13:4 marks the beginning of the 1st missionary journey of Paul. It will be helpful if you refer to the back pages of your Bible and find the map of Paul’s missionary journeys and follow along:
(1) How important is it that “The two of them (were) sent on their way by the Holy Spirit”? What are the implications? Was John Mark then also sent by the Holy Spirit? Did he, as a helper need to be sent by the Holy Spirit?
(2) It appears that from here onward, Paul’s strategy was to begin their ministry at the Jewish synagogues. Was it for practical reasons or were there any other reasons?
(3) A proconsul was the equivalent of a governor like Pilate. At this stage of the spread of the gospel, how important was it that a Roman governor were converted?
(4) The name of the sorcerer was Bar-Jesus (meaning son of Joshua or Savior), yet Paul called him, “child of the devil”. What might be the reasons that he opposed Paul and tried to turn the proconsul from faith? Was he any worse than Paul (i.e. Saul) before his conversion?
(5) What did the miracle performed by Paul on Bar-Jesus remind you of?
(6) What was the result of this miracle?
(7) Have you noticed that the roles of Paul and Barnabas seem to have switched? Who is now the leader of the team? If you were Barnabas, how would you take it?
(8) What is the main message to you today?
The conversion of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, reminds us of the power of the gospel. I am not referring to how Paul blinded the sorcerer, Bar-Jesus, but the fact that the proconsul believed, “for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord ” (Acts 13:12).
We are far too easily impressed with miraculous signs. Sure, a remarkable miracle resulted when the Holy Spirit empowered Paul as he told the sorcerer that he was going to be blind, for an “immediate, mist and darkness came over him [Bar-Jesus]” (13:11). It was reminiscent of his own experience on the road to Damascus. However, if miracles themselves can convert people, we would have read about the immediate conversion of this sorcerer. But we do not. Instead, we read that the proconsul believed — but that was not really a result of the miracle, but a result of “the teaching about the Lord”.
I have come across people who have experienced miracle after miracle in their lives, and every time a miracle happened, they would openly attribute this as from the Lord. However, I have not seen any real conversion in their lives. There are no signs of true repentance. I think the ultimate reason is that they have not been truly convicted by the teaching about the Lord.
If a person is not convicted by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God of guilt "in regard to sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8), there is no amount of miracles that can really turn them to true repentance and conversion.
On the other hand, if we follow Paul’s example in teaching nothing but the gospel of Jesus Christ, with or without miracles, the Holy Spirit is able to turn people’s hearts to repentance according to His will.
(1) How did Paul take John Mark’s departure from the team (see15:38)? What might be the reason for John’s action?
(2) Here Luke gives us a rather detailed sermon, the first recorded sermon of Paul. Though it is still a summary, it seems to give us a flavor of a more seasoned argument than Peter’s. Let’s give some thoughts to his sermon and reflect on the following:
a. Vv. 16-20: The first 450 years as a people of God; note the verbs being used in these verse.
b. Vv. 21-22: God gave the people judges, prophets and kings, culminating with David, the king after God’s own heart (a king the people respected).
c. Vv. 23-25: Jesus is the Savior, a descendant of David and testified to by John the Baptist (the prophet they respected).
d. V. 26: The message of salvation is introduced.
e. Vv. 27-29: The Jews crucified Jesus in fulfillment of God’s Word.
f. Vv. 30-32: God raised Jesus from the dead with many living witnesses.
g. Vv. 33-37: The Psalms prove Jesus’ resurrection and who He is.
h. Vv. 38-39: The good news, not the Law, offers forgiveness and justification.
i. Vv. 40-41: He warns them of disbelief.
Suppose you were a devout Jew. How would you respond to this message? What might be the things that you are most impressed by in his sermon?
(See if you can also compare this sermon with Peter’s in chapter 2 and chapter 3. What might be the distinct features of Paul’s sermon?)
(3) How would you describe the response of the hearers?
(4) What is the main message to you today?
As much as we firmly believe that the Word of God has “power”, we also learn from these apostles, especially from Paul, that we need to know our audience in order to effectively present the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul, in delivering his sermon recorded in Acts 13, knew clearly who his hearers were—“Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God.” By so addressing them, his hearers knew that what Paul had to say would have direct relevance to them.
In presenting the gospel, we find that Paul took care to mention specific numbers, like the forty years in desert (13:18), the overthrowing of seven nations (13:19), the 450 year span before they were actually given the Promised Land (13:20), and the forty-year reign of Saul (13:21). Paul was not so much emphasizing the spiritual implications of these numbers, but he was emphasizing to the Gentiles that the Word of God, as contained in the Old Testaments, is verifiable historical fact, not the figment of men's imagination, like the mythology of the Greeks.
