Paul, Barnabas, and their Mission (Acts 13: 1-3, 6-11, 44-52)

1. GIBC (23 Nov 2025).

1. Intro:

There are some important principles that anyone who wants to do church or mission has to bear in mind. These are basic to the mission of any Christian church.

1.1. Being Gospel-Centered: does the church have a message? What message can be more important than the Gospel? Churches that forget that and preach ethics or politics or social work consistently find that they have deviated from their mission as a church. Yes, there are times when the church cannot be blind to pressing social issues and needs to speak up against racism or injustice but this can never replace its mission to further the Great Commission. The Gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation has remained our main message for the past 2000 years.

1.2. Spirit-Centred: the church needs to work in partnership with the Holy Spirit.  This requires an understanding that our strength doesn’t come from our own talents or smarts. No matter how well versed we are or well educated we might be, our strength is a derived one. We are strong when we are strong in the Lord and not on our own. Here, the preacher or mission leader needs to be a very prayerful person. It is through prayer that they catch the unction of the Spirit.

1.3. Obedience: It is a fool’s errand for the preacher or leader to do his/her own thing disregarding the wishes or direction of the Spirit. You may have the Gospel and you may be prayerful but the leader cannot be Spirit-filled if he or she acts in disobedience.

Read: Acts 13: 1-3, 6-11, 44-52

2. Barnabas and Saul

2.1. Worship and Fasting (13:2): At this stage, Barnabas still remains the leader and the team are gathering to worship and fast. They are communing with the Spirit, who announces that they are to “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them.” Acts 13:1 states that at Antioch there were prophets and teachers present and the Spirit spoke through one of the prophets. So, what they did in response was to continue fasting and praying, laying their hands on Barnabas and Saul as commissioned workers and sent them off. What we see is an example of compliance with the NT dispensation of grace. They are not given a grand plan of where they are to go to but it is very much living in grace and direction. In other words, they had to keep their ears quite attentive to the Spirit.

2.2. At Paphos (13: 6): they meet a false prophet called Bar-Jesus. He was also called Elymas the magician, which means this man practised the black arts and used his powers to sway the Roman proconsul away from the gospel. At this point, we see Saul rebuking this false prophet and calling him “you son of the devil, you enemy of righteousness, full of deceit and villainy.” Paul further calls upon the power of God to send temporary blindness of this man as a demonstration that his powers are nothing compared to the Gospel. What this tells us is that Saul or Paul, had to be very wise and discerning to be able to spot the evil powers in this man. Paul would later write about the charism of being able to discern various spirits. He could discern that this person had powers from the other side. Slightly later, in Philippi, he would come across a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination. That means her owners used her for fortune telling and she kept on following Paul and Silas. She kept saying “these men are servants of the Most- High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17). What she said wasn’t wrong factually but Paul discerned the evil spirit in her and exorcised it. Expect resistance whenever the Gospel is preached.

2.3. Anointing: it requires not just giftedness to discern but also being filled with the Spirit’s power to exorcise. We note how those who don’t have the Spirit’s power will get overpowered and possessed by these demons. (7 sons of Sceva in Acts 19).

3. The Jews Oppose the Gospel

3.1. They Were Filled with Jealousy (13:45): this is a very sad day for the Jews. The previous Sabbath, we see many Jews and devout converts to Judaism responded positively and they followed Paul and Barnabas, but one week later, on the Sabbath, we see those who attended being filled with “jealousy.” We ask why were they jealous? What were they jealous about? What we see is the Jews being unwilling to accept that salvation was being opened to the Gentiles when they saw the huge numbers flocking to hear Paul and Barnabas. In fact, the tragedy of this compounds what John says in his Gospel is Jesus came to his own but they received him not. Their rejection of the Messiah would have historical consequences. We see the painful words of Jesus before he enters Jerusalem. Twice in Luke in fact Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”     (Lk 13: 34-35)

In his 2nd lament he cries and says these words:

“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”   (Lk 19: 42-44)    ****

3.2. Rejection Carries Long-Term Consequences: not only will the city be destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, but they would be scattered and dispersed and also hardened. We read in Acts that the Gentiles received the Gospel: they rejoiced and glorified the world of God. But, the Jews “incited the devout woman of high standing and the leading men of the city stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.” (Acts 13:50). Can such rejection of the Gospel by God’s covenant people go unnoticed?

3.3. Paul Writes About his People: It is necessary to see what this is part of!

3.3.1. Only a Remnant will be saved (Rom 9:27): and he has to admit that “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all who are children of Abraham because they are his offspring.” (Rom 9:6-7). Why? Because “Those who were not my people I will call my children and her who was not beloved I will call my beloved.” (Rom 9: **25). In the meantime, only a remnant will be saved (Rom 9:27).