Spreading the Word

10 SPREADING THE WORD (Acts 12:25 – 14:28)
The first missionary journey was at once inspiring and terrifying. A blessing and a trial. When Paul and Barnabas returned from their journey they reported back full of excitement to the church which sent them out. God had done tremendous things: many became Christians, churches were established, elders appointed, their message affirmed by miracles and the word of God spread. They also reported of opposition from the religious leaders and being kicked out of cities and stoned, at times close to the point of death. Through it all, however, they knew they would not be stopped because the Holy Spirit sent them and went with them.
It is unlikely that the Holy Spirit revealed his will only to the small group of five leaders, for that would entail three of them being instructed about the other two. It is more likely that the church members as a whole are in mind, since both they and the leaders are mentioned together in verse 1. Moreover, when Paul and Barnabas returned, “they gathered the church together.” They reported to the church because they had been commissioned by the church.
Summary: Would it not be true to say that the Spirit sent them out, by introducing the church to do so, and that the church sent them out, having been directed by the Spirit to do so? This balance will be a healthy corrective to opposite extremes. The first is the tendency to individualism, by which a Christian claims direct personal guidance by the Spirit without any reference to the church. The second is the tendency to institutionalism, by which all decision-making is done by the church without any reference to the Spirit. Although we have no liberty to deny the validity of personal choice, it is safe and healthy only in relation to the Spirit and the church. Still today it is the responsibility of every local church (especially of its leaders) to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, in order to discover who he may be gifting and calling.
Luke chooses this moment to inform us that Saul was also called Paul. It was common for Jews to take a Greek or Roman second name, and it was appropriate for Luke to mention Saul’s now as he moves into increasingly non-Jewish contexts. He does not call Paul “Saul” again.
Luther wrote in his Preface to the Acts of the Apostles, “It should be noted that by this book St. Luke teaches the whole of Christendom … that the true and chief article of Christian doctrine is this: We must all be justified alone by faith in Jesus Christ, without any contribution from the law or help from our works. This doctrine is the chief of the book and the author’s principal reason for writing” ([Muhlenberg Press, 1960], p. 363). On the other hand, over against the offer of forgiveness, Paul issues a solemn warning to those who reject it.
The most notable feature of this first missionary journey was the missionaries’ sense of divine direction. It was the Holy Spirit of God himself who told the church of Antioch to set Barnabas and Saul apart, who sent them out, who led them from place to place, and who gave power to their preaching, so that converts were made and churches planted. The sending church had committed them to the grace of God for their work (14:26), and on their return they reported “all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (14:27). True, he had done the work “with them” (literally), in cooperation or partnership with them, but he had done it, and they gave him the credit. The grace had come from him; the glory must go to him.
Open
What do you think would be most difficult about being a missionary?
Study
Read Acts 12:25 – 13:4. The previous study ended with the thrilling words “but the word of God continued to increase and spread.” Now Luke has reached a decisive turning point in his narrative. In keeping with the risen Lord’s prophecy (1:8), witness has been borne to him “in Jerusalem” and in “all Judea and Samaria.” Now the horizon broadens to “the ends of the earth.” Up to this point all the action in evangelism has been limited to the Palestinian and Syrian mainland. Nobody has yet caught the vision of taking the good news to the nations overseas (although Cyprus has been mentioned in 11:19). Now at last, however, that momentous step is to be taken.
1. Describe the scene in these verses.
2. How does the way Paul and Barnabas are sent compare and contrast with how we send off our missionaries today?
3. How does the church of the twenty-first century need to change in order to follow the example of the early church in missions?
4. Read Acts 13:4-12. Contrast the proconsul with Elymas the sorcerer.
5. Luke tells us that Paul was freshly filled with the Holy Spirit, to show that his boldness, outspokenness and power in condemning Elymas were all from God. Why do you think Paul was so severe in his reprimand of Elymas (vv. 9-11)?
6. Read Acts 13:13-52. How do you see God’s grace emphasized in Paul’s history of Israel (vv. 16-25)?
7. Paul jumps from David to the promised Savior, Jesus. What truth about Jesus does he proclaim?
8. What are the consequences of his sermon (vv. 42-52)?
9. What do you learn from Paul and Barnabas about interacting with those who are hostile to the gospel?
10. Read Acts 14:1-28. How do Paul and Barnabas react to being perceived as gods (vv. 14-18)?
11. This first missionary journey illustrates the extraordinary versatility of the apostle in adapting himself to different situations; he appeared to be equally at ease with individuals and crowds, Jews and Gentiles, the religious and the irreligious, the educated and the uneducated, the friendly and the hostile. Contrast the way the people responded to Paul’s message.
12. In summary, what different approaches do you see Paul take as he relates to different groups and individuals throughout this whole passage?
13. Retrace Paul and Barnabas’s steps through this first missionary journey, and look for the ways they made sure that the churches they left behind had a solid foundation on which to grow (13:43, 49; 14:21-23).
Apply
As you observe that the Holy Spirit permeates everything that Paul and Barnabas are and do, how would you like to see this more true of your life? How would you like to see your church grow in touching the world with the gospel?
PrayWe are called to be missionaries, whether at home or abroad. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you all that hinders you from fully responding to that call and to keep you faithful to it.