Again with the Speaking

Acts 14

¹ Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.

³ So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace . . .

⁷ . . . and there they continued to preach the gospel.

⁹ He listened to Paul speaking.

¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

¹⁵ Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch . . .

²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia,

²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

Aaron Orendorff

Luke is again absoltuely relentless upon this point: it through speaking the word of God (i.e., preaching, declaring, bearing witness, and heralding) that (1) people believe, (2) disciples are made, (3) riots are started, (4) converts are encouraged and built up and (5) the church is established.