Paul and Barnabus have been expelled from Antioch for preaching the Word of the Lord, leaving behind in each place a small group of believers for whom God would raise up a leader to guide them. This was at that time and continues today to be the pattern wherever God plants a church. Note it: In God’s church THE PEOPLE DO NOT CHOOSE THEIR LEADER. Unlike man’s way of church administration, God’s way is from the top down–the tail does not wag the dog. God raises up Whom He wants in each location. The people then choose to follow God’s appointed man or not. Most do not. See Ministerial Ordination.

Verse one through five: Paul and Barnabus have arrived in Iconium where they did what the apostles routinely did–they went into “the synagogue of the Jews and spake.” Because of the power of their message “a great multitude of both Jews and Greeks (Helenized Jews) believed.” Note that, upon arriving in a city, Paul would go first to the Jewish synagogues and preach to Jews, thereby fulfilling God’s instructions that salvation was to  be offered to “the Jew first, then the Gentile” (Rom. 2:10)–words written by Paul himself. Let it be known that THE NEW COVENANT CHURCH IS AN ISRAELITE INSTITUTION. GENTILES ENTER IT ONLY BY BECOMING SPIRITUAL ISRAELITES BY BELIEVING AND OBEYING THE GOD OF THE ISRAELITES AND ACCPETING HIS SON AS THEIR MESSIAH. See White Fields. Recall that this is exactly what happened when Israel and a mixed multitude of Gentiles came out of Egypt.

But as is always the case where the Word of God is spoken or written, the religious people came against the apostles. Note that the Jews were so intent on destroying their testimony that they joined forces with local Gentiles. The irony is that, though Gentiles (goy–heathen) were so despised by the Jews that they were not allowed inside their synagogues, they hated God’s Truth so much that they joined with them to fight against it (religion makes strange bedfellows). But this had no effect on the apostles who stayed for a long time in Iconium, “speaking boldly in the Lord,” giving testimony unto the Word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.” Undaunted, the unbelieving Jews and their Gentile partners decided to stone the apostles to death.

Verses six through ten: But Paul and Barnabus got wind of their plans. Leaving the city, they went into the region of Lycaonia where they preached “THE,” and only THE gospel of the Kingdom of God. One of the cities of Lycaonia where the apostles preached was Lystra where they found a man who had never walked listening to their words. Perceiving that he had faith to be healed (as revealed by the Holy Spirit), Paul told him to rise and walk. “And he leaped (up) and walked.”

Verses eleven through eighteen: Seeing what had happened to the crippled man, and believing that Paul and Barnabus had affected his healing, the people worshipped them and set about to do sacrifice to them. It took all of the apostles’ persuasive powers to convince them that they were mortal men just as they were.

Verses nineteen through twenty-eight: Then men arrived from Iconium and Antioch and stoned Paul, leaving him for dead. He arose, however, and returned to the city where he again preached to the people. The next day he and Barnabus left for Derbe where they preached the gospel to the people. Leaving there they returned to Lystra where they encouraged the saints to continue to walk the walk of true sainthood. After this they went through every city where they had established churches and ordained those whom God had raised up to leadership positions. Having done what God had commanded of them, they returned to Antioch from whence they had been sent. Meeting with the brethren they reported all that God had done through them. Note that they did what God told them to do, and nothing else. Note also that they routinely met with opposition from the religious establishment. Nothing has changed. L.J.