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Acts Chapter
Thirteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Church that Was at
I. The beginning and
end that the church that was at
A. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted (v.1-2a).
B. The Holy Spirit appointed Barnabas
and Saul to be separated (v.2b).
C. Having fasted and prayed, and laid
hands on them, they sent them away (v.3).
II. The first
station of Paul’s first journey------the work in
A. They arrived in
B. They overcame Bar-Jesus, a certain
sorcerer, in Paphos and Saul was called Paul (v.6-12).
III. Mark departed
from Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia (v.13).
IV. They preached in
A. They went into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day and were invited to speak (v.14-16).
B. The first message of Paul:
1. The historical background of the men of
2. The Lord Jesus the Savior was the seed of David
(v.23).
3. He was Christ whom John the Baptist introduced
(v.24-25).
4. He was crucified on the cross and it fulfilled
the prophets’ prophesies (v.26-29).
5. David died and saw corruption, however, God
raised Christ from the dead (v.30-37).
6. Only when one believes in the Lord Jesus can he
receive the forgiveness of sins and be justified (v.38-39).
7. He warned the listeners to avoid the perdition
because of their unbelief (v.40-41).
C. The reaction to Paul’s preachment:
1. They agreed to preach the next Sabbath and many
people followed them on the spot (v.42-43).
2. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came
together to hear the word of God and the Jews were filled with envy (v.44-45).
3. Paul declared to turn to preach to the Gentiles
(v.46-47).
4. The word of God was accepted by the Gentiles
(v.48-49).
5. The Jews stirred up the devout and prominent
women and the chief men of the city and expelled them from their region (v.50).
D. They came to Iconium (v.51).
E. The disciples were filled with joy
and with the Holy Spirit (v.52).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 13:1 “Now in the church that
was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who
was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul.”
YLT: “And there were
certain in
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “in the church that was at
“The church that is at…” It is the common
appellation in the Bible to call the churches in various regions. There are two
kinds of churches in the Bible: the universal church and the local church. The
former is unique and it includes all believers at all times and in all
countries. The latter refers to the church in certain places and it is the sum
of all the local believers. God calls the church in local places with the name
of the local place with His goodwill: 1) it shows that believers of Christ
could only sojourn in different places because of the restraint of the flesh
and any other reason, including nationalities, races, languages, classes and
etc could not make them separate from each other; 2) this way avoids the
divisions among believers because of leaders of the church or the spiritual
giants whom they are fond of (1Cor. 1:10-13); 3) this way also avoids the
coming into being of various sects and organizations because of different
opinions towards the truth or different traditional customs and ways.
“There were certain prophets and
teachers” “Prophets” declare
the will of God according to the revelation of the Holy Spirit (Deut. 18:18;
2Pet. 1:21). Some of the prophets predict the coming things, such as Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel; some of them explain the things that had happened
at that time and express the will of God, such as Elijah and Elisha. “Teachers”
clearly explain the word of God in the Bible and they stress on teaching with
patience and skill. Please note that teachers are not mentioned alone in the
Bible and they are always mentioned with prophets and shepherds.
Here prophets and teachers are listed together and
it does not make out which one is the prophet or the teacher. It shows that
these two kinds of appellations could be used upon one person and they also
refer to two different kinds of ministrations (Eph. 4:11).
“Simeon who was called
“Lucius of Cyrene” “
“Manaen who had been brought up with
Herod the tetrarch” “Herod” refers to
Herod Antipas who died in A.D. 39 and he once killed John the Baptist (Luke.
9:7-9); “who had been brought up with” refer to the children who accompany the
prince and grow up with the prince; “Manaen” may be the kinsman of the royal
family of Herod. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, Joanna the wife of Chuza
Herod's steward was also one of His followers (Luke. 8:3).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The church that was at
2) In the church, the service should not been done
by the pastor “alone” and it should be the corporate service.
3) The five prophets and teachers had different
races and classes, showing that in the church there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ
is all and in all (Col. 3:11).
4) The five men who had different positions and
status must have been greatly destroyed by the cross and they had been deprived
of their natural lives. And therefore they are able to serve with one accord.
5) God gives the spiritual gifts and operations to
men completely according to His will instead of the natural position and
background of each one (1Cor. 12:11).
Acts. 13:2 “As
they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to
which I have called them.’”
YLT: “and in their
ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Separate ye to me
both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,'”
The
Background: the devout Jews
fasted regularly twice a week (See Luke. 5:33-35).
Literal Meaning: “As they ministered to the
Lord and fasted” The Greek word
“minister” is translated from the Hebrew word “service” of the priests in the
Holy Temple (Ezek. 44:11, 15-16; Luke. 1:23). In the Hebrew, it means doing the
obligatory public service; “fast” indicates that one does not eat during a
period of time in order to humble his soul (Ps. 35:13; 69:10; Is. 58:3), seek
the will of God wholehearted and look upon the mercy of God. Fasting is always
connected with prayer (See v.3; Acts. 14:23; Luke. 2:37; 5:33).
According to the grammar of this verse, “minister”
and “fast” have the same persons, showing that they ministered the Lord with
fasting and their fasting is their ministering to the Lord. Ministering the
Lord is their intention and fasting is their expression.
“The Holy Spirit said” The Holy Spirit
may speak to all by one of the prophets who have been inspired by Him (Acts.
21:11), express by an angel (Acts. 8:26, 29), speak to men by circumstances or
speak by vision or dream (Acts. 16:9-10).
“Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul” “Separate” means being specially
appointed.
“For
the work to which I have called them”
Please note that they did not go to do their work or do the work according to
their own opinions. It is the Holy Spirit that called them to the work that the
Lord has called them.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Holy Spirit represents the ascending Lord.
He has the supreme authority in the church and calls those whom have been
called by Him to do the ministry. The true calling is of the Holy Spirit. He
calls the one He wills and He separates the one whom He has called and gives
him power and sends him out.
2) The Holy Spirit called men to work in the church
that was at
3) Those who have been sent out by the Holy Spirit
are from “prophets and teachers” (v.1), showing that they have been equipped by
gifts obviously. We must have possessed the gifts that are needed to work for
the Lord first and then we could be qualified to be sent out. Charles Haddon
Spurgeon once said that God won’t call one who is unable to speak to preach the
gospel.
