Acts 13
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. (3522 “fasted” [nesteuo] means abstinence, lack of food, a religious exercise to abstain from food and drink for a day or a number of days.)
DEVOTION: Fasting was a practice of the Pharisees. They fasted two days a week. Wesley required his men who wanted to be ministers to abstain from food and drink at least twice a week. The early church practiced abstaining from food and drinks twice a week, but picked days different from the Pharisees.
Here we find that the church also abstained from food and drink when there was a special decision to be made. They found that Christ said that power came only when the disciples abstained from food and drink and prayed.
On this occasion there was a time to choose missionaries to go to the Gentiles. The church didn’t want to make a mistake so they had a time of prayer and fasting to see who the LORD wanted to be HIS representative to the nations.
The Holy Spirit made it plain to them that HE wanted Barnabas and Saul to be separated for this ministry. Therefore, the leaders of the church laid hands on them to show their support of their ministry.
Once they had the support of the church they were sent out to minister. The Holy Spirit led the way. John Mark came as a minister to the others.
These two practices happened at this time in the church’s history. They were picking the men to represent them to the world. These were the first missionaries sent out be a church. This church was the place where the disciples were first called Christians.
If we believe the Word of God and we do, then we have to practice abstaining from food and drink and practice praying for special power from the LORD.
Do we think that the church needs revival today? Do we feel that there is a serious problem in the church today? Should we praying and fasting concerning these issues? Are we abstaining from food and drink and praying that the Lord would send a revival?
What about our marriages? Do we abstain from food and drink and pray when we have a major decision to make? Do we pray for those marriage around us in our church?
CHALLENGE: Prayer and fasting is commanded by the LORD. Our obedience is necessary for HIM to work in our life and in the life of the church.
: 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, (4130 “filled” [pletho] means accomplish, furnish, make happen, total involvement, completely, make happen, satiate, or satisfy.)
DEVOTION: Saul was trained by a scholar. He knew the teachings of the Old Testament from his studies under Gamaliel. He met the LORD on the road to Damascus. He became a teacher of the teachings of Jesus. He went away for a few years to learn more about Jesus.
Now he was sent out by the church in Jerusalem to reach the Gentiles. On this missionary journey he came in contact with a sorcerer. This sorcerer had a special relationship with political leader on the island of Paphos. The leader became a believer and the sorcerer didn’t’ like it. He was trying to convince Sergius Paulus the political leader to turn away from following Christ.
Now this verse gives us an idea of the ministry of Paul. He was full of the Holy Spirit. With the power promised by Jesus Christ that believers would receive from the Holy Spirit. He confronted this sorcerer, Elymas or Bar-jesus. We are informed that he was a Jew and a false prophet. So this was a battle between those who are followers of Jesus and those who worship a false god.
Under the ministry of the Holy Spirit Paul fixed his eyes on Elymas and told him exactly what he was and who he was a follower of in the eyes of the LORD. He was a child of the devil. He was an enemy of all righteousness. He wanted to pervert the righteous way of the LORD. All of these are sins against the LORD.
The same power that Paul used in this instance is available to us to confront those who oppose the teachings of Jesus. We are to defend new converts from the teachings of those who are followers of a false religion. We have to state the truth in love. The Holy Spirit still fills those who are confessed up.
CHALLENGE: Confrontation of false teaching is necessary today. We need to have the courage to speak the truth in love to those who say they are teaching truth but are not.
: 39 And by HIM all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. (1344 “justified” [dikaioo] means be freed, be righteous, to render righteous or such he ought to be, to acquit, to set free, to remove guilt, show to be right, to vindicate, or to absolve.)
DEVOTION: Justified is a great doctrine of the Bible. Justified is simply stated as “just-as-if-I-never-sinned. It is a way of saying that when Jesus died on the cross for our sins we can have forgiveness through HIS blood. This forgiveness changes our standing with God the Father.
When God the Father looks at us as believers HE sees Jesus. HE doesn’t see our sin. HE doesn’t hold us guilty for our sin. HE forgives our sin because HIS Son was the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Nothing we do can earn our salvation. It is a gift given to us by God.
