Acts 14

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This morning I want to teach a little bit differently. We are going to be in Acts 14:19-23 but i want to start off just by reading verse 23. Then, I’m going to ask us some questions and we are going to work our way backwards.
Acts 14:23 ESV
23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
This verse gives us a glimpse of the end goal—what Paul and Barnabas were working toward throughout their missionary journey. It’s not just about planting seeds of faith; it’s about ensuring that those seeds grow into strong, rooted communities, equipped with leadership to sustain the work of the gospel for generations.
Making disciples is the mission.
Matthew 28:19–20 ESV
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “Go and make converts” or “Go and preach and then move on.” He said, “Make disciples.” This requires more than a momentary decision—it requires a long-term commitment to nurture faith, build relationships, and create communities centered on Christ.
That’s exactly what Paul and Barnabas did. After preaching the gospel and seeing people come to faith, they didn’t stop there. They took the time to appoint elders—leaders who would guide and shepherd these new believers. But notice, these elders weren’t chosen lightly. Paul and Barnabas didn’t rely on their own wisdom or strategies. Instead, they prayed and fasted, seeking God’s guidance for who should lead the church. This shows us that making disciples is not just a human effort; it’s a Spirit-led process.
It’s important to see what qualified these leaders. It wasn’t their knowledge or charisma—it was the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul and Barnabas were trusting the Holy Spirit to guide them in appointing leaders, and it was the Spirit who would empower these leaders to shepherd the church. The same is true for us today: the Holy Spirit is what qualifies us to make disciples, not knowledge or experience. God calls and equips ordinary people through His Spirit.
And how did Paul and Barnabas discern the Spirit’s leading? “With prayer and fasting.” They weren’t rushing this decision or relying on their own instincts—they were intentionally seeking God’s will. That’s a lesson for us. Prayer and fasting should be regular practices in our lives. Prayer reminds us that we need God’s guidance, and fasting helps us quiet the noise of our desires so we can hear His voice more clearly.
Prayer and fasting do not make us more spiritual, it makes us less self-reliant.
We live in a culture that values independence and self-reliance, but Scripture teaches something different. From Genesis to Revelation, we see that God’s plan has never been about people accomplishing things on their own. It’s always been about surrendering to Him and allowing Him to lead and guide us to where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do.
Jesus Himself modeled this. He said in John 5:19
John 5:19 ESV
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Why do we think we can do things on our own without God when Even Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, did nothing on His own accord?
Jesus had all the authority of God, yet He chose to yield Himself completely to the will of the Father. If Jesus, in His perfection, modeled total dependence on God, how much more should we do the same?
The entirety of Scripture echoes this : we are not called to rely on our own strength or wisdom. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Time and again, God’s people are reminded to trust Him, not themselves.
So the question is: Are you relying on the Holy Spirit, or are you trying to do it all on your own?
Are you making prayer and fasting a priority, not as a way to appear more spiritual, but as a way to depend more fully on God?
Jesus told His disciples in John 15:5, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” That truth remains the same today. We need Him for everything.
When we choose to surrender to God, we step into the same pattern we see throughout Scripture. Whether it’s Abraham trusting God to lead him into the unknown, Moses depending on God to part the sea, or the early church relying on the Spirit to spread the gospel, the message is clear:
God doesn’t call us to act in our own strength—He calls us to trust in His.
This truth is beautifully illustrated in the phrase, “committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” Paul and Barnabas understood that their mission wasn’t about their own abilities but about God’s faithfulness. They entrusted these new leaders to the Lord, knowing their time in each city was limited and they wouldn’t always be there to guide these communities. Yet they had confidence that the same God who saved these people would also sustain them. Their faith wasn’t in their own efforts or the strength of the leaders themselves—it was in God’s power to continue His work.
Now, what this doesn’t mean is that we get to sit back and do nothing. It doesn’t mean we aren’t called to work. We absolutely have to put in effort. The mission requires action, commitment, and intentionality. I know it sounds nice and looks cute on T-shirts and coffee mugs, but the phrase “let go and let God” is silly. we are not called to be passive. We are called to put in the work—but here’s the key: the effort doesn’t come from a place of human strength. It doesn’t come from striving to prove ourselves or relying on our own abilities. It comes from a place of surrender, Paul says in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Our work is an act of obedience and partnership with Him, but the strength and fruit come from the Lord.
Acts 14:23 is a picture of a thriving church: believers who are encouraged, equipped, and empowered to continue the mission of making disciples. This didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident. Paul and Barnabas intentionally laid the groundwork, ensuring that these communities would endure long after they were gone. But they didn’t do it alone. They trusted God to do what only He can do—build His church.
Ultimately, Acts 14:23 is a reminder of what is possible when we rely on God rather than ourselves. It’s a picture of His faithfulness working through His people to build His church.
Are we trusting God to guide our efforts, or are we striving in our own strength?
Are we laying a foundation of prayer?
Are we submitting ourselves to a dependence on the Spirit of God?
Now, we’ve seen the end goal, let’s start working our way backwards.
Acts 14:22 ESV
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
The first part of this verse reminds us that we have a role to play. It says, “strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith.” Wow. Following Jesus is awesome, right? It’s never difficult, it’s never challenging—it’s just full of sunshine and rainbows.
Oh wait, I forgot to read the rest of the verse:
“…and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Welp, I don’t like that part.
And if you’re wondering, the Greek word for “tribulations” here is thlipsis. And boy, are you going to love its definition: “an oppressive state of physical, mental, social, and/or economic adversity.”
