Saul the Missionary
The First Missionary Journey Continued
Acts 14:19-23 KJV 19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch
and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew
him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 20 Howbeit, as the
disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and
the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 And when they had
preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again
to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22 Confirming the souls of the
disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 23 And when
they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with
fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Introduction
In the last part we saw where Paul and Barnabas were barely able to keep the people of Lystra from offering sacrifices to them as gods. We can be certain that there were many of the city of Lystra that were saved because later Paul returned to Lystra to continue teaching the disciples there.
Paul Stoned at Lystra
Things might have been good had not certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived in Lystra to “take care of” Paul. He had been run out of Antioch and Iconium for preaching the gospel. Apparently, word of what was happening in Lystra had reached the ears of the Jews who were responsible for running him out of those two cities. They were determined that Paul would not continue to preach the gospel to any others.
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THE CHIEF
When they arrived in Lystra, they persuaded the people of Lystra that Paul was a troublemaker who continually stirred up trouble wherever he went. It was not hard to persuade those who felt offended that Paul and Barnabas had rejected their offering of sacrifice to them. They felt it was an afront to them and their gods. There is no doubt that the priest of Jupiter became a
“ringleader” with the Jews in rising up against Paul and Barnabas. To refuse the sacrifice cause the priest to “lose face” with the people so he was going to do whatever he could to “right” that wrong.
Thus, this crowd became an incited mob who took Paul and began to stone him. They repeatedly stoned him while inciting others of the crowd to do the same. For Paul it was a repeat of history of many years past when it was, he who had incited the Jews to stone deacon Stephen. Some might say that he was only getting what he had deserved, but this was part of the suffering that Paul would undergo in his service for the Lord.
The stoning stopped when it appeared that Paul was dead. In reality, Paul was unconscious. He was dragged through the streets to the outskirts of the city of Lystra. Barnabas and the disciples gathered around the still form of Paul. Instead of being dead, as they feared, Paul regained consciousness and stood up. They returned to the city and the next day, Paul and Barnabas departed to Derbe, a distance of about 60 miles.
Derbe
An overview of Paul’s first missionary journey, image from Glo Bible 75
https://medium.com/acts-study-guide/iconium-lystra-derbe-back-caa71713145c The eastern Asia Minor city of Derbe, along with Iconium and Lystra, was located in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia. The residents of the city spoke a different language from those located north of Iconium.
Derbe's location in the far eastern part of the province made it the last city, on a road that heads east, that was within distinctively Roman territory.
Commerce and trade entering the city and going west were required to pay Roman customs fees.
The Apostle Paul visited the city during his first, second and third missionary journeys. It was one of four cities in the eastern part of Asia Minor (not including his hometown of Tarsus) he visited at least three times during his ministry. Derbe was also hometown of a man named Gaius, who was one of several people who accompanied him on the last half of his third journey (Acts 20:4).
Paul had an exceptionally perilous path just to visit Derbe for the first time!
In Pisidian Antioch his effective and successful preaching so angered the Jews that they got those in power to expel him from the city (Acts 13:45 -
50). He then, travelling east, goes to Iconium. Once again, his evangelistic success so infuriates Jews in the city that they assault him with plans to stone him to death (14:1 - 6). Fleeing again, he and Barnabas make it to Lystra.
Paul's healing of a cripple man in Lystra initially brings adulation from the city. Jews from Antioch and Iconium, however, soon show up and stir up the people against the two apostles. He is then literally stoned to death and dragged outside the city!...
God, … inspires him to finally make it to Derbe. The city
provides a far less tumultuous evangelistic atmosphere than
the previous areas he and Barnabas visited. In fact, it is the 76
only location in Galatia where Paul, during his first journey, was able to preach with relative peace and start a new church….
https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/new-testament-
churches/derbe.html
According to the Roman calculation of a day’s journey, it would have taken them approximately three days to reach Derbe. When they arrived there, they began to preach the gospel to the city. Derbe was one place that they were not given any trouble in spreading the gospel. It appears from Scripture that a great many people were saved, and a church was started there. Later a man named Gaius appears in the Scriptures as helping Paul in the ministry.
It seems evident that he may have been one of the first disciples made there at that time. (You can find him named in Act 20:4; Romans 16:23; and 3
John 1:1-14.)
Not only were they successful in preaching the gospel there in Derbe, but they were also able to remain with the new disciples and to teach them. This may have been one of the churches of Galatia, to whom the Book of Galatians was later written. We are given no hint of the amount of time they were able to spend in Derbe but evidently long enough to be able to ground the disciples there and to be able to leave them in good stead.
Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch Again
When they were finished in Derbe, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra.
They seemed to have been able to teach and train the disciples there without any interference of the Jews. The troublesome Jews had probably returned to their home cities after “taking care of” Paul and his work. They may have been “undercover” while there because there is no record of any trouble while they were in the teaching phase of the work there. Because of what had happened on their previous visit, others might not have returned to these cities but that was not how Paul and Barnabas operated. There had not been time for them to teach and train the new disciples in those cities before they were forced to leave.
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Verse twenty-two relates to us that they remained long enough in each city to be able to ground the disciples so that they could continue to labor in their home area after Paul and Barnabas were gone.
Acts 14:23 KJV 23 And when they had ordained them elders in every
church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord,
on whom they believed.
This verse relates to us that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for each congregation of the cities of Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe. We should note that there is no office of elders in or is known in the New Testament church, but there appears to have been a plurality of elders, mature, morally, ethically, doctrinally sound brethren set apart as teachers and leaders in each church. From these it is believed that each church then selected pastors and deacons for offices of church administration.1
1Dr. Albert Garner, Power BibleCD 5.7, his comments on verse twenty-three.
Also, with this verse we see the complete cycle of the Great Commission being carried out. First, disciples were made in each instance. Baptism is not mentioned in any of the verses, but can we believe that Paul and Barnabas would have neglected this part of the Commission? No, indeed we cannot. It is understood that these new disciples would have been baptized and then taught. Because of the resistance that was encountered by Paul and Barnabas, they may not have been able to have baptized the disciples in some of the cities before they were forced to flee, but we can be certain that would have been the first thing they would have done upon their return to each city.
We can be certain in saying that by the time Paul and Barnabas had left each location where there were disciples, there were established, trained, and fully functioning New Testament churches left behind to carry on.
Return to Antioch, Syria
Acts 14:24-28 KJV 24 And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they
came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had preached the word in Perga,
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they went down into Attalia: 26 And thence sailed to Antioch, from
whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work
which they fulfilled. 27 And when they were come, and had gathered the
church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how
he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. 28 And there they abode
long time with the disciples.
Having traversed the rugged and dangerous regions of Pisidia and Pamphylia, Paul and Barnabas made their way to Perga where they preached the gospel. When they first got to Perga on their way inland, they did not seem to stay long enough to preach. Upon their return, however, they remained long enough to do so. We are given no information that there was a church established in Perga on the return trip. Were there no disciples made in Perga? It would appear that would be the case, otherwise they would have remained to establish a church there.
They went down to the seaport town of Attalia, some sixteen miles across the plain toward the Mediterranean Sea. There, they caught a ship and continued on their way to Antioch, Syria, some three hundred miles south of Antioch, Pisidia.2
2IBID, verses 25 and 26
Upon their arrival in Antioch, Syria, the Antioch Church gathered together to hear the report of their missionaries. They had fulfilled the work that was given to them when they departed hence. They fulfilled their missionary tasks, they did not fall by the wayside, quit, or turn back because of difficulties.
As the first missionary journey of Paul is concluded it appears that a time review of his mission and educational work is proper:
1. About A.D. 44 he and Barnabas visited Jerusalem, on behalf of the Antioch church of Syria to carry relief aid, Ac 11:27-30; When they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch in
Syria they had with them John Mark, Ac 12:24,25.
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2. Their first missionary journey was made A.D. 45, 46, as
recounted Ac 13:1-14:28.
3. Paul appears to have remained in Antioch of Syria for about three years, until after the Jerusalem council, before starting his second major missionary journey, about A.D. 50
or 52, Ac 15:30-41.
Dr. Albert Garner, Power BibleCD 5.7, concluding comments for chapter 14 of Acts
Conclusion
We cannot know for certain just how long that Paul and Barnabas were gone on the first journey. Some say it was only months, six to nine, yet the majority of scholars say that it was close to two years that they were gone.
How far did they travel? Again, there is no way of knowing for sure. Some would say that they walked over 1,400 miles plus the sea voyages. What we can say for sure is that the trip was very hard and dangerous, but they did not even think of giving up. How may people were saved? We will only know in eternity. Were there churches organized? Yes, indeed there were.
There were at least five, maybe six, that were started and were actively involved in carrying out the Great Commission, just as they had been taught by Paul and Barnabas.
In the next part we will look at the time they spent before journey number two.
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