In Iconium—-Poisoned Minds with Conspiracy to Persecute the Way of Christ

Acts 14:1-7

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Multitudes believe in Christ Jesus and minds are poisoned against the Gospel.
• Paul and Barnabas remain with the new Christians to strengthen them in the way of Jesus Christ.
• Violent conspiracy against Paul and Barnabas.

Multitudes believe in Christ Jesus and minds are poisoned against the Gospel.
“Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.” Acts 14:1

As in Pisidian Antioch [Acts 13:13-52], Gentiles [Greeks] were allowed to enter the synagogue to set in the worship and teaching services and were known as “God-fearers”. They were being exposed to the laws of Judaism, not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, when they heard Paul speaking of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sin without the law, and eternal life, they believed. In fact, a great multitude of Gentiles and Jewish people believed in the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, to bring receptive souls to Jesus Christ in reconciliation to God.

“But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.” Acts 14:2 

The unbelieving Jewish people stirred up the Gentiles [those wanting to please the Jewish leaders] and poisoned their minds against Paul, Barnabas, and all who came to believe in God through Jesus Christ. Needless to say, they were hardened against the Holy Spirit and were not receptive to Jesus as being the Christ and Son of God. The Jewish people convinced the “God-fearing” Gentiles [according to the laws of Judaism], that Jesus Christ and all who follow Him were living in blasphemy of the law.

Today’s atheistic culture has their mind poisoned to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity is called haters of humanity, bigoted, unloving, unsupportive, uncaring, against family values, against the community culture, etc. We are being judged by their standards of humanism, which is the fig leaf worn by those living for the entity that gives them what to think, feel, do, and say. Humanism is “…an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.” 

Those who are given what to think, feel, say, and do have their minds, feelings, words, and behaviors poisoned against belief in God, the need for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Evil is called good, darkness is valued over light, and bitter is given in place of sweetness, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 They covet conflict and in their wake is destruction, death, and darkness instead of life, light, and Salvation.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, all I have to do is scroll through Facebook posts to get a potent dose of mind poisoning. It takes every cute, decent, and honorable thing and turns it into something evil or heartbreaking. If I took to heart everything that is posted, then I would believe that children are dangerous, parents are murderers and bad influences, law enforcement are inept, governing authorities are to be hated, etc.

Paul and Barnabas remain with the new Christians to strengthen them in the way of Jesus Christ.
“Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” Acts 14:3

Paul and Barnabas were having phenomenal success in bringing multitudes of people to Jesus Christ. These new converts needed to be strengthened in the word of God, through Jesus Christ, not the laws of Judaism. The survival of the new converts may have been slim in face of the people who were being poisoned against them. For this reason, Paul and Barnabas stayed with them for a long time, for months, to strengthen the brothers and sisters in Christ. They continued to speak boldly in the name of Jesus Christ and being a living example of His grace.

Whereas minds were poisoned against Christians, the Lord granted Paul and Barnabas the ability to great wonders and signs. Those wonders and signs were the anti-dote to the poison in the minds of those who came against the way of Christ.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should do what we can to encourage and strengthen fellow believers in this atheistic culture where minds are poisoned against those who share the Gospel of Christ. This becomes increasingly more difficult as the times progresses. As we continue a long time in a place, those around us will see the Holy Spirit living through us, who teaches us, “…to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Titus 3:1-2

We live so that the grace of God will be seen in us, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17

The greatest miracle of all is the born-again experience by the forgiveness of sin and being infilled with the Holy Spirit.

Violent conspiracy against Paul and Barnabas.
“But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.” Acts 14:4

In today’s culture, anytime the Gospel of Jesus Christ is presented, there is going to be division, conflict, debate, and opposition from every angle. This is by design of the atheistic entity giving people what to say, do, think, and feel. They covet conflict. “But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves…These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Jude 1:10, 12-13

“And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. And they were preaching the gospel there.” Acts 14:5-7

A violent attempt was made against Paul and Barnabas to thwart their ministry. This violent attempt was made by the Gentiles [whose minds had been poisoned against Christians], the Jewish people, and those who ruled over them. The attempt was made to abuse and stone them. Stoning is to throw rocks at them and often until they died. To abuse them would consist of verbal and physical assaults to torture them.

In today’s culture, there is a conspiracy to “stone” and “abuse” those who live for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stoning involves the act of hurling all types of hurtful words, insults, accusations, behaviors, and situations at a Christian. Abuse is to use a follower of Jesus Christ in malicious ways, whether at the workplace, at school, within community settings, in the home, in the neighborhood, etc. The purpose is to give Christianity a beat down to drive people away from Jesus Christ. This involves the process of behavior modification. “Stoning” and “abuse” is to show the negative feedback of community disapproval for unwanted behavior. Positive feedback is given by the community to show approval of wanted behaviors. They want to modify our behavior to atheism to be conformed to the entity that gives what to do, say, think, and feel.

When Paul and Barnabas became aware of the plot to stone and abuse them, they left for Lystra and Derbe, which was the next stop on the missionary journey. God does not call us to engage in physical aggression, but calls us to peace, “God has called us to peace.” 1 Corinthians 7:15

There was nothing more that the Holy Spirit could do through Paul and Barnabas among the people of Iconium. Multitudes came to Jesus Christ, and they were rooted in His Gospel and beginning to grow on their own. Because of that, anger, bitterness, and violence crowded out the Holy Spirit among those who despised the growth of Christianity in their community. This was the time for Paul and Barnabas to find new territory where there would be good soil to plant the seed of the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In today’s atheistic culture, whoever is deemed responsible for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are detested for drawing people away from their community culture. They want people to make their body [the temple of God] the home of the entity that gives people what to think, feel, say, and do. God has made our body [the temple of God] to be the home of the Holy Spirit. Those of today’s culture “abuse” and “stone” anyone who draws people away from their social network. The Holy Spirit is not in them, they are not receptive to the message of the Cross, and it’s time for us to come apart from them. We wait for the next opportunity [if it comes] to share our born-again experience, which is the Gospel of Christ written on our heart.

---

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11