After preaching the gospel at Antioch, Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium and preached Christ there. There was a great division among the people at Iconium over the message of God's saving grace in Christ. God's servants were assaulted and abused,and would have been stoned had they not fled to Lycaonia. "And there they preached the gospel." At Lystra Paul healed a lame man by the power of God and all the people came to worship him and Barnabas as gods. "They called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker." Had Paul and Barnabas not prevented it, the people of Lystra would have sacrificed animals to them! Yet, when Paul denounced their idolatry and preached the living God to them, they stoned him, drug him out of the city, and left him for dead. But he arose and came back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left on another preaching mission. They went to Derbe,back to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, Pisidia again, preaching the gospel of Christ,confirming the brethren, and ordaining elders in every church. After that they passed through Pisidia and preached the Word in Pamphylia, Perga, and Attalia. Then they returned to Antioch in Syria to give a report of all that had taken place on their first missionary journey (vv. 27-28; Acts 13:1-3).

This brief summary of Acts 14 clearly demonstrates the fact that Paul and Barnabas were faithful gospel preachers of the apostolic age. They are held up by the Holy Spirit as examples to all who preach the gospel. The entire book of Acts is a history of preaching in the early church. It is evident that the Spirit of God intends for churches and individual believers to be well informed about the work and responsibilities of faithful gospel preachers.

If God speaks to men it will be through the lips of a man preaching the gospel. Therefore, there are certain questions which should be of great interest to all people, all believers, and all local churches: What preachers should we hear? What kind of man is a preacher to be? What is involved in the work of the ministry? How can believers best pray for, support, and assist those men who preach the gospel? These questions are clearly answered in the Word of God (I Tim. 3:1-7; 4:12-16; II Tim. 4:1-4; Tit. 1:5-9). They are also answered by example. In Acts 14 the Holy Spirit holds Paul and Barnabas up as examples of true and faithful preachers of the gospel.

WHAT DID THESE TWO MEN PREACH? Paul and Barnabas preached to a lot of people in a lot of places. They preached to Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, men and women, young and old, religious people and profane people, influential people and despised people, believers and unbelievers. Yet, their message was always the same. Wherever they were, "there they preached the gospel" (v. 7; I Cor. 1:17-24). All true gospel preachers have but one message - "Christ crucified" (I Cor. 2:1-5). Regarding that message they all see eye to eye and speak with one voice (Isa. 52:7-8). Christ crucified is the theme of Holy Scripture and the theme of every gospel preacher (Luke 24:27, 44-47). Richard Sibbes once said, "Preaching is the chariot that carries Christ up and down the world." Writing to preachers, Richard Baxter was exactly right when he said, "If we can but teach Christ to our people, we teach them all." The preaching of Christ crucified involves, at the very least, the clear declaration of these three things:

1. The Glory of His Person as the God-Man Mediator (John 1:1-3, 14, 18; II Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:5-8; I Tim. 6:14-16; Heb. 1:1-3; I John 5:7).

2. The Efficacy of His Work as the Sinners' Substitute (Isa. 53:10-11; Rom. 5:19; 8:34; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 9:12; 10:10-14).

3. The Universal Sovereignty of His Dominion (John 17:2; Rom. 14:9; I Cor. 15:25; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 10:12-13).

Every preacher must be judged, or examined, first and foremost, by the theme of his ministry. If the theme of his ministry is not distinctively and pre-eminently the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is not the servant of God!

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PAUL AND BARNABAS PREACHED CHRIST CRUCIFIED? When men preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit one of two things always happens: either they bow to Christ in faith or they rebel against him in obstinate unbelief. It is impossible to stand before the throne of the sovereign Christ with indifference (Acts 13:48, 50; 14:1-5, 19-20; II Cor. 2:14-16). As it has been, it is now, and shall always be: To the Jews, lost religionists, Christ crucified is a stumbling block. To the Gentiles, lost intellectuals, the imaginary wise people of the world, Christ crucified is foolishness. But to them who are called of God, those who are saved by God's grace, Christ crucified is the wisdom of God revealed and the power of God experienced in their souls (I Cor. 1:23-24). Everywhere they went Paul and Barnabas preached Christ and him crucified to all who would hear them. The response of the people was always the same. Some believed and some believed not. So it is to this day - wherever Christ is preached there is "a division among the people because of him" (John 7:43).

WHAT WAS THE ATTITUDE OF GOD'S SERVANTS TOWARD THE MINISTRY? Though they met with much opposition everywhere they went, Paul and Barnabas proved themselves to be men of uncompromising dedication (vv. 19-21). Though Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra, he went right back into the city, and later returned again to preach the gospel to the very people who stoned him (v. 21). They were thoroughly committed to the work God had put into their hands (Acts 20:24). Being committed to the work of preaching the gospel, they were men of unswerving faithfulness (II Cor. 4:1-7). Regardless of their circumstances, regardless of the consequences of their actions, Paul and Barnabas faithfully sought the will and glory of God, faithfully ministered to the souls of men, and faithfully proclaimed the doctrine of the gospel. They were men of unquestioning faith. Believing God, they went about their work trusting him to open the door before them, provide their needs, and protect them. Faith makes the servants of God independent of all men (Acts 13:51; Gen. 14:21-23). Faith makes gospel preachers bold, even in the face of numerous, influential, and powerful enemies (Acts 15:26). They live and preach with boldness. William Gurnall wrote, "A preacher without boldness is like a smooth file," utterly useless! Faith in Christ makes men bold in the cause of God, for the honor of Christ, and in defence of the truth of the gospel.

WHAT MOTIVATED PAUL AND BARNABAS IN THEIR WORK? Clearly, they were not motivated by money, power, or fame. They gained none of these things. That which motivated them and motivates all who are truly the servants of God was a desire for the glory of God in Christ to be made known unto men (II Cor. 4:3-6; I Kings 18:36-37), an ambition for the salvation of God's elect (I Cor. 9:22), and a genuine concern for the spiritual and eternal welfare of God's church and kingdom (Acts 14:22-26).

WHAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THEIR STRENGTH? It is evident that Paul and Barnabas were men of great courage and strength. They seem to have feared nothing. Nothing appears to have discouraged them. Nothing could stop them (v. 27). What gave them such courage and strength? Three things: (1) They rested in God's providence. When they told their brethren all that happened to them and with them, they said, "God did it!" (2) They relied upon God's power. They realized that it was God alone who had opened the door before them. And (3) they recognized God's purpose in all things, in their trials as well as their triumphs. What can you do with men like that? You can stand back and watch them, or you can join them in their labors, but you cannot stop them. To fight against them is to fight against God!