Acts 14 records the heart of Paul and Barnabas's first journey to spread the Gospel. After being run out of Antioch, they head to Iconium where once again there is fruitfulness as they share the Gospel along with opposition to it. When a plan to mistreat and stone them surfaces, they move on to Lystra. In Lystra a crippled man is healed at Paul's word. After witnessing the miracle, the crowds believe Barnabas and Paul to be Zeus and Hermes. When Paul and Barnabas insist they are not gods but mere men chaos ensues. Paul is stoned and dragged out of the city, assumed dead. After the disciples gather around him he rises, reenters the city then heads to Derbe the following day. Paul and Barnabas were ministering in a culture deeply divided, chaotic, and often opposed to the Gospel—not unlike our own. When the world is full of chaos, opposition, & division, our job is to be faithful and point people to Jesus, leaving the results to God. Pastor Josh also gave a helpful paradigm of "Receive, Reject, Redeem" for us to use as Christians as we interact with our culture.
