Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever had the wonderful experience of returning to your childhood home? I have, more than 20 years later, and that’s what these paintings and this furniture are all about in this room… my boyhood home! It was a very special experience. What about you?
Yesterday I left you with Barnabas, Saul and their young helper John Mark, as they arrived on the island of Cyprus. (Acts 13:4,5) What was this excursion all about and why Cyprus?
Well please remember John Mark had traveled, from his home in Jerusalem to Syrian Antioch, with Barnabas and Saul as they returned from bringing financial help to those suffering a famine in Jerusalem, in about 44ad. (Acts 11:27-30; 12:25) We can presume some time passed, perhaps as much as a year, while Barnabas and Saul continued their teaching and leadership work in Antioch and John Mark experienced an orientation to what God was doing in that big-business, multicultural, very busy city.
As we saw it was in a leadership prayer meeting when God the Holy Spirit said to them: “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2) We have no further explanation, but we do see those leaders rallied around Barnabas and Saul and sent them off to the Island of Cyprus, with John Mark going as their helper. (Acts 13:3-5)
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “Paul’s first missionary journey”? This event is the beginning of that historic, world impacting, adventure. Barnabas and Saul were sent by the church in Syrian Antioch to faraway places, taking the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and the story of what God had been doing SINCE Jesus Christ was crucified, raised from the dead, ascended back to heaven and the Holy Spirit had come upon the apostles and other Jesus followers at Pentecost.
It was a remarkable story to tell, as we have seen in Acts 1-12, and of course each time they told the remarkable story of Jesus, Saul had to admit he had been leading the opposition to Jesus until Jesus met him and Saul’s life was transformed. Pause. When you find yourself telling your story to people, what do you include about Jesus and the difference Jesus has made in your life?
I see no evidence that a detailed travel plan was developed by the Antioch leadership team before Barnabas and Saul left Antioch. Rather it seems those prayerful leaders in Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Saul to do three important things as they sent them off.
Three things which should be an important part of EVERY follower of Jesus’ life, no matter where we live in the world and no matter our personal life mission or ambition:
First... Barnabas and Saul were expected to continually pray, asking God to direct them both in destination and pace of travel.
Now watch this my friends. Have you learned how easy it is for you and me to rush out into our day / week / month and future making our own plans for what WE want our future to be, rather than making it a regular pattern to spend time with Jesus asking HIM what His best plan is for us?
Also, do you often find yourself rushing in life trying to meet deadlines that you or others have placed upon you? Have you noticed God rarely rushes? Normally God’s pace is slow enough that we can recognize God at work in the details of what is happening around us AND we can discern the life refining work the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in us.
But the truth is that’s often much too slow for us, so we rush, and when we rush we often complicate, even mess up God’s wonderful plan and find ourselves calling out for God’s rescue. Do you know what I’m talking about?
Second… Barnabas and Saul were expected to keep the main thing their main thing!
Their purpose was simple… take the story and message of Jesus to places and people who had not yet heard of Jesus. But like you and me, every day brought them distractions and invitations to other things.
Cyprus was home for Barnabas so don’t you imagine from the moment he stepped off the ship people recognized Barnabas, welcomed him home and had lots of ideas about how he should spend his time. But the record of their trip says: “When they arrived at Salamis they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.” (Acts 13:5)
Barnabas and Saul went to the synagogues because that’s where Jewish men gathered to discuss important matters of life and seek God’s perspective. What a perfect setting for former Pharisee Saul and hometown man Barnabas the Levite to sit with these Jewish men and discuss how their lives were changing with Jesus! Pause.
How well do you and I keep our lives focused on our main, God given purpose? What purpose is that? Well, would you agree that ALL of us share the purpose of honoring Jesus with every moment of our lives!? That’s living a life of gratitude for all Jesus has done to rescue us from our sin bondage and sin condemnation! (Col. 3:1-3)
Third… Barnabas and Saul needed to stay alert to what was happening around them in the spiritual, unseen world!
Because they were taking the story and message of Jesus to places where it was not known, they knew they were trying to bring the light of Jesus into the darkness of the dark kingdom. (John 8:12) If you are a follower of Jesus, that is exactly what you and I are living EVERY day, do you understand that my friends?
As you read the record of Acts 13:6-12 you’ll see that as Barnabas and Saul arrived in the town of Paphos on Cyprus island, they were invited to a meeting with the local proconsul, an intelligent man, named Sergius Paulus. He had heard about Barnabas and Saul and he was intrigued.
But in that meeting they also encountered a man Dr. Luke describes as “a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus Elymas…who opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.” (Acts 13:6-8) Do you see the spiritual battle here?
The dark kingdom was rising up in defiance against the hope and help found in Jesus, which Barnabas and Saul were bringing to Cyprus! What followed was a remarkable spiritual battle, described in some detail by Dr. Luke, and it’s so significant we’ll look at it tomorrow.
For today, there are some important ‘lessons learned’ study notes available to you at the link below for further study and to help those of you who are leading study groups, hungry to understand the Bible.
Then a worship song which I hope will draw your heart to worship and as you worship, I urge you to reflect on these three important priorities Barnabas and Saul were expected to live each day. They should be your priorities and mine EVERY day also. And I’ll be here tomorrow, ready to lead you through understanding the spiritual battle which Luke describes ensued on Cyprus Island.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 13:6-12.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.