Acts 14:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

NIV: 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.

NASB: When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all the things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

CSB: After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

NLT: Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too.

KJV: And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

NKJV: 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.

Paul and Barnabas have arrived home in Syrian Antioch after spreading Jesus' offer of salvation and establishing churches in the territory of Galatia in central modern-day Asia Minor (Acts 13:1–3). As in their home church, many of the new believers are Gentiles. Their trip was important for the future of the church for several reasons.

It continued the work of the commission Jesus gave to the apostles in Acts 1:8 when He told them, "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." The apostles reached Jerusalem (Acts 2—7). The deacon Philip, with the verification of Peter and John, reached Samaria (Acts 8:4–25). And Jewish believers who heard the message in Jerusalem spread Jesus' story north into Damascus and Syria (Acts 9:1–2; 11:19–26). Now, the church has infiltrated farther into the Roman Empire.

It continued God's plan of providing salvation for the Gentiles. The first report of Gentile Jesus-followers who had not previously worshiped the Jewish God first was in Syrian Antioch. God promised Abraham that He would bless the world through him (Genesis 12:3). Isaiah prophesied God telling the Messiah, "I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6). God's plan was always to save Gentiles as well as Jews.

It provides much-needed perspective for integrating Gentiles into the church. Peter has already discovered the Holy Spirit will fall on whomever He will, regardless of nationality or background, without baptism or the laying on of hands (Acts 10:44). The church in Syrian Antioch has proven the Holy Spirit does not demand Gentiles follow Judaism to be complete Christians. Now, Paul and Barnabas report just how ubiquitous the conversion of pagan Gentiles will be.

And yet, the faithful Jewish Christians will have a difficult time accepting this. Devout Jewish Jesus-followers from Judea will come to Syrian Antioch and try to tell the Gentile church members they must be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas will have to go to the leaders in Jerusalem to get their ruling. Peter and James, Jesus' half-brother and pastor of the church in Jerusalem, will agree that circumcision is not necessary. They resolve Gentiles should refrain from eating food which has been sacrificed to idols or has blood in it, and sexual immorality (Acts 15:1–35). Much of Paul's second missionary journey entails sharing this decision, especially reassuring the churches he planted in Galatia they will not need to be circumcised (Acts 15:22–35; 16:4).

The Jerusalem council wouldn't have had necessary information if Paul and Barnabas hadn't taken their trip. As it stands, two solid apostles provide witness that more Gentiles are coming to faith in Christ than Jews. The addition of Gentiles isn't a fluke. They are coming and staying in significant numbers, and the Jewish leadership needs to figure out what this means for the church.

Acts 14 describes the last half of Paul's first missionary journey. He and Barnabas leave Pisidian Antioch, near central modern-day Asia Minor, and travel southeast to Iconium where they establish a new church. In Lystra, Paul heals a man born crippled. The amazed people insist Barnabas is the Greek deity Zeus, and Paul is Hermes. They attempt to offer sacrifices to them, much to the horror of the two evangelists. When antagonists from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium arrive, Paul is stoned but survives. The pair travel to Derbe, then retrace their steps, encouraging the new churches before sailing back to Syrian Antioch.

Paul's first missionary journey, recorded in Acts 13—14, gives a glimpse of issues that the church will face throughout its entire existence. When presented with Jesus's story, some will accept Him while others will not. Opposition is sometimes violent. Some integrate into church life easily, but for centuries the church has struggled with how to integrate those from vastly different cultures. This raises the crucial question of which aspects of faith and worship are biblical, making them universal, and which are cultural, and therefore optional? In Acts 15, the church leadership will start a discussion on that subject which continues even today.