Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
February 2026
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.
5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.
8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
We studying the Book of Acts. We studied the first church in Acts 2. We see the first missionaries in Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas are the first missionaries. It is the first missionary journey in history.
They were selected by the Holy Spirit but sent out by the church. The church of Antioch laid their hands on them and sent them out.
Where did they go? They went to two places: Cyprus and the province of Galatia. Cyprus was where Barnabas was from. He was born there. Then, they went to the region of Galatia. Paul later wrote to these churches in a book called Galatians. It is one of the earliest books of the NT.
In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas finish their first missionary journey. They go to five cities (Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Perga and Attalia). Today, we want to do two things. We want to get an overview of the chapter to see what it says and then look at some practical applications.
Mixed Reaction
The chapter begins with Paul and Barnabas going to Iconium to preach. The first place they went to was the local synagogue. That would be hard to do today. Iconium is in Turkey. It is a Muslim country. There are not too many synagogues there today.
When Paul preached, he got a mixed reaction. Some loved what he said. Some hated it. The gospel always divides people.
We are told that both Jews and Gentiles believed but others opposed what he said and slandered him, but he kept preaching until his safety was at risk. There was a plot to kill them, so they left town and went eighteen miles to Lystra, where an amazing miracle took place.
Miracle of Healing
But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel.8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. (Acts 14:6-10 NIV).
This was Paul’s first recorded healing miracle. Peter healed a Jewish man who had never walked in Acts 3. Now, in Acts 14, Paul heals a Gentile man who never walked.
Paul’s First Healing MiracleWhat were some characteristics of Paul’s first healing miracle? Five things stand out from this miracle. 1. Need for Compassion While he was preaching, he noticed a man who was lame, had the faith to be healed and he healed him. Paul saw a man who could not walk and was concerned about him. He cared about his needs. He could have just ignored the man and kept preaching but he didn’t. He stopped his sermon to address his needs. 2. Need for Faith Paul saw that this man had faith to be healed (Acts 14:9). That tells us that faith is needed for healing. Other verses say the same thing. When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, He said, “your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). Apparently, faith can heal people. James 5:15 says that the prayer of faith will make the sick person well. Paul had the gift of healing. When Paul saw a lame man, he did not say, “Can I pray for you after the service?” That’s what we might do. He told him to stand up. He COMMANDED him to stand up. He did not ask him if he would like to stand up. He did not ask him if he would like to use his legs. He did not ask him if he would like to be healed. He just told him to stand up. It is a strange command. Paul was commanding a man whose legs do not work to use his legs. It sounds a little cruel to tell someone who can’t stand up to stand up. The man was in a hopeless and helpless situation. Paul commanded someone to do something that he was not physically able to do and yet this man got up and jumped. 3. Immediate Result Healing is instantaneous. This man did not gradually get better through medical treatment. It did not take years to recover. He did not need any medication or physical therapy to walk. He began to walk immediately. He was instantly healed supernaturally by the power of God. Luke records this and he was a doctor. He was in the medical profession, but he also believed in divine healing. He also had a work of knowledge. He had special discernment. He knew that this man had faith. How did he know that? Faith is invisible. The man didn’t say anything. Somehow, he knew. 4. Miracle Message So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, WHO CONFIRMED THE MESSAGE OF HIS GRACE BY ENABLING THEM TO PERFORM SIGNS AND WONDERS (Acts 14:3 NIV) This healing was a sign. It had a message. There was no doubt that Paul was from God. It was undeniable after seeing this miracle. This miracle was not just for the man’s sake to make him feel better. It showed that God was at work in Paul’s ministry. 5. Signs Misinterpreted There are all kinds of ways that miracles can be misinterpreted or abused. The Bible even talks about “false signs.” Some have used miracles to promote false doctrine. Some have used them to glorify the miracle worker, not God. Miracles were misinterpreted in Lystra. |
Misguided Worship
The pagans in Lystra saw what Paul did and thought he was a god. They though Paul and Barnabas were Greek gods. They thought they were Zeus and Hermes in disguise. They tried to worship them. They tried to offer sacrifice to them.
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they SHOUTED in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices TO THEM.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
Murder Attempt
This is a little strange. Paul did a good deed. He performed a genuine miracle which no one could deny. The people in Lystra loved and idolized Paul. They thought he was a god and then in an instant they hated him and wanted to kill him. Rocks started to fly. They went from idolatry to murder.
How did that happen? Paul enemies showed up. They hated him so much they traveled over a hundred miles. They traveled from Antioch and Iconium to slander Paul. They said he was evil. They said he was dangerous. They said he was a troublemaker. They said that they should get rid of him.
This crowd was gullible. It was fickle. It was easily swayed. It believed the lies. It shows the danger of outside agitators. They come in and spread misinformation. They stir up a crowd and instigate conflicts. They cause disorder and chaos. They encourage violence.
Paul preached monotheism to idolaters and got stoned for blasphemy. His body was bloody. It was lifeless. Everyone thought he was dead. He was dragged outside the city like a piece of garbage and left him there.
A bunch of disciples gathered around him. Timothy might have been one of them because he was from Lystra (Acts 16:1). Paul got up. Whether you believe he was really dead or not, either way this was a miracle.
