Acts

Mission of Paul and Barnabas

There were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, including Barnabas, Symeon, known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul.

On one occasion, while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them:

“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.”

So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

These then, sent by the Holy Spirit, went down to the port of Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.

Upon their arrival in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogue; John was with them as an assistant.

They traveled across the entire island as far as Paphos, where they met a certain magician named Bar-Jesus, a Jewish false prophet,

who lived with the governor Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. He had summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.

But they were opposed by Elymas (that is, the magician), who tried to turn the governor away from the faith.

Then Saul, also known as Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

and said:

“You son of the devil, full of all kinds of deceit, and enemy of all that is right! Will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?

Now, the Lord’s hand is upon you; you will become blind and, for a time, you will not see the light of day.” At once, a misty darkness came over him, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand.

The governor saw what had happened; he believed and was astonished by the teaching about the Lord.

In Antioch of Pisidia

From Paphos, Paul and his companions set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. There, John left them and headed back to Jerusalem,

while they continued from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and took their seats.

After the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue officials sent this message to them:

“Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the assembly, please speak up.”

So Paul got their attention, signaled for silence, and started:

“Fellow Israelites and all you who fear God, listen.

The God of our people Israel chose our ancestors; and after he had caused them to increase during their stay in Egypt, he led them out by mighty deeds.

For forty years, he fed them in the desert;

and after he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.

All this took four hundred and fifty years.

After that, he gave them judges, until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin; and he was king for forty years.

After that time, God removed him and raised up David as king, to whom he bore witness, saying, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all I want him to do.

It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Savior of Israel, Jesus.

Before he appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel.

As John was finishing his life’s work, he said: ‘I am not what you think I am, for after me, another is coming, whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’

Brothers, children of Abraham’s family, and you who also fear God, this message of salvation has been sent to you.

It is a fact that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus. Yet, in condemning him, they fulfilled the words of the prophets read every Sabbath, but not understood.

Even though they found no charge against him worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

After they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.

But God raised him from the dead,

and for many days afterward, he showed himself to those who had come with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They have now become his witnesses before the people.

We, ourselves, announce to you this good news:

All that God promised our ancestors, he has fulfilled for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’

By raising him from the dead so he would never experience decay, God fulfilled his promise: ‘I will give you the holy blessings, the sure ones that I kept for David.’

Furthermore, another passage states: ‘You will not let your holy one undergo decay.’

Now David was subjected to decay because he died and was laid beside his ancestors after fulfilling God’s purpose in his own time.

But the one God raised up—Jesus—did not experience decay.

Through him, fellow Israelites, you receive forgiveness of sins, and this is our good news.

Whoever believes in him is freed from everything that the law of Moses could not free you from.

Now, be careful, so that what the prophet warned about does not happen to you.

Take care, you cynics;

be amazed and disappear!

For I am about to do something in your days

which you would never believe

even if you had been told.”

As Paul and Barnabas withdrew, they were invited to speak again on the same topic the following Sabbath.

Afterward, when the assembly disbanded, many Jews and devout, God-fearing people followed them; and to these, they spoke, encouraging them to hold on to the grace of God.

Almost the entire city gathered on the following Sabbath to listen to Paul, who spoke quite a long time about the Lord.

But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose with insults, whatever Paul said.

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying:

It was necessary for God’s word to be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the non-Jewish people.

For thus we were commanded by the Lord:

I have set you as a light to the pagan nations,

so that you may bring my salvation

to the ends of the earth.

When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and praised the Lord’s message; all those destined for eternal life believed in it.

Thus, the word spread throughout the whole region.

Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of high status and the leading men of the city, stirring up intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas. Ultimately, they had them expelled from the area.

The apostles shook the dust off their feet in protest against these people and went to Iconium,

leaving the disciples filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.