Acts 13:2- As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” NKJV
In chapter 13, the church in Antioch has a strong leadership team; Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they are fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit says to them:
“Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:2 NKJV
In other words, the Holy Spirit clearly tells the leadership team in Antioch that He has work for Barnabas and Saul to do and they must be sent out to do it. As they continue to fast and pray, they lay hands on Barnabas and Saul and send them away. Saul, Barnabas, and John Mark begin their journey in Seleucia. They travel to Cyprus and then on to Salamis. They were preaching in the synagogues. But when they got to the island of Paphos, they met up with some resistance.
Sergius Paulus was the proconsul, and the Bible tells us he was intelligent. Bar-Jesus, or Elymas, was a false prophet, and someone Sergius knew. As they begin to share the word with Segius, Elymas interferes, trying to turn him away from faith in Jesus Christ. But Saul, or Paul, as he begins to be known by, looks at Elymas and says:
“O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
Acts 13:10-11 NKJV
This is interesting because Saul has been playing it pretty cool up until this point. He has been preaching and walking away from conflict. But now, we see him dealing with conflict. A sorcerer tries to intervene while Paul shares the gospel, and Paul deals with him. He told the guy that he was of the devil, he was trying to pervert the gospel, and therefore, he would not be able to see for a time. And you know what? It happened as Paul said. He went around looking for someone to guide him around. This event was so convincing, that the proconsul believed what Paul was saying and chose to follow the Lord. That was God’s stamp of approval on the ministry to Paul!
Oftentimes, we think that the proof of our ministry is how many people come to the altar, or how many people we minister to. But that was not the case with Paul and Barnabas. As they ministered the word, the proof was in the signs and wonders that accompanied their ministry. It was their stamp that they were speaking on behalf of the Lord. And in this instance, a false prophet was the recipient of God’s correction.
Paul and Barnabas traveled on to Pisidia. John Mark had left them and returned to Jerusalem. While in Antioch, they met in the synagogue and Paul began to preach. He preached about the Exodus and the Promised Land. He told them about the 450 years of judges. About Saul, King David, and later the Messiah, King Jesus. He shared with them how Jesus was crucified and yet he rose again. He preached the gospel!
The following week, the whole city turned out to hear them preach. There were Jews and Gentiles and the mix. But the Jews became angry, while the Gentiles were receptive. The Jews began to revile them, blaspheming and contradicting the good news! They were so upset with Paul and Barnabas, that it caused them to say:
“It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”Acts 13:46-47 NKJV
This was good news to the Gentiles. Many of them believed in the Lord and glorified the word of God. And the Bible states that the word of God spread throughout the region!
But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
Acts 13:50 NKJV
Can’t you just see this? The gospel going forth, the Gentiles getting blessed, and the Jews are upset over the situation. They were so upset that they stirred up other prominent men and women in the city. They were responsible for stirring up a spirit of persecution against Paul and Barnabas and getting them expelled from the region. But God was faithful and brought them out!
They shook off the dust of the city and headed to Iconium. But something wonderful happened,
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52 NKJV
The disciples were doing the work of God. He had set them apart for ministry. He was the One directing their paths, and therefore, He was the One in charge. And so, they were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit!
As I write this blog, I can’t help but think about my own life. For over 20 years I preached and taught the Word of God. Then the pandemic happened and we left our church. Now we are grounded in another Bible teaching church. It’s wonderful!
This chapter has reminded me that I must wait on the Lord. He calls people for certain jobs or responsibilities. He places us in the body as He sees fit. Maybe my time of preaching has come to an end, or the Lord will get it started back up, I don’t know. But what I do know is that God is so faithful. He has me in the palm of His hand and He won’t let go. He will continue to use me for His glory as I surrender my life to His will. To Him be all the Glory! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 