4) The Holy Spirit speaks to certain prophets and
teachers in the church that was at
5) The Holy Spirit won’t send out those who bury
their spiritual gifts and are not interested in the work of the Lord or those
who do nothing in the local place and wait to do something great in other
places.
6) “As they ministered to the Lord” When they were busily dealing with the local
works, the voice of the Holy Spirit came and asked them to go out to work. The
Holy Spirit won’t choose one who has just conceived a design to minister the
Lord to work for Him. If we have not ministered the Lord in the local church
for a period of time, the Holy Spirit won’t send us out to work for Him.
7) Calling is the beginning of all works. If God
wants to do something, He will call men Himself and send them to work for Him.
He does not need men’s voluntariness or men as His counselors. All zealousness
that is originated by the flesh is useless. What’s the most important for
workers of the Lord is to understand the calling of God. If there is not the
calling, there won’t be workers or works. Everything begins with the calling
because the calling shows that God instead of men takes the initiative. Calling
gives the first priority to God in works.
8) Men are called to be believers first and then
some people are called to be workers among believers. Without the calling, no
one could be a believer; without the calling, no one could be a worker. All
workers must be called by the Holy Spirit. Without the calling of the Holy
Spirit, there won’t be ministrations of workers. Today the difficulty is that
men call themselves pastors and preachers and do not have the calling of the
Holy Spirit. The reason that one goes out to work for the Lord should not be
men’s advice or encouragement, the arrangement of circumstances, the urgency of
need or the encouragement of the elders. Whether one is able to work for the
Lord fully lies in whether he has the calling of the Lord.
9) “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy
Spirit said.” They always draw
near to God and serve Him and let the Lord have chance to speak to them. They
serve the Lord to such a degree that they put down the reasonable food and
drink that could supply men’s physical need. Because they minister the Lord so
wholeheartedly that the Holy Spirit has the chance to speak to them and call
men for the work among them. Here, what we should note is that the beginning of
sending out workers is spiritual.
10) Only those who minister the Lord and fast
together could regard the things of others as their own. They have the attitude
of putting the things of others before God. They have the attitude that God
could speak to them and therefore they can understand whether God has called
someone and let the Holy Spirit have the chance to ask them to separate to Him
some people.
11) For the need of God’s work in other places, the
church should have the lenient heat and let the most excellent talented persons
go out willingly.
Acts. 13:3 “Then, having fasted and
prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.”
YLT: “then having fasted,
and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent [them] away.”
Literal Meaning: “Then, having fasted
and prayed” The reason why they fasted and prayed was that they carefully
received the sending of the Holy Spirit. And for the prospect of the work in
future, by fasting they showed that though they might encounter tribulation,
they would not hesitate to keep the will of God; by prayer they sought the will
of God and looked upon the grace of God to deal with the hardships in future.
“Laid hands on them” “Laying hands on” here
symbolizes union. Through this action, it shows that those who laid hands on
others and those who were laid hands on were one in the Spirit and thereafter,
though they were separate in body, they were together in the Spirit (1Cor.
5:3). Here the laying hands on is different from the traditional ordination in
Christianity. The Holy Spirit had already ordained them and these
fellow-workers, through laying hands on, showed their identification and union,
admitted that they had the same vision, burden and feeling. It means that:
their going was equal to our going; their preaching the gospel was equal to our
preaching the gospel. At the same time, laying hands on them means that they
were recommended unto the grace of God (Acts. 14:26; 15:40).
“They sent them away” “Sent” means seeing off. Here it shows
that Barnabas and Saul were sent by other three prophets and teachers. Those
who were sent and those who sent others had the same status and positions and
it did mean that those who sent others were superior to those who were sent.
It was the epochal decision done under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit that the church that was at
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The church cannot send men out by herself. The
church can send workers out unless the Holy Spirit takes the initiative (v.2).
The sending of the church is merely carrying out the command of the Holy Spirit
and proving the action of the Holy Spirit.
2) When we go to someplace to work, what’s the most
important is that the Holy Spirit speaks (v.2). Men are merely able to send out
those whom the Holy Spirit has already sent out. The life of the body is
important, however, it cannot take the place of the commands of the Holy
Spirit. We should be submissive to one another, however, it should never make
us lose our independence in the Holy Spirit. It is wrong that one ignores the
guidance of fellow-workers in excuse for the will of God. However, it is not
right that one only pays attention to the words of fellow-workers and has not
heard the command of the Holy Spirit.
3) All workers of the Lord should pay attention to
two aspects: the first is that they must have the individual calling and they
have to know for what they are called; the second is that they must have the
approval of fellow-workers. These fellow-workers must be those who open their
hearts before God, receive the revelation of the Holy Spirit and are able to
identify with fellow-workers. In the beginning, the Holy Spirit sent away the
apostles in this way and in like manner, today the Holy Spirit must send men
away according to this principle.
4) Though it is the Holy Spirit that chooses and
calls men, the approval of the church is essential. And therefore the church
has to pray and fast and then the church will hear the voice of God and
cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
5) Here there is a noticeable example that the
beginning and end of their sending workers away are both fasting. Those who do
not fast and minister the Lord cannot hear the voice of God. And the proof of
those who do not pray and fast may be wrong. And therefore those who send
others out must be those who pray and fast and minister the Lord.
6) The church unites to the workers who are sent
away by laying hands on and prayers. And therefore the going out of workers is
also the going out of the church and the church partakes in the mission by it.
7) Though workers go out to work, they are not
alone because they go out with the approval and blessings of the church. And
therefore behind their back they are supported by prayers and memories of the
church.
8) When we go out to work for the Lord, we have to
try our best to fully obey God at any price. However, we should take care that
we should not neglect our fellow-workers and we have to wait them if necessary.
The work all by oneself is not acceptable to the Lord at all.
Acts. 13:4 “So, being sent out by the
Holy Spirit, they went down to
YLT: “These, indeed,
then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to
Literal Meaning: “So, being sent out
by the Holy Spirit” In v.3, it is said that Barnabas and Saul were sent away by
the other three prophets and teachers (or being sent away by the church),
however, in this verse it is said that they were sent out by the Holy Spirit.
It shows that the action of the Holy Spirit accorded with that of men.
