Iconium – Acts 14:1-7

Thus far in this first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas have traveled from Antioch to Seleucia, Syria,

From whence they sailed to Salamis on the Island of Cyprus.

We have no idea how long it took them to evangelize Cyprus, but eventually they made it from the east coast to the west coast and the capital city of Paphos.

The opposition that they endured in Cyprus was different from that which they would later receive,

And I tend to think that they used the opportunity to completely baptize the island with the gospel.

Cyprus is about half the size of Connecticut;

About 90 miles from east to west and 40 miles from north to south.

Thorough evangelization of Cyprus would not have been impossible given enough time,

But we aren’t sure how much time the missionaries themselves there.

Then they crossed a 50 mile strait and traveled inland to Antioch in Pisidia.

Since Paul’s first missionary journey is recorded in only two chapters, we must be about half way through that journey.

I doubt that we we’ll be spending very long thinking about the evangelization of Iconium.

But we begin with what Paul and Barnabas DID.

When they were expelled from Antioch, the missionaries traveled down one of the old trade roads to Iconium.

This was the capital of Lyconia – a part of the region of Galatia – situated about 60 miles from Antioch.

It was east of Antioch, toward Syria and Paul’s birthplace Cilicia, about 120 miles inland from the coast.

But a large range of mountains separate Lyconia from the sea,

And among other things that probably prevented Paul from evangelizing Lyconia and Galatia before this time.

When the missionaries got to Iconium, as was their custom, they went into the synagogue,

And that was despite knowing what usually happened when the gospel was preached in the synagogue.

But it was necessary that the Word of God should first be preached to the Jews,

And they knew that it was very likely that from among the attendees of the synagogue the Lord would first awaken a few souls to the truth.

Paul knew that they SHOULD HAVE been receptive to the gospel.

So Paul and Barnabas journeyed to Iconium and entered the synagogue.

Secondly we notice what it was they PREACHED.

It appears to me from verse 1, that both men were given the opportunity to speak.

“They went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake.”

And without any information to contrary,

I would expect that they preached the same way that Paul did in Antioch.

Verse 7 says that they preached the gospel, the good news that the Saviour had come.

“Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Verse 3 adds a couple of things about their preaching.

First, they were once again speaking BOLDLY.

In other words, they were not afraid of the people to whom they were speaking.

In addition to that we’ve got just a little more information about their boldness:

They were speaking BOLDLY “IN THE LORD.”

This means that they were preaching in dependence upon the Lord for guidance and strength.

They were not preaching in man’s wisdom.

Do you suppose that Paul’s testimony to the Corinthians might have been true here as well?

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

There is something else here about their preaching: Luke called it “the word of God’s grace.”

As we have said several times recently, the gospel is all about grace.

It is the GOSPEL OF CHRIST, and it is the GOSPEL OF GRACE.

It is the gospel of Christ, and it is the GRACE OF CHRIST.

I won’t say that gospel, Christ and grace are synonyms, but theologically they come close.

Thirdly, we notice what they CAUSED.

Once again the Lord blessed and “a great multitude both of the Jews and also the Greeks believed.”

The commentaries are divided whether these Greeks were proselytes or heathens.

It seems to me that since their faith was mentioned in relationship to the preaching in the synagogue that they must have been proselytes.

It’s also quite obvious that the Lord was also saving some of the other children of Japheth as well.

But as they were beginning to see in just about every city they visited, along with the victories came the Satanic opposition.

The unbelieving Jews joined forces with the unbelieving Gentiles against the Lord and His anointed.

And in doing that they were proving what Paul had been preaching:

There is essentially no difference between unbelievers, no matter what race or nation they claim.

The Jews made the minds of the Gentiles “evil affected” against the brethren.

They poisoned them and made them bitter against the brethren.

But who exactly are these “brethren?”

Luke could be referring to Paul and Barnabas,

Or he could be talking about the new believers, or both.

When verse 3 says THEREFORE for a long time abode they in Iconium boldly speaking,

I tend to think that the anger of Iconium was vent primarily on the new believers.

The city became divided over the Apostles; the Greek says that a SCHISM was created.

Notice carefully the wording of verse 5:

“And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers,

To use them despitefully, and to stone them,

They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia.”

What this is saying is that the hatred against the gospel escalated to the point of planing to stone them.

But the Apostles learned of the upcoming attack,

And they took that to be God’s order for them to move on.

They were NOT actually stoned.

In II Corinthians Paul gave this testimony:

“Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep.”

How many times was Paul actually stoned? He tells us that it was just once.

Where was Paul stoned? Just down the road in Lystra.

Once again, we see perfect harmony in the testimony of the scripture.

Verse 4 also reveals something else which I think is kind of interesting.

I’ve read it and skipped over it a hundred times, until yesterday.

The last time that we have read the word “apostles” was in Acts 11:1:

“And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.”

We can’t be sure when Paul started to call himself “an Apostle,” but it might have been about this time.

And when I was researching this little fact, I discovered something else:

The word “apostle” is used in the PLURAL 58 TIMES and SINGULAR only 19 TIMES.

Once the Bible speaks about THE LORD JESUS being the Apostle and High Priest of our souls.

And twice PETER calls himself an apostle.

The other 16 singular uses of “apostle” are when Paul referred to himself.

“Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.”

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother.”

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.”

And the first time that we read of Paul being called a Apostle was right here.

And apparently Luke called Barnabas an apostle as well. Interesting.

Could he be thinking only of the generic use of the word apostle as a “sent one,” a “messenger”?

There are a lot of similarities between apostles and missionaries.

But then again I think that there was an office of Apostle, which was unique and confined to the New Testament.

Paul fit both aspects of the apostle, but Barnabas fit only the generic.

Anyway, once again we see that the apostles caused a ruckus in Iconium,

But what was it that they ENJOYED?

The Lord “gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”

Isn’t it interesting that so often the Biblical references to miracles are kind of backhanded?

This is especially true when referring to the miracles performed by the apostles.

They were in the background and not the spotlight; they were subdued rather than the focus.

What were the miracles performed on Cyprus and how many were there?

Other than the miracle of salvation, we have been told of only one – the blinding of Elymas.

Do you suppose that there were no healings or other signs and wonders?

Could it be that Elymas was blind until Paul specifically healed him?

We aren’t told one way or another.

My guess would be that there were other miracles.

But the point is, the Holy Spirit doesn’t think that they are important enough for us to be told.

Yet here in Iconium we are told, in a very general way, that there were lots of miracles.

But here is a mystery and a theological question in regard to verse 3:

Was there a difference between the signs and wonders and the testimony of the Lord?

God “gave testimony unto the word of his grace, AND granted signs and wonders to be done.”

What was this testimony of the Lord?

Was it merely the conviction of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who were ordained to eternal life?

Or did the Lord speak from heaven, or write with a disembodied hand on the wall of the synagogue?

In whatever form the Lord testified, we need to pray that He speak just as loudly again today.

That testimony was the probably the key to blessings that the apostles enjoyed in Iconium.

And what was it that they enjoyed in Iconium?

Weren’t they the same things that they enjoyed in Antioch?

The Lord blessed their ministry there, and apparently a great number of souls were saved.

Should there be any higher enjoyment than these things?