OPENING PRAYER
"Man Shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"- Matthew 4:4- "My mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it" - Mark 8:21
Having received this day as a gift, I (We) thank You Holy Trinity, for through Your goodness and patience You were not wrathful with me (Us), and idler (s) and sinner (s), neither have You cast me (Us) down in my (Our)sins...But You have shown Your love towards me (us) and have guided me (us) to keep my (our) daily watch to glorify Your power...Enlighten my (our) mind (minds) to study Your teachings in Scripture...Help me (us) to apply what I (we) learn and to praise You with all my (our) heart and glorify Your Holy Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever...Amen!!!
Shine within my (our) hearts, loving Master, the pure Light of Your Divine Knowledge, and open the eyes of my mind that I may understand Your teachings...Instill in me (us) also reverence for Your Blessed commandments, so having conquered sinful desires I (we) may pursue a spiritual way of life, thinking and doing all those things that are pleasing to You...For You, Christ my God, are my light, and to You I (we) give, glory, together with Your Father and Your Holy Spirit, now and forever...Amen!!!
CHANT PSALM 23
INTO YOUR HANDS LORD YESHUA (JESUS CHRIST) WE COMMIT OUR SOULS AND BODIES, BLESS US AND HAVE MERCY ON US AND GRANT US ETERNAL LIFE!!!
ACTS 13 STUDY GUIDE & BREAKDOWN
ANTIOCH SENDS BARNABAS AND SAUL
ACTS 13:1-3
13:1: MANAEN: was raised with HEROD ANTIPAS, tetrarch from 4 BC- 39 AD, and son of the Herod who slaughtered the infants in Bethlehem- (Matthew 2:16): Manaen was one of the early Christians with noble family connections!!!
13:2: MINISTERED: (Greek- leitourgounton): means-performed liturgical acts: it is the same root word from which liturgy is derived: This phrase would be accurately translated- they performed liturgy to the Lord and fasted: Liturgical worship did not originate in Antioch: Its roots are found in ancient Israel: Saul and Barnabas, who came from Jerusalem, taught the Antiochian Christians that among other things true worship- (Acts 11:22-26): See how fasting and liturgy are inseparable: it is in the midst of this liturgy that the HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS: SEPARATE: means to set apart for special service!!!
13:3: LAID HANDS ON THEM: is a reference to the sacrament of ordination- (see my notes-Acts 10:48): While contemporary Orthodox practice is usually tp ordain no more than one person to a specific rank at a given liturgy, here was a case of multiple ordinations: See- even Saul (Paul), who had a direct call to serve from Yeshua (Jesus)- (Acts 9:1-6; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4), still had to experience ordination in the Church!!!
CHURCHES ESTABLISHED ON CYPRUS
ACTS 13:4-12
13:5: THE SYNAGOGUES: were the initial places of Christian preaching, for Christians arose from Judaism, and the Jews had been prepared through the OT for the Christ: JOHN: See- my notes Acts 12:12:
13:9: THIS IS THE FIRST USE IN ACTS: of the name PAUL FOR SAUL: No particular significance is stated, but it was not the result of his conversion as some say it is: He is called Saul for quite sometime after his conversion: Paul is a Roman name, and Saul is a Hebrew name: Many Jews of this time had two names, one Jewish and another Greek or Roman: Paul may have begun to favor his Roman name out of humility- (Paul means little), or because his ministry was now becoming more focused on the Gentiles: St. John Chrysostom suggests that the name change was the result of his ordination-(vv. 2 &3), just as Christ gave Simon the new name Peter- (Matthew 16:17-18; John 1:42)
13:11-12: THE HAND OF THE LORD: acts not to inflict punishment for punishment's sake, but to bring repentance and conversion to Christ of a high Roman official!!!
THE CHURCH IN PISIDIA
ACTS 13:13-43
13:13: JOHN: SEE-NOTES AT ACTS 12:12: His departing from them became the cause of great strife with Paul, and also between Paul and Barnabas- (Acts 15:37-40): God's work still flourishes no matter what!!!
13:14: ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA: was in Galatia, and should not be confused with Antioch of Syria, from which Paul and Barnabas had just been sent!!!
13:16: YOU WHO FEAR GOD: See my Acts 10:2-Notes!!!
13:17-41: PAUL PREACHES: Christ based on His fulfillment of OT events and prophecies- (see-notes-Acts 8:35):
13:23-24: THE HEART OF PAUL'S MESSAGE: is (1): Christ is the promise and therefore the fulfillment of the Jewish faith; (2): Yeshua (Jesus) is the SEED OF DAVID, and so fulfills his office as the true King of Israel; and (3): Yeshua (Jesus) is the One JOHN the Baptist PREACHED!!!
13:26: THE FAMILY OF ABRAHAM: refers to the Jews, while those WHO FEAR GOD refer to Gentile believers; the salvation is proclaimed to all mankind!!!
13:27: PAUL CONSISTENTLY PRESSES: the point that if the OT is properly understood, it is clear Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, Even the Jewish leaders' rejection of Yeshua (Jesus) FULFILLED these prophecies- (Psalm 2:1-2; Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 53:1-9):
13:38-39: IN ADDITION: to Christ's death and Resurrection, two recurring themes in apostolic preaching are (1): THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS- (v. 38) and (2): NO ONE IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES- (v. 39):
13:25-32: this passage is read on August 29, the Feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist...
APOSTLES TO THE GENTILES
ACTS 13:44-52
13:45-46: MANY OF THE JEWS: reject the teaching that salvation is for all the people, so Paul and Barnabas now TURN TO THE GENTILES: This pattern continues throughout Acts: the gospel is preached FIRST to the Jews, God's chosen people, then to the Gentiles- (Romans 1:16):
My closing thoughts come from Isaiah 5:8-25: Here in this passage the Prophet Isaiah is describing the sins of the people- GREED- (v. 8); LOVE OF PLEASURE (v. 11); INDIFFERENCE TO GOD- (v. 12); INTENTIONAL EVIL ACTS- (v. 18); MOCKING GOD (v. 19); PERVERSION OF THE TRUTH- (v. 20); VANITY AND CONCEIT-(v.21); DISHONESTY- (v. 23); AND FINALLY REJECTING GOD'S LAW AND DESPISING HIS WORD- (v. 24):
ISAIAH 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!!!
Today's world reflects these passages, and have said many times what's good is now bad and what's bad is now good!!! Our fallen world is now a warzone a spiritual warzone, and we must dig deep, for the time has come where faith must be strengthen and conditioned molded into a new creation ready for endurance!!! The road that awaits us all is one that will test us all so prepare now in all ways, but most importantly be spiritually ready!!!
END WITH THE LORD'S PRAYER- LET'S DEPART IN PEACE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD- MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST!!!
JPCE SPIRITUAL TALK
NEVER HOLD BACK
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
JEHOVAH SHALOM!!!