"We're not gods!"

Rare is the man who would object to being mistaken for a Greek god.  That is, at least, if the error occurred based upon his physique.  The men formerly known as Joseph and Saul objected nevertheless and not simply because the crowd based their decision not on their physiques.

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There was a man in Lystra who couldn’t walk. He sat there, crippled since the day of his birth. He heard Paul talking, and Paul, looking him in the eye, saw that he was ripe for God’s work, ready to believe. So he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Up on your feet!” The man was up in a flash—jumped up and walked around as if he’d been walking all his life.
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they went wild, calling out in their Lyconian dialect, “The gods have come down! These men are gods!” They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes” (since Paul did most of the speaking). The priest of the local Zeus shrine got up a parade—bulls and banners and people lined right up to the gates, ready for the ritual of sacrifice.
Acts 14:8-13 (MSG)

Barnabas already earned a new name due to his endearing habit of encouraging others as did Paul due to his blinding encounter with the risen Lord.  They did not welcome any additional titles.  Paul objected to being confused with Hermes and not because that would have meant that he was less powerful than Zeus.  Rather he, and Barnabas, believed in the one true God and knew who He was.

I remain uncertain as to the reason for Barnabas being deemed "Zeus;" the Bible, however, explains why Paul was thought to be Hermes.  Hermes, the son of Zeus, according to Greek mythology, is the messenger of the gods.  Paul healed a man and spoke well.  Wasting not a moment, the two servants of the real God spoke up.

When Barnabas and Paul finally realized what was going on, they stopped them. Waving their arms, they interrupted the parade, calling out, “What do you think you’re doing! We’re not gods! We are men just like you, and we’re here to bring you the Message, to persuade you to abandon these silly god-superstitions and embrace God himself, the living God. We don’t make God; he makes us, and all of this—sky, earth, sea, and everything in them.
“In the generations before us, God let all the different nations go their own way. But even then he didn’t leave them without a clue, for he made a good creation, poured down rain and gave bumper crops. When your bellies were full and your hearts happy, there was evidence of good beyond your doing.” Talking fast and hard like this, they prevented them from carrying out the sacrifice that would have honored them as gods—but just barely.
Acts 14:14-18 (MSG)

In his book, Dangerous Calling, Paul David Trip calls his readers, most of whom he assumes are pastors, to beware of the trap of "self-glory."

"Perhaps there is no more powerful, seductive, and deceitful temptation in ministry than self-glory.  Perhaps in ministry there is no more potent intoxicant than the praise of men, and there is no more dangerous form of drunkenness than to be drunk with your own glory."  (p. 167)

The encourager and the apostle both had their opportunity for glory.  They declined.

The days of being mistaken for gods of Olympus are past, but not so the temptation for glory-seeking.
     Of what are you most proud?
     What "fills your tank"?
     Do you desire the praise of men?
     Do you take care of your body to the point of obsession?
     Do you flaunt your IQ?

In the Westminster Confession, the first phrase of the response to the question of our purpose for existence is "To glorify God."  
Now that's a great answer!
When we remember that God "makes us, and all of this - sky, earth, sea, and everything in them," we know His power and our place.

#ordinarylives

Tripp, Paul David. Dangerous Calling. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.