“They went down to Seleucia” The
sentence pattern shows that they put into practice immediately------once they
clearly understood the sending of the Holy Spirit they started to work. “
“And from there they sailed to
Barnabas was of the country of
Please note that there were mainly three
journeys that Paul went around preaching (please note that some people regarded
the time that Paul went to Jerusalem and passed through Phenice and Samaria,
declaring the conversion of the Gentiles as one journey and therefore there
were four journeys. However, strictly speaking, in that time Paul did not
specially preach to the Gentiles and therefore it could not be counted). The
first journey began with this verse and ended with Acts. 14:27.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Workers of the Lord must be sent by the Holy
Spirit. Whoever has not been sent by the Holy Spirit cannot work for the Lord.
The Lord seeks men to serve Him and do His work, however, the Lord does not
need men to work for Him voluntarily. Even if one’s aim is to help the church,
edify believers and save sinners, these are not the qualifications for one to
work for the Lord. The only qualification for working for the Lord is being
sent by Him.
2) “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit” Any action that is done by one who obeys
the Holy Spirit (See v.2) is the action of the Holy Spirit.
3) “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to” When they clearly understand His will,
immediately they keep it without any delay. Once believers understand the will
of God, we should put it into practice at once and should not delay.
Acts. 13:5 “And when they arrived in
YLT: “and having come
unto
Literal Meaning: “And when they arrived in
“They preached the word of God in the
synagogues of the Jews” Please note that
Barnabas and Saul did not attend the meeting of the Jews but took the advantage
of the Jews’ gathering in the synagogues and preached the words of God to them.
“Synagogues” shows that there was more than one synagogue. Many Jews resided in
Though Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, he also
had burden towards the Jews. And therefore according to the principle of
“preaching to the Jews first”, he always began to preach the word in the
synagogues of the Jews when he came to one place (Acts. 13:14, 46; 14:1; 16:13;
17:1-10; 18:4, 19; 19:8; 28:17).
“They also had John as their assistant” “John” was also named Mark and he was the
younger cousin of Barnabas (Acts. 12:12, 25;
Acts. 13:6 “Now when they had gone
through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a
Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,”
YLT: “and having gone
through the island unto Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a
Jew, whose name [is] Bar-Jesus;”
Meaning of Words: “sorcerer”:
astrologer, magician, witchcraft; “Bar-Jesus”: the son of Jesus.
Literal Meaning: “they had gone through the
island to Paphos” “Paphos” was in
the west of
“A certain sorcerer, a false prophet” “A certain sorcerer” is to do astonishing
things by the evil spirits or magic skills. “A false prophet” is to spread the
message of God unfaithfully or make use of the message of God to deceive men.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “They had gone through the island to Paphos”. The example that the apostles give us in
the beginning is working while going around and we have not seen them dwell in
one place. In other words, an apostle is the one who walks everywhere instead
of staying in one place. Today, many preachers “preach while staying in one
place” rather than “preach while going everywhere”.
2) “Bar-Jesus” means “the son of Jesus”. On one
hand, he did the sorcery and on the other, he had the appealing name. It is
easy to deceive men. We should take care and should not trust men easily or
follow them because of their astonishing works and appealing names.
Acts. 13:7 “who was with the
proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and
Saul and sought to hear the word of God.”
YLT: “who was with the
proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man; this one having called for
Barnabas and Saul, did desire to hear the word of God,”
Meaning of Words: “Sergius Paulus”: a small net.
Literal Meaning: “who was with the proconsul,
Sergius Paulus” “proconsul” is the
title of a Roman officer and the position is equal to the governor. And the
governor is appointed by the
“Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man” “an intelligent man” refers to the
sagacious and wise man.
“And sought to hear the word of God” “Seeking” means searching, asking and
desiring.
Acts. 13:8 “But Elymas the sorcerer
(for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul
away from the faith.”
YLT: “and there withstood
them Elymas the magian -- for so is his name interpreted -- seeking to pervert
the proconsul from the faith.”
Meaning of Words: “Elymas”: wise,
mighty, sorcerer, magician, sage with great abilities; “withstand”: stand
against, oppose, refuse; “turn…away from”: distort, depart from.
Literal Meaning: “withstood them”
Here “them” refers to Paul and Barnabas. Though the twelve apostles had the
special position and honor that others could not replace (Matt. 19:28; Rev.
21:14), the word “apostle” is not limited to refer to the twelve apostles
(please see the note in Acts. 1:22).
“Seeking to turn the proconsul away from
the faith” “faith” here
refers to the objective faith, i.e. the content of the gospel that Christians
believe. In the original this sentence means to seek to distort proconsul from
the faith extremely and completely. The motive of Bar-Jesus may be to maintain
his friendship with proconsul (See v.7). He feared that once proconsul believed
in the Lord Jesus, he would not believe in his false doctrines and would break
off their relation. And he used two ways: 1) withstanding the apostles; 2)
perverting the straight ways of the Lord (v.10).
Acts. 13:9 “Then Saul, who also is
called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him”
YLT: “And Saul -- who
also [is] Paul -- having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked
stedfastly on him,”
Meaning of Words: “Saul”: asked from
God (it is translated from the Hebrew word); “Paul”: little, small.
Literal Meaning: “Saul, who also is
called Paul” Please note that after it, Saul was called Paul in the Acts of the
Apostles. And at first Saul was mentioned after Barnabas (See v.2, 7) and after
it Paul was mentioned before Barnabas (See v.43, 50).
“Filled with the Holy Spirit” Here the
“filling” refers to outward overflowing (pletho, See Acts. 2:4) and it is
related to the power of work.
Acts. 13:10 “and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil,
you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways
of the Lord?”
YLT: “said, `O full of
all guile, and all profligacy, son of a devil, enemy of all righteousness, wilt
thou not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord?”
Meaning of Words: “deceit”: lie,
scheme, decoy (this word refers to the bait that men use in fishing); “fraud”:
evil; “devil”: deceit, accusation; “perverting”: turn away, misinterpret,
distort.
Literal Meaning: “son of the devil”
This appellation is quite interesting. Paul did not call his name “Bar-Jesus”
(i.e. son of Jesus) but call him “son of the devil”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers shouldn’t always try not to
offend anybody and they should show the anger of righteousness if necessary and
dare to expose the works of the devil.
2) The way that the devil utilizes men to pervert
the straight ways is to fill its lusts in men so that they would do the evil by
its craftiness (John. 8:44). And therefore they are “son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness”.
