Participants: Tony Moore
Series Code: IFP
Program Code: IFP000005
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01:36 Paul and Barnabas left the coast of Pamfilya
01:39 and traveled inland over the Taurus mountains to 01:44 the Anatolian plateau. They came here to the 01:48 city of Antioch. No, this was not Antioch from 01:53 which they were commissioned to go forth 01:55 as missionaries. That was Antioch on 01:57 the Orontes. This was Antioch in Pisidia. 02:02 You see, Seleucus built fourteen different 02:05 Antioch's and named them in honor of his father, 02:08 Antiochus. They were distinguished by their 02:11 geographical features. The apostles were 02:14 commissioned for their first missionary tour from 02:17 Antioch on the Orontes, because it was built 02:21 beside the Orontes river. They came here to 02:25 Pisidian Antioch, because this was Antioch 02:28 in the Roman province of Pisidia. 02:32 This was a great city in those days but 02:36 it was very, very isolated. 02:38 It was over a hundred miles from the coastal 02:41 city of Perga. And we wonder why 02:45 the two missionaries came here? 02:48 While it was a great city, it did not have the 02:51 influence of Perga or Ephesus or Corinth to 02:56 which he would later go. There had been three 02:58 very interesting reasons suggested us to why 03:01 Paul and Barnabas came here to the interior 03:05 of Asia. The first is, there was a very large 03:09 Jewish community here. This was Paul's traditional 03:13 way of evangelizing, to go to a city, 03:16 to meet the Jewish leaders and to share in the 03:19 synagogue with the Jews and the God fearers 03:22 who met there. The second reason is 03:25 found in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 13 where 03:28 Paul says "You know that I first came to 03:31 preach the gospel among you because 03:33 of an illness." Many have wondered 03:35 if Paul developed a malaria down the coast of 03:38 Pamfilya and he left the low, 03:42 humid coastal plain to come up to the more 03:45 healthful high altitude plain of Anatolia, 03:49 to seek relief from the symptoms. 03:54 The third reason and perhaps the most 03:55 interesting to me is that of Sergius Paulus, 03:59 the roman governor of Cyprus. 04:02 It's been said that Sergius Paulus was 04:04 actually from this area, that he was from 04:07 this city. I can imagine if he was that he would 04:12 have asked Paul and Barnabas, 04:15 go and take the good news of Jesus to 04:18 my family, to my friends here. 04:21 I can imagine that they came into this city 04:24 bearing letters of reference and 04:26 recommendations from Sergius Paulus. 04:30 I would imagine that they also had letters to 04:32 share with his family and friends of his own 04:35 personal testimony. It was a dangerous journey 04:40 for Paul and Barnabas up through the mountains, 04:43 up through the paths where robbers and thieves 04:46 would often hang out and fall upon unsuspecting 04:49 travelers. Paul refers to it in Second 04:52 Corinthians, where he talks about being in 04:55 danger from robbers and rivers. 04:58 The river can overflow at any moment to the 05:00 flash floods. It was a dangerous journey but God 05:03 had opened the door and they felt they must 05:06 walk through that door. And so they journeyed. 05:10 And as they journeyed up the hills to this high 05:13 3000 foot elevation, their heart was beating 05:18 "Lord, who do you have to reach for your kingdom 05:23 in this city?" You see, Pisidian Antioch was a 05:26 great city, it had a lengthy history. 05:31 It was given by the Romans to the 05:32 King of Galatia. Thus this area is not 05:34 only known as Pisidia, but also Galatia. 05:37 It was given to the King of Galatia, 05:39 but after his death it returned back to 05:41 the Romans. Caesar Augustus dedicated 05:45 the city as a Roman colony. 05:48 He wanted to protect the mains of roads and the 05:51 trade roads that stretched from Tarsus in the 05:54 East to Ephesus on the coast of the Aegean. 05:58 And so this city was decorated with 06:00 Roman splendor. There was a fabulous 06:03 temple to Caesar Augustus himself built 06:06 right up on the top of this city. 06:09 This was one of the finest temples to Augustus 06:13 ever constructed. In addition, when Paul came 06:16 into this city there was also a temple 06:18 to Tiberius. Two major squares come together 06:22 on the top of this city. Paul and Barnabas 06:27 followed their regular pattern of going to the 06:31 synagogue in the various cities they visited. 06:35 They came to the synagogue here in 06:37 Pisidian Antioch. And after the scripture 06:41 reading had been given, the synagogue leader 06:44 asked Paul and Barnabas if they had anything 06:47 important to share with the people who had 06:50 gathered for worship on the Sabbath. 