ACTS 14

BRIEF REVIEW OF ACTS 13

Acts 13 marks a turning point in the story of the early church. It is the chapter where the gospel begins its deliberate march into the Gentile world. In the church at Antioch—now a thriving, Spirit-led congregation—the Holy Ghost separates Barnabas and Saul for a new and daring mission. The church lays hands on them, prays, and sends them out, becoming the pattern for missions ever since.

Their journey first brings them to Cyprus, where spiritual conflict erupts. A sorcerer named Elymas tries to hinder the gospel, but God blinds him, and the Roman proconsul, astonished at the power and truth of the message, believes. It is a striking reminder that the gospel always moves forward in contested territory.

From Cyprus they travel north to Pisidian Antioch. There Paul preaches one of the great sermons of the New Testament—rooted in the promises made to Israel, anchored in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and aimed at the hearts of Jews and Gentiles alike. He shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of Scripture and the Savior of all who believe.

The response is divided. Many Gentiles rejoice and turn to the Lord, but influential Jews stir up persecution and drive Paul and Barnabas out. Undeterred, the apostles shake the dust off their feet and continue on—filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost.

Acts 13 ends with a gospel that is unstoppable, a mission that is expanding, and servants of God who refuse to turn back.

There are moments in Scripture when the curtain between the visible and the invisible world seems to lift, and we behold—if only for a breath—the great drama of God’s purpose unfolding among ordinary men. Acts 14 is one such moment. Here, the apostle Paul does not stride across the polished floors of Jerusalem or debate within the storied halls of Athens. Instead, he walks dusty roads into towns whose names hardly echo in the corridors of history—Iconium, Lystra, Derbe—yet whose significance reverberates in eternity.

To the untrained eye, these cities were little more than outposts of Roman influence, places where Greek mythology, local superstition, and imperial authority braided themselves into a single cultural rope upon which the people leaned. Alfred Edersheim helps us appreciate that this world was thick with religious expectation. Legends lingered like morning mist; travelers recited tales of gods wandering the earth disguised as men. The people of Lystra, for example, remembered an ancient story that Zeus and Hermes once visited their region and were turned away—save for a single poor couple who welcomed them. It was this old tale that later caused a crippled man’s healing to erupt into a frenzy of misplaced worship.

Into such a world Paul and Barnabas came—not as gods, not as philosophers, not as wandering mystics—but as heralds of the risen Christ. Their message was starkly simple and wonderfully profound: the living God has not left Himself without witness. The One who gives rain, harvests, bread, and gladness had now given His Son, and from the empty tomb had issued a summons to all mankind.

Acts 14 is a chapter of contrasts—faith and fury, worship and stoning, miracles and misunderstanding. It is a chapter where the gospel shines not because the world is ready for it, but precisely because it is not. Like Lewis might say, it is a glimpse of the Kingdom breaking into a shadowed land. And like Edersheim would note, it is the fulfillment of long–anticipated divine patterns: the God of Israel revealing Himself to the nations through His chosen messengers.

Here we meet the resilience of the apostle, bruised yet unbroken; the courage of a young church, trembling yet steadfast; and the relentless advance of God’s Word, misunderstood by many, resisted by some, but embraced by those whose hearts God had prepared.

5. ICONIUM—DIVIsION (14:1-7)

This city, more Greek than Roman, was in the Roman province of Galatia.

Paul's ministry in the synagogue was singularly blessed and a multitude ofJews and Gentiles believed. Once again, the unbelieving Jews stirred up hatred and opposition, but the missionaries stayed on and witnessed boldly for Christ. (Note the "therefore" in Acts 14:3.)

God also enabled the men to perform signs and wonders as their

"credentials" that they were indeed the servants of the true God (see Acts 15:12; Gal. 3:5; Heb. 2:4). Faith is not based on miracles (Luke 16:27-31; John 2:23-25), but faith can be bolstered by miracles. The important thing is "the word of his grace" that performs the work of His grace (Acts 14:26

Acts 14:26 KJV 1900

26 And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

The result? The city was divided and the Christians were threatened with public disgrace and stoning. Obedient to their Lord's counsel in Matthew 10:23

Matthew 10:23 KJV 1900

23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

they fled from that area into a different Roman district and continued to minister the Word of God.

6. LYSTRA—DELUSION (14:8-20)

Lystra was in the Roman province of Galatia, about eighteen miles southwest of Iconium. This was the first of three visits Paul made to this city, and an eventful visit it was! On his second missionary journey, Paul enlisted Timothy in Lystra (Acts 16:1-5), and he made a visit to this church on his third journey as well (Acts 18:23). We should note four different responses during this visit.

(1) The crippled man's response to the Word (v. 8-10). Both Peter and Paul healed men who were lame from birth (Acts 3). Had their lameness been caused by disease or accident, the cure might have been attributed to a sudden change in their health. As it was, the cure was obviously miraculous.

The word translated speak in Acts 14:9 means ordinary conversation, though it can refer to formal speaking. It is likely that Paul was simply conversing with some of the citizens in the marketplace, telling them about Jesus, and the lame man overheard what he said. The Word produced faith (Rom. 10:17) and faith brought healing. 

(2) The crowd's response to the crippled man (v. 11-13). Miracles by themselves do not produce either conviction or faith. They must be accompanied by the Word (Acts 14:3). This was a superstitious crowd that interpreted events in the light of their own mythology. They identified Barnabas as Jupiter (Zeus), the chief of the gods; and Paul, the speaker, they identified with Mercury (Hermes), the messenger of the gods. Jupiter was the patron deity of the city, so this was a great opportunity for the priest of Jupiter to become very important and lead the people in honoring their god.

