Act 13:1 ¶ Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. COMMENT: The story of the holy Revolution in the first Century Israel takes us to Antioch now where Barnabas, Niger, Lucius, and Manaen are singled out as holy men. Prophets and teachers.

Act 13:2 As they MINISTERED TO THE LORD, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." COMMENT: They lived lives separated unto God and were able to seek the Lord together while ministering to him, for though many think the Lord does all of the ministering and needs no-one to minister to him; they are mistaken. And in this time set apart unto God with fasting the Holy Ghost gave a command for Barnabas and Saul to work together.

Act 13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away.

Act 13:4 ¶ So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. COMMENT: The two holy men received their traveling orders from the Spirit of the Lord and obeyed.

Act 13:5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to [their] minister. COMMENT: John was also with them.

Act 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name [was] Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

Act 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. COMMENT: Here we find powers working in high places again even as we found Simon the Sorcerer having bewitched the inhabitants of Samaria into believing he was the power of God before Philip came in the supernatural power of God to teach them the truth.

Act 13:9 Then Saul, who also [is called] Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, COMMENT: Once again you see the necessity for anyone in the anointing of the Spirit to fasten their eyes on the object of their focus if they expect to see through the eye of Christ, and this Saint Paul did.

Act 13:10 And said, "O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [you] child of the devil, [you] enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" COMMENT: And Paul full of the Holy Ghost being focused with all might on the enemy of righteousness rebuked him in the power of the Spirit.

Act 13:11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. COMMENT: The false prophet was blinded for a season which is approximately 90 days.

Act 13:12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. COMMENT: The doctrine of the Lord is very convincing when it is backed up with supernatural proofs. This we have lacked in America where the religious system has degenerated into cunning shows of fabricated power.

Act 13:13 ¶ Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

Act 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.

Act 13:15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, [You] men [and] brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. COMMENT: If your church were as open to strangers as the synagogues of the Jews were in the first Century, you might find yourselves listening to the Word preached in the power of the Spirit.

Act 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with [his] hand said, Men of Israel, and you that fear God, give audience. COMMENT: Paul makes it clear from the beginning, his audience cannot receive his message unless they fear God.

Act 13:17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelled as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. COMMENT: Now Paul is giving his Jewish audience a historical picture of their nation like Stephen did with the Sanhedrin.

Act 13:18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

Act 13:19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

Act 13:20 And after that he gave [unto them] judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

Act 13:21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

Act 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the [son] of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Act 13:23 Of this man's seed has God according to [his] promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: COMMENT: The Jews were not looking so much for a Saviour from their sins as they were a Saviour to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans. They were inclined to see the Saviour of the second coming and seemed to be blinded to the prophecies of the first coming.

Act 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the peopleS of Israel. COMMENT: But all of Israel believed John was a Prophet and his preaching of repentance was something Saint Paul could point out to make his case.

Act 13:25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom do you think I am? I am not [he]. But, behold, there comes one after me, whose shoes of [his] feet I am not worthy to loose. COMMENT: John the Baptist clearly was speaking of Jesus.

Act 13:26 Men [and] brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fears God, to you is the Word of this salvation sent.

Act 13:27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled [them] in condemning [him].

Act 13:28 And though they found no cause of death [in him], yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

Act 13:29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took [him] down from the tree, and laid [him] in a sepulchre.

Act 13:30 But God raised him from the dead:

Act 13:31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. COMMENT: Paul excludes himself from those witnesses of the Lord's resurrection though he witnessed the resurrected Lord of glory later on the Damascus Road.

Act 13:32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,

Act 13:33 God has fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, You are my Son, this day have I begotten you.

Act 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, [now] no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Act 13:35 Wherefore he said also in another [psalm], You shall not suffer your Holy One to see corruption.

Act 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Act 13:37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. COMMENT: Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, before decay of the flesh set in.

Act 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men [and] brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: COMMENT: This is a people accustomed to going to Jerusalem to have the priests there offer animal sacrifices for their sins. Now Paul is offering them the Lamb of God.

Act 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. COMMENT: The New Testament offers the Jewish people a better covenant. They could fail of obedience to fulfill the law of Moses, but by faith in God and Christ all things become lawful in the righteousness of God.

Act 13:40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; COMMENT: Now Paul is warning them.

Act 13:41 Behold, you despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. COMMENT: Here Paul made it clear that salvation was not as easy as the religious leaders had made it to be to the Israeli population through the centuries since apostasy set in. Likewise the religious leaders in America are misleading the people, so that the prophecy has come to pass: "THAT WHICH HAS BEEN SHALL BE."

Act 13:42 ¶ And when the Jews were gone out of the Synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

Act 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Act 13:44 And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Act 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. COMMENT: The Israeli's up until that time had really come to believe they had God in their bag, but the New Testament moves us into THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES with the crowd at Cornelius's house receiving the Holy Ghost. The crucifixion of the Jewish Messiah put Israel's relationship with God on the shelf until they rebuild their temple in Jerusalem which many are looking for at this time.

Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Act 13:47 For so has the Lord commanded us, [saying], I have set you to be a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. COMMENT: And to this day the Words of Saint Paul are for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the Word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. COMMENT: This is one of many PREDESTINATION statements in the sacred Scriptures. If you are looking for them, you will find them.

Act 13:49 And the Word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. COMMENT: They didn't have printing presses in those days. The Word of the Lord was published by believers telling of their belief in Christ.

Act 13:50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

Act 13:51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

COMMENT: We are considering SAINT PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY recorded in the book of Acts. On the above map you can get a good idea of the area he and Barnabus evangelized in the power of God.

Saint Paul preached and lived the gospel of peace. They shook the dust off of their feet and proceeded on to other places even when violence was done to them.

Act 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. COMMENT: If you want to become filled with the Holy Ghost and with joy regularly, you will need to study to show yourself approved of God. Then the Lord will call you into a life set apart unto him, and you will need to keep your hand on the plough or you will not be worthy of the kingdom within which the Lord is when he is manifest in the anointing.