Day 5: Acts 14:15

“We are bringing you good news”

The reason why the apostles Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel to the people of Lystra was twofold.  Firstly, it was to lead them to abandon the futile practice of serving pagan gods in the likeness of humans (Acts 14:15).  When Paul miraculously healed a crippled man, whom the Lystrans had never seen walking before, the crowds exclaimed that the gods had come down to them in human form.  They called Barnabas "Zeus" and Paul, who was the speaker, they called "Hermes."  The people were trying to deify Paul and Barnabas, believing them to be gods.  Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel to make them turn away from this false belief.

The second reason was to bring them back to God (v. 15).  Apostle Paul and Barnabas implored the people of Lystra to turn from their dead idols and to return to the living God, the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.  We are called to live lives consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ while proclaiming His gospel.