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Greetings Brethren,

Today we are at chapter 13 in our Daily Bible Reading.

In this blog we will take a brief look on the Church in Antioch and the prepare for Paul's first missionary journey.  Lord willing, tomorrow we will consider some of the major events that occurred in chapetrs 13 & 14.

When persecution broke out in Jerusalem, many of the Christians found refuge at Antioch. They immediately began to preach the gospel. At first, they preached in the synagogues and only to the Jews, but later they began to preach to the Gentiles. It was in Antioch that the first Gentile church was founded, and it was here that believers were first called Christians.

The name Christian means Christ-like and was derived from the Greek word Christos, which is the equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, and means Anointed One.

The new congregation at Antioch was a daughter of the mother church in Jerusalem, but she rapidly grew until she exceeded the assembly in Jerusalem in vision and strength, becoming a mother church in her own right.

The church at Antioch was young and needed teaching. Barnabas could have attempted to do this himself, but being a dedicated humble man, he decided to find the best teacher possible. He remembered Saul of Tarsus, whom he had befriended several years before this. Therefore, he left Antioch, went to Tarsus, and persuaded Saul to return with him to teach the new church at Antioch.

It was here at Antioch that the foreign missionary movement was born. This showed that they had a burden for souls and a vision of the harvest field.  When the Holy Spirit spoke through Agabus by prophecy that there was a need in the mother church, they sent Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem with assistance. They delivered their gift and soon returned to Antioch, bringing with them John Mark.

The missionary movement was born in prayer. It is only when the Church is upon her knees that God is able to speak to her, and that she has the dedication necessary to obey the voice of God. 

At this particular time there were five prop hets and teachers ministering to the church. Although both Barnabas and Saul were later called apostles, at this point they were listed among prophets and teachers. The names of these ministers were: Barnabas, Manaen Simeon,  Saul  and Lucius. These ministers were doing three things: 1. Ministering to the Lord 2. Fasting and 3. Praying. The missionary movement would never have been born at Antioch if the church had not been doing these three things. They were in the right attitude for God to speak to them. What would happen today if the Church could be found in this same attitude before the Lord?

The will of God is most important in the work of God. Barnabas and Saul were not called by man but by God. It was the Holy Ghost who said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."  God has always called specific men for specific tasks. Saul was a chosen vessel to bear the name of Jesus before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). It had been a number of years since his conversion, and it might have seemed during this long time that the will of God would never be carried out in Saul's life. Just as God has a definite man for a definite work, there is a definite time for the call of God to be fulfilled.

One of the greatest characteristics in Saul's life and ministry was his complete dedication to the will of God. His motto seemed to be: "As much as in me is, I am ready" (Romans 1:15).

God's order in the sending forth of missionaries may be seen here:

  1. They were called of God
  2. Their call was recognized by the Church
  3. Fasting and prayer must be in evidence
  4. They were sent forth by the Lord in His time and to the places He had chosen
  5. They were sent forth by the Church

This means that the missionary ministry becomes the united effort of the whole Church.

Antioch was the starting point for Paul's first, second, and third missionary journeys. After God had spoken to the Church, Barnabas and Saul went forth on the first missionary journey. They decided to take John Mark with them, but he did not stay very long. It should be noted that they started out as Barnabas and Saul. However, it wasn't very long before it was Paul and Barnabas. In other words, Paul soon became the acknowledged leader. Saul's name was changed to Paul (Acts 13:9). The name Paul means  "little".

Let us consider a brief summary of some of their travels on this first missionary journey:

  1. They left Antioch and went down the Orontes River to the seaport city of Seleucia.
  2.  Setting sail from Seleucia, they crossed over the arm of the Mediteranean Sea to the island of Cyprus. This island is 140 miles long and fifty miles wide. It lies sixty miles west of Syria and was at that time densely populated. It was the early home of Barnabas.
  3.  The first stopping place was on the eastern shore at a place called Salamis where they found a Jewish synagogue.
  4.  Crossing Cyprus from east to west, preaching as they went, 7 they came to Paphos, the capital of the island. The proconsul resided there. This city had a shrine of Venus which the people worshipped. It was here that a sorcerer, a false Jewish prophet whose name was Bar-jesus, tried to turn away the deputy of the island from the faith and was struck blind by Paul.
  5.  Leaving Cyprus, they sailed northwesterly 170 miles, and reached the province of Pamphylia. Bypassing the seaport city of Attalia, they landed at Perga, seven and a half miles from the sea. This city was worshipped by Greeks who worshipped Diana. It was here that John Mark turned back.
  6. Antioch in Pisidia was the next field of labor. Here Paul preached in the synagogue, as is recorded in the Scriptures. A church was established, but the brethren were driven out by persecuting Jews.

God's willing, tomorrow we will discuss the major events that transpired in chapter 13 & 14.

Until then - Maranatha!

 

 

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