Barriers To Ministry

Acts 14:6-15  "They were aware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: (verse 7)  And there they preached the gospel. (verse 8) And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: (verse 9)  The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, (verse 10)  Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. (verse 11)  And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. (verse 12)  And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. (verse 13)  Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. (verse 14)  Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, (verse 15)  And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:"

It has not always been easy to preach the Gospel of Christ, nor, has it always been safe. In our country we have become so used to having the freedom to say and do as we will, that we can scarcely consider a state where Christianity could not be spoken, nor Christ witnessed. Most of us are so used to our freedoms that we cannot consider what Paul and Barnabas went through, persecution for the Lord. Yet this very persecution that attacked the early Church (and that we do NOT , for the most part, have) was one of the greatest blessings in disguise that Christianity could have had. For this persecution by the Jews, and the stirring up of the Gentiles, drove Paul and Barnabas from first one city to the next. Just as the wind smites the dandelion, causing it's white seed to float to a new area of growth, Paul and Barnabas were persecuted from the Jewish Synagogue at Iconium, a Phrygian town, to Lystra and Derbe.

Acts 14:6-11  "They were aware of it, and fled [katapheugo {pronounced kat-af-yoo'-go} to flee for refuge] unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: (verse 7)  And there they preached the gospel. (verse 8) And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: (verse 9)  The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, (verse 10)  Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. (verse 11)  And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men."

What brings power to the Church? No, not power, but Power, the Power of God's Holy Spirit? What brings the Power of God into the Assembly of the Saints? Is it not our willingness to RECOGNIZE to Whom we owe our allegiance is Jesus Christ - then, having recognized that allegiance, follow Him no matter what the cost?

As Paul and Barnabas left Iconium, as our text states:

"... and fled unto Lystra and Derbe"

the fact that they "fled", literally "ran for cover", this text brings up the image of both missionaries literally running for their lives. In fact, it evokes images of ancient Israelites running for a "City of Refuge", lest they die. Why did they run? Well, you see, the message that they preached, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it was not palatable to the average Jew or Roman, for it turned their concepts of right and wrong upside down. And in those days, if you didn't like what you heard from the street corner preacher, you could often incite a crowd into rioting against these "false prophets".

Though believers today are often lulled into a sense of security, a sense that we are free to Preach Christ without torment in America, the same Satan that hated the message of the Cross from Paul hates that message in us today. Our Lord Jesus PROMISED us,

John 15:20-23 "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. [21]  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. [22]  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. [23]  He that hateth me hateth my Father also."

Jesus was chased, disregarded, and persecuted throughout His ministry, and He warned us so that we would know that - as He was persecuted - so would we be persecuted. Paul and Barnabas literally ran for their lives because of this persecution. But, once they entered Lystra, rather than "laying low", the Bible says:

Acts 14:7 "... And there they preached the gospel."

I can imagine the temptation that both of these men of God had, for I often have the same temptation. When you are persecuted for the faith, how easy it is to relax, lay down, and blend into the background. When you are challenged by the evolutionist, the humanist, the superstitious, how easy it is to back down and say to yourself:

"What would it matter if I said nothing? Just blend in the background, allow nature to take its course. After all, why should I stand out like a sore thumb? Let someone else take the heat while I relax for a while."

Paul and Barnabas could have taken the easy way out. Like Peter, they could have allowed the persecution to seal their lips:

Matthew 26:69-75 "Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. [70]  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. [71]  And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. [72]  And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. [73]  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. [74]  Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. [75]  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."

and, like Peter, have been reduced to the state where a young girl would cause them to curse and deny His name. There were TWO great EXTERNAL barriers that Paul could have used as excuses to stop, to quit, to cease preaching the Gospel:

a. He was being hounded to the point of death by his enemies, and,
b. The people of Lystra did NOT speak his language.

If you and I were confronted with these barriers, perhaps we would have laid down and ceased our labors - But not Paul. Peter walked the bitter road of rejecting Christ before he had matured as a believer, before Pentecost, before he felt the OVERWHELMING power of God in his life. Paul, on the other hand, had felt the hand of Christ on Damascus Road, long after Pentecost. Paul knew that the Power of God lay in doing what Christ commissioned him to do.

