Kindness mixed with confusion
Key Verses: 4, 11, 15, 19, 23,
In the city of Iconium some people enthusiastically embrace the Gospel. Before they can kill him they flee to Lystra where a lame man is healed. The people think Paul and Barnabas are gods and they want to offer sacrifices of worship to them. They have a hard time stopping the crowd from doing this.
Those who oppose what God is doing come and they take it out on Paul by stoning him in an attempt to kill him. Then they drag his body outside the city. The Jews think he is dead, but the disciples gather around him, and he gets up and returns to the city. I am not sure what happened when the disciples gathered around him, but he went from seemingly dead to alive enough to go back to the city and leave the next day. I can envision them praying for Paul’s recovery. They were a praying group of people. They knew how to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and I can see the Holy Spirit leading them to pray. Paul’s mission was not done. He needed to be alive.
Paul returns to his starting point by way of the cities in which he has ministered. In each place he sets up leadership, officially appointing elders, probably what we would call pastors. They were in charge of leading and guiding these new believers. The Lord has always used people to lead His people. God uses human beings. Who are the human beings who help lead you to the Lord? Are you following them as they lead, or are you part of the complaint squad? In military terms, have you become OPFOR, oppositional forces?
REVIEW: HOLY SPIRIT
The Arnold Journey 