Summary

In Acts 14, Pastor Jamey Moore draws on his recent experience sharing the gospel with North African and Middle Eastern Muslims in Paris to illuminate a central truth: God is sovereignly working His plan through ordinary, obedient people. Just as hidden doors in Paris open to unexpected courtyards and passages, Acts 14 reveals that beneath the surface of every miracle, mob, and hardship, the hand of God is connecting people and events for the sake of His gospel. Paul and Barnabas boldly proclaimed Christ, faced rejection and violence, and yet kept going because they understood that obedience was their responsibility while outcomes belonged to God.

Key Passage

• Acts 14:1-28

Questions

• Pastor Jamey described how hidden doors in Paris open to unexpected courtyards that most people walk right by. In what ways have you seen God open unexpected doors in your own life that you almost missed?
• Acts 14:27 says Paul and Barnabas reported everything God had done with them. How often do you reflect on and share what God has done in your life? What makes that easy or difficult?
• Pastor Jamey said that the sovereignty of God did not make Paul passive but made Him bold. How does trusting in God's sovereignty affect the way you approach difficult or uncertain situations?
• Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time and spoke even more boldly despite growing opposition. What tends to happen to your boldness when you face rejection or pushback? What would it look like to respond more like Paul?
• In Lystra, the crowd shifted from wanting to worship Paul to wanting to stone him. On Sunday, we noted that if the enemy cannot stop the mission through suffering, he will try to corrupt it through pride. Where do you see pride or the desire for recognition creeping into your own life or ministry?
• Acts 14:22 says it is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. How does that word necessary change the way you think about the difficulties you are currently facing?
• Paul contextualized the gospel for his audience, starting with creation when speaking to Gentiles rather than jumping straight to Scripture. How do you think about meeting people where they are when sharing your faith? What does that look like practically in your context?
• Pastor Jamey closed with the question: When God opens the door and calls you, will you go? What is one door you sense God may be opening in your life right now, and what is holding you back from walking through it?

Life Application

This week, be on the lookout for how God is working in and through your life (in big and seemingly small ways). Then, commit to boasting on the Lord to someone you know.

Key Takeaways

• God is sovereignly working His plan through ordinary, obedient people. The hero of Acts 14 is not Paul but the Lord, who orchestrates every city, conversation, miracle, and hardship for the sake of His gospel.
• Obedience is our responsibility, but outcomes belong to God. Paul kept proclaiming even when people rejected the message, because he understood that his job was to be faithful, not to control results.
• Hardships are not accidents or signs of failure. They are a necessary and sovereign tool God uses to shape his people and advance His gospel, just as He did with Paul, Joseph, Esther, and David.
• Living on mission is more than evangelism. It includes discipleship, encouragement, leadership development, and church planting, all of which reflect God's bigger plan for His people and the nations.
• Knowing that God is already at work before we arrive should give us both boldness in the face of rejection and humility in the face of success.

Ending Prayer

Lord, thank you for the reminder today that you are always working, even when we cannot see it. Thank you that you do not ask us to be extraordinary, only obedient. As we leave this time together, give us eyes to see the doors you are opening, courage to walk through them, and humility to point every result back to you. May we be people who boldly proclaim what you have done in us and through us, trusting you with every outcome. We love you, and we pray all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.