06:53 It's very interesting that the synagogue here 06:56 was made up as most synagogues in Greek 06:58 speaking areas of both Jews and a group of people 07:03 known as God fearers. The God fearers are people 07:06 who had not accepted Judaism to the point 07:10 of being circumcised, yet preferred Judaism 07:15 because of the monotheistic God. 07:17 They were tired of all the Greek and Roman Gods 07:21 and the multiplication of Gods, and preferred the 07:24 one God of the Jews. So, Paul and Barnabas came 07:28 into the synagogue and were invited to stand up 07:31 and to speak. Paul focused upon the 07:36 16 chapter of Psalms where it says 07:39 "You will not leave your holy one in the grave 07:42 or allow to see corruption. 07:45 Yes, Paul said, Jesus was raised from the dead. 07:48 The hearts of the people was stirred both Jews 07:51 and the gentles, who had assembled 07:54 in the synagogue. They said we want to hear 07:56 you about this next week. Come back to the 07:59 synagogue and teach us again. 08:01 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the Synagogue, 08:04 the people invited them to speak further about 08:06 these things on the next Sabbath. 08:08 When the congregation was dismissed, 08:10 many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism 08:13 followed Paul and Barnabas, 08:14 who talked with themand urge them to continue 08:17 in the grace of God. Yes, it was a mighty moving 08:20 of the Spirit. They wanted to hear 08:22 about this the next week. Verse 44, 08:25 "On the next Sabbath almost the whole city 08:29 gathered to hear the word of the Lord." 08:32 Isn't that incredible? The next Sabbath almost 08:35 the entire city gathered to hear the word 08:38 of the Lord. Now was this due to the tremendous 08:41 preaching of Paul? Was it due to the 08:45 influence of the letters of reference that 08:47 Sergius Paulus had sent to the city? 08:49 Or is it just a mighty moving of the Spirit? 08:52 It was a combination of all three. 08:55 While we do know is, Luke said, the next Sabbath 08:58 almost the entire city came together to hear 09:01 Paul and Barnabas sharing the good news about 09:04 Jesus as the Messiah, as the Christ and his 09:08 resurrection from the dead. Paul and Barnabas 09:11 were thrilled of what happened, 09:14 but the devil was angry, 09:15 and he stirs up the crowd, verse 45. 09:19 "When the Jews saw the crowds, 09:21 they were filled with jealousy and talked 09:24 abusively against what Paul was saying." 09:27 The Jews saw the crowds and they began to 09:29 speak abusively about what Paul was saying. 09:34 Why would they be jealous of this? 09:36 This is a tremendous moving of God's Spirit, 09:39 the whole city in this Roman colony coming 09:41 together to hear Paul and Barnabas. 09:44 The same word that is used for jealous is the 09:48 word zeal. You see, the Jewish leaders were 09:51 zealous with the traditions of 09:53 their fathers. They were concerned 09:55 that Paul was presenting the Jewish Messiah 10:00 to gentiles, and not instructing them to first 10:04 become Jews. They were zealous for the traditions 10:07 of the fathers and they turned their attitude 10:10 against Paul and the message he was preaching. 10:13 They began to say distracting things and 10:16 misleading things and confusing things. 10:20 "Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: 10:22 We had to speak the word of God to you first. 10:26 Since you rejected it and do not consider 10:27 yourselves worthy of eternal life, 10:29 we now turn to the Gentiles. 10:31 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 10:34 I have made you a light for the Gentiles, 10:36 that you may bring salvation to the ends 10:38 of the earth. When the Gentiles heard this, 10:41 they were glad and honored the word of the Lord, 10:43 and all who were appointed for eternal 10:45 life believed." Paul turns from the Jews and says 10:49 "Now we must go to the gentiles. 10:51 God had told me to preach to you first," 10:53 but for the first time Paul begins now to 10:56 minister directly to the gentiles. 10:59 He preaches Jesus and shares Jesus with 11:01 gentiles here in this city. 11:03 And they are happy, the their believing is 11:06 tremendous, it's powerful, 11:08 it's a revival happening here in 11:10 Pisidian Antioch. The old devil is angry 11:14 and he stirs up the crowds again. 11:16 The devil is angry and he stirs up the Jewish 11:19 leaders who become abusive. 11:22 This whole question of salvation and how a 11:25 person is made right before God as he was going 11:28 from Judaism to the gentile world would be the 11:33 subject of our next chapter in this series. 11:37 The great council of Jerusalem is convened to 11:40 try and sort through this very, 11:43 very complicated issue. Do gentiles have to 11:48 become Jews to be saved by believing in the 11:51 Jewish Messiah, Jesus? What is the relationship? 