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 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 and our verses today concern the first missionary journey taken by Paul, accompanied by Barnabas. The Spirit asked the church at Antioch to separate them and send them to preach the gospel to other lands. Paul and Barnabas went by sea and land; the gospel went out to Jews and Gentiles, all without distinction. Great signs and wonders were done by them and they were subject to much hostility and tribulation along the way. Not a few but great multitudes of Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) believed which stirred up the unbelieving Jews and those unbelievers who had no liking for Jews. But the messengers of the Lord could not be driven away until their testimony was completed.

In a way it was the gospel of polarization, certainly not of compromise; the preaching of which Paul considered a solemn privilege and responsibility. Those who rejected the gospel would perish and those who received it are saved into life. The clear and simple gospel given by Paul in the synagogue in Antioch Pisidia was the pattern of this first missionary journey – Acts of the Apostles is about beginnings and missionary endeavors. On Paul’s return journey he and Barnabas revisited churches they had founded, electing certain proven men to be elders who would act in the absence of the apostles. When they returned to Antioch Paul and Barnabus gave the first missionary conference which was not a record of what they had done by themselves but what God made them – how God opened the door of faith to the Jews and Gentiles and made way for teaching Christ crucified and risen – how they received the message and through faith in Christ their souls were saved.

We are born in sin and our lives are characterized by rebellion and rejection of the truth of God BUT believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and you shall live now and forever more. The faithful responders to the gospel in the face of such hostility reminds me of c.s.Lewis: “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.”