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Acts Chapter
Fourteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Second half and the Return of Paul’s
First Journey
I. Preaching in Iconium:
A. A
great multitude believed and there were also the unbelieving (v.1-2).
B.
They spoke boldly in the Lord and bore witness to the word of His grace (v.3).
C.
They were abused and stoned (v.4-5).
II. Fleeing to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia and
preaching the gospel there:
A.
They escaped from the persecution on one hand and on the other preached the
gospel wherever they arrived (v.6-7).
B.
They healed a cripple from his mother's womb in Lystra (v.8-10).
C. The
multitudes took them to be gods and intended to sacrifice to them (v.11-13).
D. The
apostles said that they were men and did their best to restrain the multitudes
from sacrificing to them (v.14-18).
E.
Paul was stoned to death and dragged out of the city (v.19).
F.
Paul rose up and went into the city and the next day he went to Derbe to preach
the gospel (v.20-21a).
III. Returning to Lystra, Iconium, and
A.
They returned to the places where they were persecuted and strengthened and
exhorted the disciples (v.21b-22).
B.
They had appointed elders in every church and commended them to the Lord (v.23).
IV. Coming to Pamphylia,
having
preached the word in Perga and going down to Attalia (v.24-25).
V. Sailing back to
A.
They returned to the church that had entrusted them to work (v.26).
B.
They reported all the things to the assembly (v.27).
C.
They stayed there a long time with the disciples (v.28).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 14:1 “Now it happened in
Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that
a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.”
YLT: “And it came to pass
in Iconium, that they did enter together into the synagogue of the Jews, and
spake, so that there believed both of Jews and Greeks a great multitude;”
Meaning of Words: “Iconium”: image,
the comer, yielding.
Literal Meaning: “Now it happened in Iconium
that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews.” “Iconium” was the capital town of the
administrative area of Lycaonia and it was about one hundred and twenty two
kilometers on the southwest of
Paul and Barnabas had declared that they would turn
to the Gentiles to preach the gospel (Acts. 13:46). However, they first went to
the synagogue of the Jews in Iconium. It shows that they were full of the
burden of the salvation of their brothers and kinsmen (
“A great multitude believed” “A great multitude” is composed
of two words in the original and it means “a much crowd”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When preaching the gospel, we should not care
about men’s welcome or opposition and we should preach according to the burden
in us. At the same time, we should try our best to make use of the profitable
circumstances.
2) Wherever we preach, as long as we preach by
faith, there must be the effect of faith because once the word of God has been
gone forth, it shall not return unto Him void (Is. 55:11).
Acts. 14:2 “But the unbelieving Jews
stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.”
YLT: “and the unbelieving
Jews did stir up and made evil the souls of the nations against the brethren;”
Meaning of Words: “unbelieving”:
disobeying, disobedient, stubborn; “stir up”: raise up, agitate; “mind”: soul;
“poison against”: entreat evil, harm.
Literal Meaning: “stirred up the
Gentiles” “stir up” may mean that they fabricated malicious gossip and fomented
dissension on purpose.
Spiritual Meaning: “the unbelieving Jews” They represent all those who have a name
that they are of God, have the reasonable tradition, keep the regulations and
live the strict and pious life. They persecute the brothers who have the
revelation of God with words or deeds because they lack the revelation and do
not know Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we lack the knowledge of Christ, we will
probably resent the brothers who truly have the revelation of God from our
hearts and harass them in all aspects.
2) Believers who only have zeal and lack the
revelation will always become extreme and they even think that they render
service to God when they kill men (John. 16:2).
Acts. 14:3 “Therefore they stayed
there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the
word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
YLT: “long time, indeed,
therefore, did they abide speaking boldly in the Lord, who is testifying to the
word of His grace, and granting signs and wonders to come to pass through their
hands.”
Literal Meaning: “Therefore they stayed there
a long time” “a long time” in
the original means a considerable time.
“Speaking boldly in the Lord” If believers could turn their minds to the
Lord from circumstances, they will have boldness and preach freely.