Amen to that, am I right? It’s a full package deal—sign me up!
Here’s what I find really interesting: in the gospels, Jesus uses the phrase “follow me” 11 times. Think about that. We love the idea of following Jesus. It sounds good. It’s inspiring. It feels safe when we’re thinking about the blessings and peace He offers.
But do we love following Him when we see where the road leads?
Jesus ended up on the cross. Are you willing to follow Him there?
We are called to follow Him—through pain, through suffering, through it all. It won’t always be happy, it won’t always be easy, and it certainly won’t always be fun. But here’s the truth: it will always be beautiful, and it will always be worth it.
let’s keep going backwards,
verse 21 Acts 14:21
Acts 14:21 ESV
21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
Now, I know we are missing some context here because we are going backwards but I want you to remember the last time They were in Iconium and Antioch.
We read it last week, they thought they were the gods Zeus and Hermes.
They did all they could to convince them they were just men.
So now we know: Paul and Barnabas left that area, went to a new place, began preaching the gospel, and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, encouraging the disciples to keep going in the faith—even though they would face physical, mental, social, and economic adversity. Finally, they established churches there, appointing leaders to guide the communities.
Now, you might be wondering why we went through this passage in reverse instead of reading it in order.
Here’s why: as humans, we often feel the need to know every detail about a journey before we can trust it. We want to see the whole plan, the outcome, and every step along the way before we’re willing to take the first step.
But that’s not how God operates. God doesn’t give us every detail, and there’s a reason for that. If He did, we would try to change the plans. We’d convince ourselves that our way is better or try to take shortcuts to get there. But God’s way is always better, even when it doesn’t make sense to us in the moment.
God doesn’t give us the whole picture because we can’t handle the details of it. Let’s look at the difficult details of this passage/story and see how God worked through every detail.
Acts 14:19 ESV
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
Unbelieving Jews came from another town—the same town where they had just run off Paul and Barnabas with a plot to kill them. They show up here, in Lystra, and convince the people—who, by the way, had just thought Paul and Barnabas were Zeus and Hermes—to turn on them. Suddenly, the crowd decides to stone Paul.
They do it. They actually stone him. They think he’s dead, and they drag his body out of the city.
Now, I don’t know about you, but if God led with this detail—if He said to me, “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen: people are going to think you’re awesome at first. They’ll practically worship you. Then some folks who don’t like you will show up and convince the same crowd to stone you. They’re going to hit you with rocks until you look dead—blood pouring from your head, your body motionless, and you’re barely breathing. Then they’ll drag what they think is your corpse out of the city…”
Well, let’s be real—I’m not signing up for that. No way.
But God can and does use everything.
Romans 8:28 ESV
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God is not caught off guard or surprised. He has perfect foreknowledge. He already knows what is going to happen. He already knows there is an enemy that is going to oppose Him. He knows everything he is going to do. So what does he do? He uses every plan the enemy has and works it for good for those of us that love God and are called according to His purpose. and he does it effortlessly. Because He is God.
So, how is God going to work Paul being stoned for good?
lets re-read Verse 19 and keep reading through to verse 23 to see the whole picture.
Acts 14:19–23 ESV
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
This sequence of events wasn’t just a series of random moments—it was a divine blueprint for what the church should look like. God used Paul’s suffering and the events that followed to teach the churches in Antioch, Iconium, and elsewhere how a Christ-centered community is meant to function.
It started in verse 19 with Paul being stoned—tribulation.
This moment of persecution reflects a reality that every church would face. Jesus had already warned His followers in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The stoning of Paul served as a powerful reminder that the Christian life is marked by trials, and the church must be prepared to endure hardships together.
In verse 20, the disciples gather around him—showing that the church cares for each other.
This is a beautiful picture of what the church is meant to be: a place of support, restoration, and encouragement. When Paul was at his lowest, the disciples didn’t abandon him; they surrounded him, physically and spiritually. This act of gathering around Paul modeled the compassion, unity, and care that should define every church. Galatians 6:2 echoes this call: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
In verses 21-22, Paul and Barnabas return to the very place where they were stoned to encourage the disciples, teaching them to remain in the faith no matter what adversity comes their way.
This act of returning to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch wasn’t just an act of courage—it was a lesson for the churches. Paul and Barnabas were showing them that faithfulness to Christ doesn’t retreat in the face of adversity. They strengthened the disciples and reminded them that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” This is a core lesson for the church: adversity is part of the journey, but God’s grace sustains us through it.
Finally, in verse 23, they establish leaders in the churches to continue the work that God started there.
By appointing elders, Paul and Barnabas were demonstrating that the church isn’t built on a single person or moment—it’s a living, growing body of believers equipped to carry out the mission of God. These leaders would provide spiritual guidance, teaching, and shepherding, ensuring the church’s long-term health and vitality. The emphasis on prayer and fasting during this process highlighted that leadership in the church is Spirit-led, not human-driven.
Taken together, these verses form a powerful plan for
what a church should look like:
1. A community prepared to face tribulation together.
2. A family that gathers to care for one another in times of need.
3. A body that remains faithful and encourages one another despite adversity.
4. A mission-minded community with Spirit-led leaders ensuring the continuation of God’s work.
For the churches in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, this wasn’t just a series of lessons—it was a lived example. Paul and Barnabas didn’t just preach about what a church should be; their lives demonstrated it.
Are you willing to allow God to use your life to teach others?
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