Iconium is Invaded, Spiritually (Acts 14:1-7)

Paul and Barnabas moved on from Antioch to Iconium. They had travelled southeast from Antioch for about one hundred miles. Iconium was an old city at that time, and it still exists today with the name Konya (it is the fourth largest city in modern Turkey). 

We can see from Luke’s account that the gospel was blessed in Iconium at that time. As usual they went to the synagogue initially and had a great number of converts. Luke connects the success to how they spoke, which indicates that it is possible to speak in a wrong way about the gospel. So how would we describe a correct method? Here are some suggestions.

The preparation

What question comes to mind as we think about the quick success of the gospel in Iconium. Surely it should be, why was the gospel accepted so readily by some of the citizens? The answer to this question is that God had been working there beforehand preparing the soil for the seed of the gospel. It looks as if the synagogue there had attracted the locals and some of them had become interested in the Jewish faith and had adopted it. One of the details mentioned in Acts is how many converts came from Gentiles who had been initially attracted to Judaism.

If we had asked Paul and Barnabas a year previous to their visit to Iconium, ‘Where will you be in a year’s time?’, they would probably have answered by saying they expected to be teaching the church in Antioch in Syria. But the Lord had known long before then that they would be in Iconium. He had his eye on those who would yet be his people and he was preparing them for when they would hear the gospel.

This, of course, is what always happens. A preacher does not go somewhere where God has not been at work before he reached there. Rather he is a link in the chain of the divine purpose to bring spiritual blessings to sinners. It is good to realise that one can be a link, even if one is not the final link, in the process. Some people hear more than one preacher before they discover Jesus for themselves. Such preparation is more obvious than what occurs in a community where the gospel was not known. But God prepares in the new locations as well for the arrival of his message.

The communication

They would have spoken about Jesus in the context of the synagogue. In the synagogue, there would be two kinds of people – there would be Jews and there would be Gentile proselytes. Both kinds would know the content of the Old Testament to some extent.

It is crucial to speak where people are. The content of the sermons would have focussed on the prophesied coming of the Messiah and the message would have been similar to what had been said previously in the synagogue in Antioch about his life, death and resurrection. It is important to stress that we only spread the gospel when Jesus is mentioned. A character study of a biblical character is not the same as preaching the gospel. Nor is merely pointing out to people that they have disobeyed God’s law.

In addition to the content of the message, there would have also been the attitude of the preachers. They would have confidence in the gospel to bring about results – the confidence would come from knowing that the Holy Spirit would speak powerfully in the inner lives of the listeners. Moreover, they would have been marked by compassion for those to whom they spoke. We know from his letter to the Romans that Paul had a great love for his own nation, and we know from his letter to the Philippians that he had wept over those who opposed the gospel.

The conversions

Luke tells us that the response of the listeners was that they believed. This was how they became Christians. But what does it mean to say that they believed? The answer to that question is twofold: they believed about Jesus and they believed in Jesus. Believing about Jesus is similar to enlightenment, to understanding who he is and what he has done. Believing in Jesus is similar to embracing him because trusting in him is an expression of love.

As we think about these conversions, we see the simplicity of the strategy of the apostles Paul and Barnabas which was to speak about Jesus. In doing so, they experienced what Jesus had promised when he said that all kinds of people would be drawn to him when he would be lifted up in the gospel. Later on, when writing to the Corinthians, Paul states that his aim was always to preach Christ crucified and the lordship of Christ. One aspect of preaching concerns the past (the crucifixion of Jesus), another aspect concerns the present (the exaltation of Jesus), and a third aspect concerns the future (the return of Jesus). But it is obvious that preaching in a Christian sense is about Jesus.

The conflict

As was the case in other places, opposition arose against the preachers because of their message and the converts it produced. No doubt, one of the main reasons for this response by the unbelieving Jews was jealousy connected to losing influence. The preachers were not following the requirements of the synagogue connected to the Mosaic law and this radical alternative was not pleasing to the Jews. Previously, Gentiles who converted to the Jewish faith would have adopted those rules.