Acts. 13:11 “And now, indeed, the hand
of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went
around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”
YLT: “and now, lo, a hand
of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a
season;' and presently there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and he, going
about, was seeking some to lead [him] by the hand;”
Literal Meaning: “not seeing the sun
for a time” “For a time” refers to a short period of time and its aim is to
warm him and stir him to repent.
“He went around seeking someone to lead
him by the hand” “Going around”
means walking about; the word “seeking” is the past imperfect tense in the original
and it means seeking unceasingly; “to lead him by the hand” is a word in the
original and it means leading the way by the hand.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers are able to move “the hand of
the Lord” by faith for the need of work and show the spiritual power.
2) Satan always blinds the minds of unbelievers,
lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2Cor. 3:3-4). To those who
withstand the light of the Lord on purpose, it is proved that they fall in
darkness and cannot see the way of life.
Acts. 13:12 “Then the proconsul
believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of
the Lord.”
YLT: “then the proconsul
having seen what hath come to pass, did believe, being astonished at the
teaching of the Lord.”
Literal Meaning: “being astonished at
the teaching of the Lord” “being astonished” in the original means “being
attacked to astonishment”, i.e. being stirred up or drawn out the astonishing
heart.
Acts. 13:13 “Now when Paul and his
party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John,
departing from them, returned to
YLT: “And those about
Paul having set sail from Paphos, came to Perga of Pamphylia, and John having
departed from them, did turn back to
Literal Meaning: “Paul and his party”
Previously, Barnabas was mentioned before Paul and from then on he was
mentioned after Paul or even was not mentioned.
“They came to Perga in Pamphylia” “Perga” was the capital town of the
province Pamphylia. “Pamphylia” was a province along the coast of
“And John, departing from them, returned
to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Paul and his party” Here the name of Barnabas
is not mentioned, however, his mind is worthy of praise. Previously Paul was
the junior fellow-worker who was helped and guided by Barnabas (Acts. 11:25-26)
and now he became the leader of the fellow-workers. Barnabas was still in the
second place willingly and he kept silent and did not care about it. It is the
greatness of Barnabas.
2) The name of “Paul” means “little”. The humbler
the workers of the Lord are before Him, the more greatly they will be used by
Him.
3) Though Mark once was a deserter in the ministry,
he corrected his errors and made a fresh start and was regarded highly by Paul
who said that “he (Mark) is profitable to me for the ministry” (2Tim. 4:11).
May all of us not reject one forever because of his temporary failure. Harry
Fosdick, the American famous pastor, said that, “everyone has the talent to be
edified” (it is translated from the Chinese version).
4) The matter that Mark departed from the group of
preachers tells us that if believers have not been fully taught and edified,
they cannot bear the hardships of the work of preaching. And therefore we
cannot take one in the line of fellow-workers hastily by his temporary wish.
Acts. 13:14 “But when they departed
from Perga, they came to
YLT: “and they having
gone through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia, and having gone into the
synagogue on the sabbath-day, they sat down,”
Literal Meaning: “came to
Men need to step over
mountains and lofty ranges from Perga to
“And
went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down” They went into the synagogues on the Sabbath not
to keep the Sabbath but to take the advantage that the Jews gather together on
the Sabbath and keep the Sabbath and seize the opportunity to preach the gospel
(See v.5).
Acts. 13:15 “And after the reading of
the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, ‘Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for
the people, say on.’”
YLT: “and after the
reading of the law and of the prophets, the chief men of the synagogue sent
unto them, saying, `Men, brethren, if there be a word in you of exhortation
unto the people -- say on.'”
The
Background: the procedure of the
worship of the Jewish synagogues usually begins with the prayer of religiosity
(Shema) which has eighteen items of prayer and there are the blessings by the
priests; after that the rulers of the synagogue read out certain scriptures in
the law or the prophets and he may give the explanation or exhortation after
reading; then if there is a famous one or attractive stranger sitting among
them, the rulers of the synagogue may invite him to give some teachings or
exhortation (See Luke. 4:15-17).
Literal Meaning: “the rulers of the synagogue
sent to them” “The rulers of the
synagogue” refer to those who are responsible for the administration, the order
of worship and the arrangement of persons who preach, read the Bible and pray
in the synagogue.
Acts. 13:16 “Then Paul stood up, and
motioning with his hand said, ‘Men of Israel, and you who
fear God, listen:”
YLT: “And Paul having
risen, and having beckoned with the hand, said, `Men, Israelites, and those
fearing God, hearken:”
Literal Meaning: “and you who fear
God” include the Gentiles who fear and seek God.
Spiritual Meaning: “Then Paul stood up,
and motioning with his hand said” “Standing up” shows the modest and polite
attitude; “motioning with his hand” shows speaking to men with the attitude of
praying and looking upon God (1Tim. 2:8).
Acts. 13:17 “The God of this people
YLT: “the God of this
people
Literal Meaning: “and exalted the
people” means that God made them be fruitful and be mightier than the Egyptians
(Exod. 1:7-9).
“And with an uplifted arm He brought
them out of it” “An uplifted arm”
particularly shows that God made ten plagues to force the Pharaoh to permit the
people of Israel to depart from the land of Egypt (Exod. 6:1, 6) and He divided
the Red Sea so that the people of Israel was saved from the Egyptian army (Ps.
136:11-15).
Acts. 13:18 “Now for a time of about
forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.”
YLT: “and about a period
of forty years He did suffer their manners in the wilderness,”
Literal Meaning: in the Greek, the
difference between “put up with” and “bear” is only a letter. Though it is more
accurate to translate it into “put up with” according to the Greek spelling, it
is better to translate it into “bear” according to the Hebrew meaning (Deut.
1:31).
Acts. 13:19 “And when He had destroyed
seven nations in the
YLT: “and having
destroyed seven nations in the
Literal Meaning: “And when He had destroyed
seven nations in the
Spiritual Meaning: “He distributed their land
to them by allotment”
Acts. 13:20 “‘After
that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel
the prophet.”
