Why Did The Jews Stir Up The Gentiles?

Now our final segment, Understanding the Scriptures, and we resume our exploration of the Book of Acts, here again are Dave and Tom:This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we’re in the Book of Acts Chapter 14, Dave we picked up a couple of verses from Chapter 14, but we’ll start at one again.“And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.”Now again, for some of our new listeners, Paul is on his first missionary journey, and as was his custom, although he’s the apostle to the Gentiles, the gospel is to the Jews first, so he would always go into the synagogue, where there were synagogues available.

Dave:

And Barnabas is traveling with him, and they’ve just had to flee from one city he had been expelled.

Tom:

So, this is terrific news.A great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.Now, that didn’t always happen to Paul.Dave, do you think Paul ever wondered, w ow, that was great, and it’s going to get better from here, or you know, although he knew what was ahead of him, and some of the places where he preached and taught, perils of Paul.

Dave:

Well, Paul said in Acts 17, and other places, Bonds and afflictions await me wherever I go.He knew what was going to happen to him.I love this verse here, Tom, I often have reflected on it.It says, well, they both went, that’s Paul and Barnabas, into the synagogue of the Jews.That’s a tough place to go.Now, he was a Jew, and you wouldn’t go into the synagogue today and imagine you are going to get to speak about the Messiah.But Paul, he took that opportunity and apparently, it was open to him for a time, and then Jesus said, They are going to throw you out of the synagogue, and those who kill you will think they are doing God a service.But at this point they are allowed to go in, and he so spake, or they so spake.Now, Tom, now and then as we go through the scriptures we do have to refer to Calvinism because you can’t escape it, it’s all through the Bible. They so spake that a great multitude of the Jews, and also the Greeks believed.But wait a minute!If they are all predestined either to heaven or hell beforehand---

Tom:

Dave, can I interrupt you for a second?

Dave:

Yeah.

Tom:

Somebody who may have thought you said Calvinism is throughout the Bible, that’s what you said.

Dave:

I said we have to face Calvinism throughout the Bible, that’s what I intended to say, because, Tom, everywhere you read in the Bible you are confronted with either Calvinism or what I believe the Bible teaches.In other words, does man’s will have any power, do we make a choice, to we really respond to the gospel, are we dead so that we can’t?When Joshua says, Choose you this day whom you will serve, you can’t escape it.We are confronted with Calvinism again because Calvinism says you can’t choose.So, here it says, they, that is Paul and Barnabas,so spake that a great multitude believed.In other words, I think it was the power of the Holy Spirit in what they said, but it was the words that they said, it was the logic because Paul in Ephesians says that, I seek to persuade men.He tries to persuade, he’s going to persuade the Jews to believe.

Tom:

So that tells us---you said choice, but as you think about this, Dave, what I think some Calvinist would say here is that even though the words were spoken the Holy Spirit is regenerated so that the words could be received or understood or believed in.

Dave:

Yeah, but then you wouldn’t put the emphasis upon, They so spake.In other words, what does it matter how you say it, you don’t have to say it very well, you don’t even need to say it.

Tom:

They certainly are not going to persuade if the Holy Spirit needs to give you the irresistible grace to receive it.

Dave:

Right, you cannot persuade those who are dead in trespasses and sins in the way that Calvinism teaches it.You cannot persuade those who have been already predestined to eternal torment by God.How can you persuade them to believe?There’s no point in trying to persuade them, and you don’t need to persuade the elect because they’ve already been predestined to heaven, and they’ve been regenerated, and so forth.So, all I’m saying is, Tom, again we find one more place, and it’s all through the Bible, it just doesn’t match with Calvinism.They so spake of that a great multitude of both the Jews and also the Greeks believed.“But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.”Tom, it’s a tragedy.I’m sure you’ve found the same thing that I have in my life. It doesn’t have to be Jews, it doesn’t have to be Pharisees, but some of those as whose hands I have suffered the most, I think, were real born again Christians, but they’ve got prejudices and animosity, and they are trying to do you in.So, the unbelieving Jews, they are trouble makers, and they are going to arouse hatred against Paul and Barnabas.And I love the next verse, Tom---“Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord,---“Look, they are trying to stir up trouble against us, they are going to get us stoned or they are going to get us crucified or whatever---Paul, you have better get out of town, lets get out of here fast.No, because they are stirring up trouble, I guess Satan is angry andhe’s going to do his best, and there must be a lot of people that the Lord will be able to reach if we hang in there and we are going to continue.Not just continue, it says, “They spake boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”We don’t see that today, Tom, we’ve got a lot of signs and wonders workers, you know, there’s a big signs and wonders movement, and Paul himself warns in 2 Timothy:3:8Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
See All..., he says:“Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth:men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”And Jannes and Jambres, as everyone out there, I hope, knows, were the magicians in Pharaoh’s court, and they didn’t withstand Moses and Aaron by saying, Well, there’s no such thing as miracles, these guys are all phony, they withstood them by duplicating miracles by the power of Satan.So, there are real signs and wonders, and there were in that day, some people would say, Well, they were establishing the Bible, putting God’s seal upon Paul and Barnabas, and so forth.I’m sure that’s a part of that, but I think a lot of it is because today, Tom, you know, when we were back in Chapter 5 of Acts, what happened when Annanias and Saphira lied?They were struck dead.I think we referred at that time to, remember, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai and the people were in idolatry and immorality, he smashed the tables of stone, and God said, Let me alone and I’ll wipe out these people, I’ll make you a great nation, and Moses pleaded for them.And God says to Moses, These are your people, you take them, you brought them out of Egypt, now you take them.And Moses says, Wait a minute, these are not my people.God says, I’ll wipe them out and I’m going to make you a great nation.And Moses said, But Lord, if you do that, then the heathen will say you couldn’t fulfill your promise, you promised to bring them through, then God said, Okay.In fact, I love what Moses says, I’m not taking a step unless you go with us.And God says, Okay, I will go with you, I will lead you.But you’re going to have to move the tabernacle outside, I can’t be in the midst of these people anymore.Tom, I think that’s the situation today.Why don’t we see the great signs and wonders today?Because you’ve got a lot of homosexuals, tongue-speaking homosexuals,immoral people on television, church leaders and televangelists, and so forth.And immorality in the church is not what it ought to be for the Lord.So, I think He has withdrawn His power in that way from us, but He still works individually.

Tom:

And Dave, as we talked about in the Book of Job, they’re putting the focus here.This is a misapplication, they are putting the focus on signs and wonders and this is a by-product of God’s Word going forth changing lives.

Dave:

Amen.