Acts 13-14
Devotion by Juliet Taylor (Tennessee)
Acts chapters 13 and 14 are about the people of God continuing to do what Christ followers are supposed to do; to be led by the spirit to do God’s will.
The prophets and teachers in Antioch were ministering to the Lord and fasting. Because of this, they were given revelation by the spirit to “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” They confirmed this revelation by fasting and praying. They then laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them on their way to do the Lord’s bidding.
They started their proclamation of the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and spread the word of God throughout the whole island. The proconsul (similar to a governor) wanted to hear the word but his magician/false prophet companion opposed the word, attempting to keep the proconsul from the faith.
Paul, full of the holy spirit, rebuked the false prophet saying, “you who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.”
The consequence for opposing the spreading of the word to the leader of the region was blindness for a time! The proconsul believed after witnessing this miracle, but it was the teaching of the Lord that had him amazed.
They continued their journey to Pisidian Antioch and on the Sabbath day, they were given the floor to preach the Gospel to the Jews in the synagogue. Read Paul’s words carefully, as the preaching of the gospel seems to highlight different aspects of it depending on Paul’s audience.
To the Jews, he begins with God’s choosing of their fathers to be his people and ends with the good news of the fulfillment of the promise to their fathers, by raising Jesus from the dead so that he wouldn’t undergo decay. And because of this fulfillment, through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. And through Jesus, everyone who believes is freed from all things, which they could not be freed from through the Law of Moses.
The response to this was to beg them to return the next Sabbath day to preach about these things. When they did, an even bigger audience gathered to hear the word. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they became jealous and tried to persecute them. Take note that this may happen when you’re doing God’s will. Be prepared and do what the early Christians who did better did; pray, fast, preach, keep seeking the Lord’s guidance to do God’s will.
To them Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us,
‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles,
That You may [ab]bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”
* I take note that these words were first spoken in the Old Testament, prophesying about Jesus. Here, the same words are applied to Paul and Barnabas. We should become comfortable understanding that this happens a lot in the Bible. It helps to cut through confusion.
The Gentiles responded to this by rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and it was spread throughout the whole region. But the jealous Jews incited the prominent women and men to persecute Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the district.
The disciples shook off the dust of their feet and went to another city, continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
In the next region, both Jews and Greeks heard the word and believed. And as it happened in other cities, unbelieving Jews caused trouble. Here they “stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brothers.” Instead of dusting off their feet and moving on, they relied on the Lord to speak boldly, remaining there for a long time. Here they were granted signs and wonders to be performed by their hands.
It’s interesting to note, that even though we know they were filled with the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, here the Lord granted them the ability to do signs and wonders, indicating to me that just having the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean we can do signs and wonders whenever we think we should. It is for when the Lord has need of it.
Some believed, some did not. Some persecuted them. When they tried to kill them (by stoning), they moved on to another region to preach the gospel.
While preaching the gospel in the next place, Paul saw that a disabled man had faith to be made well so he healed him. Because of this, the Gentiles called Paul and Barnabas gods and attempted to make sacrifices to them. They tore their clothing and Paul preached the gospel, beginning with parts of the gospel that they could relate to from their culture. Paul told them that there was only one God, the God who created the heavens and earth, and everything in them, and that they must turn from their other gods to the one true God.
He said that God permitted all the nations to go their own ways; yet he did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. Even so, it was hard for those stuck in their tradition to refrain from offering sacrifices to them.
Again, the Jews became jealous. They stoned Paul nearly to death and dragged him out of the city. He got up and went to another city to preach, continuing God’s work. He made many disciples. He was able to revisit a church to encourage them to keep the faith, saying that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” They ended back in Antioch and remained there awhile, reporting on what joyous events happened. They were primarily excited about the new revelation, how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Fasting and praying seem to be great starters for hearing from the Lord so that you can be led by him in the spirit. Have you heard from the Lord after fasting and praying?
When Paul preached the Gospel to the Jews, he talked about the fulfillment of the promise to their fathers, which was in raising Jesus from the dead so that he wouldn’t undergo decay. And because of this fulfillment, through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. And through Jesus, everyone who believes is freed from all things, which they could not be freed from through the Law of Moses. Gentiles weren’t freed from the Law of Moses because they weren’t a part of that covenant with God. What did Jesus accomplish on the cross for Jews vs. both Jew and Gentile?
I love how Paul talks to the Gentiles about God’s goodness as a witness to them, even when they didn’t know him. How can we relate things like this to our friends who don’t know God?
Jealousy seems to be a primary driver of opposition to the word. How can we guard our hearts from becoming jealous of others preaching what they believe to be true who may be gaining followers?
Seek Grow Love 