Verses 1-7: Gospel Advance amid Division and Persecution

¹ In Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. ² But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers. ³ Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. ⁴ But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. ⁵ When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region. ⁷ There they preached the Good News.

• The gospel creates real faith and real opposition:

  The same preaching that leads “a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks” to believe also provokes resistance that “stirred up and embittered the souls” of others, showing that the gospel’s public impact is not neutral: it gathers believers while also exposing hardened unbelief and social hostility.

• Bold ministry depends on the Lord who bears witness to grace:

  “They stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord,” and the Lord himself “testified to the word of his grace,” teaching that Christian mission is neither self-authorized nor self-sustained; it is the Lord who validates the message and strengthens his servants to persevere.

• Signs serve the word rather than replace it, confirming God’s message through his authorized witnesses:

  “Granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands” is directly linked to the Lord’s testimony “to the word of his grace,” indicating that wonders function as divine confirmation and mercy, directing attention to God’s gracious word rather than becoming an end in themselves; in Acts, such signs also publicly authenticate the apostolic witness as a trustworthy bearer of God’s saving message.

• Prudence in danger can be faithful, not fearful:

  When violence escalates, they “became aware of it and fled,” yet immediately “preached the Good News” in the next region, showing that withdrawing from imminent harm can be a wise act of stewardship that preserves ongoing witness.

Verses 8-18: Healing, Misguided Worship, and the Call to the Living God

⁸ At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked. ⁹ He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked. ¹¹ When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² They called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes. ¹⁴ But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes, and sprang into the multitude, crying out, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; ¹⁶ who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.

• Faith responds to the preached word and meets God’s healing mercy:

  The crippled man “was listening to Paul speaking,” and Paul discerned “that he had faith to be made whole,” highlighting that faith is not portrayed as a bare impulse but as a response awakened and expressed in the context of the proclaimed message—an instance of God’s gracious working that calls forth genuine human trust and is consistent with the Spirit’s life-giving ministry among those who hear the word.

• Miracles can be misread without true knowledge of God:

  The crowds interpret the healing as proof that “The gods have come down to us,” reminding the church that extraordinary works do not automatically produce true worship; without instruction, people may redirect awe toward false conclusions and misplaced devotion.

• True servants refuse divine honors and redirect worship to God alone:

  Barnabas and Paul tear their clothes and urgently protest the attempted sacrifice, identifying themselves as “men of like passions,” which teaches that Christian leaders must actively resist any form of idolatry—whether ancient paganism or modern personality-worship—and lead people to worship the living God.

• Conversion includes turning from vain things to the Creator, as the gospel summons true worship and saving faith:

  The “good news” includes a call “that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,” grounding repentance not merely in moral improvement but in a decisive reorientation of worship, allegiance, and worldview toward the Creator; within Acts, this turning is inseparable from receiving the apostolic proclamation that centers on God’s saving work and calls hearers into living faith.

• God’s patience and human responsibility are both taken seriously:

  God “allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways,” which acknowledges a real history of human wandering, while the present call to “turn” shows that people are addressed as accountable responders to God’s summons, not as passive spectators.

• God gives universal witness through providential goodness:

  Even where special revelation has been resisted or ignored, “he didn’t leave himself without witness,” doing good through “rains from the sky and fruitful seasons,” so that ordinary blessings become a testimony to God’s kindness and a basis for gratitude rather than idolatry.

• Human zeal can be stubborn even against apostolic correction:

  “They hardly stopped the multitudes” from sacrificing, showing how deeply embedded false worship can be and how patient, persistent instruction is needed; the church should not be surprised when correction is resisted, even when delivered plainly.

Verses 19-20: Suffering, Perseverance, and the Courage to Continue

¹⁹ But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.

• Crowds are changeable; truth is not measured by popularity:

  The same “multitudes” who were recently moved toward sacrifice can be “persuaded” toward violence, teaching that public opinion is unstable and that the church must anchor its confidence in God’s truth rather than in social approval.

• Discipleship includes costly suffering and steadfast continuation:

  Paul is stoned and left for dead, yet rises and continues the mission the next day, showing that Christian perseverance is not denial of suffering but faithful continuation through it, supported by the presence of “the disciples” who stood around him.

Verses 21-23: Making Disciples, Strengthening Churches, and Entrusting Believers to the Lord

²¹ When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom. ²³ When they had appointed elders for them in every assembly, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

• Mission aims at formed disciples and strengthened communities, not quick impressions:

  They “made many disciples” and then returned to strengthen them, showing that evangelism and ongoing formation belong together; the apostolic pattern seeks enduring faith shaped within accountable community life.

• Continuance in faith is a real exhortation addressed to real believers:

  They exhorted disciples “to continue in the faith,” teaching that perseverance is not treated as automatic or trivial; believers are called to active, ongoing trust and steadfastness, and the church is responsible to encourage this endurance.

• Affliction is normal on the path into God’s Kingdom:

  “Through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom” provides a sober theology of suffering: trials are not presented as evidence of God’s absence but as a common feature of the journey of faith, shaping hope and realism in Christian life.

• Church order includes recognized elders, prayerful dependence, and spiritual entrustment:

  They “appointed elders for them in every assembly,” and with “prayed with fasting” they “commended them to the Lord,” showing that local leadership and spiritual maturity are cultivated through ordered ministry practices, all under the Lord’s care rather than human control.

• Believing is personal trust in the Lord to whom believers are entrusted:

  They were commended “to the Lord, on whom they had believed,” emphasizing that faith is not merely assent to ideas but reliance upon a Person, and that the security and growth of the church ultimately rests with the Lord himself.

Verses 24-28: God’s Faithful Completion of the Work and the Open Door to the Nations

²⁴ They passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ From there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. ²⁷ When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations. ²⁸ They stayed there with the disciples for a long time.

• Ministry is sustained by the word and completed by grace:

  They continue “spoken the word,” and the mission is framed as a work for which they “had been committed to the grace of God” and which they “had fulfilled,” teaching that Christian labor is real and demanding, yet carried forward and brought to completion under God’s gracious support.

• God receives the glory for mission fruit and for faith among the nations:

  They report “all the things that God had done with them,” specifically that “he had opened a door of faith to the nations,” showing that while human witnesses preach, travel, and endure hardship, the decisive opening—especially the spread of faith beyond Israel—is attributed to God’s initiative and generosity.

• Healthy churches practice accountability, testimony, and long-term discipleship:

  Gathering “the assembly together” for reporting and then staying “for a long time” models shared discernment and sustained pastoral presence; growth in Christ is strengthened through transparent reporting of God’s works and patient investment in believers.

Conclusion: Acts 14 presents a coherent theology of mission: the word of grace is proclaimed boldly, confirmed by God’s help, and met with both faith and resistance; true worship turns from vain things to the living Creator who has not left himself without witness; suffering is an expected companion on the road into God’s Kingdom; and the church is built through discipleship, appointed elders, prayerful dependence, and humble testimony that God himself opens a door of faith to the nations.