YLT: “`And after these
things, about four hundred and fifty years, He gave judges -- till Samuel the
prophet;”
Literal Meaning: “for about four
hundred and fifty years” Concerning it, the Bible exegetes have two kinds of
explanations: 1) according to the Chinese Union version, there were about four
hundred and fifty years from the time they went into the land of Canaan to the
day of the reign of David (See Judg. 11:26; 2Sam. 5:3-5; 1Kings. 6:1). 2)
According to the original, this verse could be translated into “after these
things, about four hundred and fifty years, He gave judges------till Saul the
prophet”. Here the four hundred and fifty years includes the four hundred years
in
Acts. 13:21 “And afterward they asked
for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of
YLT: “and thereafter they
asked for a king, and God did give to them Saul, son of
Literal Meaning: “And afterward they asked
for a king” The people of
Enlightenment in the Word:
men do not know what they ask, however, God always works, surpassing men’s
ignorance, in order to reveal His will------He gave men the wrong king Saul
first so as to bring in the right king David (v.22). We believers may always
make mistakes, however, we have to learn teachings from the wrongness and
understand the will of God.
Acts. 13:22 “And when He had removed
him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and
said, ‘I have found David the son
of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'”
YLT: “and having removed
him, He did raise up to them David for king, to whom also having testified, he
said, I found David, the [son] of Jesse, a man according to My heart, who shall
do all My will.”
Meaning of Words: “remove”: carry
away, depose; “raise up”: rouse, lift up.
Literal Meaning: “to whom also He
gave testimony and said” The following words are not quoted from a certain scripture
in the Old Testament and they are summed up from Ps. 89:20, 1Sam. 13:14, Is.
44:28 and other scriptures.
“A man after My own heart” It means that
he walks according to His will. It does not mean that David did not have any
mistake but that he was about the business of God’s will all his life and he
wholeheartedly wanted to build the
“Who will do all My will” The singular word “will” refers to all
will of God.
Enlightenment in the Word: though our behaviors are not perfect, if we intend
to walk according to the will of God, we will be acceptable to God (2Cor.
8:12).
Acts. 13:23 “From this man's seed,
according to the promise, God raised up for
YLT: “`Of this one's seed
God, according to promise, did raise to
Literal Meaning: “for
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) From v.16 to this verse, Paul and quoted the
living Christ by tracing back to the history of the Jews. It shows that he saw
everything in the view of Christ and his eyesight could be called “Christ
history”. It is the eyesight that everyone who has received the revelation of
Christ has.
2) The history of the Old Testament is to bear
witness of the Lord Jesus and it typifies that He is our Savior and leads and
saves us in all aspects: 1) He brought us out of Egypt with an uplifted arm
(v.17)------deliver us from the world; 2) He put up with us in the wilderness
(v.18)------provide the spiritual food; 3) He gave us the land of Canaan as our
inheritance (v.19)------Christ is the good land for our management and enjoyment;
4) He gave judges (v.20)------lead us overcome the devil the enemy; 5) He
raised up a king for us (v.21-22)------reign in our hearts.
Acts. 13:24 “after John had first
preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of
YLT: “John having first
preached, before his coming, a baptism of reformation to all the people of
Literal Meaning: “before His coming” is “before the face of his entry” in the
original. It is a Hebrew idiom and it means “before He comes”.
Acts. 13:25 “And as John was finishing
his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am
not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am
not worthy to loose.'”
YLT: “and as John was
fulfilling the course, he said, Whom me do ye suppose to be? I am not [he],
but, lo, he doth come after me, of whom I am not worthy to loose the sandal of
[his] feet.”
Meaning of Words: “think”: think under
(privately), surmise, conjecture.
Literal Meaning: “And as John was
finishing his course” “Course” refers to the track of race; the whole sentence
means that John was going to finish his race (Acts. 20:24; 2Tim. 4:7).
Enlightenment in the Word: the word of John the Baptist expressed the attitude
that the Lord’s workers should have: 1) humble and do not think of himself more
highly than he ought to think (
Acts. 13:26 “‘Men
and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God,
to you the word of this salvation has been sent.”
YLT: “`Men, brethren,
sons of the race of Abraham, and those among you fearing God, to you was the
word of this salvation sent,”
Enlightenment in the Word: the word of God “has been sent to us” and is spoken
to us. And therefore every time we read the Bible, we should hold the attitude
that we hope to receive (or enjoy) the word of God for ourselves. We should
never read the Bible for others.
Acts. 13:27 “For those who dwell in
YLT: “for those dwelling
in Jerusalem, and their chiefs, this one not having known, also the voices of
the prophets, which every sabbath are being read -- having judged [him] -- did
fulfill,”
Meaning of Words: “voices”: sound,
tone; “in condemning Him”: having judged.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) To those who live in the religious ceremonies,
though they obey the pious regulations and study the sacred words intensively,
they “condemn Him” because they do not know Christ or understand the Bible. If
believers do not live in the newness of the spirit, we may not know the living
Savior and our walking may displease the Lord.
2) When reading, we have to find out Christ in the
scriptures (John. 5:39-40), otherwise, though we read the Bible piously, we
only touch the letters instead of the spirit behind the letters and
consequently our spirits become more depressed (See 2Cor. 3:6).
Acts. 13:28 “And though they found no
cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.”
YLT: “and no cause of
death having found, they did ask of Pilate that he should be slain,”
Meaning of Words: “find”: perceive,
see; “cause”: reason, accusation.
Acts. 13:29 “Now when they had
fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree
and laid Him in a tomb.”
YLT: “and when they did
complete all the things written about him, having taken [him] down from the
tree, they laid him in a tomb;”
Meaning of Words: “the tree”: truck of
a tree, wood.
The
Background: concerning the cross
at that time, one thick and rough truck was used to be the straight pillar and
therefore the common people called the cross “the tree” (Acts. 5:30; 10:39;
1Pet. 2:24).
Acts. 13:30 “But God raised Him from
the dead.”
YLT: “and God did raise
him out of the dead,”
Literal Meaning: “but” shows that the
work of God exceeds all expectations. Though men were determined to kill Him,
God raised Him from the dead.
Acts. 13:31 “He was seen for many days
by those who came up with Him from Galilee to
YLT: “and he was seen for
many days of those who did come up with him from Galilee to
Enlightenment in the Word: those who got off from “Galilee” and followed Jesus
of Nazareth until they “came up with Him to
Acts. 13:32 “And we declare to you
glad tidings--that promise which was made to the fathers.”
YLT: “`And we to you do
proclaim good news -- that the promise made unto the fathers,”
Meaning of Words: “glad tidings”: the
gospel (there is only a word in the original).
Acts. 13:33 “God has fulfilled this
for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in
the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I
have begotten You.’”