It is important to observe how Luke describes those Jews who stirred by the Gentiles – they were unbelieving, and he means by this description that they had refused to believe the gospel message. They had heard what had been preached to them and their response was to reject it for themselves and then do what they could to prevent others from accepting it. Their response is a reminder that no-one knows where gospel rejection will take a person.

The term that is translated ‘unbelieving’ literally means the ones who disobeyed. This is a reminder that the gospel call, while being a free offer, is also a divine command. When the Lord invites sinners to come to him, his offer is not like that in a supermarket where a person can accept or ignore what is being recommended. Rather, to refuse the gospel is to despise it and to say to the One offering pardon that there is nothing attractive about it. Refusing the gospel is to say that Jesus is not worth trusting.

The confirmation

Although there was opposition from the Jews, Paul and Barnabas remained in the city for a long time (this may mean a few months). Luke mentions how they spoke and the support they received from heaven. They spoke boldly, which means that they were not frightened by their opponents into silence. Of course, we need to ask what kind of boldness is intended because we know that some unconverted people can be very bold at times. I suspect that it was not natural boldness because they kept doing it even although the opposition continued against them. It was spiritual boldness that they demonstrated.

Who does Luke have in mind when he refers to the Lord? Clearly, he is referring to one of the divine persons and since it is customary for him to refer to Jesus by this title we should probably regard him as being the One described as Lord. In this connection we should keep in mind how Luke begins his book by indicating that it would be about the various things that Jesus continued to do after he ascended to heaven.

In this connection, we should note how Luke describes the message that Paul and Barnabas witnessed to – it was ‘the word of his grace’, that is, the grace of Jesus. How are we to interpret this description? One way to do so is to recognise that Jesus has universal authority and is able from that position to bless or punish. The people in Iconium were sinners, and he could have sent to them a message of judgment or a message of promise. It was the latter that he sent, and many received forgiveness.

Sometimes, the Lord from heaven enabled his servants to perform miracles, here called signs and wonders. While we are not told what they were, it is likely that they were healings of one kind or another. A healing was a sign as well as a wonder – it pointed to the kindness of God and indicated that he could show greater expressions of kindness through forgiving sins. Even although Jesus did this, many still opposed the message. Miracles in themselves don’t bring about conversions.

The conclusion

Eventually, the success of the gospel had its political consequences and the rulers of the city became involved on the side of those who were opposing the spread of the Christian faith. Perhaps some economic consequences were taking place and businesses were beginning to suffer because of the number of conversions. Since it was unlikely that Paul and Barnabas would have been able to resist arrest, they decided that it was wiser to move on to other cities, and to move quickly. It is not a sign of wisdom to remain where death is a possibility. In any case, the church in Iconium was now established after the ministry of Paul and Barnabas there.

Lessons to observe

As we read the account in Acts by Luke of the ministry of Paul and Barnabas, we can see that Luke only mentions important cities. He mentions Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. We should not imagine that Paul and Barnabas were not interested in rural areas. Rather we should recognise their strategy which was to commence a church in a town or city and leave it with the new Christians to evangelise the surrounding area. 

A second lesson concerns the reality of discipleship. What will happen when the Lord brings about conversions in a place? We see from the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Iconium that there will be a hunger for teaching (if there had not been such hunger, why would they have stayed for such a long time?). In addition, there will be opposition and it is likely to come initially from those who like religion but who do not like the message of grace.

A third lesson is the inevitability of division. Jesus said on one occasion that his message would bring division at all levels, even within families. Maybe that happened in Iconium in the division that occurred within the city. What is certain is that there was a division that was very marked. The fact is that many people will not like it when a person is converted, and the more who are converted the bigger will become the division and we should not be surprised that those opposed to the gospel will enlist the help of the authorities.

A fourth lesson is that the important detail is that we respond to the gospel offer, even as did all those people in Iconium two thousand years ago. They listened to the message of divine grace declared by Paul and Barnabas and have been enjoying its blessings ever since, first in Iconium and then in heaven.