Paul & Barnabas On The Move: The Holy Spirit Spreads The Gospel Against Demonic Oppression

So we’ve gone from Jesus Christ, alive from the dead, commanding his rag tag band of followers to make disciples of the whole world. They set out to do that in Jerusalem but faced severe persecution. So they fled off into the roman empire preaching the gospel wherever they went. Peter, Philip, and the various disciples spread the gospel wherever they went. But the Jewish authorities pursued them, sending Saul of Tarsus to arrest them. But this Pharisee Saul was converted radically while traveling on the road, he saw Jesus calling him. And so this persecutor became a disciple of Jesus, Saul, now renamed Paul, with his new companion Barnabas, headed out from Antioch, to the island of Cyprus, then north to Perga on the coast, then north again to Iconium.

Everywhere they go what do they do? They go into the city, and go directly to the Jewish synagogue in the area. Remember there were small Jewish communities throughout the roman empire. And they would preach the gospel there. But more and more they are also preaching to the romans, and all non-Jews as well. Each place they go what happens? They win many to Christ, but face persecution, sometimes from the Jews, sometimes from the romans, and then they flee to a new area, and the cycle repeats.

I want to make it clear to you today something about all this. This historical record called the book of acts, or the acts of the apostles, could very easily be called the acts guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit and accomplished through the apostles. But that would be quite a mouth full wouldn’t it? What’s really going on under the surface of these controversies in the cities is the reality of spiritual warfare.

The Holy Spirit guides the apostles to a new city. The Holy Spirit speaks the gospel through them, and they win many to Christ. Demonic forces of evil respond by inspiring Jews and gentiles to persecute and attack and imprison and even physically assault the apostles. The crowds are divided between those inspired by the holy spirit and those inspired by demons. Then the holy spirit responds by helping the apostles escape prison, or win an influential person to Christ, and back and forth it goes. It’s fundamentally spiritual, it’s not random persecution or random soul winning, it’s God and the devil at work.

So in Acts 14 NIV we see the disciples arriving in Iconium. It says, “14 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.”

Same pattern right? Same as every city. They preach, many are won to Christ, they are persecuted, they flee to a new area. Let’s continue.

Next they arrive in Lystra and Derbe, it says verse 8, “8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.”

Do you know what this reminds me of? Jesus’ ministry. If you recall Jesus was constantly misunderstood by the crowds. Some people thought he was John the Baptist, some thought he was Elijah, some thought he was one of the prophets of old. They were confused. Even when Jesus was nailed to the cross, people thought that Elijah would come down from heaven to save him. Just way off, with everything.

The same occurs here, the Greeks and Romans in the area think they’re Greek gods! And they start trying to make sacrifices to them. Crazy.