Acts 13 Round Two: The Gospel Reaches New Places

A quiet room in Antioch erupts into purpose when prayer and fasting meet a clear call from the Holy Spirit. We follow Barnabas and Saul as a local church lays hands on them and launches a story that stretches across islands, synagogues, and city streets—where the message of Jesus collides with power, pride, and hunger for truth. What begins as worship becomes movement, and what meets resistance does not stall.

We walk through Cyprus to meet a governor who wants wisdom and a sorcerer who wants control. Paul’s bold confrontation is less about spectacle and more about clearing the fog so the gospel can be heard. From there, the road bends toward Pisidian Antioch, where Paul stands in a synagogue and weaves Israel’s history into a single thread: promise, kings, prophets, a crucified Messiah, and a risen Lord. The core claim is simple and seismic—through Jesus there is forgiveness and a right standing with God that the law could never secure.

Not everything goes smoothly. John Mark leaves the team, and the text names the wound without hiding it. Crowds surge the next week, jealousy flares, and opponents try to smother the message. Paul and Barnabas answer with clarity, widen the invitation to the Gentiles, and keep moving when a mob forms. The surprising result is joy—Spirit-filled, resilient joy—among new believers who carry the word farther than any one sermon can reach. Along the way, we reflect on how to discern next steps, why perseverance matters, and how to hold truth and grace in tense spaces.

If this journey stirs your courage, stick with us as we continue through Acts. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs hope, and leave a quick review to help more people find the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Your voice helps the word travel farther.

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:00 Shift To Paul’s Mission
• 1:19 Community Updates And Call To Engage
• 2:24 From Jerusalem To The Gentile World
• 3:43 Antioch: Fasting, Prayer, And Sending
• 5:26 Cyprus: Sorcerer Opposes, Governor Believes
• 8:00 John Mark Leaves The Team
• 9:18 Paul’s Synagogue Message In Antioch
• 13:05 Resurrection Proclaimed And Law Fulfilled
• 15:14 Joyful Gentiles, Jealous Opposition
• 17:20 Perseverance And Blessing Despite Rejection

