Sunday Morning Bible Study: Acts 14 – “Stoned, Yet Standing” Paul gets up and goes on!
- Ken Kalis
- Nov 1
- 3 min read
“How that by many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.” — Acts 14:22
I have not been stoned, but the devil has tried to kill me over and over again.
He attacked me with sickness at birth and with asthma when I was a boy.
Throat cancer was his means of attack in 2011.
In 2020, he destroyed my home and family.
Now, with heart failure, balance attacks, falls, and old age.
But Jesus stands with me and is faithful, helping me spread the Gospel to generations yet to come and the unborn. Hallelujah!
Scripture Summary
Acts 14 carries us through Paul and Barnabas’ second missionary journey—through Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe—where they preached the Gospel with great boldness and many believed. But their success stirred opposition. At Lystra, after healing a man crippled from birth, the people mistook them for gods—calling Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes.” Yet the same crowd, soon swayed by jealous accusers, turned violent.
Paul was stoned and left for dead outside the city. But the disciples gathered round him—and he rose up. The next day, he was preaching again. Nothing could silence the message of Jesus risen from the dead, for the same resurrection power lived in His servant.
Application
This chapter reminds us that the Christian life is not without hardship, but that grace is stronger than stones. Paul’s endurance was not natural courage; it was Christ’s life within him. He could stand again because Jesus stood for him.
When the world’s praise turns to persecution, faith must rest not in popularity but in the Person of Jesus Christ. The same Spirit that raised Him from the dead is at work in us today—quietly, steadfastly, triumphantly.
Here at RPH, where just three or four of us gather to share the Lord’s Supper, we embody that same truth. We may be few in number, but the risen Christ is among us.
He is present in the breaking of bread and the fellowship of believers. What matters is not the size of the crowd but the strength of His promise: “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”
As we partake today, remember Paul’s battered yet unbroken body, and the body of Christ that was broken for us. Both proclaim the same victory—death defeated, life renewed.
Discussion Questions
What does Paul’s recovery after being stoned reveal about the power of God’s Spirit within believers?
Have you ever faced rejection or opposition because of your faith? How did God strengthen you through it?
Why do you think God allows “many tribulations” as part of our entrance into His kingdom?
What can we learn from Paul and Barnabas about humility when people praise us, and faithfulness when they condemn us?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You that the same power that raised You from the dead raised Paul to his feet again and keeps us standing today. Strengthen our faith amid hardship, and remind us that Your grace is sufficient. As we take the bread and the cup this morning, may we remember Your broken body and shed blood, and find courage to bear Your name with joy. Be present here among us at RPH—three or four gathered in Your name—and with all who read these words online. Unite our hearts in thanksgiving, and send us forth renewed in faith and love. In Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Hast Thou No Scar? by Amy Carmichael
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?
No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?
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