What the crowds understood:
Paul and Barnabas had healed a man in Lystra.  The crowds went berserk!  They were going to offer oxen as sacrifices to them as gods, the gods of Zeus (Jupiter) and Hermes (Mercury).  Even a priest of Zeus came out of his temple with the oxen and flowers to worship them.  (Acts 14:8-13)

What Barnabas and Paul did:
(NIV) Acts 14:14-15 “But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15‘Men, why are you doing this?  We too are only men, human like you.  We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from theses worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.”

When wood or stone are fashioned by the hands of men into idols, they are then worshiped!     Paul called such gods “worthless things”.  Paul, Barnabas and followers of Christ today worship the living God Who created heaven, earth, the sea and all that is in them.

Such wood or stone gods are without life but the followers of Christ follow and worship the living Lord Jesus.  He was raised to life from the grave. He alone is worthy of worship.

What Paul said about the living God:
(NASB) Acts 14:16-17 “‘In the generation gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;
17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful season, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.’”
18 Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.”

Paul and Barnabas were not gods.  They said so.  They pointed to the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that are contained in them.  The people of Lystra said of Paul and Barnabas:  (NASB) Acts 14:11 “…‘The gods have become like men and have come down to us.’”
Paul and Barnabas refused to accept their worship telling them: no, no, no!

The wonderful truth that these people missed was: God the Son, did come down from heaven and become the Son of Man.  Jesus was born of a virgin, living His life as a human Man yet without sin.  He is at the same time both fully Man and fully God. 

Immanuel!  God with us!  Amazingly Good News! 

(NIV) Philippians 2:6-8 “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

Jesus is available to all who turn to Him by faith, faith in His life, death and resurrection!

He came to this earth ~ for you!