What does Acts 14:7 mean?
Acts 14:6–7 are transition verses following Paul and Barnabas as they leave Iconium, continuing south and east to Lystra and Derbe. In Iconium, the Jews and Gentile leaders who rejected their message about Jesus threatened to stone them (Acts 14:5). In Lystra, Jewish leaders from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium come and convince the people of Lystra to stone Paul. They drag him out of the town, but he survives and continues to Derbe (Acts 14:19–20).In English, three words are used to describe what Paul and Barnabas continued: "to preach the gospel." This is rendered from a single Greek term, euaggelizo, from which we obtain the English word "evangelize." Originally, it meant to proclaim good news or glad tidings. In a Christian context, it means to share the good news of the salvation offered by Jesus.
Underlying the simple statement of this verse is a thread running through the Bible: that serving God requires courage. God told the Israelites to not be afraid as they entered Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:18). He told Joshua not to be frightened as he led the armies (Joshua 1:9). The early church leaders prayed for boldness as they faced persecution in Jerusalem (Acts 4:29). Paul will ask the Ephesians to pray for him, that he will preach boldly, even in prison (Ephesians 6:18–20).
Spreading the gospel of Jesus can be dangerous. This is why He told the disciples, "do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
Acts 14:1–7 records how Paul and Barnabas fled persecution in Pisidian Antioch and arrived in Iconium. As becomes their habit, they share Jesus' story in the local synagogue and watch many Jews and Gentiles agree to follow Jesus. Like in Pisidian Antioch, other Jews and Gentiles reject their message. The pair stay as long as they can, teaching and starting the church, until their antagonists threaten to stone them. Paul and Barnabas leave the new believers and travel south and east to establish new churches but will return on their way back through (Acts 14:21).
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.