YLT: “God hath in full
completed this to us their children, having raised up Jesus, as also in the
second Psalm it hath been written, My Son thou art -- I to-day have begotten
thee.”
Literal
Meaning: “As it is also written in
the second Psalm” the following
words are quoted from Ps. 2:7. This verse is also quoted in Heb. 1:5, 5:5 in
the New Testament.
“Today I have begotten You” When the
Lord Jesus came up out of the water after baptism, God declared that, “You are
my beloved Son” (Mark. 1:11; Luke. 3:22). However, according to the statement
here, God officially maintained the birth of the Lord Jesus until He was raised
up. Though Christ is the only-begotten Son of God in the past eternity (John.
1:18; 3:16), many sons of God are brought in until He was raised up (Heb.
2:9-10) and then He became the firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29).
Therefore it means that the Lord Jesus was begotten to be the firstborn by God
by His being raised up.
Enlightenment in the Word: apply this verse to us: 1) when we open our hearts
to receive the risen Lord, we are born from above and become the children of
God. 2) We have to live by the risen life of Christ and then we are sons who
are acceptable to God.
Acts. 13:34 “And that He raised Him
from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.'”
YLT: “`And that He did
raise him up out of the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said
thus -- I will give to you the faithful kindnesses of David;”
Literal Meaning: “He has spoken thus”
the following words are quoted from Is. 55:3 (the Septuagint). “I will give you the sure mercies of David” The
singular form of the plural word “mercies” is translated into “the Holy One” in
v.35. From the context, the sure mercies that God has promised to David refer
to the risen Christ (See Is. 55:3-5).
Acts. 13:35 “Therefore He also says in
another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your
Holy One to see corruption.'”
YLT: “wherefore also in
another [place] he saith, Thou shalt not give Thy kind One to see corruption,”
Meaning of Words: “allow”: give,
bestow.
Literal Meaning: “in another Psalm”
The following words are quoted from Ps. 16:10.
Acts. 13:36 “‘For
David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep,
was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;”
YLT: “for David, indeed,
his own generation having served by the will of God, did fall asleep, and was
added unto his fathers, and saw corruption,”
Meaning of Words: “bury with”: add
unto, give more.
Literal Meaning: “and saw corruption”
The skeleton of David had seen corruption and therefore “the Holy One” in the
previous verse should not refer to David but the Lord Jesus (See v.37).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) No matter how one tallies with and obeys the
will of God, he could only serve his own generation and fall asleep and he
could not serve two generations. Every worker of the Lord should not attempt to
establish a great work which could hand down from generation to generation.
2) Today many workers of the Lord want to build up
the organization, system and institution of men after they have achieved a
little in their works, hoping that their works could be remembered forever. It
is against God’s ordain.
3) After the sowing, the blade, the ear and the
reaping of wheat (Mark. 4:28-29), the whole plant shall be rooted up. It is the
principle of the spiritual work------our works should never take root on the
earth.
4) God has His will of “generation” towards everyone
who has received grace. We should not desire to enjoy the shelter of the
previous generation and live in idleness or hesitate to move forward and
waiting for the effort of the next generation. We have to live for the will of
God in this generation seriously.
5) Only those who have fulfilled the particular
mission that God has entrusted to them in their generation are able to “fall
asleep” peacefully in the bosom of God.
Acts. 13:37 “but He whom God raised up
saw no corruption.”
YLT: “but he whom God did
raise up, did not see corruption.”
Literal Meaning: “He whom God raised
up” refers to the Lord Jesus (See v.30, 33).
Acts. 13:38 “Therefore let it be known
to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of
sins;”
YLT: “`Let it therefore
be known to you, men, brethren, that through this one to you is the forgiveness
of sins declared,”
Literal Meaning: “that through this Man is
preached to you the forgiveness of sins” The plural word “sins” refers to sinful
behaviors. “The forgiveness of sins” has at least four meanings in the Bible:
1) being not condemned (John. 3:18); 2) forgiving their iniquity (Jer. 31:34;
Heb. 8:12); 3) having made the purification of sins (Heb. 1:3; Rev. 1:5), i.e.
not having the mark of sins; 4) putting away sin (Heb. 9:26; John 1:29), making
sin be far away.
“This man” is the Lord Jesus; “preach”: publicize.
Acts. 13:39 “and by Him everyone who
believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by
the law of Moses.”
YLT: “and from all things
from which ye were not able in the law of Moses to be declared righteous, in
this one every one who is believing is declared righteous;”
Meaning of Words: “by”: in (the two
“by”s are the same word in the original).
Literal Meaning: “everyone is
justified” “Being justified” means that one is regarded as just and perfect
before God and therefore he is reconciled to God and is acceptable to Him.
“The forgiveness of sin” in v.38 is the
negative salvation and “being justified” in this verse is the positive
salvation.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we live by the Law------“by the law of
Moses”, and obey the written regulations that “you should not do this or that”
or the unwritten traditions, we must offend the procedures of God and “cannot
be justified”. However, if we live by Christ------“by Him”, we tally with the
principle of God and “could be justified”.
2) Christ did not know sin and He was made to be
sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2Cor. 5:21).
Christ was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification (Rom. 4:25).
Acts. 13:40 “Beware therefore, lest
what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:”
YLT: “see, therefore, it
may not come upon you that hath been spoken in the prophets:”
Literal Meaning: “lest what has been spoken
in the prophets come upon you” The plural word
“the prophets” refers to the twelve minor prophets; “what has been spoken”
refers to the words in the following verse.
Acts. 13:41 “‘Behold,
you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which
you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.’”
YLT: “See, ye despisers,
and wonder, and perish, because a work I -- I do work in your days, a work in
which ye may not believe, though any one may declare [it] to you.'”
Literal Meaning: the words in this
verse are quoted from Hag. 1:5.
Enlightenment in the Word: God has given us “so great a salvation” and shall
we escape if we neglect it (Heb. 2:3)?
Acts. 13:42 “So when the Jews went out
of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to
them the next Sabbath.”
YLT: “And having gone
forth out of the synagogue of the Jews, the nations were calling upon [them]
that on the next sabbath these sayings may be spoken to them,”
Literal Meaning: “the Gentiles begged that
these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath” “The Gentiles” should refer to those who were
greatly interested in the words of Paul among the listeners.
