The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 444

I. TITE msuFFIOIENT. 1. The hand of God in natwre does not suffice. " The living God which made heaven and earth, ancl the sea, and all thinus that are therein," has •• not left himself without witness" anywhere; everywhere he has "<lone good, and sent rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (vers. 16-17), pouring out, with the lavish hand of Divine beneficence, beauty and plenty, love and joy, peaceful ~emories and inspiring hopes, on to the path end into the heart of man. Hut what nations of the earth has this great gift of his hand saved from the most shameful and pernicious idolatry? How many thousands of hearts are there to-day that are not drawn by this to filial gratitude and holy service? 2. The miraculous does not avail (vers. 8-13, 18). The healing of the man who had been lame from his birth, so far from producing a favourable effect and leadin.,. to a general acceptance of the Divine message, led to an outburst of idolatrous zeal:' The people immediately deified the human agents and set about to worship them. If we turn back to the pages in which the miraculous appears-to the times of Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha; or if we consider the treatment of our Divine Master hi111self, whose beneficent power reached so mauy human homed; or if we go on to the gifts (miraculous) enjoyed by the Corinthian Church, if indeed they can be truly said to have enjoyed them ;-whithersoever we look, we see that the effect of the visibly supernatural was far less potent for good than we, in its absence, should have imagined it would be. Those who wait for the marked and unmistakable interposition of God before they take the one right step into the kingdom of Christ, before they "lay hold on eternal life," are most seriously imperilling their own souls (see Luke xvi. 31). 3. The exhibi- tion of holy zeal is not sufficient (vers. 14-17). Though Paul and Barnabas energeti- cally disclaimed any title to be treated as gods, and resolutely refused the proffered honours, and though they were labouring without remuneration, and giving every possible proof of their disinterested love, yet they did not succeed in winning the strong esteem of the Lycaonians; these men proved fickle and faithless. Very soon indeed the hands that were diligently employed in paying sacrifice to the apostles were busy in hurling stones at them. Enthusiasm and even holiest heroism will not of itself prevail against the prejudice and passion of unrighteousness. II. 'l'BE EFFICACIOUS. We know that there were disciples gained at Lystra, for they stood round and sheltered Paul when he was murderously assailed (ver. 20). We also know that these disciples were gained by the preaching of the gospel (ver. 7). We are not told here, but we are abundantly assured elsewhere, that the preaching of the truth was made effectual by the agency of the Holy Spirit of God. So that we may say that (1) Divine truth was the weapon, (2) the Holy Ghost the agent, (3) human faith (see ver. 9, illustration) the condition, of the successful work of the apostles at Lystra, as these will be of all efficacious ministry everywhere now.-C. Vers. 21-23.-The Christian leader and the novitiate. Driven from Lystm by the turbulence of the people, Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe, and there they •• preached the gospel;" they seem to have been unmolested, and consequently they " taught many people" (ver. 21). Having travelled so far eastward. towards .Antioch, it became a question whether they should go on or return. Thus we come, as they came, to consider- I. THE FUNCTION o:ir THE CHRISTIAN LEADER in relation to the Christian novice. We gather from the action of the apostles on this occasion that it is the teacher's duty: 1. To be earnestly concerned for his young disciples, aud to go out of his way to serve them. It would certainly have been the more· desira.Lle course, "after the flesh," to go through the Cilician Gates, and so home to Antioch, rather than return and· face the enraged populace from whom they had been obligtld to flee. But a deep sense of what was due to those whom they had induced to forsake their old faith and enter on a new and trying course constrained them to forego the inviting and to pursue the perilous path. 'l'o encourage those who are beginning to live the Divine life, and who will probably find themselves beset with unexpected and serious difficulties, we slwuld ~old ourselves ready to go far out of our way and to run some serious risks. 2. To impart additional instruction. The apostles not only repeated what they had said belore, but they added sound Christian doctrine; especially they taught that we must txpect to bear the burdens before we enter into the glory of our Lord; that it is  THE Acrs OF THE APOSTLES. [ClB, XIV, 1-28,