What is the meaning of Acts 14:1?

At Iconium

• Iconium, a key city in Galatia, becomes the next stop after the dust-shaking departure from Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:50-51).

• The gospel’s advance here fulfills Jesus’ promise that His witnesses would carry the message “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

• Paul later recalls the hardships he faced in Iconium alongside those in Lystra and Antioch (2 Timothy 3:11), underscoring both the reality of persecution and the Lord’s rescue.

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Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue

• Consistent strategy: every new city begins in the synagogue because “the gospel is the power of God for salvation, first to the Jew, then to the Greek” (Romans 1:16; cf. Acts 13:5; 17:1-2).

• This setting provides

– an audience already acquainted with Scripture,

– a platform guaranteed by the custom of inviting visiting teachers (Acts 13:15).

• Faithfulness to this pattern displays respect for God’s covenant order while opening doors to Gentiles who also attend the synagogue (Acts 13:42-44).

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They spoke so well

• The effectiveness is not polished rhetoric but Spirit-empowered proclamation (Acts 4:31; 1 Corinthians 2:4).

• Luke later comments, “Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly for the Lord” (Acts 14:3), tying courage to clear testimony about Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 13:38-39).

• The apostles present

– fulfilled prophecy,

– the historicity of Christ’s work,

– the call to repent and believe—elements that consistently pierce hearts (Acts 2:36-41; 13:26-39).

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A great number of Jews and Greeks believed

• Response shows the gospel’s power to unite people once divided by ethnicity and tradition (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:13-16).

• Similar mixed harvests appear in Thessalonica (Acts 17:4) and Corinth (Acts 18:4), confirming that belief is produced by the same message for all (Acts 15:9).

• The phrase “great number” highlights God’s gracious initiative; salvation is always His work (Acts 13:48; John 6:44).

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summary

Acts 14:1 records a familiar pattern: arriving missionaries enter the synagogue, proclaim Christ with Spirit-given clarity, and God gathers a sizeable, multi-ethnic body of believers. The verse underscores purposeful strategy, bold preaching, and divine fruitfulness—reminding us that the same unchanging gospel still breaks barriers and draws many to faith today.