Acts. 13:43 “Now when the congregation
had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and
Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of
God.”
YLT: “and the synagogue
having been dismissed, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes did follow
Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were persuading them to remain in the
grace of God.”
Literal Meaning: “persuaded them to continue
in the grace of God” Paul asked them to
seek what cannot be gained by obeying the Law (See v.39) and what the Jews
lacked, i.e. relying on the grace of God.
Acts. 13:44 “On the next Sabbath
almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.”
YLT: “And on the coming
sabbath, almost all the city was gathered together to hear the word of God,”
Literal Meaning: “the whole city”
refers to many local residents. It shows that the words that Paul had said on
the previous Sabbath indeed had been passed on and had made a furor in the
whole city.
Acts. 13:45 “But when the Jews saw the
multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they
opposed the things spoken by Paul.”
YLT: “and the Jews having
seen the multitudes, were filled with zeal, and did contradict the things
spoken by Paul -- contradicting and speaking evil.”
Literal Meaning: “they were filled
with envy” because the crowd gathered together not for the Judaic doctrines but
for the new doctrine concerning Jesus Christ. And therefore the leaders of the
Jews were quite unhappy.
Enlightenment in the Word: from this verse, we could see the reaction and way
of people in the circle of religion towards those who do not go the same way
with them: 1) “being filled with envy” They envied the success of others; 2)
“and contradicting” They lost their marbles and did not divide the word of God
rightly; 3) “blaspheming” They said the counterparts were the heretical ones.
Acts. 13:46 “Then Paul and Barnabas
grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the
word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”
YLT: “And speaking
boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, `To you it was necessary that first the word of
God be spoken, and seeing ye do thrust it away, and do not judge yourselves
worthy of the life age-during, lo, we do turn to the nations;”
Literal Meaning: “It was necessary that the
word of God should be spoken to you first” “first” shows that according to God’s counsel,
the gospel should be preached to the Jews first (Rom. 1:16; 3:1-2; 9:4-5).
Enlightenment in the Word: if men reject the word of God again and again, it
is proved that they judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life.
Acts. 13:47 “For so the Lord has
commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light
to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
YLT: “for so hath the
Lord commanded us: I have set thee for a light of nations -- for thy being for
salvation unto the end of the earth.'”
Literal Meaning: “For so the Lord has
commanded us” the following
words are quoted from Is. 49:6.
“I have set you as a light to the
Gentiles” The words of
Isaiah once predicted that the Lord Jesus was the servant whom God has
appointed and He not only would make the people of Israel turn to God but also
would be the light of the Gentiles to save all humans. Because Paul was
rejected by the Jewish fellow citizens and had to turn to the Gentiles, here he
applied this prophesy to himself to show that he will be the apostle towards
the Gentiles (Gal. 2:8-9).
Acts. 13:48 “Now when the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as
had been appointed to eternal life believed.”
YLT: “And the nations
hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe --
as many as were appointed to life age-during;”
Literal Meaning: here Luke the author
contrasted the reaction of the Gentiles towards the gospel sharply with that of
the Jews (See v.45).
“And as many as had been appointed to
eternal life believed” The word “appoint”
was the military term and it means “to arrange in an orderly manner” to prepare
for moving on. Some Bible exegetes commented on this sentence that “it does not
mean that all those who have been appointed by God there believed in the Lord
at that time but that some of them were attracted to join the army (the
military term) because of the influence of the Jews and they got ready to move
on towards the realm of salvation under the calling of the gospel.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Glorified the word of the Lord” Not only God Himself but also His word is worthy
of praise because not only God Himself but also His word is glorious. God’s
word is the word of salvation (v.26), faith (v.8) and straight ways (v.10). His
word is with God’s authority and once it is spoken, it shows its wonderful
works that make men be astonished and believe (v.10-12). His word is the glad
tidings and the promised words of God and it is full of the power of
resurrection (v.32-33). His word is also the forgiveness of sins (v.38).
2) “And as many as had been appointed to eternal life
believed.” It shows that
believers had been appointed by God to eternal life before the foundation of
the world. Contrarily, those who reject the Lord prove that they are unworthy
of everlasting life (See v.46).
Acts. 13:49 “And the word of the Lord
was being spread throughout all the region.”
YLT: “and the word of the
Lord was spread abroad through all the region.”
Literal Meaning: “throughout all the
region” “All the region” refers to Pisidia and
Enlightenment in the Word: what the apostles valued was not one place but “all
the region”. If we are sent out by the Lord to preach, we should not reside in
one place or keep a certain flock of sheep all the time and we should try our
best to preach the word of God throughout the wider region.
Acts. 13:50 “But the Jews stirred up
the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.”
YLT: “And the Jews
stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the first men of the city, and
did raise persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and did put them out from
their borders;”
The
Background: “But the Jews stirred up the
devout and prominent women” Patriarchy was
supreme in the Roman Empire at that time and the common women did not have any
social position so that men with power and authority could have many love
affairs and would not bring about the opposition of the public. Only the
Judaism held the teaching of the Old Testament: they stressed on monogamy and
forbade the adultery. Their noble moral standard was greatly welcomed by the
women in Roman high society and many devout and prominent women were convicted
to Judaism.
Literal Meaning: “and the chief men of the
city” may be the husbands of the previous
“prominent women”.
Acts. 13:51 “But they shook off the
dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium.”
YLT: “and they having
shaken off the dust of their feet against them, came to Iconium,”
The
Background: “they shook off the dust
from their feet” When the Jews
departed from one Gentile place, they always did the symbolic action to show
that they had neither part nor lot in the “uncleanness” of the Gentiles.
Literal Meaning: “they shook off the
dust from their feet” It means that they showed to men who rejected Christ that
they suffered from their own actions and their end in future had nothing to do
with them.
Enlightenment in the Word: all those who have been sent out by the Lord have a
feature that they have dust on their feet. Whenever they do not have dust on
their feet, they lose the feature of preachers. Preachers are not those who sit
at home or those who stay in the local place and keep the flock of sheep. They
are those who walk on the way.
Acts. 13:52 “And the disciples were
filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
YLT: “and the disciples
were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
Literal Meaning: “were filled with
joy” “Being filled with” in the original refers to the inward fullness (pleroo,
See Acts. 2:2).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) These disciples did not see the apostles (v.51)
who led them just after they had been saved, however, they were still “filled
with joy”. It shows that the joy of the disciples does not lie in men or things
but the Savior and the salvation that we receive.
