The Book of Acts Class: Lesson 24

Acts 12:20-25, 13:1-3

I. Seven Themes

God the Father orchestrates (Acts 5:38-39)

Through Christ, who lives and rules

Through the empowering Spirit

Causing the word to multiply

Bringing salvation to all

Forming the church which

Witnesses to the ends of the earth

II. Forming the Church

The People of God

The First Mover

God’s Plan

Through His Son

By the power of the Spirit

Church is built upon God’s will and his word, the message of salvation

God acts in and through his people.

Stage 1: Restoring Israel (1-7)

Stage 2: Assembling Outcasts (8-12)

Stage 3: Welcoming Gentiles (13-28)

Welcome Gentiles (13-28)

Cyprus (13:4-12): island

Isaiah 49:1 “Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.”

The island dwellers are welcome: the high and low society/ the educated and uneducated

Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7 “He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.” )

governing authority / a man of high status

man of intelligence

Lystra: Rustic Town

Rustic town / mountain dwellers

Lame man: Acts 14:8–10 “Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.”

Response of the Crowd: Acts 14:11 “And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!””

True identity of Paul and Barnabas and Jesus: Acts 14:15 ““Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”

Philippi: Roman Colony

Roman Colony: Acts 16:12 “and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.”

Magistrates: Acts 16:20 “And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.”

Police: Acts 16:35 “But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.””

Lydia

Jailer

Athens: Intellectual Elite

Philosophic Crowd

Paul quotes their own poets and alludes to their traditions.

Christian movement is the superior philosophy.

Challenging them according to the resurrection of Jesus: Acts 17:31–32 “because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.””

A church is birthed: Acts 17:32–34 “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”

Ephesus: Center of Idolatry

Magical practices and the Artemis cult

Aprons used in healing: Acts 19:11–12 “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”

Evil Spirits: Acts 19:13-20

Acts 19:13–20 (ESV) Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Defeat of Magic by the name of Jesus: “magic has become obsolete … the books are emblems of a defeated regime.” (Susan Garrett)

Acts 19:20 “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”

Rome: The Heart of the Empire

Seat of Power

Testifies to kings and governors

The message of Jesus is available to all.

III. Acts 12:20-25, 13:1-3

Acts 12:20–25: The Aftermath and Transition

Acts 12:20–25 “Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.”

Continuation of God’s Work amid Herod’s Reign (12:20–23)

Despite Herod’s oppressive actions, the word of God continued to grow and multiply.

Divine retribution for sin

5 months after Peter’s rescue in AD 44

This is voice of the god, not of a man.

without “giving praise to God.”

Brutal death

Josephus tells us he died after five days of intense intestinal pain.

The main thing is that God took his life for his blasphemy and breaking of the first commandment.

The church experienced expansion even in the midst of persecution.

We are reminded again of God’s chosen means of expansion, which is persecution.

Acts 2:41 “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Acts 4:4 “But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 5:14 “And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,” Acts 6:7 “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” Acts 8:25 “Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.” Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

The Word of God increased and multiplied.

Church Growth is by increasing proclamation of the gospel leading to more believers.

“The Blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Tertullian

The Transition to Missionary Outreach (12:24–25)

Barnabas and Saul depart from Jerusalem.

John Mark, Mary’s son, joins the team. Acts 16:1–3 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

Their journey to Antioch marks a pivotal moment in the church’s outreach.

Acts 13:1–3: The Commissioning at Antioch

Acts 13:1–3 “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While 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.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

First Missionary Journey

This passage is the midpoint of Acts, and bridges the narrative from Peter to Paul. It also introduces us to the conclusion of the promise in Acts 1:8. The gospel will go “to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 9:15–16 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.””

the commissioning of Barnabas and Paul and the mission to Cyprus (13:1–12);

the mission to Pisidian Antioch and Paul’s synagogue speech (13:13–52);

the missionary visits to Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe and the return to Syrian Antioch (14:1–28).

Composition of the Antioch Church (13:1)

The church included prophets and teachers—Barnabas, Simeon (called Niger), Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, and Saul.

leadership of Antioch

Prophets: Agabus (Acts 11:28 “And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).”

Teachers: Instructing the church in biblical and theological truth

Niger - Ethiopian, Lucius - Cyrene, Manaen - friend of Heriod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee (Luke 8:3 “and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” )

Ministry, Fasting, and Divine Call (13:2)

While ministering to the Lord and fasting, the believers received a divine message through the Holy Spirit.

The word λειτουργειν occurs nowhere else in Luke-Acts (cf. the noun form in Luke 1:23) and refers to the doing of some sort of public service, which could include a religious service, as here.

Prophets

The Spirit instructed them to set apart for God Barnabas and Saul for a specific work.

The Spirit led the church leaders to set them apart.

Galatians 1:15 “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,”

God appointed them. They affirm the calling, and commission.

The church affirms them, and sends them.

They are simply being set aside for a specific missionary task, and the laying on of hands indicates the recognition and endorsement by these church leaders of the call of God in this matter. Bruce puts it well: “Not that they could by this act qualify Barnabas and Saul for the work to which God had called them; but by this means they acknowledged their recognition of the divine call and declared their fellowship with the two men, who were thus not only called by God but commissioned by the church (αποστολοι in the sense of 14:4, 14).”

Commissioning and Sending Off (13:3)

After fasting and praying, the church laid hands on Barnabas and Saul.

commissioning service

affirmation

sending

Matthew 16:18–19 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.””

Parachurch Ministries

Alongside the church

The church possesses the authority to send.

Worship atmosphere

Worship and Fasting

Fasting and Praying

They were sent off to begin their missionary journey.

Released from their duties and responsibilities at Antioch

IV. Discussion Questions

How does this event underscore the consequences of pride and failing to honor God, and what implications does it hold for believers facing worldly power today?

In Acts 13:1-3, the Antioch church engages in worship, fasting, and prayer before the Holy Spirit commissions Barnabas and Saul. How do these communal practices help the early church discern divine direction, and what lessons can modern believers draw about seeking God’s guidance in their ministries?

The commissioning of Barnabas and Saul in Acts 13:1-3 marks a pivotal moment in the church’s missionary journey. What does this commissioning reveal about the interplay between local church community, spiritual discipline, and divine empowerment for mission, and how might this influence our approach to outreach today?