Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, United States Sunday, Oct 1, 2017, 5:30 PM CDT 82°F Cloudy

Acts: Paul’s first missionary journey It can be helpful to have a bit of a timeline of the in order to understand why people wrote what they did. This is why we are talking about Acts right now: in order to understand Romans.

Acts 13:1-12 Paul and travel to from and preach across Cyprus until they reach . :13-41 Paul and Barnabas then travel by ship to and then by land up to Pisidian Antioch (a different Antioch from where they started). Paul preaches the gospel in the synagogue (to the Jews, as was his custom) by reasoning from the scripture.

He uses Exodus, Joshua, Judges and 1 Samuel (part of the Law and the prophets) to prove that was the fulfillmentof the promises of God. He basically says, “The same law and prophets that you Jews believe in, we also believe in.”

He continues:

v. 27 The leaders in did not recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of scripture and then fulfilled scripture by killing him! v. 30 This Jesus God raised from the dead. vv. 38-39 The death of Jesus has made righteous everyone who believes in a way that the law couldn’t. vv. 40-41 Paul warns those listening to believe the gospel using Habakkuk 1:5 (a promise of destruction)

Acts 13:42-52 The Jews in Antioch become jealous of Paul and reject the gospel. So Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles, who receive the gospel and the Holy Spirit with joy.

v. 46 Paul and Barnabas tell the Jews that it was necessary to speak to them first. This is the pattern they follow throughout their journeys (as seen in the next chapter.

Acts 14:1-7 Paul and Barnabas travel to Iconium and preach the gospel in the synagogue. Many believe (both Jews and Gentiles); but disbelieving Jews set out to stone them, so they flee to the nearby cities of and . Acts 14:8-20 In Lystra, Paul heals a man who had been paralyzed from birth and the people try to worship Paul and Barnabas. They try preach the gospel to them. Then Jews from Pisidian Antioch come and stone Paul and drag him out of the city, thinking he’s dead. Then he gets up

1 and they go to Derbe. Acts 14:21-28 From Derbe, Paul and Barnabas could have just gone home to Antioch, which was just 100 miles away. Instead, they travel back through the towns where they had already preached the gospel in order to build up and encourage the saints who are now there and to appoint elders to teach them.

Things to contemplate: 1. Paul and Barnabas, in every city they enter, address the Jews first, preaching the gospel from the Law and the Prophets. 2. When the Jews reject the gospel, they turn to the Gentiles with the same gospel, because it is for them as well. 3. There’s nothing better than the fact that Jesus is God, and through his life, death, and resurrection, we now have life and redemption. 4. The message Paul preached in the first century is the same message we preach today.

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