The Living Bible (347 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the synagogue and preached with such power that many—both Jews and Gentiles—believed.
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But the Jews who spurned God’s message stirred up distrust among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all sorts of evil things about them.
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Nevertheless, they stayed there a long time, preaching boldly, and the Lord proved their message was from him by giving them power to do great miracles.
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But the people of the city were divided in their opinion about them. Some agreed with the Jewish leaders, and some backed the apostles.
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When Paul and Barnabas learned of a plot to incite a mob of Gentiles, Jews, and Jewish leaders to attack and stone them, they fled for their lives, going to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding area,
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and preaching the Good News there.
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While they were at Lystra, they came upon a man with crippled feet who had been that way from birth, so he had never walked.
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He was listening as Paul preached, and Paul noticed him and realized he had faith to be healed.
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So Paul called to him, “Stand up!” and the man leaped to his feet and started walking!
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When the listening crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted (in their local dialect, of course), “These men are gods in human bodies!”
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They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Jupiter, and that Paul, because he was the chief speaker, was Mercury!
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The local priest of the Temple of Jupiter, located on the outskirts of the city, brought them cartloads of flowers and prepared to sacrifice oxen to them at the city gates before the crowds.
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But when Barnabas and Paul saw what was happening, they ripped at their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting,
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“Men! What are you doing? We are merely human beings like yourselves! We have come to bring you the Good News that you are invited to turn from the worship of these foolish things and to pray instead to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.
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In bygone days he permitted the nations to go their own ways,
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but he never left himself without a witness; there were always his reminders—the kind things he did such as sending you rain and good crops and giving you food and gladness.”
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But even so, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them!
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Yet only a few days later, some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob that stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead.
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But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city!
The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
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After preaching the Good News there and making many disciples, they returned again to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,
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where they helped the believers to grow in love for God and each other. They encouraged them to continue in the faith in spite of all the persecution, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.
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Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church and prayed for them with fasting, turning them over to the care of the Lord in whom they trusted.
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Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia,
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preached again in Perga, and went on to Attalia.
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Finally they returned by ship to Antioch, where their journey had begun and where they had been committed to God for the work now completed.
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Upon arrival they called together the believers and reported on their trip, telling how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles too.
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And they stayed there with the believers at Antioch for a long while.
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers that unless they adhered to the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision, they could not be saved.
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Paul and Barnabas argued and discussed this with them at length, and finally the believers sent them to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local men, to talk to the apostles and elders there about this question.
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After the entire congregation had escorted them out of the city, the delegates went on to Jerusalem, stopping along the way in the cities of Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers, telling them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.
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Arriving in Jerusalem, they met with the church leaders—all the apostles and elders were present—and Paul and Barnabas reported on what God had been doing through their ministry.
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But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood to their feet and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow all the Jewish customs and ceremonies.
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So the apostles and church elders set a further meeting to decide this question.
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At the meeting, after long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you long ago to preach the Good News to the Gentiles so that they also could believe.
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God, who knows men’s hearts, confirmed the fact that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us.
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He made no distinction between them and us, for he cleansed their lives through faith, just as he did ours.
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And now are you going to correct God by burdening the Gentiles with a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear?
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Don’t you believe that all are saved the same way, by the free gift of the Lord Jesus?”
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There was no further discussion, and everyone now listened as Barnabas and Paul told about the miracles God had done through them among the Gentiles.
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When they had finished, James took the floor. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me.
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Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to bring honor to his name.
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And this fact of Gentile conversion agrees with what the prophets predicted. For instance, listen to this passage from the prophet Amos:
*
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‘Afterwards’ (says the Lord),
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‘I will return and renew the broken contract with David,
*
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so that Gentiles, too, will find the Lord—all those marked with my name.’
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That is what the Lord says, who reveals his plans made from the beginning.
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“And so my judgment is that we should not insist that the Gentiles who turn to God must obey our Jewish laws,
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except that we should write to them to refrain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from all fornication, and also from eating unbled meat of strangled animals.
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For these things have been preached against in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”
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Then the apostles and elders and the whole congregation voted to send delegates to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas.
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This is the letter they took along with them:
“From:
The apostles, elders and brothers at Jerusalem.
“To:
The Gentile brothers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. Greetings!
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“We understand that some believers from here have upset you and questioned your salvation,
*
but they had no such instructions from us.
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So it seemed wise to us, having unanimously agreed on our decision, to send to you these two official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.
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These men—Judas and Silas, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ—will confirm orally what we have decided concerning your question.
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“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden of Jewish laws on you than to abstain from eating food offered to idols and from unbled meat of strangled animals,
*
and, of course, from fornication. If you do this, it is enough. Farewell.”
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The four messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the Christians and gave them the letter.
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And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read it.
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Then Judas and Silas, both being gifted speakers,
*
preached long sermons to the believers, strengthening their faith.
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They stayed several days,
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and then Judas and Silas returned to Jerusalem taking greetings and appreciation to those who had sent them.
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Paul and Barnabas stayed on at Antioch to assist several others who were preaching and teaching there.
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Several days later Paul suggested to Barnabas that they return again to Turkey and visit each city where they had preached before,
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to see how the new converts were getting along.
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Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.
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But Paul didn’t like that idea at all, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia.
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Their disagreement over this was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus,
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while Paul chose Silas and, with the blessing of the believers, left for Syria and Cilicia to encourage the churches there.