The Acts of Jesus: Continued - Sent
Opening Prayer:
Lord God,
Here I am, send me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Key Scriptures:
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
Acts 13:1-12
Sermon Summary
Our series “The Acts of Jesus: Continued” carries on this week. Below is a summary of this week’s sermon from Duane Major:
Questions to Consider:
Why did they lay their hands on Saul and Barnabas? What is the purpose of this?
What is fasting? What is its purpose?
How did the church leaders at Antioch know to send Saul and Barnabas?
How would you characterise the relationship between Saul and Barnabas?
What do you notice about the list of people given in verse 1 involved in the church at Antioch?
What were they doing when God spoke to them?
How has God used your past and your “backstory” as a mission tool for others?
Where have you been sent? Where is your mission field? How do you know?
Could God be sending you somewhere else? How will you know?
Practices to Consider:
Ask like Saul did “Lord, what would You have me do?”
Get involved in the prayer spaces set up during Pentecost week.
Prayer Prompts:
Pray for the places and people in the world where you see change is needed.
Additional Resources:
Find the full sermon recording here
For a printable version of this guide click here
If you are interested in going deeper the bible project have a helpful guide to the book of Acts, you can find it here