Antioch joins Jerusalem as the first churches to fulfill Acts 1:8.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Acts 13:1-12
In this exciting kickoff to the second part of Acts, we see how God chose to begin the first official "mission trip" into the Gentile world -- by calling on the church in Antioch to set apart and send out Barnabas and Paul. Their first journey stayed "close to home", but from the get-go they encountered many people (receptive or not) who needed the gospel.
Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off. (13:3)
When We Studied Acts 13 in 2017
We did not cover this particular passage in 2017. Our first lesson of the quarter was on 13:26-39. However, I still suggested some "introduction to Acts" topics that would apply this week, if you want to use them.
The Gospel Spreads -- a study of Acts 13:26-39 (fbcthomson.org)
Getting ready to travel
Language challenges when traveling
Recap of the book of Acts
When churches reach new groups
Key moments in Christian history
Statistics from the International Mission Board
Getting Started: Things to Think About
1: Your Mission Trip Story
This quarter of Bible studies focuses on the early church's mission "to the ends of the earth", and you want to kick off the quarter in style. You should have a few people in your group who have been on some kind of mission trip. And if you don't, you guys need to stop everything and spend part of your group time making a plan to do some mission work together.
(Check out this long list of current projects through the IMB's Send Relief initiative:
(And they're going to be in Columbia SC on August 22-23, 2025 -- I highly encourage you to get on their news list so you can sign up for a simple overnight trip that's not a long drive at all.
Anyway, back to the idea. If you're like me, you have pictures on your phone of just about everything, so have your group members find one or two pictures, show everyone, and talk about it for a minute or two. (Don't take your entire morning sharing mission trip stories.)
We joined the KBA on their annual trip to West Virginia last month. A number of churches did Vacation Bible Schools in their communities; our little group helped a widow finish her porch, and some of our members also worked on a public bathroom.
If you're worried about the logistics for a mission trip, just go with the KBA. They take care of everything. You just show up and learn as you go.
2: Your Most "Exotic" Travel Story
I'm not sure what word to use -- I don't necessarily mean "farthest travel" but "trip that took you the most out of your comfort zone". For some of you, this will also be a mission trip. Our church has been taking trips to central Honduras for decades with HOI, and they're a great organization to work with if you are worried about putting together an international trip. You just have to get to the Honduras airport with your supplies; they take care of everything else. For me, "Don't drink the water" is what makes it so exotic.
But your story doesn't have to be mission-trip-oriented!
Take just a minute or two to describe your travel experience.
3: Your Worst Travel Experience
A third part of this topic would be the most negative kind of experience. What's the worst thing that happened to you on a trip?
My guess is that if I say certain things like "flight delay" or "food poisoning" or "I'm sorry we don't have that reservation" some of you will be horribly triggered. Definitely don't take more than a minute or two to share this awful story.
The point?
Paul and Barnabas are about to go on the most exciting and the most exotic trip of their lives. It's a mission trip filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows. Take your most extreme experience, and let it give you some sympathy for what's about to happen in the book of Acts.
A Missionary Commissioning
Our church tries to be intentional about "commissioning" church members to their work. This past Sunday, we commissioned our preschool teachers (their school year starts after Labor Day) and our folks going to Gatlinburg this weekend to do church services in their campgrounds. Earlier in August, we commissioned the grade school teachers. In July, we commissioned the folks going to West Virginia. And so on.
I love those simple actions -- they are personal and meaningful. But nothing quite compares with an International Mission Board Commissioning Service. When the Georgia Baptist Convention met in Augusta, the IMB held their annual commissioning at Warren Baptist, and we had a small group from FBC there to be a part of it. A truly fantastic experience.
Here is the video simulcast of their 2024 service. Please watch some of it and ask yourself a few questions:
Why is this service so important?
Why are some of the missionaries shown as silhouettes?
What do you think the missionaries are going out to experience?
