Passage: Acts 13 Speaker: Pastor Lukus Counterman Series: The Book of Acts: Neighbors & Nations
Speaker: Lukus Counterman - The gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and by Acts 13, it was beginning to extend to the “ends of the earth.” When persecution scattered the Christian community, people witnessed about Jesus, the exalted Lord. At first, the message was just to the Jews, but then it spread to Gentiles. The beautiful result was the first multi-ethnic church in Syrian Antioch. Barnabas was sent to see what God was doing, and while he ministered in Antioch, more and more were saved. The power of God’s word produced such a harvest, that Barnabas went and got help from Saul. The two of them became teachers in the church… that is, until the Holy Spirit called them to missionary service. The Spirit set them apart, the church sent them out, and soon the gospel was spreading to Cyprus, Antioch of Pisidia, and finally the region of Galatia. Acts 13 recounts Paul’s first missionary journey and helps us understand key principles associated with the spread of the gospel around the world. May the Lord teach us about missions and may his message of salvation extend to the neediest places on earth.