“To be done by their hands” It shows that the signs
and wonders that they have done are fully of the initiative of God. The signs
and wonders are not done rashly according to their own willingness. Such
conclusion could be confirmed by that Paul did not heal Timothy, Epaphroditus,
Trophimus and other fellow-workers by wonders (1Tim. 5:23; Pill. 2:25-30; 2Tim.
4:20).
“Bearing
witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders” “The word of His grace” The word of grace
of the Lord Jesus is contrast to the Law of Moses (John. 1:17). The Jews in the
synagogue kept the Law of Moses and knew nothing about the word of the Lord’s
grace. And therefore Paul and Barnabas did their utmost to preach the gospel in
order to make them turn to grace from the Law. “The word of His grace” is that
in the New Testament God gives His beloved only-begotten Son to the world and
He was crucified on the cross for men, was raised up and taken up into heaven.
Today He dwells in believers in the Spirit and is experienced and enjoyed by
them so that the life of believers will change and the glory of God will be
manifested and testified.
“Signs
and wonders” themselves are not
a part of His grace because believers who have received the grace may not do
signs and wonders. Signs and wonders are used to prove that the word of His
grace that the apostles had preached is absolutely of God instead of men. The
early Christians regard signs and wonders as a mark or proof that God is with
them and approves of the witness that they bore.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “They” is the basic union of serving with one
accord. If we want our service to the Lord to be effective, we’d better live,
walk, go (v.1), come out, pray (v.23) and have communion (v.27) together with
our fellow-workers.
2) “Granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands” The Holy Spirit bears witness with those
who He has chosen and called and works with them together. They work outwardly
and the Holy Spirit works inwardly; they sow and the Holy Spirit waters.
3) If we want to be fellow-workers of the Holy
Spirit, our hands must be clean and in this way, the Holy Spirit would grant
signs and wonders through our hands. Such cooperation must have astonishing
effect that surpasses our expectation.
Acts. 14:4 “But the multitude of the
city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.”
YLT: “And the multitude
of the city was divided, and some were with the Jews, and some with the
apostles,”
Literal Meaning: “But the multitude of the
city was divided”. “Divide” means
break, split.
“Part with the apostles” The plural word “the apostles” in the
original refer to Paul and Barnabas (See v.1-3); here Luke did not call them by
their names but “the apostles” in order to emphasize the sending of God.
Paul and Barnabas were not
listed among the twelve Apostles (Acts. 1:26), however, they were still called
the apostles in the Bible. It shows that the apostles are those who have been
sent by God (Acts. 13:4). And therefore the apostles are God’s workers who are
sent by God to do the work that He has called them (Acts. 13:2). Generally
speaking, all Christians should do the work of God and are God’s workers.
However, the apostles in the Bible are the workers who have the special calling
and gifts, go to various regions to preach the gospel, set up the churches,
edify the Saints and build up the body of Christ (See v.22-23; Eph. 4:11-12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When preaching the gospel, we should pay
attention to whether we have tried our best instead of whether everyone has the
same reaction------some of them believe (v.1) and some of them poison against
them (v.2)------the Lord comes to the earth to give “division” (Luke.
12:51-53).
2) Towards the truth and the way, we either approve
of it or oppose it and there isn’t the neutral attitude.
Acts. 14:5 “And when a violent
attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and
stone them,”
YLT: “and when there was
a purpose both of the nations and of the Jews with their rulers to use [them]
despitefully, and to stone them,”
Literal Meaning: “with their rulers”
Here it does not clearly refer to the rulers of the Gentiles (ruling the city)
or the rulers of the Jews (mainly ruling the synagogue) and it may refer to
both of them.
“To abuse and stone them” It means that they determined to do so in
the original. “Abusing” refers to maltreating, treating shabbily, insulting and
ruining.
“Stoning Paul” (See v.19) is
recorded two times in this chapter, however, Paul himself mentioned that “once
was I stoned” (2Cor. 11:25). And therefore here “stoning them” may indicate the
malicious threat or that they were about to do so and hadn’t done it (See v.6).