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Every day, we take one chapter of the Bible, dig deeper, and discover that the more we dig, the more we find. You can find out more at the BibleBreakdown.com. Now let's grow in God's Word together. Well, hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, Acts chapter 13. And today, if I were to give it a title, it would be The Gospel Reaches New Places. What we're going to see today is a shift in the narrative and a shift in what's kind of going on. And likely, and we don't know this for sure, but likely this is also where the shift occurs because of the relationship that Luke has with Paul. We're going to get into that in just a moment. But as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share, and subscribe to the YouTube video. If you listen to this as a podcast, make sure you leave us a five-star review. Also, let us know how you are encountering God's word. And I would love for you to go to our Facebook group, a Bible breakdown discussion, and let me know, let us know. Have you ever been on a missions trip? Ever been on a trip somewhere, be able to share the gospel, be the hands and feet of Jesus. If you have, I want to know all about it because, man, that's what we're going to see today. And I would love to know what you are experiencing in God's Word as we go through the book of Acts. Have you ever read through the book of Acts before? If so, man, are you picking up anything new? Let us know. We want to grow together. Because man, the more we dig, the more we find. Now, what we've been experiencing up until now, the first 12 books of the story of the early church, as written by the doctor-turned investigative journalist, Luke, is the early days of the church. And we've been really focusing on Jerusalem, Peter, and the different things that's going on within the Jewish community. But what we're about to see from now, really moving on through the rest of the narrative of what is happening, is we're going to focus on three major missionary journeys of Paul. And then afterward, we're going to see how Paul eventually makes his way to Rome. But what we what we really begin to see here is that God begins to use Paul, which he's he's about to change his name to Saul or from Saul to Paul, but he's using him to go and to spread the gospel into various different Gentile cities and really helping the gospel just get out there a whole lot. And so that's a lot of what we're going to see is it really focuses now on these missionary journeys and a lot of what happens. And what we're going to see in a lot of these places is the Gentiles receive the gospel. Man, they're so excited. But then Jewish people, they become jealous because he's teaching the gospel. And it the basis, the foundation of the gospel begins with Jewish culture and with the law, the covenant, because Jesus came to fulfill the law, not do away with it. So there's all this jealousy that starts to happen. So we're seeing this whole thing happen. And one of the reasons why is because we know at some point Luke becomes a traveling companion with Paul. And that makes a lot of sense because as we're going to see, almost everywhere Paul goes, he either starts a church or starts a riot. There really isn't two ways about it. And to be honest with you, for a long time, I always wanted to meet Paul. I wanted to meet him and talk to him. But at the same time, I'm not entirely sure. Paul might not have been the most friendly person. You know what I mean? I think he would be, but at the same time, you imagine the personality of a trend setting pioneer who goes into an area and is willing to just argue and debate the scripture with anybody. That's going to be a very type A guy. So whereas he would probably be full of joy and kindness and goodness, he's probably the same guy who's going to tell you like it is. So if you like that kind of guy, that's the kind of guy you want to meet. And that's Paul. And I love that. But at the same time, you want to get ready for that, right? And so we're going to see that eventually, because Luke and Paul become traveling companions, because Luke was a doctor and Paul was constantly getting beat up and needing a doctor, that's likely one of the reasons why we start to see this. It's because either right now is where Luke started to follow with Peter or with Paul, or as he's traveling with them, he starts telling these stories. So either way, we get to see this. So let's dive in to the first missionary journey of Paul. So if you got your Bibles, Acts chapter 13, verse 1. Among the prophets and teachers at the Church of Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon, also called the black man, Lucius, the serene, Manin, the childhood companion of Herod Antipos, and Saul. One day these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, and the Holy Spirit said, Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them. So after more fasting and prayer, the men lay their hands on them and sent them on their way. Let me just take an aside here and say, if you ever want to know what God's next steps for you are, take time to do fasting and prayer. There's something about fasting. Fasting is saying no to a physical appetite so that you can say yes to a spiritual appetite. And it humbles our heart and makes us sensitive to hear the Lord. And when you fast and you pray, God does amazing things in your life. So I just want to throw that out there, okay? They did that, and then God said, I want you to send Barnabas and Saul. I have work for them. So send them and let them do it. Verse 4 says this. So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed to the island of Cyprus. There, in the towns of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark with them as their assistant. Now pause again. John Mark, he was a Greek speaker and could write Greek very well. Now, some things are going to happen eventually, and John Mark is going to leave their company, but John Mark's story is not over because eventually this same John Mark partners up with Peter because Peter is going to go to Rome and is going to preach the gospel in the city of Rome. And John Mark is going to be his interpreter. He's going to interpret for Peter the words he's saying. And eventually he writes down all the sermons that Peter preaches as he's inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it eventually becomes the Gospel of Mark. That's who this John Mark is, the gospel writer of the Gospel of Mark. Verse 6. After they traveled from town to town across the entire island until they finally reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer and a false prophet named Bar Jesus. Joker needs to change his name and get my Savior's name out of his mouth. Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Zaul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elamis, the sorcerer, as his name means in Greek, interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul had said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. Saul, also now known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. You son of the devil. He was very kind in that moment. Full of every sort of deceit and fraud, an enemy of all that is good. Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you. You will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time. Instantly mist and darkness came over the man's eyes, and he began groping around, begging for someone to take him by the hand and to lead him. And when the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished by the teaching of the Lord. Sometimes people come to the Lord out of miracles, and sometimes out of judgment. But the end of the day is they come. Verse 13. Paul and his companions then left Paphos by the ship to Pamphylia, landing in the port of Perga. There John Mark left them and went and returned to Jerusalem. But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pasidia. Now, pause again. This is not a good thing. John Mark abandoned them. We don't know exactly what happened, but what we do know is this was not a situation where they sent John Mark back to Jerusalem on purpose. For whatever reason, something happened and John Mark abandoned them and left. And we know that because this is going to become a problem later on. Which already I would love to just take a moment to say, isn't it amazing what God does? I just want to take a second because right now, when the heat is on, John Mark abandons them. Later it becomes a problem. But what happens is, is like I told you earlier, he eventually goes and he goes with Peter and he becomes a translator and he eventually begins to redeem himself until in 2 Timothy chapter 4, right before Paul is about to die, he says, Go get Mark, go get John Mark, because he is a blessing to me. So God redeems him, even though right now he abandons Paul and Barnabas when they need him. All right, moving on. On the Sabbath, they went to the synagogue for their services. After the usual readings of the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message. Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it. Don't threaten me with a good time, Paul says. All right, here I go. Verse 16. So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. Men of Israel, he said, and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me. The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then, with a powerful arm, he led them out of slavery. He put up with them through forty, he put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. So other words, they didn't go happily, but he put up with them. Then he destroyed seven nations of Canaan and gave the land of Israel as an inheritance. All of this took 450 years. After this, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged the king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man to whom he said, I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do. And it is the one, King David, one of King David's descendants, Jesus, who is God's promised Savior of Israel. Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. As John was finished his ministry, he asked, Do you think, or he was asked, Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not, but he is coming soon, and I am not even worthy to be his slave and to untie the sandals on his feet. Brothers, your sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles, this message of salvation has been sent to us. The people in Jerusalem and all the leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one of the as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this, they fulfilled the prophet's words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. When they had done all that the prophecies had said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and over a period of many days he had appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel. And we are here to bring you this good news. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it to us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. And this is what the second psalm says about Jesus. You are my son. Today I have become your father. For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, I will give you the sacred blessing I promised to David. Another psalm explains it more fully. This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died, and he was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else, someone God had raised from those whose body did not decay. So, brothers, listen, we are here to proclaim to you that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him has been made right with God, something the law of Moses could never do. Be careful, don't let the prophet's words apply to you, for they said, Look, you mockers, be amazed and die, for I am doing something in you in your own day, something you wouldn't believe, even if someone told you about it. As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. And many of the Jews and devout converts of Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men, two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. So what we just got to see is the message that Paul would preach. He would say, All of these things that happened in the law are great. And they were leading to Jesus. And now that Jesus has come, we can receive salvation through his name. And so they continued to preach this over and over again. All right, let's finish this up, verse 44. The following week, the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. And when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous. So they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth. When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad, and thanked the Lord for his message, and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. So the Lord's message spread throughout that region. Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Isn't that amazing? As the gospel is continuing to spread, and as the gospel continues to spread, some people receive it with joy. Some people don't receive it, but it doesn't stop the gospel from moving forward. And what I love about this is that even when it's not received, it doesn't stop Paul and Barnabas from moving forward. So what can we learn from this chapter today? Many things. We can learn a lot of things about what God is doing all over the place. And what I love about this is it begins with fasting and prayer and it ends with continued faithfulness. Notice that in every one of these towns, Paul and Barnabas are going to be faithful, going to share what's going on. And they experience trouble along the way. They receive word that their good friend, John Mark, abandons them and leaves. They continue to move forward. They have this moment where not everybody wants to believe them. They continue to move forward. They have a time where the Jewish people actually try to just dismantle what they're doing. Continue to move forward. Just trusting God to make a way. Maybe that needs to be the word of the Lord in your life today. Whatever you're doing, if you're doing it for the Lord, keep moving forward. Don't let other things discourage you. Don't let it distract you. But continue to be faithful and let God do what only God can do in your life. Let's pray together. God, thank you so much for your word. Thank you for your goodness and for your mercy. Thank you, Lord, that you are with us in all things. Lord, my prayer today is that you will fill us with your hope and with your goodness that we'll never give up, but will continue to serve you all along the way. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Don't forget, Jesus said in Acts 1.8, say it with me. You will receive power. When? When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. My prayer today is that you would receive the power of the Holy Spirit and you would be a witness for Him in your world today. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Acts chapter 14.