Acts 14:8-20 Questions for Discussion and Reflection

In 1 Corinthians 15:8 the apostle Paul writes, “And last of all He (the resurrected Jesus) was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” The other apostles spent time with Jesus immediately after His resurrection (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 21 and Acts 1). Paul did not encounter Jesus until the Demascus Road in Acts 9, between 33 and 36 A.D. In Luke’s account of Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:4-14:20) he emphasizes some similarities Paul’s ministry shared with that of Jesus and Paul. What might have been Luke’s reason for doing this?

Read Acts 13:4-14:20. What are some of the similarities between Paul’s ministry and the ministries of Jesus and Peter?

Jesus—Luke 4:1-30; 4:38-44; 5:17-26—

Peter—Acts 3:6-8; 4:1-3—

Contrast Herod’s response to the worship of the crowds with that of Paul and Barnabas Acts 12:21-23 with Acts 14:15-17.

The culture encountered by Paul and Barnabas was made up of many different superstitions and religious ideas. After the lame man was healed the crowds referred to Paul and Barnabas as “gods” (Acts 13:11-12). Paul called on the crowd to repent, and “turn from these worthless things to the living God” (Acts 14:15). In essence Paul was calling their god’s Zeus and Hermes worthless idols. What are some of the idols worshiped in our culture?

What “worthless things” is God calling you to turn from in order to embrace the true and living God?