Acts 14: All Over The Map!

Here's a question to ponder: What determines a person's response to the Gospel?

Jesus famously shared a parable about different kinds of soil: some hard-packed, some shallow, some weedy, some rich.  As Paul and Barnabas continue their missionary journey in Acts 14, they, too, encounter many different responses to the Gospel - sometimes even among the very same people!

It seems that in town after town, Paul and Barnabas would preach first to the Jews in their synagogues, attracting some and repelling others.  Faced with stirred-up resentment and hardened hearts, they then turned to the Gentiles and realized a spiritual harvest there.  Then those Gentiles, too, would be influenced by the enemies of Paul and Barnabas.  In their wake, the apostles left a world turned upside-down, with Jews and Gentiles divided among each other over Christ.  These divisions, too, were foretold by Jesus.

The plot of Acts 14, however, is much more colorful than this dry analysis.  In looking at the action, we see stories of miraculous healings, crowds ready to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas as the incarnation of Hermes and Zeus, stonings, and the establishment of young churches.  Some people go from resistance, to acceptance, to rejection.  Others fall in love with Christ and commit their lives to Him, come what may.

The joyful conclusion of this first mission trip is shared when Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch: "When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles" (vs. 27).  Amen!

Now here's another question to ponder: What determines your response to the Gospel?