(3) The apostles' response to the crowd (v. 14-19).

The crowd quieted down, but when some troublemaking Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, the crowd followed their lead and stoned Paul.

One minute, Paul was a god to be worshipped; the next minute, he was a criminal to be slain! Emerson called a mob "a society of bodies voluntarily bereaving themselves of reason." Often this is true.

(4) The disciples' response to Paul (v. 20). There were new believers in Lystra, and this was a crisis situation for them. They were a minority, their leader had been stoned, and their future looked very bleak. But they stood by Paul! It is likely that they joined hearts and prayed for him, and this is one reason God raised him up. Was Paul dead? We are not told. This is the only stoning he ever experienced (2 Cor. 11:25), but from it camePaul's message was not based on the Old Testament, because this was a pagan Gentile audience. He started with the witness of God in creation (see Acts 17:22ff.). He made it clear that there is but one God who is the living God, the giving God, and the forgiving God. And He has been patient with the sinning nations (Acts 17:30) and has not judged them for their sins as they deserve.

7. ANTIOCH IN SYRIA-DECLARATION (14:21-28)

On their return trip to Antioch, the missionaries were engaged in several important ministries.

First, they preached the gospel and made disciples ("taught many"). It is difficult to understand how they got back into the cities from which they had been expelled, but the Lord opened the doors.

Second, they strengthened ("confirmed" the believers in the things of Christ and encouraged ("exhorted") them to continue in the faith.

Continuance is a proof of true faith in Jesus Christ John 8:31-32; Acts

2:42). Paul made it very clear that living the Christian life was not an easy thing and that they would all have to expect trials and sufferings before they would see the Lord in glory.

Third, they organized the churches (Acts 14.207

is both an organism and an organization, for if an organism is not orga-nized, it will die! Paul and Barnabas ordained spiritual leaders and gave them the responsibility of caring for the flock. If you compare Titus 1:5 and 7, you will see that "elder" and "bishop" (overseer) refer to the same office, and both are equivalent to "pastor" (shepherd).

The word translated ordained means "to elect by a show of hands."

It is possible that Paul chose the men and the congregation voted its approval, or that the people selected them by vote and Paul ordained them (see Acts 6:1-6).

Finally, they reported to their "sending church" on the work God had done (Acts 14:26-28). They had been gone at least a year, and it must have been exciting for them and for the church when they arrived back home.

They had, by the grace of God, fulfilled the work God had given them to do, and they joyfully reported the blessings to the church family.

This is perhaps the first "missionary conference" in church history, and what a conference it must have been! A church officer once said to me, "I don't care how much money you want for missions, I'll give it, but just don't make me listen to missionaries speak!" I felt sorry for him that his spiritual temperature was so low that he could not listen to reports of what God was doing in the difficult corners of the harvest field.

As you review Paul's first missionary journey, you can see the principles by which he operated, principles that are still applicable today.

He worked primarily in the key cities and challenged the believers to take the message out to the more remote areas. The gospel works in the population centers, and we must carry it there.

He used one approach with the synagogue congregations and another with the Gentiles. He referred the Jews and Jewish proselytes to the Old Testament Scriptures, but when preaching to the Gentiles, he emphasized the God of creation and His goodness to the nations. His starting point was dif-ferent, but his finishing point was the same: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

He majored in establishing and organizing local churches. Jesus had the local church in mind when He gave what we call the "Great Commission" (Matt. 28:19-20). After we make disciples ("teach"), we must baptize them (the responsibility primarily of a local church) and then teach them the Word of God. Merely winning people to Christ is but fulfilling one-third of the commission! It takes the local assembly of believers to help us fulfill all of what Jesus commanded us to do.

He grounded the believers in the Word of God. This is the only source of strength and stability when persecution comes, as it inevitably does come. Paul did not preach a popular success gospel" that painted a picture of an easy Christian life.

The amazing thing is that Paul and his associates did all of this without the modern means of transportation and communication that we possess today. Dr. Bob Pierce used to say to us in Youth for Christ, "Others have done so much with so little, while we have done so little with so much!" The wasted wealth of American believers alone, if invested in world evan-gelization, might lead to the salvation of millions of lost people.

Paul and Barnabas announced that the "door of faith" had been opened to the Gentiles.

That door is still open, to Jews and Gentiles alike—to a whole world!

Walk through that open door and help take the gospel to others.

Be daring!

As Acts 14 closes, we stand at the crossroads with Paul and Barnabas. They have been mistaken for gods, nearly worshiped, violently rejected, stoned, left for dead, and yet—they rise. Not because of human strength, but because the life of Christ within them cannot be extinguished by dust, stones, or hostile crowds.

The question that the chapter whispers to each of us is this: What will you do with the God who has not left Himself without witness?

He has written His kindness into creation, His truth into conscience, His promises into Scripture, and His love into the pierced hands of His Son. And now He writes His call upon your heart—not with thunder, not with coercion, but with that quiet firmness that Lewis once said “will not be broken by any attempt to drown it out.”

Acts 14 tells us that the gospel demands a response. Some resisted violently. Some misunderstood completely. But others believed—and were transformed.

And so the invitation is simple, ancient, and living:

Turn from the vanities that cannot save, and turn to the living God who gives life and light to all. Turn to the Christ who suffered, who rose again, and who now calls you into His kingdom. Turn to the One who strengthens the soul, establishes the heart, and walks with His saints through every trial until they reach the heavenly city.

This is the God Paul proclaimed. This is the Savior who still speaks. And this is the moment—your moment—to answer Him with faith.