Acts. 14:6 “they became aware of it
and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.”
YLT: “they having become
aware, did flee to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, and Derbe, and to the region
round about,”
Meaning of Words: “Lycaonia”:
wolf-land; “Lystra”: dissolving, ransoming, there are many people, however,
they are of oone church; “Derbe”: sting, tanner, Delbeia.
Literal Meaning: “fled to Lystra and Derbe,
cities of Lycaonia” “Lycaonia” refers
to an administrative area of the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “They became aware of it and fled to” The workers of the Lord sometimes need to
flee from the persecution. It is not a shame for preachers to flee from the
calamities because the Lord once commanded us it (Matt. 10:23).
2) “Fleeing”------fall back and do not
dispute-------is the principle for Christians to deal with persecution.
However, our fleeing is different from that of the world: their fleeing is to
hide themselves in some place and our fleeing is to preach in other place (See
v.7; Acts. 8:4).
3) The apostles were able to do signs and wonders
(See v.3) and now when they were facing the persecution of the enemy, why did
not they show wonders to prophet it? We could see that signs and wonders are of
God’s initiative arrangement instead of men’s willingness.
Acts. 14:7 “And they were preaching
the gospel there.”
YLT: “and there they were
proclaiming good news.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men can only persecute Christians and hold back
the gospel in one region and they cannot hold back the gospel in all regions.
They can only hold back the gospel for a short while and cannot hold back it
for a long time.
2) The torrent of the gospel cannot be held back by
men. The more severely the persecution is, the more prosperously the gospel
spreads.
Acts. 14:8 “And in Lystra a certain
man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb,
who had never walked.”
YLT: “And a certain man
in Lystra, impotent in the feet, was sitting, being lame from the womb of his
mother -- who never had walked,”
Spiritual Meaning: this cripple from
his mother’s womb symbolizes the Gentiles who believe in heretical gods. They
cannot walk in the right way of life because of their natural deficiencies of
life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Without strength in his feet” If we see men in
the spiritual sight, every one has the condition that “to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Rom. 7:18).
2) “A cripple form his mother’s womb” Our difficulties
are innate because our natural life is deficient.
Acts. 14:9 “This man heard Paul
speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be
healed,”
YLT: “this one was
hearing Paul speaking, who, having stedfastly beheld him, and having seen that
he hath faith to be saved,”
Meaning of Words: “be healed”: save,
to make whole.
Literal Meaning: “and seeing that he
had faith” “Faith” cannot be seen by the physical eyes, however, when one truly
has the faith, the expression of admiration, yearning and joy will be
manifested through his face and according to the expression others could see
his intention.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The word of God is related to the preacher and
those who hear the word: the word of God itself is living and operative (Heb.
4:12), however, if the preacher does not preach according to the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, he will make the word of God be more and more depressed; if
those who listen to the word of God do not listen with the right attitude, the
word of God won’t have chance to grow up and bring forth fruit (Luke. 8:11-15).
2) Preachers should not invariably preach endlessly
and should pay attention to the reaction of the audients so as to regulate and
strengthen the word and then it will be of greater effort.
3) Workers of the Lord should learn to “observe”
others intently and exercise the spiritual discernment in order to see others’
spiritual states.
4) The atmosphere how the audients receive the word
always influences the spirit of the speaker and therefore we should never hold
an indifferent attitude to listen to the word because this attitude may break
down the whole gathering.
5) The key of one’s receiving grace lies in whether
he has faith in the Lord.
6) God not only does signs and wonders through
those who have faith but also shows signs and wonders by the faith of those who
have received.
Acts. 14:10 “said with a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your feet!’
And he leaped and walked.”