He was hit in the head with rocks. He was bloody. He got up like nothing happened. He did not receive any medical care. He did not go to the ER. Doctor Luke was NOT there. He did not join the team until Acts 16.
If that happened to missionaries today, they would take time off to recover or even leave the mission field. Paul didn’t quit. In fact, he went back to Lystra. He went back to the place of danger. We would go in the opposite direction. If he couldn’t preach in Lystra, he just went to another city.
Ministry Follow-Up
The next day, he went fifty-five to sixty miles to a city called Derby and preached the gospel. It was probably a three-day journey. They converted a large number of disciples.
Then, they did some follow-up work. They went back to Lystra, the place where he was stoned. They also went back to Iconium. They went back to Antioch to check on the disciples and to encourage them.
They appointed elders to help teach and lead the congregation. Where did they come up with the idea of elders? It came right out of the synagogue. There were elders in the synagogue.
Deacons were appointed earlier in Acts and now we see, not just one elder but several elders in all of the churches (Acts 14:23). The word elder is plural. Churches need both elders and deacons.
Some of these elders just got saved a few months before. They had not been to seminary. They were fairly young in their faith.
Mission Report
Then, the mission was over and they went back home. They headed back to their home church. Their home church was in Antioch.
They gave a mission report to the church that sent them out. They did not boast about their accomplishments. Paul did not boast about his healing miracle. They told them all of the great things that God did, not all of the great things they did.
Three Takeaways
This is a great story. It is an important event in church history, the first missionary journey. What can we take from it? What does it say to us today?
1) Preach the Gospel
Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel, and we should preach the gospel. It is part of the Great Commission. We are not all foreign missionaries, but we can all preach the gospel.
They preached it to different cultures. They preached it to different races. They preached it to Jews. They preached it to Gentiles. They preached to people who believed in one God and people who worshipped many gods.
They preached to moral people and immoral people. They preached it to ordinary people. They preach it to famous people, like Sergio Paulus, who was a governor.
They preached it in different ways. Up to this point, we have seen Paul preach to Jews. He went into the synagogue and preached to Jews. We have seen Paul preach to God fearers, who were half-Jews.
Acts 14 is the first time the gospel goes to pure pagans. Paul preaches to people who don’t go to church. He preaches to people who don’t believe the Bible and have never read the Bible. He preaches to people who had zero biblical background.
They had never heard of the Ten Commandments. They never heard of Moses. They never heard of Jesus. Their worldview was shaped by ignorance, by idolatry, by polytheism, and by superstition.
What we see in Acts 14 is direct evangelism to pagans. It is one of the clearest biblical models for sharing the gospel with pagans. How did Paul preach to the raw pagans of Lystra?
Preaching to PagansWe are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:15-17 NIV) 1) He did not quote Bible verses He did do this to the Jews he talked to in the synagogue but not when he talked to the pagans in Lystra. He did not quote Isaiah or Jeremiah. They did not know who they were. 2) He taught simple biblical truth Paul went back to the basics. He went back to Genesis. He talked about who God is before he ever talked about Jesus. He introduced to them to God and he said four things about God. God is LIVING. He is not like the lifeless idols they worshipped which were not real. God ls LOVING. He provides rain for you so crops can grow, and people can have food to eat. He fills their hearts with joy. God is PATIENT. He allows nations to go their own way. God is patient with sinners. God is POWERFUL. He is not only loving but powerful. He is the Creator. He made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. We live in a day in which people do not even believe that God created the world. They believe in evolution. That is a message people still need to hear today. 3) He preached repentance He told them to turn from these worthless idols to the living God. That sounded a little insulting. He called their idols worthless and told them to turn from them. He told them to stop worshipping idols and to stop worshipping Paul and Barnabas. He told them to worship God. Many today do not preach repentance or believe in it. They take repentance out of the gospel. Paul preached against sin. He preached repentance. |
2) Expect Tribulation
Paul taught something that is rarely taught in pulpits today. Many preachers talk about prosperity. Paul talked about persecution. He talked about hardships. He talked about difficulties.
He talked from experience. He was just stoned. He almost lost his life. He almost died in Galatia. Wherever he went, his enemies followed him. People tried to kill him. He was never safe.
God did not protect him from harm. He was stoned. He had rocks thrown at his head. Paul was present when Stephen was stoned and he approved of it. Now, he is getting rocks thrown at him. God did not prevent the stoning, but he did preserve his life from death.
He said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22 NIV)
That is not a big teaching in American Christianity and yet Paul said, “We MUST go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
Kingdom living includes tribulations but notice that Paul did NOT say, “We must go through hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
He said, “We must go through MANY hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” The hardships take many different forms, but we all go through them.
Suffering is part of following Christ. Many churches preach comfort. They preach prosperity. Jesus preached we have to take up our cross and deny ourselves.
Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (II Timothy 3:12 NIV)
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (I Peter 4:12 NIV)
3) Disciple believers.
This is part of the Great Commission. Believers don’t just need to be evangelized. They need to be discipled. That is one of the problems of mass evangelism.
You can hold big meetings, preach the gospel and thousands come forward with a decision but there is no follow-up. Many end up in dead churches. Paul made sure to do follow up with people he evangelized.
Paul and Barnabas did not just preach the gospel. They started churches. They appointed church officers. Paul discipled them. He taught them but he also ordained elders to discipline them when he left.
They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
