At Iconium they proceed to the synagogue, and experience the same thing; a great door is open to them. The adversaries are many, but the synagogue is open to them, and there they declare the glad tidings of God’s salvation, so that a great multitude, both of the Jews and of the Greeks, believed.
The unbelieving Jews are at their work of the adversary, stirring up the Gentile minds, with evil effect against the brethren. Still for a long time they stayed there, speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony to the Word of His grace, and He granted that many signs and wonders should be done by their hands.
The city was divided; part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. Then an assault was made upon, them by both Gentiles, and Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them. They were made aware of it, and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lyconia, and into the region that lies round about, and there they preached the gospel.
Nothing stops them in their labors. When the door is shut in one place, it is open at another, and thus the gospel spreads.
At Lystra, there sat a certain man, a cripple, who had no power in his feet, had never been able to walk. He listened to Paul telling the story of the love of God, giving Christ the Son to die for sinners. And Paul beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on thy feet,” and the man leaped and walked. This is the first time we get faith in the one that is healed. When the poor, ignorant, Gentile idolaters saw what Paul had done, they cried out in their native language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men,” and they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter came with oxen and garlands to sacrifice to them. When Paul and Barnabas heard of it, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying, “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
Thus the apostles sought to persuade the Gentiles of Lystra to give up their idols, and to believe in Him. But how fickle is man! here they preached, to lead them to know and to believe in Him. But how fickle is man! here they were going to worship the apostles, and the next thing we hear, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the people to stone Paul, and then drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Such is man, when he has not the truth. Paul himself had persecuted the saints, and this in a religious way. What a change the gospel received, and grace active in the heart, makes in a man in such a world as this.
But the Lord took care of His servant, and it was not His will yet to take him home. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city, and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. The Lord used them there again to the blessing of many, then undaunted by what had been allowed to happen to them, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium and Antioch, this time to confirm the souls of the disciples in the truth, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the Kingdom of God. Then they chose elders for the assembly in each place, and prayed with fasting, and commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. Thus the disciples were warned and instructed, and made aware in each assembly, what a world they were in, and what the portion of the godly man is: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:1212Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)).
Yet if the Christian conforms to the world, it will bear with him, but he will lose the joy of the Holy Ghost, and of communion with God—a loss nothing can make up for: When in the company of the world, such an one is ill at ease. And in spiritual company, his conscience reproves him for walking badly; that which is pleasure to them, is a reproof to him.
Note also that here we get elders in the assembles mentioned for the first time. They are chosen and appointed by the apostles. In no case do we find the assembly choosing them, and the Epistle to Titus confirms this. All the elders are really called bishops and overseers (Acts 20:17, 2817And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. (Acts 20:17)
28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28). Titus 1:5-95For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: 6If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. 7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; 9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:5‑9)). It is important to notice these things, to get a Scriptural view of the assembly at the beginning, and to understand how terrible has been the departure that began, even in the days of the apostles (2 Tim. 3:1-51This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1‑5); Jude 44For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4); 1 John 2:18, 1918Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:18‑19); Matt. 13: 28-30). All around us is disorder, confusion, and corruption, but we need to learn the truth as the apostles gave it to us. In Acts 20, Paul by the Spirit tells of what is coming, and now we see it has come.
Verse 24 tells of their continued activity. At Perga it is specially mentioned that they preached the Word, then they go to Attalia, and from there sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. Thus Antioch is marked out as the place from whence they started, and Jerusalem has ceased to be the earthly center of God’s activities in the assemblies.
When they were come, and had gathered the assembly together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. “And there they abode a long time with the disciples.”
What calm superiority to circumstances is seen in these true servants of God, as another “Outrage and violence neither impede the work, nor enfeeble the courage of the servants. When the Lord so wills it, they return in peace to the very places from whence they have been driven. It is beautiful to see the calm superiority of faith over the violence of man, and how God conducts the hearts of His servants. They submit to, or, if possible, avoid violence; but if the work requires it, God opens the door, and the laborers are there with it again.”