YLT: “said with a loud
voice, `Stand up on thy feet upright;' and he was springing and walking,”
Literal Meaning: It is recorded in
the Acts of the Apostles that the two apostles Peter and Paul made the lame
walk. Both events have at least the following similar pointes: 1) the two
objects were lame (See v.8; Acts. 3:2); 2) the two apostles both “observed” the
lame (See v.9, Acts. 3:4); 3) the two who had been healed all leaped and walked
(v.10; Acts. 3:8); 4) the two apostles all pointed out that it was God’s work
instead of their own abilities (See v.15-17; Acts. 3:12-16).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Said with a loud voice” It is the declaration
of faith. Voice is absolutely related to faith and the declaration in faith
won’t be weak.
2) “And he leaped and walked” It is the response of faith------the declaration
of faith is full of power, however, the effect won’t be brought in without the
response of faith------deep calls unto deep (Ps. 42:7). Faith can arouse faith
and faith also can resonate with each other.
3) While preaching, the preacher might break off
temporarily and insert seasonable movements according to the guidance of the
Holy Spirit and in such way the effect of the preaching will be promoted
contrarily.
Acts. 14:11 “Now when the people saw
what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language,
‘The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!’”
YLT: “and the multitudes
having seen what Paul did, did lift up their voice, in the speech of Lycaonia,
saying, `The gods, having become like men, did come down unto us;'”
The
Background: according to the
superstition and legend of the Lycaonians, in the past two gods Zeus and Hermes (See v.12) once became men and came down to the
earth. They visited the people in Lystra, however, the multitudes did not take
notice of them because they did not know them and only an old couple received
them and then they were rewarded by gods and the others were punished.
Literal Meaning: “in the Lycaonian
language” “The Lycaonian language” is the local dialect and it is different
from the Greek that is commonly used in the
Acts. 14:12 “And Barnabas they called
Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.”
YLT: “they were calling
also Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermes, since he was the leader in speaking.”
Literal Meaning: according to the Greek polytheism, “Zeus” was the
king of gods and “Hermes” was the messenger of gods. Barnabas must be dignified
and elegant in appearance and therefore they regarded him as Zeus the king of
gods. They called Paul Hermes because Paul was the main spokesman.
Acts. 14:13 “Then the priest of Zeus,
whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the
gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.”
YLT: “And the priest of
the Zeus that is before their city, oxen and garlands unto the porches having
brought, with the multitudes did wish to sacrifice,”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When Satan can not threat or persecute
Christians with “stone” (v.5), it will use “garlands” to attract Christians.
And the trickery of “garlands” that corrupts men is more terrible than that of
“stone” that weakens men.
2) “
Acts. 14:14 “But when the apostles
Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the
multitude, crying out”
YLT: “and having heard,
the apostles Barnabas and Paul, having rent their garments, did spring into the
multitude, crying”
Literal Meaning: “they tore their
clothes” The Jews always use this way to express their extreme suffering and
uneasiness. The reason why they tore their clothes must be that they thought
that the behavior of worshiping men as God was the most horrible blasphemy to
them.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians should never receive others’
excessive respect to ourselves or exalt ourselves so that others may regard us
as God and worship us blindly.
2) He whoever clearly knows that others exalt
himself excessively and does not stop or correct them actually has committed
the sin of stealing the glory of God from his heart.
Acts. 14:15 “and saying, ‘Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with
the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these
useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and
all things that are in them,”
YLT: “and saying, `Men,
why these things do ye? and we are men like-affected with you, proclaiming good
news to you, from these vanities to turn unto the living God, who made the
heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all the things in them;”
Literal Meaning: “that you should turn from
these useless things” “Useless things”
refers to false gods (1Sam. 12:21).
“To the living God, who made the heaven,
the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them” Here Paul briefly introduced the three features
of the true God: 1) He is the Creator of all; 2) He is the living God from
everlasting to everlasting; 3) He is the only God.
Controversial Clarification:
at that time, the apostles had the uncommon
power and can do signs and wonder (See v.3) so that the ignorant world regarded
them as gods and wanted to worship them as gods. However, they dared not regard
themselves as “gods” and strictly declared that they are “also men” (v.15,
Acts.10:26). However, today many heretical leaders of Christianity are men and
they deliberately like to call themselves “God” (“Christ”). What a contrast!