2) They were filled not only with joy but also
“with the Holy Spirit”. The apostles departed from them, however, the Holy
Spirit stayed there. Many times, the Lord’s workers have worked in one place
too long and the authority of men takes the place of that of the Holy Spirit so
that many believers are not joyful. If there is too much men’s restraint, the
Lord’s hand will stop. Today in many places, the Saints cannot be filled with
the Holy Spirit because preachers are there and the work of the Holy Spirit is
restrained. As a result they cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit.
3) After believers have been saved, we should not
look upon those who lead us and we should look steadfastly on Jesus the leader
and completer of faith (Heb. 12:2).
4) The initiative of the work is that “the Holy
Spirit…separate” (v.2), the beginning of the work is that “they are sent by the
Holy Spirit” (v.4), the action of the work is that “they are filled with the
Holy Spirit” (v.9, the outward bathing) and the end of the work is that “they
are filled with the Holy Spirit” (the inward fullness).
5) “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy
Spirit” Innumerable words
are included in this sentence. The life of Christians is in it------“being
filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit”.
6) The joy of the disciples is received because the
Lord’s workers suffered humiliation and suffering (See v.50). The more we
suffer tribulation for the sake of the Lord, the more joy of the salvation will
be received by others.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Conditions and Essential Factors for A
Preacher to Be Called
I. In the church that was at
II. Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius
of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul (v.1b)------though
they have different background, they are able to cooperate with each other (it
shows that none of them has the individualism).
III. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted
(v.2a)------in the daily church life, they serve the Lord on one hand and on
the other, they deny themselves.
IV. The Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me
Barnabas and Saul…” (v.2b)------they receive the clear word of the Holy Spirit
and are appointed to be separated to the Lord.
V. “For the work to which I have called them”
(v.2c)------they have God’s clear commission and mission.
VI. Then, having fasted and prayed (v.3a)------they
have Amen and intercession of the fellow-workers and the church.
VII. And laid hands on them (v.3b)------they have
the union and blessings of the fellow-workers and the church.
VIII. They sent them away (v.3c)------they have the
proof and sending of the fellow-workers and the church.
IX. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit Seleucia
(v.4a)------upon them there is the sovereignty and presence of the Holy Spirit.
X. They went down to…from…to…(v.4b)------they
immediately keep the command and act.
The Service that the Church should Have
II. They ministered to the Lord and fasted
(v.2a)------the service that men are willing to pay the price.
III. The Holy Spirit said…for the work to which I
have called them (v.2b)------the service that the Holy Spirit reigns.
IV. Having fasted and prayed (v.3a)------the service
of prayer.
V. Laying hands on them, they sent them away
(v.3b)------the service of one mind.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
I. The Holy Spirit said (v.2b)------He speaks and
reveals.
II. Separate to Me (v.2c)------He separates men.
III. Being sent out by the Holy Spirit
(v.4)------He sends men out.
IV. Being filled with the Holy Spirit (v.9)------He
pours upon men outwards and gives them the power of work.
V. Being filled with the Holy Spirit again
(v.52)------He fills men inwardly and gives them the quality of life.
The Work and Circumstances of Preachers
II. Being called by men who sought to hear the word
of God (v.7, 15).
III. Being withstood by men who attempted to turn
the proconsul away from the faith (v.8).
IV. Blaming men for perverting the straight ways of
the Lord directly (v.10)
V. Speaking in the authority of the Holy Spirit
(v.11).
VI. Making men believe the word of the Lord (v.12).
VII. Sometimes seeing the drawing back and weakness
of fellow-workers (v.13).
VIII. Concerning their preaching, there are people
who believe the word and others who do not believe, people who praise it and
those who do not praise it (v.41, 43, 46, 48).
IX. Making a furor in the whole city sometimes and
many people come together to hear the word of God (v.44).
X. Being envied, opposed, blasphemed, persecuted
and expelled by men sometimes (v.45, 50).
The Way that the Enemy made Men not Believe
in Way of the Lord
II. Perverting the straight ways of the Lord
(v.10)------perverting the way of the Lord.
How God Deals with Us from God’s Gracious
Grace to His Elect
II. Exalting (v.17b)------predestination (Eph. 1:5)
and calling (Rom. 8:30).
III. Bringing (v.17c)------salvation (2Cor. 1:10)
and making us free (Gal. 5:1).
IV. Putting up with (v.18, “bearing” in the
original)------providing the spiritual food and spiritual water (1Cor. 10:3-4).
V. Distributing the land (v.19)------He has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3).
VI. Giving judges (v.20)------He gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers to the church (Eph. 4:11).
VII. Raising up…as king (v.21-22)------in all
things Christ might have the preeminence (Col. 1:18).
VIII. Raising up for
The Example of the Message of the Gospel
II. Quoting the words of the Bible (v.22, 33-35,
41).
III. Leading men to know Jesus the Savior:
A. He
is the promised Savior of God in the Old Testament (v.23).
B. He
is Christ whom John the Baptist introduced in the New Testament (v.24-25).
IV. Being full of kind goodwill in the words to
listeners------brethren…brethren (v.26, 38).
V. Introducing the truth of the salvation:
A. He
was sinless and was crucified on the tree------let men receive the forgiveness
of sins (v.27-29, 38).
B. It
is proved that He is the Son of God for He was raised from the dead------let
men to be justified (v.30-37, 39).
VI. Showing two different kinds of results:
A.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall receive the forgiveness of sins
and be justified (v.38-39).
B. Do
not believe and you shall perish (v.40--41).
Men’s Two Kinds of Attitudes towards the
Gospel
I. Receiving the gospel:
A.
Yearning to hear the gospel again (v.42).
B.
Following immediately (v.43).
C.
Being attracted and coming together to hear the gospel (v.44).
D.
Being glad and glorifying the word of the Lord (v.48a).
E.
Believing and spreading the gospel (v.48b-49).
F.
Being filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (v.52).
II. Rejecting the gospel:
A.
Being filled with envy (v.45a).
B.
Contradicting the words of the gospel (v.45b).
C.
Blaspheming (v.45c).
D.
Rejecting the word (v.46).
E.
Stirring up men to oppose the gospel (v.50a).
F.
Persecution and expelling (v.50b).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren