STUDIES IN ACTS
#789 STUDIES IN ACTS
Scripture Acts 13 Orig. 3/31/1982
Passage: 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
On Cyprus
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
In Pisidian Antioch
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” 16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct[a] in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
“‘You are my son;
today I have become your father.’[b]
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’[c]
35 So it is also stated elsewhere:
“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’[d]
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe,
even if someone told you.’[e]”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you[f] a light for the Gentiles,
that you[g] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[h]”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 11:19, Scattered . . . went preaching . . . as far as Antioch . . . to Jews only.
Acts 11:20, . . . Some . . . come to Antioch, spake unto Grecians
(1) Pioneered breaking down barriers of Jews and Greeks
11:27f, determined to send relief to brethren in Judea
(2) Pioneered relief to other believers
13:1, . . . In the church . . . at Antioch (leaders) . . . when they had fasted and prayed, . . . sent them away
(3) Pioneered the organized display of the Gospel to people who had never heard
Antioch—15 miles east of Mediterranean on frontier. Military outpost. Seat of Roman justice.
The leaders v1—Barnabas, a Jew from Cyprus; Simeon Niger (an African name) (Simon of Cyrene); Lucius from Cyrene (N. Africa), but a Greek name; Manaen, a foster brother of Herod ([killed] John the Baptist); note two reared together could follow such diverse paths in their lives; Saul, a Jewish rabbi.
Officers
Prophets: foretellers and forthtellers
Teachers: people gifted in instruction
Appointed officers have been the rule
Acts 1:15-26, “the twelve”
Acts 6:1-6, “the seven” (Nicholas of Antioch)
Acts 11:30, “elders”
God works through His church
They ministered: an act of service
They fasted: an act of devotion
In their unit of spirit God spoke through a growing awareness
(1) The call was for specific people (the ministering and fasting were not).
(2) The call was to a certain “work”—any enterprise.
(3) Then their fasting and praying becomes directly related to the task at hand.
A world providentially prepared
Travel was easier
A measure of safety
By water or by land
The first missionary journey (at least for Saul and Barnabas)
V4, Seleucia—point of departure (Antioch port); Cyprus—Barnabas’ home
V5, Salamis (Cyrus) went first to the synagogues; 9:20, And straightaway he preached Christ in synagogues.
They had John Mark to help with the work.
V6, Paphos (Cyprus)—capital city—a sensuous ad superstitious city/Bar-Jesus false prophet. Sergius Paulus—proconsul—heard of these Christian spokesmen and requested an audience. Bar-Jesus was Satan’s tool of confusion.
V9, Saul is given a Roman name—calls upon the power of God to blind him temporarily as a sign
V12, Sergius Paulus believes ???????????
V13, Perga in Pamphylia—John Mark leaves (Why?); Paul and his company (compare 13:2,7)
V14, Entered province of Galatia (see 4:13); Jewish service: 1-Law, 2-prophet, 3-Midrash (notable person)
V13, John Mark leaves—(?) 15:38, Paul thought it not good to take . . . went not with them. II Timothy 4:11, Take Mark . . . he is profitable.
V14-16, Invited to preach in synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia/Jews and God-fearers
V17-23, The coming of Jesus is the consummation of history; v17 God chose the Hebrews, v20 Judges, v21 Saul, v22 David, v23 all of this for one reason—Jesus
V24-29, Contemporary man is no better than historical man; v24 John—baptism of repentance, v26 Jews and God-fearers, v27 ignored the evidence/read every Sabbath, v28 without sin/they demanded he be slain, v29 buried
V30-31, The loving and redemptive purpose of God could not be changed by man’s inconstancies; v30 resurrection the work of God, v31 witnesses (Romans 1:16)
V32-29, The good news is that grace that keeps man has replaced a law that man could not keep; v32 glad tidings, v39 Paul a Pharisee intent on keeping law
V40-41, That which is a gift of love to those who claim it, is condemnation to those who refuse
V42-45, Various responses: (1) were invited to return; (2) the whole city turned out; (3) the Jews decided to stop the show
V46, An unexpected decision: (1) no mention of the Holy Spirit; (2) a recollection from the word—Isaiah 49:6, I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, v47; (3) it is not within the purpose of the church to plan success, it is within our purpose to be faithful—(a) don’t fret over success, (b) don’t apologize for failure, (c) in what measure we give, we shall get; (4) the Jews saw the heathen as chaff to be burned—Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped.
V52, The convert and the Holy Spirit: they are filled immediately and fully with the Holy Spirit, and the joy is the resultant of what he is willing for the Holy Spirit to do in his life.
Conclusion (adapted from The Wind of the Spirit, source unknown)
“Don’t try to tame that intractable wind. No act of Convocation or Assembly can circumscribe it, no arrogant political dictator curb it, no personal prejudice patronize it. It is master of the world.
“And—don’t you see?—this is the essential optimism of Christianity. Here in the Spirit of Christ is a force capable of bursting into the hardest paganism, discomfiting the most rigid dogmatism, electrifying the most suffocating ecclesiasticism.
“This is the sovereign freedom of the Holy Spirit. There is no citadel of self and sin that is safe from Him, no unbelieving cynic secure beyond His reach. There is no ironclad bastion of theological self-confidence that is immune, no impregnable agnosticism He cannot disturb into faith, no ancient ecclesiastical animosities He cannot reconcile. And blessed be His name, there is no winter death of the soul that He cannot vitalise into a marching army. This is the glory of Pentecost. ‘The wind bloweth where it listeth.’ Come, Holy Spirit, come!”
Please remember! When the winds of the Spirit begin to blow, they may blow up some trash. But be reminded that the trash is not the wind, and the wind is not the trash.