Christians who have the right faith will never agree randomly the statement
“calling oneself God” or go along with the fallacy of “men becoming God”.
A man can never be “god”. Men are still
men to the eternity and they won’t become god. It is the light that the Bible
tells us and it is also the indispensable condition of Christians’ faith. Today
in some groups of Christianity, some people exalt their leaders and even treat
them as “gods” and some people even advocate “men becoming God”. These views
violate the truth of the Bible and here we list the main proofs:
1) The apostles in the beginning of the
New Testament are the foundation to build the church (Eph. 2:20). They all
opposed to regard men as gods (Acts.10:26; 14:15).
2) The several verses in the Old
Testament that “men” are called “God” (Exod. 21:5-6; 22:8-9; “judges” in the
above-mentioned verses and “God” in Exod. 22:28 are the same word in the
original; Ps. 82:6 and etc.) indicate that they are the representatives of God
and they are not committed as God.
3) Concerning one verse in the New
Testament, the Lord Jesus quoted the words in the Old Testament that, “I said,
You are gods” (John. 10:34-36; Ps. 82:6). The Lord there accommodated Himself
to the understanding of the Jews and defended simply concerning whether His
words “He calls Himself the Son of God” blaspheme God and He did not admit that
the judges of the Jews were “God”.
4) Satan previously was the archangel
that was created by God, however, its heart was lifted up and had set its heart
as the heart of God and wanted to exalt itself and be like God and consequently
it fell and became the devil (Ezek. 28:1-2, 6, 11-17; Is. 14:12-15).
5) That day the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called
God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the
6) The example of the Lord Jesus is: who, being in the form of God, did not consider it
robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the
form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:6-7). And
therefore we Christians should let this mind be in us which was also in Christ
Jesus and be satisfied with being a “man” on the earth and do not seize the
identity of “God”.
7) We Christians are sinners who have
been bestowed the Lord’s grace (1Tim. 1:16), are born of God (John. 1:13), have
the authority to be “the children of God” (John. 1:12), have received “the life
of God” (1John. 5:12) and are partakers of the divine nature (2Pet. 1:4). Our
inner new men will be renewed gradually (2Cor. 4:16;
8) Unto the eternity, we are still His
people (Rev. 21:3) and His servants (Rev. 22:3) and we cannot become “God”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the superstitious religious faith, men are
regarded as “gods”. The fundamental faith of Christianity is to know the
corruptive nature of “men” and turn to the only “true God”.
2) “We also are men with the same nature as you” It shows the greatest truth of faith: a
man can never be God.
Acts. 14:16 “who in bygone generations
allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.”
YLT: “who in the past
generations did suffer all the nations to go on in their ways,”
Acts. 14:17 “Nevertheless He did not
leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven
and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’”
YLT: “though, indeed, without
witness He did not leave himself, doing good -- from heaven giving rains to us,
and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness;'”
Literal Meaning: Paul the apostle
preached according to the principle of teaching in accordance with students’
aptitude: to the Jews who had the background of the Bible, he used “the history
of the Bible” to preach (Acts. 13:17-41); to the Gentiles who did not have the
background of the Bible, he used the “nature” to preach------from the natural
phenomena, he proved that there is God who creates and governs the nature (Rom.
1:20).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) He is the living God who gives us richly all
things to enjoy (1Tim. 6:17). Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and comes down from the Father of lights (James. 1:17).
2) If we are abundant in means of living and
pleasant in the body and mind, we should never forget God who gives us all
these because these are the witness that He bestows us favor.
Acts. 14:18 “And with these sayings
they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.”
YLT: “and these things
saying, scarcely did they restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.”
Literal Meaning: “scarcely restrain”
It means that they restrained them hardly.