Despite the external barriers, Jesus MUST be preached. Despite the overwhelming odds, Jesus MUST be spoken. Jesus said:

John 12:31-33 "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. [32]  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. [33]  This he said, signifying what death he should die."

Jesus MUST be lifted up, for our salvation. Jesus MUST be lifted up, for our Church. Unless the Gospel of the lifted up Christ is preached, power is not released, the servants are not anointed, the Spirit of God does not fill us.

Jesus Christ MUST be lifted up. And when He is lifted up and glorified, God heals. Look at the man whom Paul confronted:

Acts 14:8 "And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked"

Did you notice how this text states the situation. Here is ANOTHER EXTERNAL BARRIER. This man was:

"Impotent in his feet", and,
"Being a cripple from his mother's womb", and,
"Who never had walked".

It was not enough that this was said one way, "This man was a cripple", but the writer of Acts wanted us to understand that this was an INSURMOUNTABLE EXTERNAL BARRIER in this man's life. Paul and Barnabas had already overcome two barriers: escape from the mob, and preaching to a crowd that did not speak their language. They ministered, though it, perhaps, seemed to be a waste of time. Yet as they preached the power of Jesus touched one man, a cripple, a cripple's cripple, so much so that the text states ...

Acts 14:10 ".. And he leaped and walked."

Why, of all those around Paul and Barnabas, was only this man affected? This man's external afflictions had so chastised him that, though paganism was all around him, he took the time to LISTEN, really listen to Paul. As he heard the message, Paul saw faith in his eyes, in his demeanor, and SHOUTED OUT (megalei) that the man ignore the external barriers in his life, and rise.

And he did.

When we take our eyes off of the external barriers around us, be they:

- the crowd that ridicules the Gospel, or,
- the crowd that doesn't speak our language, or,
- the persecution we face for Christ's sake, or,
- the limitations that we may be born with, or suffer from ...

When we take our eyes off of these external barriers, and focus on Jesus - that's when God goes to work in our lives.

Acts 14:11-15 "And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. (verse 12)  And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. (verse 13)  Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. (verse 14)  Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, (verse 15)  And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:"

Just as there were EXTERNAL barriers to the preaching of the lifted up Christ, there were a number of INTERNAL barriers that had to be overcome as well. When the people of Lystra saw the miracle that was wrought through Paul, their immediate response was to turn wholeheartedly toward paganism. They immediately ...

Acts 14:12 "And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker."

... called Barnabas "Jupiter" or Zeus, the King of the gods, and Paul was recognized as "Mercurius" or Hermes, the god of speech. Neither Paul nor Barnabas realized what they were doing at first, for these people were speaking in their native language. However, once they realized that these people were deifying them, they immediately corrected the situation and pointed back to the always living God.

We are and will be frequently confronted with internal barriers to the Gospel of Christ. Those around us who do not know Jesus will have a false concept of God, and will often try to draw us into this fantasy. Neither Paul nor Barnabas were gods, nor were they responsible for the healing of the man of Lystra. When Paul and Barnabas realized that they were being drawn into cultic worship, they immediately protested and pointed to Jesus Christ.

The world does NOT want to hear of Jesus, but is continually looking for ways to disregard God. Man has invented the lies of evolution, and fatalism, and cultism, and a number of other "isms", all designed to cloak the truth of the True Creator.

When Paul and Barnabas were confronted with the internal heathenism of these people, they could have responded in a number of ways. They could have accepted the worship, compromising the message for the sake of peace. They could have left the area without correcting the misperception, and left the internal barrier in place.

Or they could do as they did. They could confront the external barriers to the Gospel by pointing to God's witness of Himself in nature, and they could confront the internal barriers to the Gospel by allowing God the Holy Spirit to touch the inner man.

As we, as a Church, preach Christ and minister the Gospel in this world, we are going to confront a number of external as well as internal barriers. If we lift up Christ in response to these barriers, we will experience the power and presence of God Almighty.

This we must strive to do.

For it's not about us, but it's about Jesus. Time is short. Preach Jesus.

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