Acts 14 follows Paul and Barnabas through Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, where they preach boldly, heal a crippled man, narrowly escape being worshiped as gods, survive a stoning, and return to strengthen the new churches. These questions are written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each set includes a leader’s note to help the discussion move along.
Acts 14 at a Glance
The chapter moves in three movements. In Iconium, the apostles speak openly and God confirms their message with signs, but opposition hardens until a plot to stone them forces them to flee. In Lystra, Paul heals a man who had never walked, and the crowd mistakes the missionaries for gods, a confusion they struggle to correct. Paul is then stoned, revived, and continues his work across the region.
The final section is quieter but just as important. Paul and Barnabas revisit the cities they have just left, encourage the believers, appoint elders, and report back to the church in Antioch about what God has done. The chapter ends with thanksgiving and a sense that the work of God is larger than any single town.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to make sure everyone has read the text carefully before anyone offers an interpretation. Let people answer from the chapter itself, and ask them to point to the verse that supports their answer before moving on.
Acts 14:3
Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
(WEB)
This verse shows the apostles’ boldness and God’s confirmation of their message through signs and wonders. Reading it first sets the tone for the chapter and reminds the group that the mission is rooted in God’s work, not in human strength.
Acts 14:9-10
9 He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked.
(WEB)
Reading the healing account aloud lets the group hear the moment of faith and command. It is a good passage for discussing how God works through his servants and how faith responds to his word.
Acts 14:15-17
15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; 16 who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
(WEB)
Paul’s speech to the crowd is one of the clearest statements in Acts about God as creator and witness. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the tone of humility and gratitude that marks the apostles’ message.
Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.
(WEB)
This verse names the cost of discipleship while affirming the hope of entering God’s Kingdom. It makes a strong anchor for conversations about perseverance and the reality of suffering in the Christian life.
Acts 14:27
When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.
(WEB)
The chapter closes its main narrative with a report of what God has done. Reading it aloud helps the group see that every mission is ultimately a story of God’s initiative and faithfulness.
Memory Verse for Acts 14
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the courage of Paul and Barnabas, who spoke boldly even when the crowds turned against them. Thank you that you confirmed their words with signs and wonders, and that you opened a door of faith to people far from home. Give us the same willingness to speak the truth with humility and to redirect every word of praise back to you. Strengthen those among us who are facing opposition or hardship, and help us to encourage one another as the apostles encouraged the disciples. Teach us to trust your Kingdom even when the road is hard. Amen.