Acts. 14:19 “Then Jews from
YLT: “And there came
thither, from
Literal Meaning: “they dragged him out of the
city, supposing him to be dead” The knew the law
of the Roman Empire that it was not allowed to carry out a death sentence
privately and therefore they wanted to drag him out of the city to abandon the
body, lest they be looked into the criminal responsibility.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) How great the changes of minds are and it is
quite hard to know them: they exalted them into heaven just a moment ago and
then they wanted to put them to death. The multitudes who previously cried
high, saying “Hosanna” to the Lord Jesus (Mark. 11:9) and not long after they
cried out, “crucify Him” (Mark. 15:13). And therefore we should not commit
ourselves unto men (John. 2:24).
2) “They stoned Paul.”
The way that Satan deals with believers is to use “stone” (v.5), “garlands”
(v.13) and “stone” (v.19) in turn and it uses both hard and soft tactics.
Acts. 14:20 “However, when the
disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next
day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.”
YLT: “and the disciples
having surrounded him, having risen he entered into the city, and on the morrow
he went forth with Barnabas to Derbe.”
Literal Meaning: “he rose up”
According to the condition of Paul at that time, if he was still alive, he must
be dying, however, he rose up suddenly. It is really a wonder.
“And went into the city” In the previous
verse, he “was dragged out of the city” and here he “went into the city”. There
is a striking contrast between the two actions. It shows us that: 1) those who
feared were those who harmed others; 2) believers need to “flee” sometimes and
need to face the enemy boldly sometimes.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Sometimes God allows believers to suffer
tribulations and encounter hopeless situations in order to let us learn not to
trust in ourselves but in God which raises the dead (2Cor. 1:8-9).
2) We are persecuted, but not forsaken; we are cast
down, but not destroyed (2Cor. 4:9).
Acts. 14:21 “And when they had
preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to
Lystra, Iconium, and
YLT: “Having proclaimed
good news also to that city, and having discipled many, they turned back to
Lystra, and Iconium, and
Literal Meaning: please note that Lystra, Iconium, and
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When serving the Lord, we should not choose the
safe places and sometimes we have to go to some places for the need of work
even if we risk our lives.
2) Those who truly dedicate themselves to the
gospel lay down their own necks (
Acts. 14:22 “strengthening the souls
of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the
YLT: “confirming the
souls of the disciples, exhorting to remain in the faith, and that through many
tribulations it behoveth us to enter into the reign of God,”
Literal Meaning: “strengthening the souls of
the disciples” “Strengthening” is
made up of two words “above” and “strength” and it means to “strengthen from above”
and “give more strength”. “Souls” includes men’s thoughts, feelings and wills.
And therefore strengthening the souls of the disciples means that: 1)
confirming their thoughts so that they could know and understand the faith
more; 2) confirming their feelings so that they could love the Lord and the
church more; 3) confirming their wills so that they could become stronger and
stand for the Lord.
“Exhorting them to continue in the faith” “Exhorting” means “calling near” in the
original. It is a word of intimacy. It is just like “farewells” and meaningful
advice. “Faith” refers to the “faith” that they know objectively. It implies
that the faith of Christians may be distorted (Jude 3) and become bad and even
be rejected by men.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We not only need to lead men to turn to and
believe in Christ but also need to lead those who have already had faith and
confirm and strengthen their faith (Col. 2:6-7).
2) Preachers not only sows------preaching the
gospel, but also cultivates------teaching and feeding. They not only move
forward boldly but also “turn back and strengthen”. Many preachers neglect the
work of turning back and strengthening so that many spiritual babies die young.
What a pity!
3) “We must through many tribulations enter the
4) The most beautiful things of men are gained from
tribulations. Only when the wheat has been ground will it be made into bread.
Only when the sacred incense is burnt will it send out the sweet smell. Only
when the earth is tilled will it be suitable to be sowed. In like manner, only
a broken heart will be acceptable to God. The sweetest joy of life is always
the fruit of sadness.
5) We must experience many tribulations by
ourselves and then we are able to comfort others. If you want to be a messenger
of consolation, be willing to partake in the gift of mercy, show fresh
consolation from ourselves, support the brothers and sisters who are trialed
and live a smooth life and do not let others see your bitterness, you have to
pay the price willingly------suffer tribulations for the sake of the Lord.
