Iconium Ministry
Acts 14It happened again in Iconium, where they entered the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up and poisoned the souls of the ethnic groups against the brothers. So they stayed there a considerable time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews and others with the apostles. When there was a hostile movement among both the ethnic groups and the Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat and stone them, they found out and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe, and to the surrounding region. There they preached the gospel.
In Lystra and Derbe
In Lystra a man who had no strength in his feet was sitting. He had been lame since birth and had never walked. He was listening to Paul speaking, when Paul stared directly at him and saw that he had faith to be healed, and said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” Then he jumped up and began walking around. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices saying in the Lycaonian They called Barnabas “Zeus,” and Paul “Hermes,” because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside of the city, brought bulls and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, “Men, why are y’all doing these things? We are only human, just like y’all. We are bringing y’all good news, so that y’all will turn from these worthless things toward the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. In past generations, ʜᴇ allowed all the ethnic groups to go their own ways. Yet ʜᴇ didn’t leave ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ without a witness, since he did what is good by giving y’all rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying y’all with food and y’all’s hearts with joy.”
Even saying these things, they had difficulty stopping the crowds from sacrificing to them. But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came and when they had won over the crowd, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.
But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
Returning to Appoint Elders
They preached the gospel in that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must go through many persecutions to enter the Empire of God.” Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had now completed. When they arrived and had gathered the church together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and how ʜᴇ had opened a door of faith to the ethnic groups. So they spent considerable time with the disciples.