Acts - Week 45

Week 45 Acts 13, 14 

Day 1 

READ 

Acts 13:44-45 

44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. 45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. 

They had urged Paul and Barnabas to return the following week. By this time almost all the city was there to hear what they had to say. The leaders of Judaism, however, were jealous of the attention Paul and Barnabas were receiving so they argued against their beliefs. This reveals again that “religion” is an enemy of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those trying to work their way to heaven did not like the preaching of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. 

REFLECT 

Have you experienced opposition from those who believe in religion but not Christianity? It was the religionists who wanted Jesus crucified. Now they are opposing the preaching of the gospel. 

RESPOND 

Talk with your disciple about being clear in the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus and not through good works or law-keeping. See Ephesians 2:8-9 as a reminder.  

Day 2 

READ 

Acts 13:46-47 

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. 47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, 

to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” 

Paul and Barnabas now drew a proverbial line in the sand to see who is on the Lord’s side. They gave the gospel first to the Jewish people, but now that the leaders had rejected it they would go to the Gentiles. Some see Acts 13 as a major dividing line in the book. Acts 1:8 says they were to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. That had been done; now with chapter 13 the gospel goes out to the “ends of the earth” as also commanded in Acts 1:8.  

REFLECT 

Think how marvelous it is that the gospel was now to be taken to the then-known world. Are you doing anything to help the gospel reach the “ends of the earth”? 

RESPOND 

Find and read Isaiah 49:6. This is the verse Paul was referring to in Acts 13:47. God has a plan for the world and was using these early believers to begin fulfilling it. 

Day 3 

READ 

Acts 13:48-49 

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. 

The Gentiles rejoiced when they heard the gospel of the grace of God was now coming to them. Those in whose hearts the Lord had worked now placed their faith in Him. God wishes that all would be saved (see 2 Peter 3:9), but not all will trust in Him as Savior. Each person is given the choice to receive or reject the Lord Jesus Christ. John 16:8 says the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, but not all receive Jesus as Savior.  

REFLECT 

Do not permit anyone to try to persuade you to believe that some cannot come to God. The Bible is the authority on this, not some person’s opinion. 

RESPOND 

With your disciple, read John 6:37 that reveals none is cast out who come to Jesus by faith. You do not know in whose heart the Lord is working to draw the person to Himself. So proclaim the gospel to everyone and leave the results to God.   

Day 4                 

READ 

Acts 13:50-52 

50 Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. 52 And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. 

The devil can use unbelievers to stir up other unbelievers. Here it was the “influential religious women and the leaders of the city.” They created a mob that drove Paul and Barnabas from town. To show they were rejecting the town that rejected them, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust of the town from their feet. Although some were happy they were gone; others were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. 

REFLECT 

Notice that the same action causes relief for some and rejoicing for others. As evangelist Billy Graham was known for saying, “The same sun hardens the clay but melts the ice.” 

REPOND 

With your disciple, pray for those in whose hearts God may be working. May they soon make the decision to trust in Jesus. Your love toward them can help to “melt the ice.”  

Day 5 

READ 

Acts 14:1-2 

The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. 

“Iconium” was a town in what is now known as “Turkey.” The powerful preaching of Paul and Barnabas opened the spiritual eyes of a great many Jews and Greeks (another word for Gentiles). Likely the religionists brought untrue accusations against the character of Paul and Barnabas. This also reveals when the word “Jews” is used sometimes it refers to the followers of Jesus; at other times to the Jewish leaders. Only the verses around the word indicates which. Many Jews trusted in Jesus as the Messiah but the leaders rejected Him.  

REFLECT  

Be on the alert for those who would question the character of Christ-followers with no evidence. Their real motivation would be to discredit the message of the Lord Jesus Christ.   

RESPOND 

Read 2 Peter 2:1-3 for the warnings Peter gives about false teachers. Talk with your disciple about how to be alert to them.