Paul’s Close Call & Wise Council
Viewing Acts Chapter 14 & 15
Prepared by: Soon Siak. May 2010
Peribahasa
What is the meaning of “melepaskan anjing
tersepit”? What does it tell about human nature?
Paul and Barnabas continued to
encounter mixed reactions as they
spread the Gospel.
Relax and review Acts 14-15 “live”
14 minutes
The Apostles Preached at Iconium
As Paul and Barnabas continued to travel
around and talk about Jesus, there were a
lot of people who believed. But what kept
the two from getting a better response
(v1,2)?
They would traditionally speak at the local
Jewish synagogues, and many of the
Jewish leaders took offense to their
message. These opponents would do
everything in their power to prevent
others from believing the truth about
Jesus.
The Apostles Preached at Iconium
How bad did the opposition get (v3-5)?
A plot was under way to have Paul and
Barnabas stoned.
If you were the target of such a plan, what
do you think you would do?
Lie low for a while? “soften” the
message? Balik rumah?
What did Paul and Barnabas do (v6,7)?
They wisely moved on to the next town
(Lystra & Derbe), but kept boldly
proclaiming the same message.
Cure of Cripple at Lystra
In addition to preaching sermons,
how did Paul and Barnabas show
that they represented a loving,
caring God (v8-10)?
They also had the power to perform
miracles. In this case, Paul healed a
man who had been lame since birth.
Cure of Cripple at Lystra
Cure of Cripple at Lystra
The crowd’s reaction to this miracle was
completely unexpected (v11-13). What
happened?
The people mistook Paul and Barnabas
for Hermes and Zeus – two of the main
Greek gods.
How did Paul and Barnabas respond
(v14-18)?
They immediately tried to refute the
claims with both their words and actions,
though they weren’t very successful.
Zeus was the King of the
Gods in Greek Mythology.
He was viewed as a king
who oversaw the universe.
Remember “Clash of the Titans” Movie
recently??
Hermes was
the great
messenger of
the gods in
Greek
mythology and additionally
as a guide to the Underworld
Cure of Cripple at Lystra
Imagine you’re part of the crowd (v19).
What things do you hear the Jewish
leaders from Antioch saying to “win the
crowd over”?
Perhaps the Jewish leaders tried to make
Paul and Barnabas’ claims sound silly, or
maybe they pointed out ways that Paul
and Barnabas were just ordinary men.
(Note the account & reaction of the
people SPM2001,2,3,5,8,9)
Paul
is
Stoned
Paul is Stoned
Have you ever had people saying bad
things about you? If so, how did this
make you feel?
What was Paul’s attitude after being
stoned and left for dead (v20-22)?
Amazingly enough, Paul continued to
travel and encourage other people. He
didn’t expect a “pity party” from anyone,
and wrote off this experience as one of
the “many hardships” he would
experience before entering the kingdom
of God.
Paul is Stoned
Since Paul and Barnabas were on the road
so often, how did they see to the continued
growth of the churches they visited (v23)?
They appointed elders in each church to
carry on the work.
They returned to Lystra, Iconium, Antioch,
Perga, Attalia and sailed to Antioch (v2126). Why did he retract his journey?
Paul chose not to take the short path home
(Tarsus) but instead to follow-up on his
converts.
Paul, Barnabas and
Mark begin the first
in a series of
missionary journeys
across the Greek
speaking world. The
importance of these
missions, especially
those of Paul,
cannot be
overstated. So
powerful did the
Holy Spirit make
their work, that in
less than 3
centuries, the entire
Roman empire -- the
whole civilized
world -- had
converted to their
Paul is Stoned
Some notes:
*The people are fickle or easily
swayed from acceptance to rejection
cf the Jews towards our Lord.
Antioch an important centre for the
expansion of early Christianity – see
pg xx (B.2).
Adaptation of Paul’s preaching to
suit the people of Lystra (A61Q5).
Mustahak!
Council of Jerusalem
As the early church began to expand to include
Gentiles, a lot of the Jewish believers became
uncomfortable. To them, a man was only
acceptable to God if he had been circumcised.
Some were teaching this as truth (v1). What’s
the first thing Paul and Barnabas did to argue
against such teaching (v2-4)?
The had just returned from visiting several
cities where they had seen many Gentiles
believe in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit,
just as the Jewish believers in Antioch and
Jerusalem had done.
Council of Jerusalem
Where was much of the Jewish legalism
coming from (v5)? Why?
Some of the Pharisees, who had been
defending Mosaic law for so long, were
becoming Christians. They felt a man should
convert to Judaism first, including being
circumcised, and then go from here to
becoming a Christian.
What are some of the issues that divide
Christians in similar ways today?
Hair length; church dress expectations;
expression of spiritual gifts, etc
The Council Assembles & Debates
What arguments did the “no need for
circumcision” people use (v6-18)?
Peter testified that God had sent him to
start the whole Gospel-to-the-Gentiles
movement (10), some 10 to 12 years ago!;
Paul and Barnabas further detailed the
miracles they had seen God perform
among the Gentiles; and James quoted
Old Testament Scripture to show God’s
intent to one day include the Gentile
peoples in His kingdom.
James Announces the Decision
The final verdict was that the Gentiles need not
be circumcised to become believers. But there
were some other matters the council felt were
important. What common Gentiles practices
were of concern to the early Christians (v1921)?
Eating foods associated with the
worship of idols; eating meat from
which the blood had not yet been
removed; or partaking of blood
separately; and sexual immorality.
(take note! SPM1996, 2005 &
2008B, which includes Jerusalem Council.)
The Letter of the Council
The decision of the council was taken
back to the church in Antioch by letter
(v22-29). This was a major point of
conflict that might have spilt the
church at a very early (and vulnerable)
time. What was the result (v30-35)?
The people were glad and encouraged
(though the circumcision debate
would come up again later)
A Second Missionary Journey Proposed
Meanwhile, another conflict was splitting up
Paul and Barnabas. What was it (v36-38)?
Barnabas wanted to try once more to take his
nephew, John Mark, with them on the next
journey. The first time they had taken him, he
had deserted them (13:5,13). Barnabas wanted
to give Mark another chance. Paul didn’t.
Who do you think was right-Paul or Barnabas?
Arguments can be made both ways. This work
was too important to have someone who wasn’t
very committed. Yet we all occasionally need
forgiveness and second chances. 
A Second Missionary Journey Proposed
How was the conflict resolved (v3941)?
Barnabas partnered with John Mark,
(to Cyprus) and Paul set out with
another disciple named Silas (Syria &
Cilicia). However, six years later Mark
was Paul’s fellow labourer and fellow
prisoner.
TAKE TWO
It’s the chance of a lifetime – an acting audition. Here is a situation to act
out. In the first take, deal with the conflict situation in a negative way. In
the second take, do it right.
SCENE – Your youth group is going for the Planet Shakers Concert, all
expenses paid for by the church. In order to keep the number of people to
a decent level, your leader says only members of the group are allowed to
go. U’re disappointed bcos one of your friends really loves to attend. On
the day of the concert, you find out several people are bringing friends
from outside the group anyway. U’re mad at your leader.
Roles: U & your youth leader. Setting: Riding in the car on the way to
the concert.
Are you ready?
th
27
Prepare for test June
 Luke 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
 Acts 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10