11:56 Later Paul would write one of his letters to the 11:58 church here and to the surrounding churches in 12:00 the area of Galatia dealing with this 12:03 very subject, yes. The word of the Lord 12:06 spread through the whole region. 12:08 But, the Jews incited the God-fearing women of 12:11 high standing and the leading men of the city. 12:15 They stirred up persecution against 12:16 Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from 12:19 their region. Yes, God moved in a mighty way. 12:24 Jews and gentiles had accepted the message of 12:27 Jesus as Messiah. But, the devil stirs up the 12:31 leaders to oppose this message and they go to 12:34 the leading God fearers in the city, 12:36 those who prefer Judaism, but had not been 12:39 committed to Judaism formally. 12:41 They stir them up and cause them to turn 12:46 against the words of Paul and Barnabas. 12:49 And then Luke says, that the work here 12:51 in Pisidian Antioch closed up. 12:54 They were expelled from the region. 12:56 But, it says, always been persecution is simply 13:01 the seed of the gospel. Paul and Barnabas leave 13:05 the city of Pisidian Antioch and press deeper 13:08 into the Anatolian plateau. 13:10 They would go to the city of Iconium. 13:12 And there they would preach the gospel 13:15 in the synagogue. Yes, Paul and Barnabas had 13:17 met Jesus as their Messiah. 13:20 And their heart was full to the overflowing 13:23 to share Jesus with other people. 13:27 We've come here to the modern city of Konya, 13:30 a city in the central Anatolian plateau at a 13:34 very high elevation. This city is surrounded 13:37 by mountains and is a sprawling metropolis. 13:42 We've come here because this is the 13:44 ancient city of Iconium to which Paul and 13:47 Barnabas fled when they had to leave 13:50 Pisidian Antioch. At Iconium, 13:53 Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the 13:55 Jewish Synagogue. There they spoke so 13:58 effectively that a great number of Jews and 14:00 Gentiles believed. Yes, Paul and Barnabas came 14:04 to this city and went to the synagogue as usual. 14:08 They spoke so effectively that a great number of 14:11 Jews and gentiles believed here in this city. 14:15 Yes, the cross of Jesus was planted here in 14:18 ancient Iconium or modern day Konya. 14:21 The church behind me is a new testimony to the 14:24 power of the cross that was established here. 14:27 Christianity took deep root, 14:30 this became a center of Christianity. 14:33 Unfortunately, today this center has been 14:36 sub-planted as a center of Islam. 14:40 Behind me is the Celtic mosque that dates 14:43 back to the 12th century. Islam was sub plant 14:47 Christianity in the city of Iconium, 14:50 today this is a city of Islam, as can be seen 14:54 by the many, many mosques scattered 14:56 throughout the city. This is also the center of 15:00 the whirling dervishes, world-famous for their 15:03 ability to spin like tops. But, the church would 15:10 be cross embossed on one of the stones. 15:12 Is a powerful testimony of Paul and Barnabas 15:16 coming here and presenting Jesus. 15:19 "But the Jews who refused to believe stirred 15:22 up the Gentiles and poisoned their 15:24 minds against the brothers." 15:27 The Jews again became very agitated with Paul 15:30 and Barnabas, they became zealous 15:32 or jealous of what was taking place, 15:34 as gentiles were becoming believers. 15:37 So, they poisoned the minds of the people 15:39 against the message of Paul and Barnabas. 15:41 "So Paul and Barnabas spend considerable time 15:44 there, speaking boldly for the Lord, 15:46 who confirmed the message of his grace by 15:49 enabling them to do miraculous signs 15:51 and wonders. The people of the city were divided: 15:54 some sided with the Jews, 15:55 others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot 15:58 among the Gentiles and Jews to gather with 16:01 their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 16:05 But they found out about it and fled to the 16:07 Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to 16:09 the surrounding country, where they continue to 16:12 preach the good news. " What a thrilling story! 16:15 They came, they preached, they stayed here for 16:17 quite a while, many people became 16:19 converts to the message, both Jews and gentiles. 16:22 But, then they heard, that there was a 16:24 plot afoot to take their lives, to stone them, 16:27 and so they slipped away and went out to 16:29 the wide frontier lands of Lycaonia, 16:32 to the cities of Lystra and Derbe, 16:35 where almost an amazing story takes place. 16:45 We've now come from Iconium out to the ancient 16:49 Tell of Lystra. In ancient times this was 16:54 in the region of Lycaonia. 16:57 It's a beautiful farming area, very isolated, 17:01 surrounded by a river and very picturesque. 17:07 We had a very difficult time finding this Tell, 17:09 but when we finally identified this site, 17:12 we began to see potsherds, everywhere there are 17:14 potsherds. Here's some that we just happen to 17:17 find just laying right around where we we're 17:19 doing this shoot and here you can see some of the 17:22 pot-handles and bigger pieces of pottery and 17:26 edges of pottery obviously from more of a on 17:29 earth and wear jug that would probably go into 17:31 the ground to hold grain. So this is a Tell, 17:34 an excavated Tell, very, very interesting, 17:37 you can see the conical shape of it, 17:39 you can see how the city walls would have gone 17:41 around the outer walls out here and they would 17:44 have been a upper wall up above and a very 17:48 delightful setting, very delightful place. 17:50 Paul and Barnabas left Iconium when they 17:54 discovered that there was a plot afoot between 17:56 the Jews and gentiles, who are the leaders of 17:59 the city to stone Paul. They came out here 18:02 into the countryside and to the wild frontier of 18:05 Lycaonian and here they had a wonderful 18:08 reception, here they preached the good news 18:10 that Jesus was the Messiah. 18:12 People's hearts were opened and God did many 18:15 miraculous signs here. One of the signs took 18:19 place when Paul saw a crippled man who was 18:22 listening. He looks at him and said 18:24 "Stand up on your feet, man," 18:26 and the man jumped up. The people were amazed 18:30 when this happened. The people said the Gods 18:33 have come down among us in human form. 18:37 And they began to declare this in the Lycaonian 18:39 dialect that Paul and Barnabas could 18:42 not understand. It's an amazing story, 18:46 you see the temple of Zeus was located just 18:50 outside the city gates. And there was a long 18:53 history with this city concerning Zeus and Hermes 18:59 coming to visit it. According to local 19:03 tradition Zeus and Hermes came in human form 19:06 and went through the city and no one would give 19:09 them food or lodging. They were shunned by 19:13 everyone except for an elderly couple who invited 19:17 them into their humble home and shared their 19:19 meal with them and gave them a place to sleep. 19:22 The next morning the two Gods identified 19:25 themselves as Hermes and Zeus. 19:27 The couple was stunned, they were shocked. 19:30 And then they took the couple by the hand and 19:32 went up to a high ridge overlooking the city 19:35 and watched as the floodwater came 19:38 sweeping through this area and swept away all 19:41 of the huts, except for one, 19:44 the older couple's home was preserved. 19:48 Their home had been transformed according to 19:50 the tradition into the very temple of Zeus that 19:52 stood here in Paul's day. The couple became the 19:56 priest of Zeus in that temple and when they died, 20:01 the tradition said they became trees, 20:04 planted by the river. The stumps of which 20:07 according to the tradition were still 20:09 visible in Paul's day. And so this story was 20:13 deep in the psyche of the local people here. 20:17 And when the word went out that the Gods had 20:19 come down in human form they literally thought 20:22 that Zeus and Hermes had returned. 20:25 They thought that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was 20:28 Hermes because he was the principal spokesman. 20:31 All of this discussion however was going on 20:33 in the Lycaonian dialect. Paul and Barnabas 20:37 do not understand what's going on. 20:39 The whole crowd of the town comes together 20:42 and soon the priest of Zeus comes with oxen and 20:47 garlands of flowers to set apart Paul and 20:51 Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes and to sacrifices 20:54 to them. When Paul and Barnabas 20:56 finally get drift was going on, Paul says no, 20:59 you can't do this. We're just men like you are. 21:02 You can't sacrifices to us, we worship the God 21:05 who sends the rain and lets the crops grow. 21:07 Who blesses you day by day. 21:10 We're just His servants, we're not Gods. 21:14 The crown was offended, they were deeply 21:16 disappointed. It took all that Paul and Barnabas 21:19 could do to prevent them from sacrificing 21:22 to them. Soon the Jewish mischief-makers from 21:28 Antioch and from Iconium made their way out to 21:34 the isolated frontier town here at Lystra. 21:38 They stirred up the people and turned many people 21:41 against Paul and Barnabas. In a moment of 21:45 terrible anger and mob mentality Paul was taken 21:51 and stoned. And then brought outside the 21:55 city and left for dead. As I walked around 21:59 this Tell, I've looked down and seen many stones. 22:03 And as I walk by and see these stones I wonder 22:06 could this be the stone, could this be one of the 22:10 stones that they threw at Paul, 22:14 thinking that it would cause his death? 22:16 Yes, the site is littered with stones, 22:19 Paul was stoned, brought out and left 22:22 for dead outside the city gates. 22:25 Luke tells us that a few of the disciples came 22:28 and ministered to him and took him 22:30 into their home. I wonder who they were. 22:36 I suspect that some of them had to be Eunice 22:41 and Lois and their son Timothy. 22:46 This special family would become tied closely to 22:50 Paul's heart in the future. 22:53 This would be the first time that Paul would 22:55 meet Timothy, a person that he would 22:58 invite to journey with him when he passed through 23:00 this city on his second missionary journey. 23:03 Paul and Timothy would form a deep and enduring 23:06 friendship. Paul would write two letters that 23:09 are in the New Testament to his son in 23:11 the gospel, Timothy. And yes, 23:13 he was from this village. His father was a Greek, 23:18 his mother was a Jew. Later Paul would 23:21 circumcise him and take him with him and he 23:24 became his special assistant. 23:28 Paul and Barnabas were cared for by the disciples 23:33 that night and then Luke simply says that next 23:36 day they left and walked to Derbe. 23:39 Derbe was about 30 miles east of Lystra, 23:42 another frontier town out in the Lycaonian 23:46 wilderness. And there they found an 23:49 open reception, peoples hearts were 23:52 open to the gospel. As far as we know no 23:56 persecution developed and a great number 23:58 of people became believers in Derbe. 24:02 In the area of Derbe today there are over 24:05 1001 ruins of churches. That means that there 24:11 are over 1001 churches planted right 24:15 around the little town of Derbe. 24:20 After planting the churches in Antioch 24:23 of Pisidia, Iconium, Derbe and Lystra. 24:27 Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps, 24:30 appointing elders in each of the churches as 24:33 they revisited them. Then they would have 24:35 walked back down this ancient road to Perga. 24:40 And then encouraged the disciples there and 24:43 we can imagine again appointing elders and 24:45 church leaders and then walking over through 24:48 the major harbor, Attalia. Today Attalia is known 24:53 as Antalya. It's a beautiful picturesque 24:57 harbor town on the South Western coast of Turkey. 25:02 Ships still use the ancient port, 25:06 taking their traffic out to sea. 25:09 This port today as you can see is mostly filled 25:12 with yachts and pleasure boats, 25:14 not vessels of commerce, for Antalya today seems 25:19 to be more of a seaside resort then a major 25:23 commercial center. Paul and Barnabas visited 25:27 the disciples in Perga and then walked over to 25:31 the major seaport of Attalia. 25:35 Luke simply describes that here they caught a 25:37 ship and headed back to Antioch. 25:41 The two men were tired from the journey they 25:43 had taken. Luke notes that at the end of 25:46 Acts chapter 14 and verse 28, 25:49 "And they stayed there a long time with 25:51 the disciples." They were doubtless tired and 25:55 weary from the journey that they had taken. 25:57 They've walked many miles, they had traveled 26:00 hundred of miles by ship. 26:01 They were tired and weary. Now they came back to 26:05 their home base to rest and rejoice in the good 26:09 news of what God had done among the gentiles. 26:12 They were rejoicing in the sweetness of seeing 26:15 entire communities turn from death to life. 26:20 They were rejoicing in seeing the gospel of Jesus 26:24 Christ planted in new areas. 26:27 Yes, it had been a tremendous experience. 26:29 A phenomenal moving of the Holy Spirit. 26:32 The church rejoiced here at Antioch, 26:34 Paul and Barnabas were rejoicing, 26:36 but the old devil was threatened. 26:39 He was angry, he was upset and he stirs up a 26:43 new controversy shortly after they arrived back 26:47 here in Antioch. That would be the focus 26:50 of our next chapter in this thrilling series: 26:54 The Footsteps Of Paul, as we look at how the 26:57 Christian church emerges and develops. 27:01 Let's pray together. Father, we thank you so 27:04 much for the faith of people here in Antioch 27:08 that set apart Saul and Barnabas in response to 27:13 the moving impressions of the Holy Spirit and 27:16 sent them to distant cities and provinces of 27:20 the empire to proclaim the good news of Jesus. 27:24 Lord, we thank you for the faithfulness of Saul 27:27 and Barnabas who were willing to follow wherever 27:30 you led. Whether it was down to a ship 27:33 to sail to Cyprus, to sail to Perga, 27:35 whether it was to walk up those high mountain 27:39 passes into Pisidia and across to Galatia, 27:42 they were faithful whatever it meant. 27:45 Lord Jesus, by your grace, 27:47 enable us also to be faithful, 27:49 to follow in your footsteps wherever 27:52 you lead, we pray in Jesus name, amen. 27:56 Don't miss the next thrilling chapter in this 27:59 series as we examine how the Christian church 28:02 emerges from the shadows of Judaism. |
Revised 2014-12-17