Acts Chapter 13 - Sent by the Spirit: Salvation for All

Today we are studying Acts Chapter 13. In this chapter, we see the beginning of Paul’s first missionary journey as the Holy Spirit sets apart Paul and Barnabas for the work God has called them to do. They are sent out to proclaim the gospel, and as they travel, we see both acceptance and opposition. Paul boldly preaches in the synagogue, declaring that Jesus is the promised Savior. While many receive the message with joy, others reject it, leading Paul to turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13:47 says, “For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” This chapter reminds us that the gospel is for everyone and that God calls His people to go and share His truth boldly.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:17

What an encouragement it is to see God's word reaching new places and new people. This reminds me of Acts chapter 12, verse 24. But the word of God flourished and spread. Praise God that his word is flourishing in 45 countries around the world. We want to take a moment to say hello to our listeners in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, Port Moresby, National Capital, Papua New Guinea, Denang Denang, Vietnam, Atlanta, Georgia, and Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. We're grateful you've joined us today. Thank you for being part of this mission. It means so much to have you listening.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Welcome to Giving God Praise. This is a podcast where we walk through the entire Bible, book by book and chapter by chapter. Our desire is to discover not only what God's Word says, but what it means to praise God in our daily life. In each episode, we explore a promise to claim, a response to make, an attitude to change, an instruction to obey, a sin to confess, and an example to follow. So let's go ahead and grab our Bibles and dive into today's teaching. Today we are studying Acts chapter 13. In this chapter, we see the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey as the Holy Spirit sets apart Paul and Barnabas for the work God has called them to do. They are sent out to proclaim the gospel, and as they travel, we see both acceptance and opposition. Paul boldly preaches in the synagogue, declaring that Jesus is the promised Savior. While many received the message with joy, others rejected, leading Paul to turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13 47 says, For this is what the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. This chapter reminds us that the gospel is for everyone, and that God calls his people to go and share his truth boldly. Let's begin reading Acts chapter 13. In the church that was at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaan, a close friend of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work I have called them to. Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off. Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed God's message in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God's message. But Elemus the sorcerer, this is the meaning of his name, opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at the sorcerer and said, You son of the devil, full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness, won't you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? Now look, the Lord's hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time. Suddenly a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul, seeing what happened, believed and was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and went back to Jerusalem. They continued their journey from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, Brothers, if you have any message of encouragement for the people, you can speak. Then Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness, then after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to them as an inheritance. This all took about four hundred years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, so God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him. I have found David the son of Jesse, a man loyal to me, who will carry out all my will. From this man's descendants, according to the promise, God brought the Savior, Jesus, to Israel. Before he came to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Then as John was completing his life's work, he said, Who do you think I am? I am not the one, but look, someone is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet. Brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and those among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us. For the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers, since they did not recognize him, or the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled their words by condemning him. Though they found no grounds for the death penalty, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had fulfilled all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and he appeared for many days to those who came with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors. God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm, You are my son. Today I have become your father. Since he raised him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will grant you the faithful covenant blessings made to David. Therefore, he also says in another passage, you will not allow your holy one to see decay. For David, after serving his own generation in God's plan, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed. But the one God raised up did not decay. Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, and everyone who believes in him is justified from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses. So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you. Look, you scoffers, marvel, and vanish away, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you. As they were leaving, the people begged that these matters be presented to them the following Sabbath. After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and persuading them to continue in the grace of God. The following Sabbath, almost the whole town assembled to hear the message of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to oppose what Paul was saying by insulting him. Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said, It was necessary that God's message be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles, for this is what the Lord has commanded us. I have made you a light for the Gentiles to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed. So the message of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the prominent women who worshipped God and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district. But they shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Let's take a moment to pause and bring our focus to the Lord. Heavenly Father, thank you for the truth of Acts chapter 13, and the reminder that you have called us to be a light to the world. Thank you for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Lord, give us boldness to share your truth and hearts that are willing to follow wherever you lead. Help us to trust you even when we face opposition and to remain faithful in carrying out your mission. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

