Acts 13 Round Two: The Gospel Reaches New Places

A quiet room in Antioch erupts into purpose when prayer and fasting meet a clear call from the Holy Spirit. We follow Barnabas and Saul as a local church lays hands on them and launches a story that stretches across islands, synagogues, and city streets—where the message of Jesus collides with power, pride, and hunger for truth. What begins as worship becomes movement, and what meets resistance does not stall.

We walk through Cyprus to meet a governor who wants wisdom and a sorcerer who wants control. Paul’s bold confrontation is less about spectacle and more about clearing the fog so the gospel can be heard. From there, the road bends toward Pisidian Antioch, where Paul stands in a synagogue and weaves Israel’s history into a single thread: promise, kings, prophets, a crucified Messiah, and a risen Lord. The core claim is simple and seismic—through Jesus there is forgiveness and a right standing with God that the law could never secure.

Not everything goes smoothly. John Mark leaves the team, and the text names the wound without hiding it. Crowds surge the next week, jealousy flares, and opponents try to smother the message. Paul and Barnabas answer with clarity, widen the invitation to the Gentiles, and keep moving when a mob forms. The surprising result is joy—Spirit-filled, resilient joy—among new believers who carry the word farther than any one sermon can reach. Along the way, we reflect on how to discern next steps, why perseverance matters, and how to hold truth and grace in tense spaces.

If this journey stirs your courage, stick with us as we continue through Acts. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs hope, and leave a quick review to help more people find the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Your voice helps the word travel farther.

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Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.