Acts 14:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.

NIV: From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

NASB: From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished.

CSB: From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

NLT: Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed.

KJV: And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

NKJV: From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.

Their first missionary journey complete (Acts 13:1–3), Paul and Barnabas have returned to Syrian Antioch with many stories to tell. They rescued the proconsul of Paphos from a Jewish magician, were abandoned by their assistant in Perga, were chased out of Pisidian Antioch, and nearly stoned in Iconium—and Paul was stoned in Lystra after the locals tried to offer sacrifices to them. In several cities, they explained how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah and established churches and leadership so the new Jesus-followers could continue to grow in the faith and withstand persecution (Acts 13:4—14:25).

Syrian Antioch was one of five cities with that name and the third largest city in the Roman Empire. Paul has a unique relationship with the church there. After the murder of Stephen, when he was still going by the name Saul, he received permission to persecute the Jesus-followers in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2). Some of these followers from Cyrene and Cyprus traveled to Syrian Antioch and shared Jesus' offer of salvation not only to the Jews there, but also the Gentiles (Acts 11:20). In the meantime, Saul accepted Jesus as his savior and after a tense encounter in Jerusalem, the leadership of the church in Jerusalem sent him home to Tarsus (Acts 9).

When the apostles heard Gentiles were coming to faith, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas realized their faith was true and sent for Saul to help train the growing church (Acts 11:19–26). Through his violent persecution, Paul indirectly had a hand in establishing the church in Syrian Antioch. Through God's grace and Barnabas' wisdom, he helped build the church.

After the church was well-established, the leadership fasted and prayed for guidance as to what they should do next. The Holy Spirit led them to set aside Paul and Barnabas to travel to Cyprus and Galatia (Acts 13:1–3). The elders dedicated the pair to the grace of God, and now they have returned having reached many Gentiles and founded at least four churches.

Acts 14:21–28 tracks Paul and Barnabas' journey home from Derbe, the farthest point they reach in Paul's first missionary journey. Instead of taking the quick route south, they return west, building up the churches in cities they had fled due to persecution. They then travel south to the Mediterranean and preach about Jesus in Perga before catching a ship to take them east, back home to Syrian Antioch. Their experiences will prove vital for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem who must decide how to properly integrate Gentiles in Jesus' church (Acts 15:1–35).

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.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.