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SPEAKER_02 11:04

Now that we've read God's word and prepared our hearts in prayer, let's begin our praise study and listen to what God wants to say to our hearts today. In Acts chapter 13, we see a powerful promise to claim in the truth that God is actively calling and sending his people to accomplish his purpose. The Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for a specific mission, reminding us that God has a plan for each of our lives. This means we are not wandering aimlessly. God is intentional in how he leads us. We also see the promise that the message of salvation is for all people. The gospel was not limited to one group, but extended to the Gentiles, showing that God's grace reaches everyone. Another promise we see is that God's word will continue to spread despite opposition. Even when people rejected the message, it still moved forward and transformed lives. This assures us that God's work cannot be stopped by human resistance. This promise calls us to trust that God is working through us and around us, even when we don't fully see the outcome. The response to make in this chapter is to be willing to go where God sends us and to boldly share his truth. Paul and Barnabas did not hesitate when the Holy Spirit called them. They stepped out in obedience. Our response should be the same. We must be ready to follow God's leading even when it takes us out of our comfort zone. We are also called to respond with boldness. Paul spoke clearly and confidently about Jesus, even when faced with opposition. Another response is to remain faithful when others reject the message. Not everyone will accept the truth, but that does not change our responsibility to share it. This chapter calls us to respond with obedience, courage, and a willingness to be used by God for his purposes. We are called to change our attitude from hesitation to readiness. It is easy to delay or question when God calls us to step out, but this chapter reminds us to be prepared and willing. Another attitude to change is from fear of rejection to confidence in God's truth. Paul and Barnabas faced resistance, but they did not let it stop them. We must shift our focus from pleasing people to honoring God. We also need to change from exclusivity to inclusivity in how we view God's grace. The gospel is for everyone, not just those we are comfortable with. A transformed attitude embraces God's mission with openness, courage, and trust. The instruction to obey in this chapter is to listen to the Holy Spirit and act on his direction. The church fasted, prayed, and responded when God spoke. We are instructed to cultivate that same sensitivity to God's voice. Another instruction is to proclaim the gospel clearly. Paul did not water down the message, he spoke truthfully about Jesus and salvation. We are also instructed to persevere in the face of opposition. When Paul and Barnabas were rejected, they continued on to the next place. Obedience means staying committed to God's mission, no matter the circumstances, and trusting Him to work through our faithfulness. The sin to confess in this chapter is resisting God's calling. When we ignore or delay what God is asking us to do, we are holding back from his purpose. This is something we must bring before him. Another sin to confess is fear of sharing our faith. Fear can keep us silent when we should be speaking truth. We also need to confess pride or prejudice that limits who we think deserves to hear the gospel. The message of salvation is for everyone, and we must align our hearts with God's heart. Confession allows us to remove these barriers and walk in obedience to God's will. The example to follow in this chapter is Paul and Barnabas. They were obedient to the Holy Spirit, bold in their message, and persistent in their mission. They did not allow opposition to discourage them. Instead, they continued moving forward, trusting God to work through them. We also see an example in the Gentiles who received the message with joy and believed. Their response shows us what it looks like to embrace the truth wholeheartedly. Following these examples means living with faith, boldness, and a willingness to be used by God wherever he leads. Acts chapter 13 reminds us that God calls, sends, and empowers his people to share the gospel with the world. It challenges us to step out in faith, to speak truth boldly, and to trust God with the results. Take time today to reflect on your walk with God. Are you listening for his direction? Are you willing to go where he leads? Are you sharing his truth with others? If this message encouraged you, share it with someone who needs to be reminded that God's salvation is for everyone and that he is still calling his people to go. Let's close today by bringing our hearts before the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that our listeners chose to spend their time with us in your word today. Thank you for the truth of Acts chapter 13 and the reminder that you have called us to share your message with the world. Lord, give us boldness, courage, and obedience to follow wherever you lead. Help us to trust you in every step and to remain faithful even when we face opposition. We pray that this message would encourage every listener and draw them closer to you. May God bless you and keep you in his grace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

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