Acts 14
COMMENTARY:
: 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. (2559 “evil affected” [kakow] means oppress, afflict, harm, embittered, poisoned, cause to dislike, vex or maltreat.)
DEVOTION: People who didn’t like the message of Paul weren’t tolerant of it. The liberals in Paul’s days wanted people to listen to their message but they didn’t want to let them hear the message of Christ.
Religious people can be tolerant of someone else’s beliefs at times but that is not true even today. Many liberal “Christian” churches want to let society continue to move on a downward slide because they think that it being progressive.
The Bible isn’t progressive. It states what the LORD wants us to do in any given situation and that hasn’t changed for thousands of years. HE wants us to honor life. HE wants us to honor marriage between a man and a woman. HE wants us to not be prejudice toward those of different nationalities.
The Jews didn’t like the Gentiles at all. They were an exclusive group but the LORD wanted them to reach the world with HIS message in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.
God picked one group and that was the group that was supposed to honor HIM. Adam was to honor HIM. Abraham was to honor HIM. Paul was trying to honor HIM.
Poisoning the minds of some people is becoming a normal thing in our society. The poisoning of the mind toward those who hold to a Biblical worldview is happening in elementary schools today. Easter or Christmas is no longer being even acknowledged as a celebration of the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Even religious people who write books about the Bible or Jesus Christ take away from the supernatural and call them just stories with moral applications. The Bible is not full of stories. It is full of Biblical accounts about how God treats HIS people. It is full of examples of people who have tried to follow the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to stir up the minds of the next generation to honor Biblical standards and examples. Be an example to the next generation. Tell them all nationalities need the LORD.
: 11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. (4160 “had done” [poieo] means make, to carry out or perform an action or course of action, to practice, to make, accomplish, tangible, or bring about.)
DEVOTION: Today we have people who worship their sport hero or their favorite actor or actress. This can also be true of some believers who seem to be able to speak more about their pastor or favorite author than about Jesus.
People like to worship someone or something they can see. We can’t see Jesus today physically. It makes it hard to worship HIM at times. But we are supposed to worship HIM alone.
Paul and Barnabas faced the challenge of having people want to worship them because of the miracle God did through them of healing the man who had never walked.
If we are involved with an occasion when we see God do a miracle in someone’s life we have to make sure that we give God all the glory and don’t take any for ourselves. God is the one who can heal anyone. We can pray for them. We can anoint them with oil but it is still the LORD who should receive the glory.
Too often people who can be used of God want to take the credit for something that HE has done through them. Today we have instructions in the book of James that tells us that the elders are to be called to pray for someone to be healed. They are to anoint them with oil. God will then do what HE thinks is best for the individual who is sick. HE is still the divine healer.
Watch out for people who want you to praise them for gifts that the LORD has given them. Some might not be even gifted of the LORD but from another source.
CHALLENGE: We are to test the spirits of those who do great things.
: 17 Nevertheless HE left not HIMSELF without witness, in that HE did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (267 “without witness” [amarturos] means without testimony, unattested, or characterized by lacking any evidence by which something is affirmed to be true.)
DEVOTION: God wants everyone to understand that HE created the world for our enjoyment. HE gives rules for our life here on earth but HE also provides the things that we know to be good.
One of the good things that HE provides for all people, whether they are believers or not, is rain. HE gives the seasons of the year for the enjoyment of all the humans that live on the earth.
HE knew what was necessary for us to live our life while we are here. We need food and drink. HIS creation is a witness to HIS goodness. HE provides the ability for us to be glad. It is part of our being. Gladness is hard for some people to understand. They look at their circumstances and think that they should have more. They are never satisfied and therefore gladness is not found in their life.
True gladness in our hearts can only come from a proper relationship with God. Then we can appreciate all that HE had done for us in the past and what HE is going to have prepared for us in the future. This makes it possible to truly be glad with what is happening to us in the present. We are commanded to “rejoice in the LORD always.”
Share this truth with someone who is a believer and complaining about something in their present situation. Take them to the LORD in prayer.
CHALLENGE: HE is the only one who can bring GENUINE peace to that person’s life.
: 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. (1991 “confirming” [episterizo] means to support further, confirm, strengthen, or to render more firm.)