Then to
the Jews, Paul powerfully proved who Jesus is—the Messiah unmistakably
prophesied throughout the Scripture. He fulfilled the following:
-Through His birth, He was a descendant of David (13:23).
-His ministry was confirmed by the testimony of John the Baptist, a man highly revered by them (13:25).
-His death fulfilled what was already written about him (13:29).
-His resurrection was confirmed by the witness of many who saw Him alive (13:31).
The
result of this sermon was very encouraging, as
“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.” (13:43)
Of course, we believe that Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to preach such a powerful sermon, but I am sure Paul had also waited before the Lord and done his own due diligence as well.
(1) Why did the Jews who would behave so civilly during the previous Sabbath turn against Paul and his company? What might be the root cause of their problem?
(2) How can you explain the fact that so many gentiles accepted the gospel, and not the Jews?
(3) Luke comments that “all who were appointed for eternal life believed”. Since this is the word of God, how then will you understand what happened in Pisidian Antioch? How then should you understand your own conversion?
(4) Though Paul and his company faced persecution and were driven out of the city, how did the local disciples respond to all of this and why?
(5) Luke mentions that the opposition made use of “women of high standing”. Why did Luke mention the role of women in this context?
(6) What is the main message to you today?
I know I cannot solve the mystery or controversy of “election” with this article (even if I write a whole book). Since, the “plain reading” of the Bible, including Acts 13:48 (which says, “all those who were appointed for eternal life believed”) appears to point to a prior knowledge, if not determination, by God, in terms of salvation, the more pressing question by mission-minded Christians is, “Why then should we seek to share the gospel, since who will be saved have been pre-determined by God?”
I find that what Rev. J. Vernon McGee of Through the Bible ministry once said to be very helpful. He believed in pre-destination, and likened those who are “appointed for eternal life” as people who wear a yellow ribbon, except that the ribbons are only visible to God, not to us. So, our responsibility is to share the gospel with everyone that God has brought to our path. As we share the gospel diligently with these people, those who happen to be wearing the yellow ribbon will respond with belief. It is not our job to find out those who indeed have the yellow ribbons before we share the gospel. God means for us to be faithful in sharing with everyone, irrespective of their response.
Perhaps, this is the reason why Paul says
that
“we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” (2 Co. 2:15-16)
(1) How would you sum up their outreach ministry at Iconium in vv.1-7:
a. How effective was it and to what extent?
b. How did the Lord confirm their messages?
c. What kind of persecution did they face?
d. What was the result of the persecution?
(2) We have so far seen their outreach ministry in Paphos of Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch and Iconium. Spend some time to review the kind of pattern there is in their missionary effort. What can you learn from it?
(3) Luke says the crippled at Lystra “had faith to be healed”(14:9). Is healing always dependent on the faith of the healed, or that of the healer? (What about the crippled healed by Peter in chapter 3, and the ten lepers healed by Jesus in Lk. 17:11-19?) What conclusion about healing can you draw?
(4) If you were Paul and Barnabas, who were mistakenly worshipped as pagan gods, how will you react to it and how will you take the opportunity to point them to Jesus?
(5) What was the immediate reaction by the two? Did they point them to Jesus? Why or why not?
(6) What is the main message to you today?
In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas healed a crippled man, and were mistaken as Zeus and Hermes. I think you and I would have acted exactly like Paul and Barnabas if we were treated as gods because we could perform miracles. We dare not take the place of God so blatantly. But I am afraid there are settings that we do so in more subtle ways.
You might have had such an experience: You preached a powerful sermon or led a very insightful Bible study. Afterwards, you received sincere thanks or even praises. Then for the next little while, or when you go to bed that night, scenes of your preaching or Bible study keep replaying in your mind.
Other times, you knew you had been greatly used by God, perhaps also through a sermon, a Bible study or a Sunday School class. Unfortunately for whatever reason, no one came to thank you and no one cared to make any mention about it. So, in the next little while, instead of replaying some of the scenes of your ministry, you tried to prompt people to comment on your work, “What do you think about my sermon or my class?”
The same could have happened, when you knew you had bombed big time with your sermon or talk. You felt so badly that you did not want to think about it. But just the same, you tried to make people talk about it, hoping that someone might say, “Hey, I appreciate you bringing up this point. It is very helpful.” You knew you were trying to find some solace, even though you knew the comment was not exactly genuine.
In all these cases, it reveals how self-centered we are. Yes, we dare not take the place of God, but subconsciously, we do want to take some credit for what is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit.
