Acts 14:21-28 - Qualities of a Great Missionary

Certainly! Below is a verbose, theologically-informed and biblically grounded expansion of your Bible study titled:

Qualities of a Great Missionary – Acts 14:21–28

Part 3 – Lesson 50

This section of Acts completes the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas. In these closing verses, we observe eight vital qualities that define a great missionary—qualities that are still essential today for anyone seeking to serve Jesus Christ with boldness and fruitfulness. These attributes are not only useful for vocational missionaries but for every believer who takes seriously the call to share the gospel and disciple others.

1) MINISTERING SPIRITUAL GIFT

A great missionary is first and foremost one who exercises their spiritual gift. God has given every believer a gift through the Holy Spirit (see 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6–8, and 1 Corinthians 12). These gifts include teaching, preaching, exhortation, serving, administration, and more.

Paul and Barnabas ministered out of their spiritual gifts: – Preaching and teaching (v.21) – Strengthening and exhorting believers (v.22)

Effective ministry begins with knowing what your gift is and using it for the building up of the Church. As Ephesians 4:11–12 reminds us, spiritual leaders are given “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” When a missionary functions outside of their gifting, the work becomes a burden; but within their gifting, it becomes a joy and a powerful tool in God's hands.

2) BOLDNESS

We first saw boldness emphasized in Acts 14:1–7, and it remains central here. Missionaries must speak the truth even in the face of persecution. Verse 22 shows Paul and Barnabas telling believers that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Boldness does not mean recklessness, but courage rooted in conviction. It means being willing to proclaim Jesus Christ despite opposition, rejection, or suffering. The missionary's boldness stems not from personality, but from the power and assurance of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8, Ephesians 6:19–20).

3) DIVINE POWER

Great missionaries operate not in their own strength, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. Throughout their journey, Paul and Barnabas saw miracles, conversions, and deliverances—not because of their abilities, but because they yielded to the Spirit of God.

In Acts 14:8–10, we previously saw the healing of the lame man. Divine power authenticates the message of the gospel and emboldens the messenger. Without the Holy Spirit, all efforts are in vain. As Jesus Christ told His disciples in Acts 1:4, "Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father"—the indwelling Holy Spirit. Divine work demands divine enablement.

4) HUMILITY

After witnessing a miracle in Lystra, the people attempted to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods (Acts 14:11–13). Yet they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd saying, “We are also men of like nature with you” (Acts 14:15).

A great missionary never takes credit for God’s work. Humility recognizes that we are merely instruments—God gets all the glory. As Paul would later write in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

5) PERSISTENCE

This journey was filled with hardship—rejection, stoning, danger, and fatigue. Yet Paul and Barnabas pressed on. Despite being stoned nearly to death in Lystra (Acts 14:19), Paul rose up and continued to preach.

In verse 21, after preaching the gospel and making many disciples, they began the journey back. They could have taken the shorter and safer route through the wilderness to Seleucia. But instead, they persisted in returning through the very cities where they had been persecuted—Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. This is the mark of a great missionary: pressing on even when the path is painful.

6) FOLLOW-UP MINISTRY

Great missionaries are not satisfied with conversions alone. They return to establish and encourage new believers. Verse 22 says they were “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith.”

They did not just leave a spiritual spark—they came back to fan it into flame. Follow-up is intentional, personal, and sacrificial.

Four Essential Elements of Follow-Up:

(1) Confirmation – This means strengthening the faith of new believers. – Acts 14:22 uses the Greek word episterizō, which means “to strengthen, support, make firm.” – Ephesians 4:12–14 reminds us of the importance of spiritual maturity, so that believers are not “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.” – Paul and Barnabas were willing to risk their lives to do this.

(2) Exhortation – Encouraging believers to continue in the faith. – 1 Thessalonians 2:9, 11 shows Paul likening his ministry to a father urging and instructing his children. – A true believer continues (1 John 2:24), even amid trials and temptations. – Like in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), Satan tries to snatch away the seed. Missionaries must prepare new believers to resist him (Ephesians 6:10–18).

(3) Organization – Verse 23 shows they appointed elders in every church. – Churches thrive not through charisma but through biblical leadership. – Elders provide spiritual oversight (1 Timothy 3:1–7), and deacons provide practical service (Acts 6:1–7). – Paul ensured that each church had a leadership structure before he moved on.

(4) Commendation – They “entrusted them to the Lord” (v.23). – This shows deep faith in God’s sovereignty. – Missionaries must ultimately release their converts into God’s hands. – As Paul told the Ephesian elders later in Acts 20:32, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.”

7) COMMITMENT

Verse 24 reminds us that their journey was not over. They retraced their steps through difficult terrain—the Taurus Mountains—and even as they approached the final stretch, they kept preaching in Perga (v.25).

This was not a vacation. They were bruised, likely exhausted, but fully committed.

They were not casual Christians. They were devoted workers who were not satisfied until they had finished the task. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.”

8) PRAISE TO GOD

Finally, verses 26–28 bring us to the conclusion: Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, “from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.”

They did not return boasting in their accomplishments. Rather, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done through them (v.27). They gave God the glory.

This shows their theology of missions: – It’s God's work, not ours. – We are instruments, He is the master. – We plant and water, but God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6–9).

Many believers start well but never finish what God has called them to do. Paul and Barnabas completed the work. What a testimony! Jesus Christ said in John 17:4, “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” May we say the same.

Conclusion: The Legacy of a Great Missionary

In these closing verses, we see the culmination of a year-long, hazardous, fruitful journey. Paul and Barnabas model what it means to be great missionaries: faithful, humble, Spirit-empowered, persistent, and devoted to others' spiritual growth.

These qualities are not out of reach for us. They are marks of anyone who is willing to surrender fully to the will of God and follow Jesus Christ wherever He leads.

Let us strive not only to start the race but to finish well—for the glory of God and the joy of His people.

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