DEVOTION: Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey. They took John Mark the author of the Gospel of Mark with them. He returned home when the going got tough.
Each of the cities visited had converts to Christ but also crowds that were against the message they were preaching. They started in the synagogue first and then preached outside the synagogue to the Gentiles who were willing to listen to their message.
Paul was stoned and thought dead. He was raised up to continue his journey to preach in other cities. He warned the disciples that there would be suffering involved in serving the LORD. He called it much tribulation.
One of the priorities of the early church was to make disciples. The starting point was the preaching of the gospel. Those who choose to follow the Lord were baptized. Then came the priority of making disciples. Too many churches are emphasizing conversion but not training in what it means to be a disciple. Many of those who come forward in churches and at rallies are never followed up.
Here we find Paul returning to the churches he started and strengthening the individuals who chose to follow the Lord. He wanted to make sure that those who were followers of Christ grew in their knowledge of the Lord. He taught them doctrine. He taught them disciples of the faith. They ordained men who were mature in the faith. This was done by picking men full of the Holy Spirit and that the believers voted into office. Before they ordained them, they prayed with fasting. They not only taught the disciplines of the faith but practiced them in the decision-making process of the church.
Are we following their example today? What kind of follow- up program is your church using after someone chooses to follow the Lord? Do we find mature people in our churches or many people who have been saved a long time who are still babes in Christ or carnal Christians?
We are here on this earth to strengthen one another. We are here to encourage one another. We are not responsible to find every fault we can with one another. We are to support one another. Are we being supportive? Are we being good teachers of the doctrines and disciplines of the faith?
CHALLENGE: If you are a church leader – establish a good follow-up program for those new converts to Christ in your church. If you are a soul winner – have a good follow-up program to invite them to join. Don’t leave them to the wolves!!!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Prayed with fastingverse 23
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayed with fastingverse 23
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Synagogue of Jewsverseverse 1
Speaking boldlyverse 3
Preached the gospelverses 7, 21
Preachverse 15
Confirmingverse 22
Exhortingverse 22
Preached the wordverse 25
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of HIS graceverse 3
Gospelverse 7
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 15, 22, 26, 27
Living Godverse 15
Creatorverses 15, 17
Kingdom of Godverse 22
Grace of Godverse 26
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 3, 23
Word of HIS graceverse 3
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Iconiumverses 1, 19, 21
Greeks believedverse 1
Gentilesverses 2, 5, 27
Lystraverses 6, 21
Derbeverses 6, 20
Cities of Lycaoniaverse 6
Healing of crippled manverse 8
All nationsverse 16
Antiochverses 19, 21, 26
Pisidiaverse 25
Attaliaverse 25
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Unbelievingverse 2
Evilverse 2
Use despitefullyverse 5
Stone disciplesverse 5
False godverse 11
False god: Jupiterverses 12, 13
False god: Mercuriusverse 12
Priest of Jupiterverse 13
False worshipverse 13
Vanitiesverse 15
Sacrifice to humansverse 18
Stoned Paulverse 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Believedverses 1, 23
Brethrenverse 2
Spoke boldlyverse 3
Testimonyverse 3
Signs and wondersverse 3
Preached the gospelverses 7, 15, 21, 25
Faithverses 9, 22, 27
Healedverse 9
Turnverse 15
Witnessverse 17
Taughtverse 21
Much tribulationverse 22
Ordained eldersverse 23
Prayed with fastingverse 23
Graceverse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jewsverses 1, 2, 4, 5, 19
Jews believedverse 1
Rulersverse 5
Witnessverse 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
Apostlesverses 4, 14
Paulverses 9, 11, 12, 14, 19
Chief speaker
Stoned and thought dead
Barnabasverses 12, 14, 20
Filling our hearts with food and gladnessverse 17
Disciplesverses 20, 22, 28
Confirming the souls of the disciplesverse 22
Exhorting to continue in the faithverse 22
Suffer tribulationverse 22
Ordained eldersverse 23
Prayed with fastingverse 23
Gathered the church togetherverse 27
Mission report: First Missionary Journeyverse 27
Opened doorverse 27
Last Things (Future Events)
Kingdom of Godverse 22
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.