(1) Why would the crowd be won over so easily by the Jews? Were they not impressed by Barnabas’ and Paul’s miraculous healing of the crippled? What really happened?
(2) How badly was Paul beaten?
(3) After leaving Lystra for Derbe, Paul and Barnabas ended their outreach ministry and now returned to the cities they first visited and evangelized. Vv. 21-23 describes their “follow-up” work. What does it entail and what can we learn from them in terms of missional “follow-up” work of new believers?
(4) Now, they returned to the sending church in Antioch, and gave a report of the first missionary journey. While Luke gives only a very brief summary of their report, it is perhaps helpful for you to imagine yourself as a missionary and write a one-page report on behalf of Paul and Barnabas to the congregation. See what you might include in your report.
(5) What is the main message to you today?
It is quite shocking to see that the men of Lystra could change so quickly. As they witnessed the healing of the crippled man by Paul, they jumped to worship Paul and Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes. Even when the two men of God tore their clothes and ran from them, telling them that they were not gods, they disbelieved them. The Bible says, “Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.” (Acts 14:18)
Yet when some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came, the crowd was so easily swayed to turn against Paul that they stoned him almost to death. No wonder the Bible says, “Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for He knew all people.” (Jn. 2:24)
Today, I invite you to reflect on the
lyrics of this famous hymn by Edward Mote, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less,
the last two verses of which were written for a dying Sister King whom he
visited earlier the same day.
Refrain
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
1
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
2
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
3
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
4
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Edward Mote, circa 1834
As we come to chapter 15, it is perhaps appropriate for us to recap the account given by Luke so far concerning the obedient response to the Great Commission by the first disciples:
|
Chapter 1 |
Jerusalem |
Disciples waited in prayer for Baptism of the Holy Spirit |
|
Chapter 2 |
Jerusalem |
Baptism of the Holy Spirit with 3,000+ converts, marks the beginning of the first church |
|
Chapter 3 |
Jerusalem |
Evangelism at the temple |
|
Chapter 4 |
Jerusalem |
Apostles are arrested by temple officials, but later are released; disciples rejoiced and shared things in commo; |
|
Chapter 5 |
Jerusalem |
A phony couple died; believers increased, as well as persecution; |
|
Chapter 6 |
Jerusalem |
Encountered first internal strife over compassion ministry to widows with election of 1st deacons |
|
Chapter 7 |
Jerusalem |
Stephen became the 1st martyr. |
|
Chapter 8 |
Samaria |
Disciples (minus the apostles) spread gospel beyond Jerusalem; Philip converted Samaritans and an Ethiopian; |
|
Chapter 9 |
Damascus Judea, Samaria |
Conversion of Saul; Peter began visiting ministry. |
|
Chapter 10 |
Caesarea |
Peter is led by Holy Spirit to convert gentile centurion's family. |
|
Chapter 11 |
Jerusalem Antioch |
Peter returned to defend evangelizing gentiles. Continued gentile conversion caused the sending of Barnabas to check it out, joined by Saul. Christians being so-called in Antioch |
|
Chapter 12 |
Jerusalem |
Persecution resumed by Herod, killing James and imprisoning Peter |
|
Chapter 13 |
Antioch |
Holy Spirit prompted church to send Paul and Barnabas on 1st missionary trip to gentile land. |
|
Chapter 14 |
Cyprus + Southern Asia Minor |
Paul and Barnabas completed 1st missionary trip with many gentile convert. |
(1) Can you recall what has been the most important evidence supporting the fact that gentiles are truly saved? Why then were some of the Jewish Christians from Judea not satisfied with the evidence? Were they correct? Why or why not?
(2) What did the believers in Antioch decide to do when they considered the debate? What lesson can we learn from their course of action?
(3) It is interesting to note that even some Pharisees in Jerusalem had become believers, but they still insisted on the obedience of the Law of Moses, especially circumcision by the gentiles. Do you think, as converts to being Jesus’ disciples, these Pharisees should still belong to the “party of the Pharisees”? Why or why not?
(4) Try to analyze Peter’s point of view in vv. 6-11
a. Why should Peter’s testimony carry weight?
b. What evidence did Peter appeal to for their being saved?
c. What was Peter’s charge against their opposition?
d. What was the basis of salvation according to Peter?
(5) If you were one of the believers attending this 1st council of the early church, how would you feel? Joyful or sad? Why?
(6) What is the main message to you today?
As we come to Acts 15, which marks the end of Paul’s 1st missionary journey, it also marks the midway point of the 28 chapters of the Book of Acts. Perhaps, it is helpful to reflect upon how the first disciples did in fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.
