Friday, November 13, 2026

Opening Scripture

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12-13

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 14

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel.

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Reflection  

Around A. D. 46-48, Paul and Barnabas endured over six-hundred miles of hard travel by land and sea on this missionary journey. They left Antioch and headed down the coast, sailed across to Cyprus, then up into Galatia (modern Turkey), and back again. This was a critical next step in establishing Christianity beyond primarily Jewish communities “to the ends of the earth.”

The missionaries established a consistent pattern of traveling to the major population centers and stopping first at each synagogue. Despite his frustration with the Jews, Paul never gave up on them. Some Jews would rejoice to hear that the Messiah had come at last. Many Gentile “God-fearers” would appreciate the inclusiveness of the Christian message.

As our Opening Scripture reminds us, there will always be a mixed response to the Gospel. Those who resist the good news will often not only turn away themselves, but also seek to “poison the minds” of others. Despite strong opposition in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the truth of their message by enabling them to perform miraculous signs and wonders.

In Lystra, the ministry met a new challenge. After a lame man was healed, the people tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods. They forcefully rejected that misplaced adoration, pointing instead to the One True God, whose salvation they were proclaiming. This is the first speech in Acts presented to an audience that had not been influenced by Jewish thought.

Just like back in Jerusalem, the people are fickle, and the mood of the crowd soon shifted. Under the influence of protesters bused in from out of town, public opinion quickly turned from favor to scorn. Once Paul and Barnabas preached against the people’s gods, they were viewed as devious rather than divine. The stoning plot that failed in Iconium succeeded in Lystra, and Paul was left for dead.

Forgiveness of sin and new life in Jesus is initially intriguing and attractive, but when the Gospel proclamation condemns comfortable sin, it is often rejected. Speaking against popular “idols” and false “gods” becomes offensive. As seen in certain places today, those offended often conclude that the easiest way to drown out a message they don’t like is to kill the messenger.

On the way home, rather than taking the much shorter route eastward through Cilicia to Syria, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps to further instruct and strengthen the new believers and appoint leaders in the churches they had established during their outbound journey.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

The church at Antioch was the first congregation to catch a vision of “foreign missions.” Crossing both geographic and cultural boundaries with the Gospel would eventually become a shared enterprise throughout Christianity. Missions and evangelism continue to be central aspects of the Christian faith and help fulfill Jesus’ “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20).

However, the fact that Paul and Barnabas chose to go back the way they came, rather than continuing half as far in the same direction toward Paul’s hometown of Tarsus, shows the importance of intentional discipleship. Those young churches and new believers needed additional good teaching and doctrinal reinforcement.

Paul and Barnabas took time to strengthen the disciples and encourage them to remain true to the faith. They appointed elders for each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, while clearly stating the cost of discipleship: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

The cost of discipleship is the surrender of one’s life to King Jesus. It involves humility, obedience, and self-denial. Forgiveness of sin and eternal life are free gifts – that cost everything. We are saved by grace through faith, and the love of God constrains us to live a life of loyalty and devotion to Him, filled with His Spirit.

Understanding the cost of discipleship is crucial for anyone considering a commitment of their lives to Christ. Following Jesus involves a radical reorientation of identity, values, and priorities. Salvation triggers a metamorphosis of becoming more like Jesus. Paul would later say, “I count everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Jesus also clearly stated the cost of discipleship. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26).

How is your journey of discipleship going?

How is God using you to make a difference for His kingdom?

This week’s collective prayer: Lord, deepen my love for all people. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!