October 14, 2026 - Acts 14

The story continues. At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas “entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed” (14:1).  At Derbe, they “preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples” (14:21).  Returning to Antioch, where they had begun their journey, they “declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (14:27).  This an amazing story!

Looking back over previous chapters and, then, chapter 14:  Stephen, the people of Samaria, Simon the magician, the Ethiopian eunuch, Saul, Ananias, Aeneas, Tabitha/Dorcas, Simon the tanner, Cornelius and his family, the many Gentiles who heard Peter's story to Cornelius,  the Hellenists in Antioch, Barnabas, Agabus, Simeon who was called Niger,  Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of Herod's court, the proconsul Sergius Paulus, those in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, Jews and Greeks at Iconium,  the crippled man at Lystra . . . what a list of names!  These are names of the first fruits of the gospel when it had spread out of Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria.  Educated and uneducated, Gentiles and Jews, white and black, Romans, sick and crippled, even a sorcerer, just all sorts of people.  That's the story of the book of Acts!  The gospel for all!  With these encouragements, let the words of the second verse of Charles Wesley’s great hymn, “O for a Thousand Tongues,” be our prayer.

My gracious Master and my God,

assist me to proclaim,

to spread thro’ all the earth abroad

the honors of your name.   -- Charles Wesley (1739)