Footsteps #21

It was from Antioch, and with the initial support of the local believers, that Paul left on all three of his missionary journeys. It was because of their commitment that Christianity became what Jesus had intended: a world religion, one in which the gospel would be spread to “every nation, tribe, language, and people” (Rev.14:6).

In Acts.13, Luke shifts the scene back to Antioch in order to introduce Paul’s first missionary journey, which occupies two chapters; Acts 13&14. From here to the end of the book, the focus is set on Paul and his Gentile missions. This is the first missionary endeavour in Acts that is intentional and carefully planned by an individual church; yet, Luke is careful in highlighting that such endeavour originated with God. The point, however, is that God can operate only when we willingly place ourselves in a position where He can use us. The island of Cyprus is in the north eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, not far from Antioch. It was a natural place to start, as not only was Barnabas from Cyprus but the gospel had also already reached the island. Yet, certainly there was still much to be done. Once in Cyprus, Barnabas and Paul—and John Mark, Barnabas’s cousin (Acts.15:39, Col.4:10), who was with them—preached in the synagogues of Salamis. This was Paul’s regular practice: to preach first in the synagogues before turning to Gentiles. Because Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, it was more than natural to share the gospel with Jews first. After Salamis, they moved westward, preaching (we can assume) as they went, until they came to the capital, Paphos.

The narrative then revolves around two individuals: A Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas, and Sergius Paulus, the local Roman governor. The story provides a good example of how the gospel was met with contrasting responses: on one hand, open opposition; on the other, faithful acceptance even by highly prestigious Gentiles. Paul confronted the magician by calling him a son of the devil. However, the miracle of him going blind so impressed the proconsul that he “believed”. The language of Acts.13:12 clearly implies conversion.