Book of Common Prayer

14 In Iconium Paul and Barnabas did as they had done before in other places. They went into the Jews' meeting place and spoke. Many of the Jews and the other people believed.

² But the Jews who did not believe said wrong things about them. They spoiled the minds of those who were not Jews so that they hated the Christians.

³ Paul and Barnabas stayed there a long time anyway. They did not fear to talk about the Lord. The Lord proved that the message about his blessing was true. He worked through Paul and Barnabas. They did signs and wonderful things.

⁴ The people of the city were divided. Some of them agreed with the Jewish leaders. Some of them agreed with the apostles.

⁵ Then some of those people who were not Jews joined together with the Jews and their leaders. They made a plan to give the apostles much trouble and to kill them with stones.

⁶ Paul and Barnabas found out about this. So they left quickly. They went to Lystra and Derbe in the district of Lycaonia and the country around.

⁷ There they told people the good news.

⁸ At Lystra a man was sitting. He was not able to walk because he had no strength in his feet. He had never walked since he was born.

⁹ This man heard Paul speak. Paul looked at the man. He saw that the man believed he would be healed.

¹⁰ Paul said, `Stand up on your feet!' The man jumped up and walked.

¹¹ When the people saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their own language, `The gods have become like men! They have come down to visit us.'

¹² They named Barnabas, Jupiter. And they named Paul, Mercury, because he was the one who talked.

¹³ There was a temple of Jupiter in front of the city. The priest of the temple brought animals and flowers to the gates to make a sacrifice. All the people were with him.

¹⁴ But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes and ran in among the people shouting.

¹⁵ They said, `Why are you people doing this? We are only men like you. You should leave these gods which cannot help you. You should turn to the living God. He made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.

¹⁶ In the time that is past, God allowed all people to do what they wanted to do.

¹⁷ But even then he had some ways to make himself known. He did things that were good. He gave us rain from the sky and good harvests. And he gives you all the food you need and makes you very happy. Surely these things speak for him.'

¹⁸ By saying these things they stopped the people from making sacrifices to them.

²¹ Then Jesus said to them, `People do not bring a light and put it under a basket or under a bed. But they put it on the place for a lamp.

²² Everything that is hidden will be seen. Everything that is secret will be known and come out to be seen.

²³ Everyone who has ears to hear, listen!'

²⁴ And Jesus said, `Take care how you listen. How much you give to others is how much will be given to you. You who obey God will get more than you give.

²⁵ Anyone who has some will get more. But he who does not have anything, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.'

²⁶ And Jesus said, `The kingdom of God is like this. A man sows some seed in the ground.

²⁷ Then he goes on just as he did before. He sleeps at night and wakes up in the morning. The seed begins to grow but he doesn't know what makes it grow.

²⁸ The ground itself makes the seed grow. First the plant comes up. Then it begins to have seed of its own. After a while the harvest is ready.

²⁹ When the harvest is really ready, he cuts it right away because the harvest time has come.'

³⁰ And Jesus said, `What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I say it is like?

³¹ It is like this. A mustard seed is the smallest seed that is ever planted in the earth.

³² But the plant that grows from that seed is bigger than any other plant. It puts out very big branches. The birds come and live in its branches.'

³³ Jesus told the people many stories like this. He told them as much of God's words as they were able to understand.

³⁴ He did not tell them anything without a story. When he was alone with his disciples, he told them the meaning of the stories.