The Old Testament laws didn’t bring forgiveness. They were given to show us that we need a Savior. That Savior is a perfect sacrifice for our sins. The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament looked forward to HIS death on the cross. They could only cover sin until it was forgiven because of the cross. The Law of Moses could never justify us from sin.
If we obeyed all of the Ten Commandments all of our life we would not make it into heaven. The reason we wouldn’t get into heaven is that we couldn’t obey them perfectly. If we broke one of them we broke all of them. One sin sends us to hell for eternity.
The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. No amount of works will get us into heaven. No amount of money will get us into heaven. No amount of praying will get us into heaven. Only a personal commitment to Jesus Christ with our commitment to grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ will cause us to go to heaven.
It is not by any works that we do but wholly dependent on what HE did. Don’t base your belief on being a member of any special church here on earth. God is not going to look at your church but HE is going to look at your heart.
CHALLENGE: Church service is only good if you are a genuine believer. That is our thank offering to HIM for HIS gift to us.
: 48 And when the Gentiles hear this, they were glad, and glorified the WORD of the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. (5021 “ordained” [tasso] means determine, designate, to appoint, to give a task to, cause to be, or to place in a certain order.)
DEVOTION: I understand that God is omniscient. HE knows everything. HE knows the beginning from the end of time. HE has not past or present or future. HE is outside of time. Do I completely understand this concept? NO!!
Here we read that God knew before the foundation of the world who would believe in HIM. Do they have a choice? YES!!
This verse states that the Gentiles heard the message of salvation through the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. They were glad to hear the message. They thanked the LORD for the message. They listened and became believers.
Now we read that they were chosen for eternal life before the foundation of the world. HE states that only those who the LORD knew would become believers became believers. This truth is interesting but true.
God knows who is going to receive HIS message and who is going to reject HIS message. HE knows the choice that each individual will make. HE sent HIS Son to die on the cross for the sins of the world but only a small percentage of the world will become believers.
Can they blame God? NO!! They are given a choice and when they stand before the Great White Throne judgment where all those who reject Jesus will stand, they will be without excuse. They will not be able to blame anyone but themselves.
Our responsibility is to present the message like Paul and Barnabas and then let people make up their mind. The Jews rejected Jesus after they heard the message of salvation. The Gentiles became believers.
CHALLENGE: We need to share the Word of God with those HE brings into our lives and let the results be in HIS hands.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Church as Antioch fastedverses 2, 3
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Church of Antioch prayedverses 2, 3
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Synagoguesverses 5, 14, 42
Sabbath dayverses 14, 15, 27, 42, 44
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of Godverses 5, 7, 44, 46
Reading of the law and the prophetsverse 15
Judgesverse 20
Samuel the prophetverse 20
Saulverse 21
Davidverses 22, 34, 36
Word of salvationverse 26
Voice of the prophets read every Sabbathverse 27
Fulfilled all that written of Jesusverse 29
Second Psalmverse 33
Another Psalmverse 35
Law of Mosesverse 39
Spoken of the prophetsverse 40
Word of the Lordverse 49
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 5, 7, 16, 17, 21, 23,26, 30, 33, 36, 37, 43, 44, 46