And if you have any questions about why Southern Baptists take this so seriously, please watch this 2:00 video about what the IMB calls "The Great Pursuit":
Where We Are in Acts
We've noted that Luke has structured his marvelous history of the early church around Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
In the first 12 chapters of Acts, we saw the apostles (after Pentecost) build a large church out of Jews who lived in and traveled to Jerusalem. Then we watched as they evangelized the Jewish territory around Jerusalem. Then, some deacons began to evangelize the Samaritans even further out, and Peter was witness to the Samaritans receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, proving that God's salvation had come to Samaritans. Finally, we watched as Peter traveled into a full-blown Gentile city, shared the gospel with a Roman soldier, and saw the Holy Spirit come on those Gentiles as proof of their salvation. You can mentally overlay that Acts 1:8 graphic on a map and see how the mission of the apostles is geographically spreading.
And in Acts 13-28, the lid comes off completely.
But before we get too far into that, let me remind us of how Luke saw God preparing the way for this development. This goes back to chapter 11:
19 Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 News about them reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And large numbers of people were added to the Lord. 25 Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
In other words, some of the Christians who had traveled deep into the Roman Empire had taken it upon themselves to share the gospel with their neighbors and coworkers. Good job outta them. And when the apostles heard about it, they sent Barnabas to "investigate".
Barnabas was an inspired choice. He was a "son of encouragement", right? He encouraged the new believers in Antioch -- didn't condemn them or bog them down with debates about Jewish law. But more so, he saw an opportunity -- he went around the coast to get Paul (who was cooling his heels in his hometown of Tarsus) and bring him back to help Paul learn how to help the church grow. They were in Antioch for a year.
Please appreciate all of the great things that Barnabas did.
He encouraged the new "outsider" believers in Antioch.
He brought the "outsider" Paul into leadership.
He kept the church focused on the "main thing" -- salvation in Jesus Christ.
He mentored Paul (who would become the greatest missionary in history).
Let me peek ahead to chapter 15 to show you what I mean:
Some men came down from Judea [to Antioch] and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.
This controversy would spark a major doctrinal debate about what it meant to be saved, and Barnabas was a central figure in bringing it to a God-honoring solution. Barnabas was instrumental in helping this church stay true to what they believed Jesus said about salvation, and his faithfulness oozed into the entire church.
The church in Antioch would go on to be one of the most important churches in the world for the next 400 years.
But as we are about to learn, Antioch was not Paul and Barnabas's home for this entire time, but rather their "home base" for their mission work in Asia Minor and beyond. (In today's terms, we would call Antioch their "sending church".)
The rest of Acts is dominated by four journeys:
The first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) - Asia Minor
The second missionary journey (Acts 16-18) - into Greece
The third missionary journey (Acts 19-21) - re-circuit
The fourth journey (as a prisoner) (Acts 21-28) - from Jerusalem to Rome
We will go into those in much greater detail as we go.
[Note: last week, we studied Peter's miraculous escape from prison in Acts 12. Luke included it almost as an aside, kinda like how he included Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus in the middle of Peter's and Philip's story. Luke wanted to give Peter a meaningful send-off, and Acts 12 is a doozie of a send-off!]
This Week's Big Idea: The First Missionary Journey
If your church has taken self-organized mission trips, you know that the first one is usually the roughest. You have to learn (the hard way?) what you're doing and how to make it work. But at least you can talk to other churches that have taken similar trips. This is the very first mission trip of its kind! I'm truly amazed at their boldness and decisiveness.
You will see dates for this journey anywhere between 45 and 48 AD. Those difference are too small for anyone to worry about.
You'll notice that this first journey isn't going too far away from "home base". That should only make sense. Paul, having grown up in Tarsus and living there for the previous few years, probably knew people in these cities and had done his research on where to start. Barnabas was born in Cyprus (Acts 4:36), though we aren't told how long he lived there.
This first journey resulted in new churches in several important cities -- Pisidian Antioch (not to be confused with Syrian Antioch), Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. That's pretty amazing. For a first mission trip? But Luke saw the importance even more as symbolic:
14:26 From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
In other words, this mission trip was just the beginning.
Part 1: The First Missionary Commissioning Service (Acts 13:1-3)
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.
Barnabas and Paul (he's still called "Saul" for a few more verses) have been in Antioch for a year. Let's just get this out of the way now -- there were 16 cities named Antioch in the Roman Empire, making "Antioch" the "Washington" of the ancient world ("Antiochus" was just a guy's name). This Antioch -- Syrian Antioch, or Antioch on the Orontes -- was the regional capital and the third-largest city in the Empire. It was a "free city", which is why many Jews chose to move there during their diaspora.
