And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, (22) strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”  (23) So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.  (24) And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.  (25) Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.  (26) From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.

(27)  Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke, writer of one of the gospels and occasional traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke wrote Acts as an historian.  He shows how the message of salvation in Jesus was taught by the ancient church – he also gives us dates, historical context, detailed description of events; all to proclaim the truth of the gospel that was being preached in the early church

The Apostle Paul and his companion, Barnabas, were commissioned by the early church in Antioch to spread the gospel.  In Acts, Luke chronicles how these two witnesses – Paul and Barnabas, went to the Jews in the synagogues first and how they were treated to terribly at Antioch of Pisidia.  As a result, the Apostle Paul, proclaims that his commission to be preacher to the Gentiles was given him by Christ and his power to do so was from the Holy Spirit.  He  then declared he would preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles together – both are reconciled to God in the one body of Christ.  Paul and Barnabas were exiled from Antioch of Pisidia and they left for Iconium where they spoke to both Jews and Gentiles.  Paul was no longer afraid to give offence to the Jews.  He and Barnabas ventured their souls on the word of God and  the truths  they spoke were confimed by miracles and wonders and signs granted by God. However, Iconium was divided and violence was attempted against the Apostles so they fled to the city of Lystra.

In Lystra, Paul healed – by the power of God – a man lame from birth.  Luke tells us that Paul studied this man and perceived that he had faith enough to be healed.  Ancient Lystra had a pagan background and saw this healing as an action of the gods and they prepared to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas as to gods themselves.  Greatly upset, Paul and Barnabas rushed to restrain the people and used the occasion to declare that they were just mortal men and God did these miraculous things. People should glorify God, not deify man.   Paul declared that God left as witness to His sovereignity, the rainfall, the light, the fruitful seasons, the fullness and gladness in the hearts of men.  He used the cure of the lame man to introduce the gospel among both Jews and Gentiles – the metaphor is that we are all lame from birth until God puts strength in us.

Certain Jews from Antioch of Pisidia and Iconium came to Lystra and aroused the people – now emotional and confused – to stone Paul and drag his seemingly dead body out of the city.  However, the discliples gathered around Paul and he arose and returned to the city.  The stoning of Paul was not a judicial sentence but mob violence – it was a miracle that Paul could even stand and that these events moved him so little that he reentered Lystra.  But Paul and Barnabas moved on to the city of Derbe.where they preached the gospel.  After some time there they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch to reinforce the foundations of the church thay had planted at these cities.  Paul made sure the believers knew that the only danger was losing their hold on Christ.  The converted were confirmed and the certainty of what Paul preached was reaffirmed –  that they must be bound to God.  The Apostle insisted that the believers must endure tribulation to enter into the kingdom of God.  We have been bought at a price and all His disciples must take up their cross.  We shall not be lost but the joy and glory of God’s kingdom will be our reward.

There was then an organization of a setttled ministry in that ancient church.  Some were ordained to teach, some to preath, to administer gospel ordinances, to instruct, to oversee.  Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps continuing to lay the foundation of the early church and to explain Christ’s teachings and parables.  Finally they returned to Antioch at Syria because that was where the Apostles had been recommended by the grace of God to their missionary journey.  They had fulfilled this journey and gathered the Church together at Antioch to give them an account of all God had done through them.  It was especially important to tell them how God had shown them that the Gentiles were included – not only invited to believe but touched by God’s grace to accept His offer of salvation.