Lesson Twenty-Seven: Iconium and Lystra

Acts 14:1-13

Key Verse

"We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God."

— Acts 14:15

Lesson Questions

Read Acts 14:1-13 carefully before answering these questions.

1. Review: Overview of Acts chapters one through twelve.

2. To what city did they go? What did they do? 14:1

3. What resulted from this early work in Iconium? 14:1-2

4. What were Paul and Barnabas doing? What was the Lord doing? 14:3

5. What happened next? 14:4-5

6. To what cities did Paul and Barnabas go? 14:6

7. What did they do there? 14:7

8. What man heard Paul? What did Paul perceive about him? 14:8-9

9. What did Paul say to him? What resulted? 14:10

10. What did the people say when they saw what Paul had done? 14:11

11. What did the people do? 14:12-13

Thought Questions

A. Review: Overview of Acts chapters one through twelve.

B. How did the Lord confirm that Paul and Barnabas were speaking the truth?

C. What did the lame man have?

D. What was the reaction of the people of Lystra to the healing? Why?

E. What did Barnabas and Paul call "vanities"?

F. What attributes of God did Paul use to teach the Lystrans?

Supplementary Materials

First Missionary Journey: Progress So Far

Location	Scripture	Key Events
Antioch (Syria)	13:1-3	Sent out by the Holy Spirit
Cyprus	13:4-12	Elymas blinded; Sergius Paulus converted
Perga	13:13	John Mark departed
Pisidian Antioch	13:14-52	Paul's sermon; turned to Gentiles; expelled
Iconium	14:1-5	Many believed; long stay; plot to stone them
Lystra	14:6-18	Lame man healed; mistaken for gods

At Iconium (14:1-5) Iconium was about 90 miles southeast of Pisidian Antioch. The pattern from Antioch repeated:

Verse	What Happened
14:1	Went to the synagogue; "so spake" that a great multitude of Jews AND Greeks believed
14:2	Unbelieving Jews stirred up Gentiles against the brethren — "evil affected their minds"
14:3	"Long time therefore abode they" — stayed despite opposition; spoke boldly; the Lord confirmed with signs and wonders
14:4	City divided — some with Jews, some with "the apostles"
14:5	"Assault" planned to stone them — they fled to Lystra and Derbe

Key Observations at Iconium

"So spake" (14:1) — The manner of their speaking produced results; effective communication matters
"Long time" (14:3) — They didn't flee at the first sign of trouble; they persevered
"The Lord... gave testimony" (14:3) — Miracles confirmed the message; signs and wonders validated their preaching
"The apostles" (14:4, 14) — Barnabas and Paul are called apostles; the term can mean "sent ones" in a broader sense

At Lystra: The Lame Man Healed (14:6-10) Lystra was about 20 miles south of Iconium, a Roman colony with a largely pagan population. There was apparently no synagogue. The Lame Man (14:8-10)

His Condition	Significance
"Impotent in his feet"	Unable to use his feet — completely lame
"A cripple from his mother's	Birth defect — not an injury that might heal naturally womb"
"Who never had walked"	Not one step in his entire life — the healing was undeniable
"Heard Paul speak"	He was listening to the gospel message
His Condition	Significance
"Had faith to be healed"	Paul perceived his faith — the man believed he could be healed

The Healing (14:10): Paul said with a loud voice, "Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked." The healing was instant and complete — he didn't learn to walk gradually; he leaped!

Comparing Two Lame Men: Acts 3 and Acts 14 Aspect Acts 3 (Peter) Acts 14 (Paul) Location Jerusalem temple Lystra (pagan city) Condition Lame from birth (40+ years) Lame from birth (never walked) Command "Rise up and walk" "Stand upright on thy feet" Result "Leaping... walking... "Leaped and walked" praising God" Crowd's reaction "Filled with wonder" "The gods are come down!" Sermon theme OT prophecy fulfilled Turn from idols to living God

Mistaken for Gods (14:11-13) "The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker." The pagan crowd interpreted the miracle through their own worldview:

Person	Called	Why
Barnabas	Jupiter (Zeus)	King of the gods; perhaps Barnabas had a more imposing appearance
Paul	Mercurius (Hermes)	Messenger of the gods; "he was the chief speaker"

Background: Local legend said that Zeus and Hermes had once visited the region in disguise and were rejected by everyone except an elderly couple, Philemon and Baucis. The inhospitable were punished. The Lystrans didn't want to make the same mistake! "The speech of Lycaonia" (14:11): The crowd spoke in their local dialect, which Paul and Barnabas apparently didn't understand at first. Only when the priest of Jupiter arrived with oxen and garlands for sacrifice did they realize what was happening.

Paul and Barnabas's Response (14:14-18) Their reaction was immediate and emphatic:

"Rent their clothes" (14:14) — A Jewish expression of horror at blasphemy
"Ran in among the people" (14:14) — Rushed to stop the sacrifice
"Crying out" (14:14) — Shouting to be heard over the crowd
"We also are men of like passions with you" (14:15) — We are human beings, not gods!

Paul's Sermon to Pagans (14:15-17) This is Paul's first recorded sermon to a purely pagan audience — no synagogue, no Scripture background. Notice how different it is from his sermon in Pisidian Antioch: To Jews (Acts 13) To Pagans (Acts 14) Started with Israel's history Started with nature/creation Quoted Old Testament No Scripture quotations Assumed knowledge of Messiah promises Assumed no biblical knowledge Emphasized Jesus's resurrection Emphasized the living God as Creator Call: Believe in Jesus for forgiveness Call: Turn from idols to the living God

Attributes of God Paul Used to Teach the Lystrans Attribute Paul's Statement Living (alive) "The living God" — unlike dead idols (14:15) Creator "Made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things" (14:15) Sovereign "In times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (14:16) Good/Provider "Did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons" (14:17) Generous "Filling our hearts with food and gladness" (14:17) Self-revealing "Left not himself without witness" — nature testifies (14:17)

"These vanities" (14:15): Paul called the Greek gods "vanities" — empty, worthless, futile. The true God is living, creative, sovereign, good, and self-revealing through nature.

Key Cross-References

Reference	Acts Verse	Connection
Acts 3:1-10	Acts 14:8-10	Similar healing of lame man
Rom. 1:19-20	Acts 14:17	God revealed through nature
Acts 17:22-31	Acts 14:15-17	Similar approach at Athens
1 Thess. 1:9	Acts 14:15	"Turned to God from idols"
James 5:17	Acts 14:15	"Of like passions" — same phrase about Elijah

Lessons from Acts 14:1-18 1. Effective preaching produces results — "so spake" that many believed. 2. Perseverance matters — they stayed a "long time" despite opposition. 3. Faith precedes healing — Paul perceived the lame man "had faith to be healed." 4. Never accept worship — Paul and Barnabas immediately rejected divine honors. 5. Adapt your message to your audience — to pagans, start with creation not Scripture. 6. Nature testifies to God — He has not left Himself without witness.