If we follow theologians like Charles Puskas in dating Jesus’ death and resurrection at AD 33, and Paul’s conversion at AD 34, with the end of his missionary journey at AD 51, the first 14 chapters of Acts would have covered a span of roughly 18 years.
If this is the case, the apostles obviously began their powerful ministry in Jerusalem. They tarried there for a little more than a year before persecution broke out, forcing the disciples (minus the apostles) to leave and spread the gospel beyond Jerusalem.
Then, in the ensuing three years, while Paul spent time in the desert of Arabia, the gospel slowly spread to Samaria and to Caesarea where Peter helped convert the Italian centurion. Even then, the gospel appeared to have been spread mainly within the mainland of Palestine.
The death of King Herod in AD 44 gave us another marker which signified that the concentration of the evangelistic activities of the apostles was still centered around the region close to Jerusalem.
Therefore, the intentional outreach beyond the mainland appeared to begin with the sending of Paul and Barnabas by the church in Antioch in AD 51/52.
Paul and Barnabas took the gospel to the island of Cyprus and then to the southern part of Asia Minor during their 1st missionary journey.
So the mandate by Jesus to evangelize to the ends of the earth took a good 18 years. Through the marvelous anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), through miraculous signs and deeds (Acts 5:12-16, in particular), through severe persecution in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1) and through direct intervention of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2), the first disciples were able to move their feet for the gospel beyond their own region and their own race, albeit gradually and insensitively.
God is indeed very patient with us. As one song writer wrote, God could have sent angels who would have worked much more quickly and far more effectively, but He has chosen to use us to accomplish His all-important plan of salvation. The reason? He loves us, He trusts us and His desire is that we may be molded into His likeness—a people who truly love the world as He does.
The New Testament does not give us any reason why James, Jesus’ brother, appeared to hold the highest authoritative position in the Jerusalem church. But we know that he was not one of the Twelve. He did not even believe in Jesus when He was on earth, but he suddenly surfaced as the leader of the first church (see Gal. 2:12). But the fact also is clear that he is now presiding over this important 1st Council.
(1) As Peter presented his argument, Paul and Barnabas presented their testimonies of the miraculous deeds performed among the Gentiles. How did the congregation respond to their report and why?
(2) James is quoting from Amos 9:11-12. About what period of time was the prophet prophesying? How important is it in validating the reports of Peter and Paul?
(3) What did James suggest in resolving this dispute?
a. What was the basis of his suggestion?
b. Was it a compromise?
c. Do you agree with him?
d. Would it be your suggestion or would you suggest something entirely different?
(4) The decision is now endorsed by “the whole church” (v.22). How does it speak to you in terms of resolving disputes in the church?
(5) Read carefully the contents of the letter. If you were a gentile believer, upon hearing the contents of the letter, how would you respond to it and why?
(6) What is the main message to you today?
For the longest time after I became a Christian, I felt really uncomfortable with the Apostle James. Then I found out that I was not alone, for even Martin Luther felt uncomfortable with him too. Although he did include the book of James in his canon, he called it a “book of straw”, which is not exactly a very flattering label. If you read also how Paul talked about James in Galatians, and the incidents in Acts 15, you would, perhaps, agree with me. However, when I came to understand the person of James a bit more, I began to appreciate him as a faithful servant of the Lord. Allow me to quote from Ajith Fernando who, in turn, quoted from F.F. Bruce about the Apostle James in his commentary on Acts 15:
"(But we can find a lot of material) about James in extra biblical writings of the time. He was respected even among non-Christians, 'largely because of his ascetic way of life and his regular participation in the temple services of prayer, where he interceded for the people and their city.' He was stoned to death in Jerusalem in AD 62, and many of the people were gravely shocked at this. 'Some years later some ascribed the calamity which overtook the city and its inhabitants to the cessation of James’ prayers on their behalf.' Bruce says that the church’s readiness to recognize his leadership was due more to his personal character and record than to his blood relationship with the Lord. His role in the council is evidence of this character.” (Fernando, Acts, 417)
How James chose to deal with the controversy in Acts 15, especially in his admonition of the Gentile Christians to “abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality” (15:29), also bothered me for a long time, until I came to understand the background for his exhortation. The Gentiles of his time were surrounded by immorality that tied closely with idol worship, and much of the eating of the food also had to do with feasts held in the temples of idols. Such a directive would help the Gentiles believers distant themselves from temptations. And since James has already iterated that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, these “add-ons” had nothing to do with salvation, but would go a long way in reconciling the Gentiles and Jewish believers. Therefore, I have come to understand that James did these out of both prudence and love.