Word of Godverses 5, 7, 44, 46
Fear Godverse 16
Promiseverse 23
Will of Godverse 36
Grace of Godverse 43
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 2, 10-12, 47-49
Hand of the Lordverse 11
Doctrine of the Lordverse 12
Saviorverse 23
Jesusverses 23, 33
Death of Jesusverse 29
Resurrection of Jesusverses 30-34, 37
Appearances of Jesus after resurrectionverse 31
Begotten Sonverse 33
Holy Oneverse 35
This manverse 38
Word of the Lordverses 48, 49
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Ghostverses 2, 4, 9, 52
Holy Ghost sends forth disciplesverse 4
Filled with the Holy Ghostverses 9, 52
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Devilverse 10
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Herod the tetrarchverse 1
Cyprusverse 4
Seleuciaverse 4
Salamisverse 5
Paphosverse 6
Sergius Paulusverses 7-12
Deputy of the country
Prudent man
Called Barnabas and Saul
Desired to hear word of God
Believed
Astonished at the doctrine of the Lord
Elymas the sorcererverse 8
Paphosverse 13
Perga in Pamphyliaverses 13, 14
Antioch in Pisidiaverse 14
Land of Egyptverse 17
Seven nationsverse 19
Land of Canaanverse 19
Pilateverse 28
Gentilesverses 42, 46
Iconiumverse 51
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sorcererverses 6, 8
False prophetverse 6
Turn away from the faithverse 8
Subtletyverse 10
Mischiefverse 10
Child of the devilverse 10
Enemy of all righteousnessverse 10
Pervertverse 10
Not knowing Jesusverse 27
Condemning Jesusverse 27
Sinsverse 38
Despisersverse 41
Not believeverse 41
Filled with envyverse 45
Contradictingverse 45
Blasphemingverse 45
Judge yourself unworthyverse 46
Persecution of Christiansverse 50
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Ministered to the Lordverse 2
Fastedverses 2, 3
Separationverse 2
Prayedverse 2, 3
Workverse 2
Calledverse 2
Preached the Word of Godverses 5, 24
Ministerverse 5
Faithverse 8
Filled with the Holy Ghostverses 9, 52
Righteousnessverse 10
Believedverses 12, 39, 48
Doctrine of the Lordverse 12
Word of Exhortationverse 15
Fear Godverse 16
Salvationverses 26, 47
Witnessesverse 31
Glad tidingsverses 32, 48
Promiseverse 32
Resurrectionverses 33, 34, 37
Preachverse 38
Forgiveness of sinsverse 38
Justifiedverse 39
Graceverse 43
Boldnessverse 46
Ordained to eternal lifeverse 48
Disciplesverse 52
Filled with joyverse 52
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jewsverses 5, 6, 42, 43, 45, 50
Bar-jesusverse 6
Jerusalemverses 13, 27, 31
Rulers of the synagogueverse 15
Israelverses 16, 17, 23, 24
Men of Israelverse 16
Fear Godverse 16
People of Israelverse 17
Forty years in wildernessverse 18
Seven nations destroyedverse 19
Divided land by lotverse 19
Judges (450 years)verse 20
Samuel the prophetverse 20
Desired a kingverse 21
Saul (tribe of Benjamin) – 40 yearsverses 21, 22, 33-36
Davidverses 22, 34, 36
Son of Jesse
A men after God’s own heart
Fulfill all God’s will
Mercies of David
Savior = Jesusverse 23
John (the Baptist)verses 24, 25
Baptism of repentanceverse 24
Children of the stock of Abrahamverse 26
Word of salvation sentverse 26
Voices of the prophetsverse 27
Galileeverse 31
Promise to fathersverse 32
Will of Godverse 36
Mosesverse 39
Church (New Testament people of God)
Churchverse 1
Prophetsverse 1
Teachersverse 1
Barnabasverses 1, 2, 7, 43, 45, 46, 50
Simeon (Niger)verse 1
Lucius of Cyreneverse 1
Manaenverse 1
Saul (Paul)verses 1, 7, 8, 13-43
Separateverse 2
Lay hands verse 3
Preach the Word of Godverses 5, 24
John (Mark)verses 5, 13
Right ways of the LORDverse 10
Miracle of blindnessverse 11
Doctrine of the LORDverse 12
Word of Exhortationverse 15
Witnessesverse 31
Not justified by the Law of Mosesverse 39
Many Jews and religious proselytes verse 43
Continue in the grace of Godverse 43
Whole city came to hearverse 44
Bold preaching of wordverse 46
Glorified the word of the LORDverse 48
Last Things (Future Events)
Corruption (death)verses 34-37
Everlasting lifeverse 46
Eternal lifeverse 48
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