6) The main reason that God lets us experience
“many tribulations” is that He will remove our natural constitutes, i.e.
tearing down our old men, so that the new man will be renewed and become mature
day by day (2Cor. 4:16). Only those whose spiritual states could pass through
the judgment of God are “counted worthy of the
7) “Through many tribulations”, we must enter into
the
8) The way to enter into the
9) The common religious believers seek the physical
and mental peace and benefits as their main purpose. However, Christians enjoy
the true peace and grace in tribulations or by experiencing tribulations.
10) The common people always depart from faith
because they encounter hardships. Only few people are able to understand the
reality of faith through tribulations and they are the true overcomers.
Acts. 14:23 “So when they had
appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them
to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
YLT: “and having
appointed to them by vote elders in every assembly, having prayed with
fastings, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
Literal Meaning: “they had appointed elders
in every church” “Appointing” means
“stretching out hands” in the original and it implies handing over and
commission of rights. “Elders” refer to the elder and spiritually sophisticated
ones who take the responsibility of overseeing the gathering of the church,
administration, teaching and exhorting and maintaining the discipline.
Here it is the first time in the New Testament to
mention the appointing of elders. After the apostles have preached the gospel in
one place and there are people who have been saved, the church is set up. When
there is a church, those who cultivate, shepherd, lead, manage and oversee the
brothers and sisters in the church are needed. The apostles appoint the elders
in order to handle the need of the church which they have set up. In the Bible,
it is the responsibility of the elders to manage and cultivate the church.
From this verse we could see the conditions to
appoint the elders briefly: 1) the elders are appointed by the apostles who set
up the church and they are not elected by all believers; 2) “appointing” shows
that the elders are not appointed randomly but selected carefully by the
apostles before the Lord; 3) as implied in the name, the elders must be senior
and spiritually sophisticated than others; 4) the elders must be appointed from
believers in the local church and they are not dispatched from other churches;
5) the plural word elders shows that there are more than two elders in one
local church and it is much better than the way that one elder manages the
church.
“They
commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed” “Commend” means “laying up”, “depositing”, just
like depositing money in the bank, fully entrust to the other side.
It
also implies that after the apostles have appointed the elders, they won’t
control them from far away. The elders are not responsible to the apostles but
to the Lord. In this way, the administration of churches in various places
could be ensured to be independent and the church won’t be the Lord’s workers’.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The aim of preaching the gospel is not only to
deliver souls from the hell but also to build the church and manifest the
witness of God on the earth. The former is merely the negative aim of preaching
the gospel and the latter is the positive aim.
2) The church is “the golden candlestick” of God
(Rev. 1:20) and the church shines as lights in the dark world, holding forth
the word of life (Pill. 2:15-16) and bearing the glorious witness of God.
3) The church is “the house of God” (1Tim. 3:15)
and gives care, feeding, protection and warm to the children of God. Believers
must live in the church and then they are able to abundantly experience and
enjoy God’s rich preparation.
4) One god-father in the early stage said that if
men do not have the church as their mother, God cannot be their Father (it is
translated from the Chinese version).
5) Concerning men of “the Non-church Movement”, no
matter how they are of spiritual and pursue, they will decline gradually. The
normal church must be of great help to the children of God and the
6) If the administration of the church is carried
out in order, the appointing of the elders is quite important. Once the elders
are wrongly appointed, many unnecessary conditions will be brought in and the
church will suffer great loss.
7) If believers hope to be the elder of the church,
the intention is unblamable because he may aspire to exercise oversight (1Tim.
3:1). However, not every is suitable to be the elder (1Tim. 3:2-7).
8) If one works for the Lord, he has to learn to
commit men or things to the Lord by praying. We should try our best to do what
we should do and commit the others to the Lord to take the responsibility and
trust that it is better to let the Lord take the responsibility (2Tim. 1:12).
