What does Acts 14:25 mean?
Paul, Barnabas, and Barnabas' cousin had started their missionary voyage (Acts 13:1–3) by sailing from Seleucia on the Syrian coast to Cyprus. From Cyprus, they caught a ship to Perga in the district of Pamphylia on the south-central coast of modern-day Asia Minor. John Mark left them in Perga. It seems Paul and Barnabas headed north without spending any more time in Pamphylia (Acts 13:4–13).Paul and Barnabas spent the bulk of their time in Antioch, in the district of Pisidia, and Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe in the territory of Galatia in central Asia Minor. After traveling as far east as Derbe, the two revisited each church, encouraging them to stand strong in the face of coming persecution, and establishing elders who could help the new Jesus-followers grow (Acts 13:14—14:23). Paul will visit them again on both his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 16:1–6; 18:23) and he'll send them a letter we call "Galatians."
This time, Paul and Barnabas stop in Perga. Likely, they find a synagogue and explain how Jesus fulfills the prophecies of the Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures. But no mention is made of establishing a church, and the book of Acts does not mention Paul ever returning to Pamphylia. On his second and third trips, Paul reaches the inner cities of Galatia by the over-pass route from Tarsus and comes straight back by ship from Ephesus. When he sails for Rome and house arrest, he passes by Pamphylia, but doesn't stop (Acts 27:5). Neither Perga nor Attalia are mentioned again in the New Testament.
Acts 14:21–28 tracks Paul and Barnabas' journey home from Derbe, the farthest point they reach in Paul's first missionary journey. Instead of taking the quick route south, they return west, building up the churches in cities they had fled due to persecution. They then travel south to the Mediterranean and preach about Jesus in Perga before catching a ship to take them east, back home to Syrian Antioch. Their experiences will prove vital for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem who must decide how to properly integrate Gentiles in Jesus' church (Acts 15:1–35).
Acts 14 describes the last half of Paul's first missionary journey. He and Barnabas leave Pisidian Antioch, near central modern-day Asia Minor, and travel southeast to Iconium where they establish a new church. In Lystra, Paul heals a man born crippled. The amazed people insist Barnabas is the Greek deity Zeus, and Paul is Hermes. They attempt to offer sacrifices to them, much to the horror of the two evangelists. When antagonists from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium arrive, Paul is stoned but survives. The pair travel to Derbe, then retrace their steps, encouraging the new churches before sailing back to Syrian Antioch.
