Acts 14:19-28
Strengthening the Disciples
Read the passage
19Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
20But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. And the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
21They preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.
24After passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
25And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26From Attalia they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had just completed.
27When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
28And they spent a long time there with the disciples.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Paul is stoned and dragged outside Lystra because his attackers think he is dead. When the disciples gather around him, he gets up and returns to the city. The following day he leaves with Barnabas for Derbe, where they preach and make many disciples.
Their work does not stop with finding a new audience. They return through places where believers need strengthening, including Lystra itself. Paul and Barnabas urge them to continue in the faith, and they speak plainly:
We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
Paul has just suffered such hardship. His encouragement cannot honestly promise a life without it. Instead, the missionaries help the churches prepare to persevere. They appoint elders, pray and fast, and entrust the believers to the Lord. The churches will need care after the visitors leave, and their ultimate security is in the One they have believed.
Back in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas report what God has done through them and how he has opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. Their travels and labor have mattered, but the credit belongs to God. He has been at work throughout this costly journey.
Questions
1 What did the crowd do to Paul?
AnswerThey stoned him, dragged him outside the city, and left him there because they thought he was dead.
2 What did Paul do after the disciples gathered around him?
AnswerHe got up and returned to the city, then left with Barnabas the next day for Derbe rather than abandoning the mission.
3 What did Paul and Barnabas do in the churches?
AnswerThey strengthened the disciples, encouraged them to continue in the faith, warned that hardship accompanies the kingdom, and appointed elders with prayer and fasting.
4 What did they report in Antioch?
AnswerThey reported everything God had done through them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
What This Means for Us
Someone who has recently come to faith needs more than our first welcome. We can keep checking in, invite questions, and include them in the life of the church. If following Jesus becomes difficult, we should not act as though something has gone wrong with God's promise. Paul and Barnabas prepared believers for hardship and helped them face it together.
Prayer
Lord, strengthen people who are tired or opposed. Give us the courage to return with care, to lead responsibly, and to tell the truth about your faithfulness. Amen.