We don't know anything else about Simeon, Lucius, or Manaen. But the details Luke gives are shockingly important:
Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen are not Jewish names
(thus, God has called Gentiles to be prophets and teachers)
Simeon was almost certainly from Africa
Manaen was almost certainly an upper-class citizen
Do you see the diversity of this early church? Luke thought it was a big deal.
(Translation note: the word for "close friend" was also used for "foster brother". Manaen's conversion could have been a real "coup" for this early church.)
The church's times of worship clearly included time for quiet listening to God. (I love that, but I'm also sensitive to our radio broadcast listeners. The things they don't teach you in seminary.) And when the Lord spoke through the Holy Spirit, boy did He speak!
I truly love the way Luke reports this. God told the church leaders to do something nobody had ever done before, and they prayed and did it. If there were grumbles and arguments and debates, Luke doesn't tell us. "I want Barnabas and Paul to do something for Me." "Okay."
I want you to use your experiences with commissioning services to come up with a definition for --
what does it mean to be "set apart"?
what does it mean to be "called"?
Even today, those are central ideas in commissioning.
The Lifeway material hints at this, and I think it's important: are only missionaries "set apart" and "called"? If the answer is no, what are other ways God "sets apart" and "calls"? Are you set apart and called?
Group leaders -- if anyone in your group hasn't thought about this before, you might want to set some time aside to talk about what this might look like in your group members' lives. If we believe that every Christian is "called" to serve Him, and we do, then we want to make sure that the Christians in our care know what that means to them.
[SPARK Conference Aside. Last weekend, we attended a church leadership conference put on by Georgia Baptists. It was tremendous, and I will sprinkle in things we learned in the weeks to come. One thing that came up again and again was the trap of "being educated beyond your obedience". In other words, people "know" more than they "obey". In this quarter, as we learn about these first missionary journeys, the point is not to fill our head with facts but to inspire us to continue the work in our world today. In our Bible study groups, that might be as simple as following up with your group members and asking them how their ministry/service is going.]
Let's boil down this first missionary commissioning into its base parts:
they acknowledge the call of God to mission work
they pray and fast as a group (time of worship)
they lay hands on the missionaries (symbol of support and partnership)
they send them off
Why might each part be important?
Part 2: First Stop, Cyprus (Acts 13:4-8)
4 So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant. 6 When they had traveled the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Why Cyprus? Well, you have to start somewhere. And we get the strong impression that this journey is being led by the Holy Spirit step-by-step. Again, we know that Barnabas was born in Cyprus, and it's certainly possible that he had family there.
Make sure to note two things:
First, they started in the synagogues. This would be their pattern, something Paul took very seriously. Their saw first mission as to God's people, and after they had exhausted that mission, they would go to the Gentiles.
(Btw, catch the plural. There were many Jews in Salamis.)
Second, they had John (Mark) with them. John Mark was Barnabas's cousin (Col 4:10). If you've ever employed a younger relative, your alarm bells are already going off.
Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean. It is mostly covered by mountains, which somewhat limited the population it could support. Its trees were an important export for whichever empire was in control of the region. And remembering how treacherous long-distance open water travel was, Cyprus was a very important waypoint for trade ships in the eastern Mediterranean.
The comment about "traveling the whole island" strongly suggests that Barnabas and Paul shared the gospel in many more localities than just Salamis and Paphos.
Paphos was the seat of the proconsul (think state capital and governor), and it had attracted a "sorcerer" named bar-Jesus. "Jesus" is the Latinized form of "Joshua"; it was a common name. "Bar-" means "son of". We're actually not sure what "Elymas" means; context suggests it was a local term for "sorcerer".
First-century Judaism was notorious for its syncretism, meaning that people could easily combine elements of Judaism with elements of paganism and create a strange new religion. Bar-Jesus was one of those practitioners. Luke wants us to see this episode in parallel with Peter's encounter with Simon the sorcerer:
8:9 A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God.” 11 They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.
... 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart’s intent may be forgiven. 23 For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness.”
