Steve, keep going.

 “They continued to preach the gospel.”

(Acts 14:1-7, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, July 1, 2012)

[14:1] 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.

Paul and Barnabas had been forced out of Antioch on the southern border of Galatia by some of the leading people in the city who had stirred up the populace against the message of Jesus Christ. The church in Antioch continued after Paul and Barnabas left. The apostolic messengers went on to Iconium where the same story was played out again.

Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue. They spoke boldly. The reaction was astounding. Many Jews and Gentiles believed. But once again, there was controversy.

[2] But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

As had happened in Antioch, here in Iconium there was vocal opposition that attempted to stir up the Gentiles against the Lord's servants. They poisoned people's minds against those that are called here “the brothers.” The church is a family with a mission. Enemies of the family wanted to sow discord among them.

Proverbs 23:17 says, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.” But an angry mob can seem so much more real to us than the Lord in heaven. We need to continue in the Lord's way, and not be dissuaded by those who hate the message of our King.

[3] 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. [4] But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.

The opposition seemed to have won the initial battle. So what did these men do? Did they give up? No, they stayed there for a long time. There was work to be done, and they were still gaining a hearing from the people. They spoke boldly for the Lord, as we also ought to speak.

God did something too. He granted signs and wonders by their hands. The Lord was bearing witness to the word of His grace.

The message of Jesus Christ is a message of forgiveness for sinners because of the spectacular achievement of our Substitute, Jesus. This good Word is the message that some Jews hated. They felt compelled to convince others that men like Paul and Barnabas had to be stopped. They simply could not accept the concept that anyone could have peace with God through the suffering of a messianic Lamb of God.

But the Lord weighed in on this debate by granting these signs and wonders through the hands of the people that brought that good word. As always, this battle was a contest between a good word, a word of peace through the cross of Christ, and a false word, suggesting that peace with God could never have come through a man who died the way that Jesus died.

As had taken place in Antioch, the unbelieving Jews in Iconium cast their vote against the gospel, against Jesus, and against men like Paul and Barnabas. But God had a vote too, and He worked miracles through the hands of men that others had rejected as wrong and dangerous.

This battle did not dissipate but it increased. The city was divided. The question of Jesus Christ gripped all of Iconium. They recognized the undeniable importance of the issues of the faith. Remember the question of Jesus of Nazareth to Peter and the other disciples so many years before? “But who do you say that I am?” That question had to be answered in Iconium too.

Some sided with the Jews who rejected the claims of Jesus. To them He was not the Son of God. His death was an emblem of a failed messiah figure. Perhaps His miracles had been undeniable, just as the signs and wonders of Paul and Barnabas would have been difficult to ignore. But they did not change many of the Jews in Judea, and they were not persuasive to those in Iconium who had their own reasons for rejecting the best news that has ever been heard in this fallen world.

To the apostles and their followers, Jesus was the Lord of heaven and earth, the Savior of sinners, the eternal Son of the living God. His death was for them. His resurrection was the beginning of hope for all who would receive Him.

[5] When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, [6] they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country,

The difference between these two positions was very dramatic. On the question of Jesus, boredom cannot be anyone's choice. It is entirely irrational. Jesus had said, “I and the Father are one.” He had said to His disciples after His resurrection, “All power and authority has been given to me.” His final words to us in the Scriptures in Revelation 22 are, “I am the bright morning star. Surely I am coming soon.” No one is permitted to consider that a yawning matter. You are either for it or against it. You must either receive Him or reject Him.

Some were very much against Him in Iconium. They wanted to kill Paul and Barnabas. But they went on to Lystra and Derbe, where we will pick up the account of their message to the pagan cities and villages of Lycaonia in the verses that follow.

[7] and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Through it all, through the glories of preaching a message that initially was very well received, through the danger of mortal threats and the vicious attacks of those who hated the right understanding of the Word of God, through the signs of heaven that were coming from God through their lips and by their hands, through their quick departure to another location in order to bring the word of Christ another day to another place, they continued to preach the word.

They believed that Jesus was Lord. So they continued in the fear of the Lord no matter what others might do to them.

How do we wake up the world in our own day? I don't know the answer to that question. I do know that every day when I wake up, the Lord is pressing me on with the simple tasks of Word and prayer that He has called me to. “Steve, Don't give up. Keep on going.” The Scriptures continue to bring me life and hope. No matter what else may happen over the course of a life where the unexpected becomes fact, I know that my Redeemer lives.

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. In a world that perplexes me and often discourages me keeping on going is my sign and wonder. Let's keep on going together.

1. What was the result of the preaching of the gospel in Iconium?

2. How did the unbelieving Jews respond to this work of God?

3. Why did Paul and Barnabas stay in Iconium, and how did the Lord use them there?

4. How can we endure opposition to the good work that God has called the church to do?

OT Passage: Proverbs 23:17