Acts 13:51 - Prayer Tents

Barnabas, Saul, and Doctor Know-It-All

13The congregation in Antioch was blessed with a number of prophet-preachers and teachers: Barnabas, Simon, nicknamed Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, an advisor to the ruler Herod, Saul.G1161G2258G2596G1577G5607G1722G490G5100G4396G2532G1320G5037G921G2532G4826G2564G3526G2532G3066G2956G5037G3127G4939G2264G5076G2532G4569

2One day as they were worshiping God—they were also fasting as they waited for guidance—the Holy Spirit spoke: "Take Barnabas and Saul and commission them for the work I have called them to do."G1161G846G3008G2962G2532G3522G40G4151G2036G1211G873G3427G5037G921G2532G4569G1519G2041G3739G4341G846

3So they commissioned them. In that circle of intensity and obedience, of fasting and praying, they laid hands on their heads and sent them off.G5119G3522G2532G4336G2532G2007G5495G2007G846G630

4Sent off on their new assignment by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia and caught a ship for Cyprus.G3303G3767G3778G1599G5259G40G4151G2718G1519G4581G1564G5037G636G1519G2954

5The first thing they did when they put in at Salamis was preach God's Word in the Jewish meeting places. They had John along to help out as needed.G2532G1096G1722G4529G2605G3056G2316G1722G4864G2453G1161G2192G2532G2491G5257

6They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizardG1161G1330G3520G891G3974G2147G5100G3097G5578G2453G3739G3686G919

7who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard's name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul in, wanting to hear God's Word firsthand from them.G3739G2258G4862G446G4588G3972G4908G435G3778G4341G921G2532G4569G1934G191G3056G2316

8But Dr. Know-It-All (that's the wizard's name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer.G1161G1681G3097G1063G3779G846G3686G3177G436G846G2212G1294G446G575G4102

9But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said,G1161G4569G3588G2532G3972G4130G40G4151G2532G816G1519G846

10"You bag of wind, you parody of a devil—why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God.G2036G5599G4134G3956G1388G2532G3956G4468G5207G1228G2190G3956G1343G3973G3756G3973G1294G2117G3598G2962

11But now you've come up against God himself, and your game is up. You're about to go blind—no sunlight for you for a good long stretch." He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.G2532G3568G2400G5495G2962G1909G4571G2532G2071G5185G3361G991G2246G891G2540G1161G3916G1968G1909G846G887G2532G4655G2532G4013G2212G5497

12When the governor saw what happened, he became a believer, full of enthusiasm over what they were saying about the Master.G5119G446G1492G1096G4100G1605G1909G1322G2962

Don’t Take This Lightly

13From Paphos, Paul and company put out to sea, sailing on to Perga in Pamphylia. That's where John called it quits and went back to Jerusalem.G1161G3972G4012G321G575G3974G2064G1519G4011G3828G1161G2491G672G575G846G5290G1519G2414

14From Perga the rest of them traveled on to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the meeting place and took their places.G1161G846G1330G575G4011G3854G1519G490G4099G2532G1525G1519G4864G4521G2250G2523

15After the reading of the Scriptures—God's Law and the Prophets—the president of the meeting asked them, "Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?"G1161G3326G320G3551G2532G4396G752G649G4314G846G3004G435G80G1487G2076G1722G5213G3056G3874G4314G2992G3004

16Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, "Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen.G1161G3972G450G2532G2678G5495G2036G435G2475G2532G5399G2316G191

17God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style.G2316G5127G2992G2474G1586G2257G3962G2532G5312G2992G1722G3940G1722G1093G125G2532G3326G5308G1023G1806G846G1537G846

18He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wildernessG2532G5613G5550G5063G5159G846G5159G1722G2048

19and then, having wiped out seven enemies who stood in the way, gave them the land of Canaan for their very own—G2532G2507G2033G1484G1722G1093G5477G2624G846G1093G846G2624

20a span in all of about four hundred fifty years. "Up to the time of Samuel the prophet, God provided judges to lead them.G2532G3326G5023G1325G2923G5613G5071G2532G4004G2094G2193G4545G4396

21But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years,G2547G154G935G2532G2316G1325G846G4549G5207G2797G435G1537G5443G958G5062G2094

22God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: 'I've searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He's a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.'G2532G3179G846G1453G846G1138G1519G935G3739G2532G3140G2036G2147G1138G2421G435G2596G3450G2588G3739G4160G3956G3450G2307

23"From out of David's descendants God produced a Savior for Israel, Jesus, exactly as he promised—G575G5127G4690G1453G2316G2596G1860G1453G2474G4990G2424

24but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to his arrival by preparing them for a total life-change.G2491G4296G4253G846G4383G1529G908G3341G3956G2992G2474

