Acts 14
Grace for the Road Ahead
Paul and Barnabas bring the good news about Jesus to new towns, but they face both welcome and violent rejection. Through it all, God opens hearts, builds churches, and gives His servants grace to keep caring for others.
Walking Through Acts 14
Speaking Boldly in a Divided City (Acts 14:1-7)
1 The same thing happened in Iconium when Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a large group of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through their hands. 4 But the population of the city was divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made an attempt to mistreat them and stone them, 6 Paul and Barnabas learned about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region. 7 There they continued to proclaim the good news.Acts 14:1-7 · NET Bible
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas enter the Jewish meeting place and speak about Jesus. Many Jews and Greeks believe. But some who refuse the message stir up others against the believers. Notice that trouble does not make Paul and Barnabas leave right away. They stay a long time, speaking boldly because they trust the Lord. God supports the message of His grace through signs and wonders.
Still, the city becomes divided. When Paul and Barnabas learn of a plan to mistreat and stone them, they escape to Lystra, Derbe, and the nearby country. There they keep sharing the good news. I find a helpful balance here: trusting God can mean staying through trouble, and it can also mean leaving a dangerous place. Their move is not the end of their work. The message continues down another road.
A Healing and a Wrong Conclusion (Acts 14:8-13)
8 In Lystra sat a man who could not use his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked. 9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, 10 he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man leaped up and began walking. 11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.Acts 14:8-13 · NET Bible
In Lystra, Paul sees a man who has never been able to walk. As the man listens, Paul recognizes that he has faith to be healed. Paul tells him to stand, and the man immediately gets up and walks. This is God’s work, not proof that Paul has power of his own.
The crowd sees the healing but explains it through the gods they already worship. They call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because Paul is the main speaker. In Greek belief, Hermes served as a messenger for the gods. The priest of Zeus brings bulls and wreaths, ready to offer a sacrifice with the crowd.
A true miracle has led to a false conclusion. That matters. People need more than a striking event; they need the truth that explains it. God’s servants must help people look beyond the messenger to the living God.
The God Who Has Been Giving (Acts 14:14-18)
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways, 17 yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.Acts 14:14-18 · NET Bible
When Barnabas and Paul understand what is happening, they tear their clothes as a sign of deep distress. They rush into the crowd to stop the sacrifice. They are ordinary human beings, not gods. Their message calls people away from worthless idols and toward the living God who made heaven, earth, and sea.
Unlike their approach in a Jewish meeting place, they begin with truths this crowd can recognize in everyday life. God has allowed nations to follow their own ways, yet He has never left them without signs of His goodness. Rain, fruitful seasons, food, and gladness all bear witness to His care. His patience does not mean that idol worship is right. It shows His kindness toward people who do not yet know Him.
Even after this appeal, the crowd is hard to stop. I do not want us to miss the heart of their message: the Creator is also the generous Giver.
Returning to Strengthen Others (Acts 14:19-23)
19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead. 20 But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city. On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. 21 After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch. 22 They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in the various churches, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the protection of the Lord in whom they had believed.Acts 14:19-23 · NET Bible
Opponents arrive from Antioch in Pisidia and Iconium and turn the crowd against Paul. They stone him, drag him outside the city, and leave him for dead. Luke does not say that Paul died. He says that, as the disciples gather around him, Paul gets up and enters the city. The next day, he leaves with Barnabas for Derbe, where many become disciples of Jesus.
Then the two men return to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. These are places where they have faced danger. They go back to strengthen the believers and urge them to remain in the faith. They explain that entering God’s kingdom involves many hardships. Trouble is not a sign that God has abandoned His people.
They also appoint elders, leaders who will care for each church. With prayer and fasting, they place these believers in the Lord’s care. New faith needs steady care, sound leadership, and deep trust in God.
Giving God the Credit (Acts 14:24-28)
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported all the things God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. 28 So they spent considerable time with the disciples.Acts 14:24-28 · NET Bible
Paul and Barnabas travel through Pisidia into Pamphylia. After speaking the word in Perga, they go down to Attalia and sail back to Antioch, the church that had placed them in God’s gracious care for this work. Their return brings this mission journey to a close.
They gather the church and report what God has done through them. The focus is not on how brave or gifted they have been. It is on God’s work, especially His opening the way for Gentiles to believe. People outside the Jewish nation are being welcomed through faith in Jesus.
The chapter ends with Paul and Barnabas spending a long time with the disciples. Going out matters, and so does sharing life with the church that sent them. This work began in dependence on God’s grace, and it ends with God receiving the credit.
- Grace — God’s freely given kindness, which welcomes people and sustains His servants.
- Disciples — People who trust Jesus and learn to follow Him.
Who might be strengthened by your renewed care and encouragement?
Father, thank You for Your kindness toward people from every nation. Give us wisdom in danger and courage to speak about Jesus. Help us care patiently for others and trust You with their growth.