Acts 14

Paul and Barnabas preach in Iconium, Lystra and Derbe on their first missionary journey. Healing a lame man at Lystra leads the crowds to worship them as gods, and Paul then points them to the living Creator. After Paul is stoned and rises, they strengthen the new churches, appoint elders, and return to Antioch to report that God has opened the door to the Gentiles.

Acts 14:1

At Iconium the pair follow their usual pattern and begin in the Jewish synagogue. They speak so effectively that many Jews and Greeks believe. God uses their message, not clever tricks, to bring both Jews and non-Jews to faith.

BSA: believed (“trusted, had faith, were convinced”): Belief here is a settled trust in Christ, not just agreeing with facts.

See also: Acts 13:5.

Acts 14:2

Those Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles against the Christians. Opposition often works by feeding suspicion and bitterness. The word for poisoned shows how rumor can sicken minds toward people who have done no harm.

BSA: poisoned (“harmed, made evil-affected”): Their minds were made hostile, as though infected, toward the believers.

Acts 14:3

Opposition did not drive them out at once. They stayed a long while and spoke boldly. The Lord confirmed the message of His grace with signs and wonders. The miracles pointed to the message; the message itself is about God’s undeserved kindness.

BSA: grace (“unmerited favor, loving-kindness”): The message is about God’s free kindness, which no one earns. boldly (“with confidence”): They spoke freely and without fear, trusting the Lord who stood behind them.

See also: Hebrews 2:3-4.

Acts 14:4

The gospel divides a city. Some sided with the unbelieving Jews, others with the apostles. Here Luke calls Paul and Barnabas apostles, meaning those sent out. The message of Christ forces a decision and cannot be ignored.

Acts 14:5-7

When a plot arose among Gentiles, Jews and their rulers to mistreat and stone them, they learned of it and left. Fleeing was wise, not cowardly. Driven out, they simply moved on to Lystra and Derbe and kept preaching the good news there.

BSA: fled (“quickly went away, escaped”): They left promptly to stay alive for the work still ahead.

See also: Matthew 10:23.

Acts 14:8

Luke paints a hopeless picture: a man in Lystra, lame from birth, who had never once walked. His condition was not recent or curable by any known means. Only God’s power could help him.

BSA: lame (“crippled”): His disability had lasted since birth, so there was no natural hope.

Acts 14:9

The man listened closely to Paul. Paul looked straight at him and saw that he had faith to be healed. Faith here grew from hearing the message. The Greek for healed can also mean saved, hinting at wholeness of body and soul.

BSA: healed (“made whole, saved from his affliction”): The word reaches beyond the body toward complete rescue.

Greek: σωθῆναι (sōthēnai, G4982) — “to be saved, made whole.” The same word is used for physical healing and for spiritual salvation, so the man’s healing pictures the deeper rescue the gospel offers.

See also: Romans 10:17.

Acts 14:10

Paul calls out loudly, “Stand up on your feet!” The man leaps up and walks. He had never walked, yet he obeyed at once and was strengthened. It echoes the healing of the lame man at the Temple gate by Peter.

BSA: jumped up (“leaped, sprang”): His response was sudden and full of strength, showing the healing was complete.

See also: Acts 3:6-8.

Acts 14:11-12

The crowd shouted in their local Lycaonian tongue, which explains why Paul and Barnabas did not grasp it at first. They believed the gods had come in human form. They named Barnabas Zeus, the chief god, and Paul Hermes, the messenger god, since Paul did the talking.

BSA: gods (“divine beings, having God’s nature”): The people truly thought heavenly powers had come to earth.

Greek: Ἑρμῆν (Hermēn, G2060) — “Hermes, the messenger god.” In Greek myth Hermes was the spokesman of the gods, so the crowd saw Paul’s speaking as a sign of this role.

Acts 14:13

The priest of Zeus, whose temple stood outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates to sacrifice with the crowds. Their enthusiasm was sincere but misdirected. Real worship belongs to God alone, not to His servants.

BSA: wreaths (“garlands, circular decorations”): The bulls were decorated for sacrifice, showing the preparations were serious.

Acts 14:14

When the apostles heard, they tore their clothes, a sign of horror at blasphemy. They rushed into the crowd shouting. They could not accept honor that belonged to God. True servants of Christ refuse the glory meant for Him.

BSA: tore (“violently pulled apart”): Their grief and alarm at the idolatry showed in a dramatic act.

See also: Acts 10:25-26.

Acts 14:15

They say they are only men, like the crowd. Their good news is that people should turn from worthless things to the living God, who made everything. Idols are empty and cannot give life; the Creator is alive and near.

