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Acts 14:8-18 NKJV – Paul and Barnabas Refuse to Steal God’s Glory in Lystra

Two Requirements of All Believers: Do What God has Empowered Us to Do and Usher All Glory to God!

God is wonderful (Psalm 139:14)! He is Creator (Isaiah 40:25-26), Sustainer (Isaiah 42:5), and the Giver of all good things (James 1:17). He blesses (Malachi 3:10), protects and provides (Psalm 121:7-8), and judges righteously (Psalm 18:24-25). As a result, all believers are invited to join the chorus of heavenly hosts in declaring, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created,” (Revelation 4:11 NKJV)!

No one is like God, nor can they do what God can do. As a result, He does not share His glory (Isaiah 42:8). So, how could any believer attempt to persuade other people to divert their praise away from God but redirect it towards them- selves? How could any creation of God think they could steal even a sliver of the glory due to God and believe God would give them a pass on such an action? It is hard to imagine, but unfortunately, this occurs frequently within the church and regrettably in every believer’s heart. Being tempted is not a sin, but giving in to the temptation is a sin. But even the strongest believers will be tempted to steal God’s glory. It is how the believer responds that makes all the difference. Paul’s and Barnabas’s responses to receiving undeserved praise in Acts 14 serve as a vivid example to all believers to respond with equal conviction to not steal any glory due to God alone.

Paul and Barnabas arrived in a city called Lystra and started preaching (Acts 14:6-7). As they preached, they witnessed a man who was unable to walk. They eventually learned that the man had been in this condition his whole life and had never walked (Acts 14:8). After witnessing the man’s faith, Paul shouted loudly at him to stand up, and the man “leaped and walked” (Acts 14:9-10 NKJV). Immediately, the people shouted in their own “Lycaonian language” (Acts 14:11a NKJV). They gave Paul and Barnabas glory, calling them gods Zeus (Barnabas) and Hermes (Paul) (Acts 14:11b-13). This would have immediately outraged Paul and Barnabas, but they did not understand what was being said. This was evidenced by their delayed response when they heard and saw that a parade and sacrifices were arranged in their honor (Acts 14:14).

Immediately, and with even greater passion than the people, they insisted that they were just men who were not due any praise and that all praise must be directed “to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them” (Acts 14:15 NKJV). Just as Paul reminded the believers in Philippi that anything we do should be attributed to God empowering the believer (“I am able to do/accept all things by means of Christ who empowers me” Philippians 4:13, original translation). He insisted that the people of Lystra acknowledge the same thing about this miracle. In fact, they had to work hard to persuade the people not to sacrifice themselves! “And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them” (Acts 14:18 NKJV). They did not simply say “stop it” once and then allow it to continue while claiming they tried to get the people to stop praising them, but it did not work. Paul and Barnabas were convicteded that God would receive all His due glory and praise, and they were not going to stop instructing the people until this occurred!

This encounter in Lystra was not the only time Paul insisted that the Lord receive His due glory from believers. Paul first practiced this in Lystra when he later preached to the Philippians. Approximately 15 years after Acts 14, Paul was imprisoned for two years (Acts 28:30-31) and wrote to the believers in Philippi. He declared once again that the Lord Jesus Christ should be given the highest position of praise and glory in all things! Philippians 2:9 NKJV says, “Wherefore God has also highly exalted Him,” and teaches that the Lord should receive the highest level of exultation over and above anyone or anything. The words “has highly exalted” are taken from one Greek word, “hoo-pair-oops-SAH-oh,” that occurs only once in the Greek New Testament. It is a unique word that refers to the highest level of glory being reserved for Jesus Christ in the Bible. It is a compound word, “hoo-pair” or better, “hyper” means “to exceed the limits” and “oops-SAH-oh” means “to exalt” or “to lift up.” Therefore, Paul emphasized that Jesus Christ alone is the only one who receives “hyper-exaltation” over and above anything and anyone. And while “oops-SAH-oh” is used when God says He will “exalt” or “lift up” any believer who remains humble (James 4:10; I Peter 5:6 NKJV), Jesus is the only One who is worthy to be hyper-exalted above measure!

Of course, when believers adopt a proper perspective on giving God glory in all things, the Evil One who desires that people not accept the truth attempts to distract, confuse, and distrust the truth of the Word of God (Matthew 13:19; John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:3-4; I John 3:7-8). He is only successful in persuading the already undisciplined and disinterested hearts who readily open themselves to sinful and/or imbalanced perspectives (Ephesians 2:1-2; James 1:14). But when this is not successful, he attempts to silence the messenger (II Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 6:12-13). At the climax of these spiritual victories in Lystra, Paul and Barnabas experienced familiar opposition. Antagonists from previous cities where they had ministered followed them to Lystra, intending to finish the persecution they had started in the previous cities (Acts 13:49-52; 14:3-7). In Lystra, they were able to accomplish their goal by persuading local opponents of Paul to catch him, overwhelm him, and throw stones at him to the point that they assumed he was dead (Acts 14:19). Then they dragged his seemingly lifeless body out of the city. Paul recovered from the beating, regained his energy, and departed with Barnabas to his next scheduled city (Acts 14:20).

Ponder & Pray Today…

Reflect on God’s greatness and goodness and how He is due a level of praise that is unparalleled by anyone or anything, in any circumstance. Ponder how no one is like God or can do what God can do. Assess how much glory and praise you give to God during your day. Do you express your passionate praise during your worship to the Lord in church or in your worship of Him during your daily commute? Ponder how you can usher all praise to God when receiving compliments and commendations from others. Is your praise of the Lord a whole-hearted expression of your gratitude for His Salvation, His greatness, and His goodness? Or do you simply tithe your praise to Him and express just a fraction of what your heart really feels?

Pray today a prayer of praise to the Lord! Just this once, consider not asking Him for anything in your prayer but devoting your prayer time to praising Him and giving Him His due glory. You can do this by reviewing a characteristic of His greatness and why that captivates your mind when you think about it. Then you can continue by thanking Him for His provision, His protection, His perfect Word that offers guidance in your life, and for Your salvation, etc. Thank Him that “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28a NKJV). Then commit to Him that you will dedicate moments in your future prayers to simply focus on praising Him and giving Him His due glory!