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Acts Chapter 14
George Sisneros
December 14, 2024
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
👉🏽 Read Chapter 14 HERE before reading my notes. If you don’t, my notes won’t make sense.
You can access previous notes on Acts and Luke HERE.
Let’s wrap up the day in His glory, Saints! ☀️
It took us five weeks to work through Acts 13, but today, we’re tackling all of Acts 14.
Let’s dive in!
At the end of Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were forced to leave Antioch in Pisidia (different from Antioch in Syria, where their missionary journey began).
But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
Verses 1-2 describe the success of Paul and Barnabas’ preaching, followed by intense opposition as the unbelieving Jews "poisoned the minds" of the Gentiles against them.
Then, verse three!!!
"So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands."
The unbelieving Jews opposed them, so they remained for a long time???
Here’s why that makes sense to me.
We’ve been missionaries in Guatemala for 12 ½ years. Early on, when we faced opposition, we often took it personally. It would throw us off track, and we’d pull back almost every time.
But as we grew in understanding, we began to see that the opposition wasn’t personal—it was an attack from the enemy, full of lies. Once we recognized it for what it was, the power of that opposition seemed to fade away.
Now, when we face opposition, it’s confirmation that we’re doing something the enemy doesn’t like. It actually encourages us to push forward.
Paul and Barnabas, by the power of the Holy Spirit, didn’t let the opposition stop them. They recognized it for what it was—a spiritual attack—and instead of pulling back, they moved ahead with boldness.
How long is “a long time”?
Paul often stayed in cities just long enough to establish a church and disciple the new believers, which could range from weeks to months (e.g., 18 months in Corinth, 2-3 years in Ephesus).
Considering the strong opposition in Iconium, it’s reasonable to think they stayed for several months, ensuring the new believers were firmly grounded in their faith before moving on.
When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.
At Lystra, Paul healed a man crippled from birth. They could never have imagined what would happen next!
And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
What the what?
THAT escalated quickly.
In Greek mythology, Zeus was the king of the gods, symbolizing power and authority. Barnabas might have been seen as Zeus because he seemed more commanding, though Luke doesn’t explain why.
Hermes was the messenger god, associated with articulate communication. Since Paul led the speaking, he was linked to Hermes.
But still! Gods?
The Roman poet Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, tells a story about Zeus and Hermes visiting a nearby region called Phrygia, disguised as ordinary people. The locals rejected them, except for one kind elderly couple, who were rewarded for their hospitality.
MAYBE the Lystrans didn’t want to make the same mistake!
From Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Here’s how the story unfolds:
The gods, disguised as poor travelers, visited the town of Phrygia looking for hospitality. They were rejected by all the townspeople except for Baucis and Philemon, a humble and kind elderly couple.
Despite their poverty, Baucis and Philemon welcomed the travelers into their modest home, offering them food and wine. As the meal continued, the couple noticed that the wine jug kept refilling itself, revealing their guests were divine.
Zeus and Hermes led the couple to safety on a nearby hill and then flooded the town to punish the inhospitable people. Baucis and Philemon’s house was transformed into a beautiful temple, and they were made its priests.
The gods also granted the couple’s wish to die at the same time so they wouldn’t live without one another. When their time came, they were transformed into two intertwined trees—an oak and a linden—standing together as a symbol of their faithfulness and kindness.
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
In ancient times, tearing one’s garments was a powerful expression of grief, shock, or outrage. It symbolized deep emotional distress or strong disapproval.
When Paul and Barnabas did it, they were showing how upset they were that the crowd thought they were gods. It was their way of saying, “We’re just humans—worship the true God instead!”
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
The Jews traveled over 100 miles from Antioch to Lystra, determined to silence Paul and his message.
One hundred miles!
They were hunting Christians—just like Paul had done back in Acts 9. It’s striking how Paul’s past came full circle, only now he was the one being hunted for the very faith he once tried to destroy.
It’s interesting to note that Luke, a physician known for being detail-oriented, chose not to dramatize this moment. Instead, he sticks to what’s observable.