BSA: worthless things (“vain, empty, futile”): Idols promise much but give nothing, being empty of power. living God (“the one true deity, who is truly alive”): Unlike dead idols, He is truly alive and active.

Greek: ματαίων (mataiōn, G3152) — “empty, futile.” The word describes what leads nowhere and accomplishes nothing, which is how Paul sees idols.

See also: Psalm 115:4-8; Genesis 1:1.

Acts 14:16

In earlier ages God let the nations follow their own paths. He did not send them the law as He did Israel. This was patience, not approval. Now, through Christ, the call to turn to Him goes out to all.

BSA: let (“allowed, permitted, suffered”): God held back His judgment and bore with them in patience.

See also: Acts 17:30.

Acts 14:17

Yet God never left Himself without a witness. Rain, harvests and the joy of full tables speak of a generous Creator. Everyday good gifts are a quiet message that there is a kind God behind creation, worth thanking and knowing.

BSA: testimony (“without any evidence, completely”): God has given clear evidence of Himself everywhere. gladness (“joy and happiness”): Even the joy that comes with a meal is a gift from Him.

See also: Romans 1:20; Psalm 145:15-16.

Acts 14:18

Even after this plain speech, the apostles barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them. Old religious habits are strong. Paul and Barnabas show humility: they would not take worship even when it was freely offered.

BSA: hardly (“with great difficulty, barely”): The crowd’s eagerness was so great that stopping them took real effort.

Acts 14:19

Jews from Antioch and Iconium, towns the apostles had left, followed them and persuaded the same crowds. Those who had praised Paul as a god now stoned him and dragged him out, thinking him dead. Human favor is fickle.

BSA: won over (“persuaded, convinced”): The crowd’s mood swung quickly from worship to violence.

See also: 2 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Timothy 3:11.

Acts 14:20

The disciples gathered around him, and he got up and went back into the city. Whether he was revived or only badly hurt, Luke does not say. The next day he moved on to Derbe. God preserved him and the work went on.

BSA: gathered (“stood round about, surrounded”): The believers formed a circle of care around their wounded teacher.

Acts 14:21

In Derbe they preached the gospel and made many disciples. A disciple is a learner and follower, not just someone who has heard. Then, bravely, they turned back through the very towns where they had met opposition.

BSA: disciples (“followers of Jesus”): The goal was lasting followers of Jesus, not only decisions.

Greek: μαθητεύσαντες (mathēteusantes, G3100) — “having made disciples.” The verb means to make learners and followers, the same word Jesus used in the Great Commission.

See also: Matthew 28:19.

Acts 14:22

They strengthened the young believers and urged them to stay in the faith. They were honest: many hardships come before entering God’s kingdom. Suffering does not mean God has abandoned them; it marks the road toward His kingdom.

BSA: hardships (“tribulations, pressures”): These are real pressures from a hostile world, not minor troubles. strengthening (“making firm, confirming”): The apostles propped up the believers to stand firm.

See also: John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12.

Acts 14:23

In each church they appointed elders, mature leaders to guide and care for the believers. They did this with prayer and fasting, then entrusted the people to the Lord. The churches were left in God’s care, not dependent on the apostles.

BSA: entrusted (“commended, set before”): They placed the believers into the Lord’s safekeeping, as one deposits something precious. elders (“respected leaders, spiritual guides”): These were seasoned believers who shepherded the congregation.

Greek: πρεσβυτέρους (presbyterous, G4245) — “elders.” The word means older, mature men, carrying the idea of wisdom and standing among the believers.

See also: Titus 1:5.

Acts 14:24-25

They passed through Pisidia into Pamphylia and spoke the word in Perga, then went down to the coastal port of Attalia. The notes are brief, but the pattern is steady: wherever they went, they spoke God’s word.

BSA: word (“Logos, divine message”): The message they carried was God’s own word, the gospel.

Acts 14:26

From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where their journey had begun. There they had been commended to God’s grace for this work. Now the work was finished, and they could see that it had been carried by that same grace.

BSA: commended (“handed over, dedicated”): The church had given them over to God’s care for the task. grace (“unmerited favor, divine influence”): God’s undeserved favor sustained them from start to finish.

See also: Acts 13:1-3.

Acts 14:27

They gathered the church and reported what God had done through them. The credit goes to God. The key news was that He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles: non-Jews could now come to God by trusting Christ.

BSA: door (“opportunity, entrance”): God gave a real opening for the gospel to reach non-Jews.

See also: 1 Corinthians 16:9; Revelation 3:8.

Acts 14:28

They stayed a long time in Antioch with the disciples. After hard travel they rested among fellow believers, sharing life together. The chapter closes in the warmth of the church that had sent them out.

BSA: disciples (“learners, followers of Christ”): They remained among followers of Christ who loved and supported them.