabas’ return from first missionary journey

    And from there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.

    Home in Antioch (Syria)

    This Ancient Roman road connected Antioch and Chalcis.

    And when they had arrived and gathered the church together,

    they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

    And they spent not a little time with the disciples.

    This first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas has taken about two years. The apostles (ones sent out) of the Gospel have much to share with the disciples (followers) of the risen Christ Jesus. 
    
    NEXT: In Acts of the Apostles 15 Luke will record some differences in worship yet to be worked out between Christians in Antioch and disciples of Christ in Judea and other parts of Syria.
    

    Acts Apostolos - Acts of the Apostles - the chronicles of Christ's Apostles - a history of Christ's Church

    To be continued…

  • Why worship legends, idols and false gods?

    Why worship legends, idols and false gods?

    Why worship legends or stone idols or false gods of mythology?


    Men, why are you doing these things?

    It’s a great question, isn’t it? Paul has asked adoring crowds who would worship him, WHY are you preparing a party to worship ME?

    In case you missed the parallels of first & 21st century application from our previous post from ACTS 14:
    
    Statue of Hermes (who the crowds called Paul) in front of Grand Central Station NYC US

    Why are you treating men like God? Why do you worship legends of culture – idols of stone?

    Why do you believe the myths of what cannot possibly be true?


    These are great questions for the unenlightened masses, those with no thought of doing what is right in the eyes of God.

    Paul and Barnabas could have been worshiped like gods..

    (or Presidents.. or some football hero

    or a goddess-like media diva of the day

    i.e. Taylor Swift).

    The crowds wanted to party with these miracle-working men who made a lame man walk!

    Wow, our lesser gods could not have commanded a lame man to get up!


    The heavens declare the glory of God.
    The expanse shows his handiwork.
    Day after day they pour out speech,
    and night after night they display knowledge.

    Psalm 19:1-2 World English Bible

    Idols of Crowd frenzy – a contemporary context

    Paul and Barnabas stand up to the CROWD!

    NO EXCUSE for worshiping idols.

    NO EXCUSE for worshiping a mere man or mortal woman from our present or past.

    THEREFORE, PAUL PROCLAIMS:

    debate stage Trump, political idol of the extreme right and Biden, political idol of the extreme left.

    “We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

    Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

    Acts of the Apostles 14:15-17 WEB


    In essence, Paul and Barnabas tell the idol-worshipers of Lystra:

    Worship GOD and not idols of the sky and the earth and the sea.

    Do NOT worship the creation, but the Creator.

    Do NOT worship men claiming to save and heal, but only the Living God our Creator.


    Incited by all sides,

    Crowds Behave Badly

    u s capitol under siege Jan 6 2021

    It was a message as politically incorrect in first century culture as calling out false gods of our contentious 21st century culture.


    In fact (like today), these men having heard the Gospel hated Christ.

    So by their intentional blindness to Scripture they despised the Good News of Jesus Christ the Apostles persistently proclaimed in all the world.

    We cannot know for certain how long Paul and Barnabas remained in Lystra after these events, but because of their own agendas political leaders had outsiders ‘bused in’ to incite these idolatrous Lyconians, hoping to execute the messengers of grace through Christ.

    Is anything new under the sun? 
    Evil men will continue to oppose Almighty God by their own means and to their own ends -- until the judgment.

    Acts 14:

    But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning over the crowds and stoning Paul, they were dragging him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

    Acts 14:19 Legacy Standard Bible

    What a turn of events!

    The Jews at one extreme opposing their own risen Messiah Jesus in order to cling to traditions set in place by Roman-appointed officials of the Herod’s go after Paul and Barnabas.

    And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

    Gospel of Matthew 15:14b LSB

    They convince these uneducated small-town Greek idolaters of the other extreme of religion who worship ALL of the Roman and Greek gods and goddesses to join in their Jewish custom of stoning men opposed to gods.

    PAUL SPEAKS AGAINST THEIR gods!

    So when they seize Paul, they punish him, wounding the Apostle of Christ to the gentiles before his Greek admirers of Lystra

    AND then the ignorant angry mob stones Paul to death (or so they thought victoriously at the end of this hatred outburst).

    Then they drag the tortured, battered and stone-beaten corpse of Paul out of the city gates of Lystra in victory of this justice of the Jews with the pagan worshipers of this city of Zeus.


    After the hate-feeding frenzy of the crowds is complete

    Luke then adds an amazing detail of the unexpected — yet another miracle.

    For it seems once again that the Lord has used Paul and Barnabas to convert some men and women of Lystra to become disciples of The Way of Jesus Christ.

    But while the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city. 

    Luke records the Act of the Apostle Paul getting up after being stoned to death and walking back into the town of Lystra!

    A day after being stoned by the Jews and Pagans

     The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

    Acts 14:20b

    Paul had to have been hurting with all his abrasions and wounds from being beaten so mercilessly (possibly even whipped) and stoned to death (so it seemed to all).
    
    It is a journey of about sixty miles through the mountains from Lystra to Derbe.

    What next?

    The hundred kilometer journey [60 miles] of these disciples of The Way following Barnabas further into the Taurus Mountains, accompanied by a sorely-beaten Saul of Tarsus will take a little time as we continue just a bit further to Derbe on the two-year first missionary journey of Paul.

    To be continued...
    
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