Acts. 14:24 “And after they had passed
through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.”
YLT: “And having passed
through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia,”
Literal Meaning: “Pamphylia” was on the south of Pisidia and it was a
small province along the southern coast of
Acts. 14:25 “Now when they had
preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.”
YLT: “and having spoken
in Perga the word, they went down to Attalia,”
Literal Meaning: “Perga” was the
capital town of the
Acts. 14:26 “From there they sailed to
YLT: “and thence did sail
to
Literal Meaning: “they sailed to
“They had been commended to the grace of
God” Those who commanded them were all the
fellow-workers and the church. “To the grace of God” indicates that they
commanded them to the grace of God (Acts. 15:40) so that they were able to
complete the work.
“Where” means to separate the
Acts. 14:27 “Now when they had come
and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with
them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”
YLT: “and having come and
gathered together the assembly, they declared as many things as God did with
them, and that He did open to the nations a door of faith;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers should be responsible to the
Lord, however, they could not disregard the fellow-workers and the church
because of it. It is a good thing that they have communion with them and report
to them their work.
2) All the works that we have done are done by the
Lord through us and they are God’s work. We are only the vessels in the hand of
God.
Acts. 14:28 “So they stayed there a
long time with the disciples.”
YLT: “and they abode
there not a little time with the disciples.”
Enlightenment in the Word: workers should try their best to do the work of the
Lord when they go out and when they return, they should have communion with
believers and pursue with them together. Workers should never be disconnected
with the body because of work.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Paul Healed A Cripple from His Mother's Womb
I. The one who healed men:
A. He
spoke boldly in the Lord (v.3a).
B.
Through his hand the Lord was willing to do signs and wonders (v.3b).
C. He
suffered humiliation and persecution and did not change his mind and still
preached the gospel everywhere (v.5-7).
D. He
was able to observe one intently and see his inner state
(v.9).
E. He
spoke with faith (v.10).
II. The one who was healed:
A. He
was without strength in his feet (v.8a)------he knew how to walk and he did not
have strength to walk.
B. He
was a cripple “from his mother’s womb” (v.8b)------the sickness is inborn.
C. He
had never walked (v.8c).
D. He
heard Paul “speaking” carefully (v.9a).
E. He
“had faith” (v.9b).
F. He
heard the word and kept it (v.10)------he trusts and obeys immediately.
III. The effect of healing:
A. By
this the word of the Lord’s grace is proved (v.3b).
B. By
this the works of God are manifested (v.11).
IV. The problem that comes out because of the
healing:
A.
Rejecting men’s “garlands” (v.11-18)------rejecting men’s glory and high
praise.
B.
Contrarily receiving men’s stones (v.19)------being humiliated and persecuted
by men.
The Example of Modesty of the Lord’s Workers
II. They ran in among the multitude
(v.14b)------standing in the same position with the multitudes.
III. Men, why are you doing these things?
(v.15a)------preventing others from worshiping them.
IV. We also are men (v.15b)------keeping their role
of men.
V. With the same nature as you (v.15b)------not
covering up their own corruptive nature.
VI. Turn to the living God, who made the heaven,
the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them (v.15c)------leading men to
turn to God.
Concerning God
I. He made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all
things that are in them (v.15b)------God is almighty.
II. The living God (v.15c)------God is everlasting.
III. God (v.15c)------God is sole.
IV. He in bygone generations allowed all nations to
walk in their own ways (v.16)------God’s patience.
V. He did not leave Himself without witness
(v.17a)------God’s works.
VI. He did good (v.17b)------God’s mercy.
How the Lord’s Workers Take Care of the
Church and Believers
II. Exhorting them to continue in the faith
(v.22b).
III. Predicting that they will suffer many
tribulations (v.22c).
IV. Appointing elders in every church
(v.23a)------entrusting men to look after and oversee the church.
V. Commending them to the Lord in whom they had
believed (v.23b)------commanding to the hand of the Lord by praying.
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren