The apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.
Observation
Having been rejected in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas travel to Iconium. They preach in the synagogue and a great number of people are saved. They stay there for some time, preaching boldly and demonstrating god’s power in signs and wonders.
A plan arises amongst both Jews and Gentiles to attack Paul and Barnabas. They flee to Lystra and Derbe where they continue to preach the Good News.
Application
The apostles stayed a long time in Iconium, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. It must have been difficult for some Jewish people to accept that they were saved by grace and not by following religious laws.
This is a radical message, even for many christians. We find it hard at times to believe that we really are set free and forgiven by God’s grace. We find it hard to squash that belief that we can earn God’s favour by our own goodness.
Alternatively, we can fall into the trap of thinking that we must be sinning when God feels distant.
It is all grace. Our salvation, our relationship with God, our status of righteousness- everything is grace!
To prove the power of the message, the Lord blessed the apostles with the grace to perform signs and wonders. When we truly trust in God’s grace, we are set free in every part of our being- physical, emotional, spiritual.
There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain. Not because the word is holy or magical, but because Jesus is powerful.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for your grace. Thank you for setting me free of every kind of sin. Amen.
And the believers were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Observation
Many Jews and converts to Judaism follow Paul and Barnabas, so that the following Sabbath just about the whole city turns out to hear them. But some of the Jewish leaders start opposing their message.
Paul and Barnabas boldly declare that since the Jews have rejected them, they will now go to the Gentiles. The Gentiles rejoice that Paul will now focus his attention on them, and many become believers.
The Jews incite a mob and have Paul and Barnabas run out of town.
Application
This passage ends with Paul and Barnabas, having been ejected from the city, shake the dust from their feet and move on to Iconium. Then it says, “The believers were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
This is not to mean that the believers were filled with joy because Paul and Barnabas were gone. I think that what it is saying is that the gospel and the church are bigger than even the greatest of leaders and preachers.
The church in Antioch continued to prosper because the people had the Holy Spirit. The Lord is the one who leads and directs the people of God. We have leaders who set directions and give encouragement, but when every believer knows they are filled with the Holy Spirit, then when leaders are taken away, it makes little or no difference to what God can do in and through the church.
The New Testament makes it clear that it is the Lord who appoints His leaders- apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Leaders are essential to God’s purposes, and we ignore them at our peril.
In the end, we must recognise the gifts of leaders, but not be dependent on them above our dependence on the Lord.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for bringing order into the church, your community of faith. Thank you for pastors and other leaders. Thank you also that even when individual leaders move on, you do not leave us without direction. Amen.
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 2:6. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site.
Ephesians 2:6
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.
The work of God in saving us from sin and death is already completed. When God rose Christ from the dead, He also raised from the dead all who were, and all who would be, “in Christ.”
Even those of us who were born historically two millennia after Christ, were raised with him.
The Lord has a different perspective on time than we do, so it’s best not to get too caught up in chronology.
The fact that we have already been raised with Christ means that the work of salvation is completed. There is no doubt about whether God will do this for the followers of Christ as it has already been done.
There are all kinds of anxieties that can be set Christians.
Am I good enough?
Do I have enough faith?
Will God accept me?
What else do I have to do to be saved?
No! It has already been done. We’ve been raised up to new life in Christ. We have been raised to heaven and are sitting there with Christ now.
Because that work has been completed, it cannot be undone. It can’t be added to or taken away from.
When we know this in our hearts, then we can relax in Christ. There is no fear, no anxiety. We do not have to prove ourselves worthy of salvation or do enough good deeds. It is finished! We have been raised up.
Every church service is, or should be, a reminder that Christ died for me, and that He has been raised up to life, and therefore I am raised up also.
Our resurrection depends on being “with Christ.” It is as if we have to hold onto his hand as he is raised in order to be raised also.
Connection with Christ, or fellowship with him, is the central, most important duty of a Christian. It is in Christ that we are saved, and it is with Christ that we are raised to the heavenly realms.
Many Christians seem to struggle with maintaining a close relationship with Christ, but this is essential to our salvation. It is not enough to say just one prayer to be saved, although this is a good thing.
We have to maintain the relationship with Christ. There are various means for this such as reading the Bible, prayer, corporate worship, fellowship with other believers.
Many of us are like the man who told his wife, “ I told you I loved you on our wedding day. If there is any change to that I will let you know.”
No, our being with Christ or in Christ requires us to deepen the relationship.
We were raised on the first day we said “Yes” to Christ, but why would we settle for anything less than close communion with him?
God seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.
When Christ was raised from the dead, He raised us with him, and when He was seated at the right hand of the Father, we were there too. We are there “in Christ Jesus.”
This means that I am both a creature of earth and of heaven. My physical body is on earth, but my spirit is united with Christ in the heavenly realms.
We see the world in three dimensional form, but there are many more dimensions that we do not see. We experience the world through physical senses, but the spiritual realm is often hidden from us.
Paul tells us that we are already seated in the heavenly realms with Christ- even if we are not aware of this.
Our sins have been washed away through Christ and we are now entitled to dwell in heaven. In the past, our sin cut us off from all fellowship with God, but now we have authority to be with him in the heavenly realms.
If we are already seated with Christ, we need to see all things from His perspective, from a heavenly perspective. We need to develop spiritual senses that enable us to see beyond the physical. Paul talks about this later in his discussion of spiritual warfare. We are not fighting in the flesh but in the spirit, overcoming spiritual powers.
As Christians, our real dwelling place is in the heavenly realms- in the spirit realms. This is not future but is a present reality founded on what God did in the past in Christ.
Key points in this verse:
We have already been raised from death in Christ
We do not need to add to Christ work. It is complete
We must pursue relationship with Christ
God has seated us in heavenly places in Christ
We must learn to see things from a heavenly perspective, not just the physical perspective
“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him will be declared right with God- something that the law of Moses could never do.”
Observation
Paul and Barnabas sail to Pamphylia and then travel to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they go to the synagogue where they are invited to bring a word of encouragement. Paul proceeds to go through the history of Israel and how God has always led His people. He uses the scriptures to encourage them to become followers of Jesus.
Application
In the Jewish religion there was a temptation to believe that righteousness could be earned by obeying all the requirements of the Law. There was also the opposite temptation of despairing at never being able to do enough to please God.
Both of those failings can be found in the church today, but only when people fail to understand that righteousness comes only as a gift through Jesus.
As Paul says in this Scripture, “through the man Jesus there is forgiveness of sins.” We cannot earn our way to righteousness; all we can do is put our trust in Jesus who has paid the price for our forgiveness.
Everyone who believes in Jesus is declared right with God. Instead of my sin falling on my head, it falls on Christ.
God declares that I am righteous. My sins are forgiven and my debt is paid. I can stand secure in my relationship with God.
This is seriously Good News!
Prayer
Thank you Lord Jesus for paying the price for my sin. Thank you that in you there is true righteousness. Amen.
Scripture When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
Observation One day, the prophets and teachers of the church in Antioch are worshipping and fasting when the Holy Spirit directs them to dedicate Saul and Barnabas for the Lord’s work. They do this, and Barnabas and Saul go to Cyprus.
In the town of Paphos, they meet the governor who wants to hear more about the gospel. A sorcerer named Elymas tries to prevent the governor from listening to them, but Saul, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares God’s judgement on Elymas who is then struck blind for a time.
The governor becomes a believer.
Application It has often been said that a key cause of the growth of the early church was the presence of miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. Many of these miracles were what we might describe as positive- healings and the like. Some of them represented God’s judgement. In either case, the miracles were a powerful sign of God’s blessing on the Good News.
It is interesting that in this case, the governor received salvation after Elymas was struck blind. He became a believer because he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
The judgement on Elymas backed up the teaching and the authority of Saul and Barnabas. He did not believe just because of the miracle. He believed because of the teaching which was backed up by the miracle.
If I make a prediction based on scientific measurements that it will rain tomorrow, you might be sceptical that I know anything about science. But when I does rain, my credibility and knowledge of science are backed up.
When our proclamation of the Good News is backed up by signs and wonders, the gospel has greater power to overcome people’s objections.
Prayer Father, please fill me with your Holy Spirit so that my speaking for you is bolstered by your power. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 