Remember that Luke is intentionally pointing out the ways in which Paul's ministry echoed Peter's. This was for the purpose of elevating both. (Gentiles needed to appreciate Peter's ministry, and Jews needed to appreciate Paul's.)
Luke has another apologetic purpose for the way he presents this event: reasonable and intelligent people are drawn to Christianity; superstitious people oppose it. Luke believes that the kind of person who would read his history is probably more like Sergius Paulus than bar-Jesus.
We can be reminded that false religions (or unique variants of other religions) can pop up anywhere. Barnabas and Paul probably didn't expect to find a Jewish-pagan sorcerer in Cyprus! Wherever you take the gospel, don't be surprised by what you find there.
One takeaway from this passage is that Barnabas and Paul went to everybody on the island -- poor and rich, laborers and leaders. Does your church reach out to everyone? Or do you have sister churches you work with to connect with all population groups?
Part 3: Saul Becomes Paul (Acts 13:9-12)
9 But Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas 10 and said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
This is the first time Luke uses the name "Paul", and that's no accident. "Saul" is a Jewish name; "Paul" is a Roman name. That's one obvious shift that takes place in this story. "Saul" was the name of a king; "Paul" comes from the family name "Paulus" which means "humble" or "little". If Paul is about to be the focal human of Acts, Luke wants to keep him in perspective. And this is also the point at which Paul begins to assert more leadership in the actions of the mission team.
You remember that the apostles gave Barnabas his name because he was so encouraging. Well, somebody gave Paul his new name. Was it done in a meanspirited way to put Paul in his place? Was it does affectionately or even ironically to show appreciation for him? Or did Paul give it to himself, as a constant reminder of who he used to be?
9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Cor 15)
The Holy Spirit gave Paul extreme clarity as to what was going on. Bar-Jesus was a false prophet, a corrupter of the Jewish faith, and a conniver who wanted to keep his social privilege. (Think Rasputin?)
This was no innocent manipulation; Bar-Jesus had misrepresented the truth of God, and now he opposed God's sent messengers. Really bad move. Don't get in the way of a driven man of God. (This meme is a shoutout to the OG St. Nicholas:)
Being struck with blindness is incredibly symbolic in the Bible. Your Lifeway material suggests that you compare this passage with Paul's own experience in Acts 9 -- that's a great idea. It's an unanswerable question, but what do you think happened to Bar-Jesus? I hope that he had a Paul-come-to-Jesus moment.
The proconsul had the correct response.
Forgive my "Last Crusade" reference. The proconsul's response was probably a little driven by fear, but that would be appropriate. Barnabas and Paul had been telling him that God was the One True God of the universe; striking a rival prophet blind in the name of the Lord would have validated what they had been saying.
We don't typically call down blindness on others as part of our gospel presentations. But I have certainly appealed to experience as confirmation of the Bible above "rival" religions and philosophies.
How to Apply This Passage
This week is the kickoff to the rest of Acts, symbolized by the commissioning of Barnabas and Paul. The two missionaries traveled and shared the gospel, but local converts would stay behind and lead the churches that were planted. Both groups are invaluable -- the missionaries and the local church leaders and members.
How long has it been since you have thought of your day-in and day-out life as your calling from God? Think about everything you're going to do this week (which might include a vacation over Labor Day weekend!) -- will you commit it to God and pray for His blessing and leadership in being as effective and intentional as possible?
In one of my SPARK Conference sessions, a pastor spoke of praying over his daily schedule every morning, asking God to help him make the most of his day. Will you do that as a Bible study group? Will you share some of the things you have upcoming in your week, and then "commission" one another to doing that work in the name of and to the glory of God?
A lot of churches have signs at their parking lot exits saying, "You Are Entering the Mission Field". But the truth is that you never leave the mission field. Even when you are on your church's campus, there are lost people who need to hear the gospel. There are hurting Christians who need encouragement in the Spirit. There are children who need training and guidance in following Jesus. Everything you do can be viewed as part of your mission from God -- you just have to be intentional about fulfilling it.
And if you send one another out to do God's calling in your life this week, then you'll want to set some time aside next week to find out how everything went. Barnabas and Paul gave a "report" when they finally returned to Antioch, and that report greatly encouraged the sending church. Let your Bible study group rejoice in your victories, and lift you up in your prayer needs!