25As John was finishing up his work, he said, 'Did you think I was the One? No, I'm not the One. But the One you've been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I'm about to disappear.'G1161G5613G2491G4137G1408G3004G5101G5282G3165G1511G1473G1510G3756G235G2400G2064G3326G1691G3739G5266G4228G1510G3756G514G3089

26"Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, and friends of God, this message of salvation has been precisely targeted to you.G435G80G5207G1085G11G2532G1722G5213G5399G2316G5213G649G3056G5026G4991G649

27The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn't recognize who he was and condemned him to death.G1063G2730G1722G2419G2532G846G758G50G5126G50G2532G5456G4396G3588G314G2596G3956G4521G4137G2919

28They couldn't find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute him anyway.G2532G2147G3367G156G2288G154G4091G846G337

29They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though those same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places. "After they had done everything the prophets said they would do, they took him down from the cross and buried him.G1161G5613G5055G537G1125G4012G846G2507G575G3586G5087G1519G3419

30And then God raised him from death.G1161G2316G1453G846G1537G3498

31There is no disputing that—he appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that he is alive.G3739G3700G1909G4119G2250G4872G846G575G1056G1519G2419G3748G1526G846G3144G4314G2992

32"And we're here today bringing you good news: the Message that what God promised the fathersG2532G2249G2097G5209G2097G3754G1860G1096G4314G3962

33has come true for the children—for us! He raised Jesus, exactly as described in the second Psalm: My Son! My very own Son! Today I celebrate you!G2316G1603G5026G2254G846G5043G450G2424G450G5613G1125G2532G1125G1722G1208G5568G4771G1488G3450G5207G4594G1473G1080G4571

34"When he raised him from the dead, he did it for good—no going back to that rot and decay for him. That's why Isaiah said, 'I'll give to all of you David's guaranteed blessings.'G1161G3754G450G846G450G1537G3498G3371G3195G5290G1519G1312G2046G3779G3754G1325G5213G4103G3741G1138

35So also the psalmist's prayer: 'You'll never let your Holy One see death's rot and decay.'G1352G3004G2532G1722G2087G1325G3756G1325G4675G3741G1492G1312

36"David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now.G1063G3303G1138G5256G2398G1074G1012G2316G2837G2532G4369G4314G846G3962G2532G1492G1312

37But the One God raised up—no dust and ashes for him!G1161G3739G2316G1453G1492G3756G1312

38I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised.G2077G1110G5213G3767G435G80G3754G1223G5127G2605G5213G859G266

39He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.G2532G1722G5129G3956G4100G1344G575G3956G3739G1410G3756G1344G1722G3551G3475

40"Don't take this lightly. You don't want the prophet's sermon to describe you:G991G3767G3361G1904G1909G5209G2046G1722G4396

41Watch out, cynics; Look hard—watch your world fall to pieces. I'm doing something right before your eyes That you won't believe, though it's staring you in the face."G1492G2707G2532G2296G2532G853G3754G1473G2038G2041G1722G5216G2250G2041G3739G4100G3364G4100G1437G5100G1555G5213

42When the service was over, Paul and Barnabas were invited back to preach again the next Sabbath.G1161G2453G1826G1537G4864G1484G3870G5023G4487G2980G846G1519G3342G4521

43As the meeting broke up, a good many Jews and converts to Judaism went along with Paul and Barnabas, who urged them in long conversations to stick with what they'd started, this living in and by God's grace.G1161G4864G3089G4183G2453G2532G4576G4339G190G3972G2532G921G3748G4354G846G3982G846G1961G5485G2316

44When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God.G1161G2064G4521G4863G4975G3956G4172G4863G191G3056G2316

45Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.G1161G2453G1492G3793G4130G2205G2532G483G3004G5259G3972G483G2532G987

46But Paul and Barnabas didn't back down. Standing their ground they said, "It was required that God's Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you've made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we're on our way through it,G1161G3972G2532G921G3955G2036G2258G316G3056G2316G2980G4412G2980G5213G1161G1894G683G846G683G2532G2919G1438G3756G514G166G2222G2400G4762G1519G1484

47following orders, doing what God commanded when he said, I've set you up as light to all nations. You'll proclaim salvation to the four winds and seven seas!"G1063G3779G1781G2962G1781G2254G5087G4571G1519G5457G1484G4571G1511G1519G4991G2193G2078G1093

48When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God's Word by receiving that life.G1161G1484G191G5463G2532G1392G3056G2962G2532G3745G2258G5021G1519G166G2222G4100

49And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region.G1161G3056G2962G1308G1223G3650G5561

50Some of the Jews convinced the most respected women and leading men of the town that their precious way of life was about to be destroyed. Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave.G1161G2453G3951G4576G2532G2158G1135G2532G4413G4172G2532G1892G1375G1909G3972G2532G921G2532G1544G846G575G846G3725

51Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium,G1161G1621G2868G846G4228G1909G846G2064G1519G2430

52brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples.G1161G3101G4137G5479G2532G40G4151