v1 Antioch church contained prophets and teachers. Do prophets and teachers often work together?
Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen and Saul were mentioned. This is the first pass of seeing Saul’s giftings.
v2 As they ministered to the LORD and fasted. Fasting is not a poverty spirit event. It has to do with ministering to God and worship. It was during this time that the Holy Spirit spoke to them separating Barnabas and Saul for the WORK THAT I HAVE CALLED THEM.
GOD’S voice brings life. It was His voice that made creation. When He spoke, it happened. Now, He speaks again, and Saul and Barnabas are specifically called out. God does have very distinct jobs for us to do. We were made to do special things, not to just be all and go as the wind blows us. We can expect His voice arising out of our worship and reverance.
v3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
The protocol for launching: fast, pray & lay hands.
v5 They also had John as their assistant. Mark served as assistant. God assembles the team. He puts who He wants where He wants them. Even gospel writers got to serve as assistants. There is no respect for man. God has a purpose and equips us for ministry.
v6-7 Elymas (BarJesus) was a sorcerer on the island of Paphos. He resisted Saul and Barnabas seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Witchcraft and sorcery come against government officials. Sergius Paulus was the proconsul in question here.
v11 They asked him if he would keep trying to pervert the ways of the Lord. Then, they told him that the hand of the Lord was upon him and called him to be blind.
Lord, how does a person become holy enough to walk in this kind of power to face the demonic?
v12 Then the proconsul believed. God turns the dark to light.
v9 Then Saul who is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked INTENTLY at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
Paul gets his new name.
Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit at the exact same time.
Paul’s first event (as Paul) is to rebuke aggressively the sorcerer.
He calls him “son of the devil”. Do we simply spend too much time trying to be lovey dovey with folks rather than proclaiming the truth in love. And, what does that look like? Not everything is a kiss. Paul certainly doesnt give Elymus a kiss. Bless God; he blasts him.
Perhaps our gospel has too little truth in it.
What is the correlation between getting the name, being filled with the Spirit and immediate ministry?
He is released with power too blind the man. How did he know that he had this authority?
v13 They sailed from Paphos (where Aphoridite was worshipped) to Perga (where Artemis) was worshipped. John left for Jerusalem, but Barnabas and Paul continued their tour of false gods.
v14 They came to Antioch and “sat down” on the sabbath day. This is where the name Christians first came into existence.
v15-16 The “rulers of the synagogue” said that anyone could speak if he had word. Paul took advantage of that. Now, doesnt Jesus talk about the rulers of the synagogue?
v19 God destroyed SEVEN nations in the land of Canaan. These are the 7 mountains that we fight against today. God distributed their land to them by allotment.
v20 The judges ruled for 450 years; then came Samuel
v23 According to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior – Jesus –
v30 But God raised Him from the dead.
v32 And we declare to you glad tidings – that promise which was made to the fathers.
v38 We are called to peach the FORGIVENESS OF SINS THROUGH JESUS
v42 So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
v43 man of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuade them to continue in the grace of God.
Not everyone is religious just because they are of a certain religion.
v44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.
Way cool! Paul gives the story of all that happened from of old until Jesus’s resurrection, and God lit those words in the hearts of many.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and contradicting and blashpheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
1) spirit of envy
2) enemy comes to twist the truth in contradiction and blasphemy
3) spirit of opposition
46 The response to this warfare:
Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said,”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.
You judge yourself when you reject the Word.
48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. I guess they did! They weren’t stuck in a spirit of religion, envy and opposition. They came to realize the gift that God gave and rejoiced.
And many had been appointed to eternal life and believed.
v50 The Jews kicked them out of the city.
v51 Paul and Barnabas shook of the dust from their feet – those beautiful feet that proclaim “Our God reigns!”
v52 And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Confrontation and action in God leads to celebration and His Presence.