The Struggle is Necessary

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Introductory information

Paul and Barnabas have been on their first missionary journey since Acts 13 traveling across Cyprus and southern Turkey

In the last town, Lystra...

Paul had healed a man who had been crippled his whole life

Paul and Barnabas had been mistaken as the greek gods Hermes and Zeus and had to stop people from worshiping them with animal sacrifices

Paul had been beaten nearly to death, dragged outside the city, miraculously recovered, and then continued on to preach in the next town

We left off with Paul and Barnabas in Derbe, a neighboring Lycaonian town, and we are about to follow them on their return trip, back to Antioch...

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What should we expect while following the Lord?

Acts 14:21–15:3 CSB

21 After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 After they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent a considerable time with the disciples. 1 Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue. 3 When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | Paul and Barnabas retrace their journey to strengthen and equip the disciples they had made

As they go, they teach the new Christians a critical principle of following Jesus

Acts 14:21–22 ...they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

They didn’t just say, “You might go through hardships,” they were letting them know, “You must go through hardships.”

In other words, is a part of God’s plan and process for the Christian life

They establish leaders in each town and entrust them to the Lord

Acts 14:23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

This is another example of Paul and Barnabas’ faith in action: they trusted God with people

They didn’t micromanage or control people - they released them to go and lead the new movement

#2 | Paul and Barnabas’ report encourages and brings joy to the church

They told the whole story

Acts 14:27 After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Paul and Barnabas did not...

Only tell the highlights to make themselves look more successful or minimize their failure

Edit the story so people wouldn’t feel bad for them

Focus mainly on their suffering, to garner sympathy or prestige for their own endurance

The whole picture of the story brought joy

Acts 15:3 When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

Because Paul and Barnabas understood that suffering and hardship was “necessary” to the work God had given them*, they clearly didn’t speak of it in a way that distracted from the positive things that God had done

Also consider Paul’s later encouragement to the Ephesians about his own suffering: Ephesians 3:13 “So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.”

#3 | Paul and Barnabas aren’t done struggling and fighting for the people they have discipled

While visiting with their church family in Antioch, Christian Jews start putting a legalistic burden on the new Gentile Christians (1)

Acts 15:1–2 Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.

Paul and Barnabas immediately get back into action

They don’t expect “a break” and they were already expecting trouble*

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[These questions must be focused, yet very open-ended. Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want to encourage everyone to share and explore the topics of the passage. You don’t have to ask all these questions. Sometimes a group may only get through one or two questions. Select the questions you think are right for the conversation. Then, as it comes time to wrap up, refocus the conversation to “land the plane.”]

What are some commonly held, wrong expectations of the Christian life?

Why is struggle necessary? Why is it good?

What needs to change in the way we talk about what God is doing in our lives?

Where we want to “land the plane”

We must reset our expectations of following the Lord and understand that following the Lord is about making things better, not easier.

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask the Lord to show us what He is doing in the struggles of our lives and give us the words to encourage and exhort others

Devotional Question for the Week

What are some stories in your life that you have “edited” to make yourself look better, or even to make God look better? How do you need to correct those stories? Who do you need to correct them with?

FOOTNOTES

The men who came down from Judea to Antioch may well be the same ones referred to in Galatians 2:12. They insisted circumcision was essential for justification. Perhaps they based their theology on such passages as Genesis 17:14 and Exodus 12:48–49. At any rate, they were sure to cause a severe schism in the church, so their teaching brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. The men from Judea were dogmatic in their doctrine in spite of the fact they had no authority from the church in Jerusalem. How they explained the case of Cornelius (Acts 10) or the work of Barnabas (11:22–24) is left unstated. Perhaps they felt Cornelius’ case was unique and the believers in Antioch in chapter 11 were too insignificant to use as examples. Now the movement was becoming overwhelming and this was their way of protesting. The church at Antioch felt it was wise to discuss the matter with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So they commissioned Paul and Barnabas for the task and wisely sent some other believers along as witnesses. These witnesses would protect Paul and Barnabas against being accused of distorting the facts. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 393.