At the outset of his ministry, Paul would establish a pattern of spreading the gospel that he would use over and over again. He would enter a city and head straight to the synagogue where he would preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. What followed would be a part of the usual pattern of his ministry: division among the people due to their reaction to the gospel, persecution by those who rejected the truth, and growth in the new believers in spite of the persecution. The story of Iconium, Lystra and Derby demonstrate God's hand on the ministry of Paul in the midst of this repeating pattern.