Paul was stoned,
thought to be dead,
but then got up.
His restraint adds credibility to all of his writing—it shows he wasn’t just trying to sensationalize Paul’s experiences to make a point; he was recording history.
But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
Paul gets up and goes right back into the city???
The stoning in Lystra is one of those moments where most people would’ve stayed down, but Paul didn’t.
He
got
back
up!
The Holy Spirit gave him the boldness, courage, and strength to keep going, even in the face of death.
Paul’s resilience is a testament to unshakable faith and God’s power.
When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
There is so much to unpack in the next few verses. Stick with me.
Notice that Luke doesn’t record “many converted.” He said they “made many disciples.” So what? What’s the difference?
The difference is in depth and commitment. A convert is someone who changes their belief, acknowledging Jesus as Savior. It’s a first step of faith—a starting point.
A disciple, on the other hand, is someone who goes deeper. They follow Jesus, learn from Him, and live out His teachings. It’s an ongoing process of transformation, surrender, and growth, marked by obedience and a desire to make more disciples.
Converts make a decision; disciples embrace a lifelong journey. That’s why Luke’s words matter. It’s not just about conversions; it’s about raising people who are devoted to living and sharing the gospel.
Are “converts” saved?
Absolutly. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not by how much we do or know. A person who truly believes in Jesus as their Savior is saved, even if they’re at the very beginning of their faith journey.
But Jesus doesn’t just call us to believe—He calls us to follow. Becoming a disciple means growing in our relationship with Him, learning His ways, and living out His teachings.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
After preaching the gospel in Derbe, Paul and Barnabas turned back and revisited the cities where they had shared the gospel, including Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. This is mind-blowing, especially considering Lystra was the place where Paul had been stoned and left for dead.
It’s hard to wrap your mind around. Who does that? Paul literally walked back into the city where they had tried to kill him. It’s not just bold—it’s almost reckless, in the best way. The kind of faith and determination it must have taken is just... unbelievable.
Why go back?
Paul and Barnabas knew these believers needed support to stay strong in their faith.
It’s important to remember that every time they left a city, they left believers behind, who most likely had to deal with continued persecution without support. It’s clear from the letters Paul later wrote that these early Christians endured a lot.
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith,
and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
As Christians today, we have to remember that we will face “many tribulations.”
In Nik Ripken’s book The Insanity of God, he shares powerful stories from persecuted Christians around the world. One of the accounts includes Somali believers who viewed imprisonment for their faith as a badge of honor.
While you and I might see imprisonment as a tragedy, they see it as proof of their faith and a testimony to God’s power.
I love the way James, the half-brother of Jesus says it,
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
“When”, not “if.”
Count on trials and count on trials of various kinds.
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
As Paul and Barnabas revisited each city, they prayed for them and put them into the hands of the Lord.
I love that. As they left, they knew…
Only God could sustain their faith, grow the church, and carry them through the trials they would face. They knew the church belonged to Jesus.
Soak in the words of Paul praying for the church in Colossae.
"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."
The reason I love that prayer so much is because it’s a prayer you can pray over your children ♥️.
When your kids leave home, you parent differently; you parent on your knees. I think it was the same way when Paul left a church… he parented on his knees too.
He may not have been there physically, but he was fervently praying for them, encouraging them through letters, and entrusting them to God’s care, knowing that the Holy Spirit would guide and strengthen them in his absence.
Let’s wrap this up.
Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.
What began in Chapter 13, the first missionary journey, has come to an end.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.
Ahhhhhhh, I love that! It shows just how important it is to be encouraged, healed, and strengthened by the local church—by your brothers and sisters in Christ. I love how God works through His people to build us up and remind us that we’re not alone in this journey.
If you’re still attending church online (after the pandemic) or haven’t found a local church to call home, this could be your sign to start looking.
One Minute Inspiration
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
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George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 26 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
In 2024, George and his wife expanded to Cuba, joining forces with nine pastors committed to transforming lives through the gospel.