by Tim Green
Antioch. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. It was the capital city of the Roman Province of Syria, located on the Orontes River. It was famous for it perfumes and the Olympic Games were held there. The god's Zeus, Apollo and Tyche were worshipped there. Many people in Antioch of Syria believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and were converted. Then tidings of these miraculous conversions reached the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem. The apostles in Jerusalem sent Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch of Syria and be a witness of this Jesus movement there. When Barnabas had arrived at Antioch of Syria he saw how the grace of God rested heavily upon the saints of God there. He was exceedingly glad, and exhorted them all. He encouraged them that with purpose of heart, they should cleave unto the Lord Jesus Christ, not loosing their faith and trust in Him.
Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and full of faith. Many more people were added unto the Lord Jesus Christ while Barnabas stayed in Antioch of Syria. "I must go and find him," thought Barnabas in his heart. That's when Barnabas left Antioch and headed for Tarsus, my city in the Province of Cilicia. He was in search of me as he knew my ability to speak and interpret many languages. Antioch of Syria was prominently Greek speaking and I was fluent in Greek. My time for preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ had suddenly come upon me. It was my time. My time for purpose and destiny had arrived.
When he had found me, he brought me back with him to Antioch of Syria. As it came to pass, we spent a whole year there assembled together with the church, and taught multitudes of people there. Those who believed and became disciples were called little Christ's or Christians first in Antioch of Syria. The believers there had become an exact replica of Jesus Christ in the earth. They had become partakers of the divine nature and had become an expression of God on the earth. God had duplicated Himself upon the earth, as it is in heaven. That's when prophets came from the church in Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria to see these miniature Christ's or little Christ's that we now call Christians.
During this time some prophets travelled down from Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria. One of them named Agabus stood up in the meeting and prophesied, predicting by the Holy Spirit that a severe famine would come upon the entire Roman world. This prophesy was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius, the Roman Emperor. So the "Disciples of the Way" in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea. Everyone gave as much as they could afford, according to their own prosperity. They entrusted their gifts to Barnabas and me, to take them to the church elders in Jerusalem.
As Barnabas and I, along with the prophets and teachers from Jerusalem, began to minister to the Lord with fasting and prayer. The Holy Spirit said to them, "Separate both Barnabas and Paul unto me for the work that I have called them to do in my name." After they had finished fasting and praying they laid their hands upon us and then sent us away, on a journey. So Barnabas and I had been sent out by the Holy Spirit to do God's work. Just as God the Father had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. We too had been anointed and sent out by the Holy Spirit to do God's work.
We had been sent out as apostles. We were set apart as delegates and ambassadors of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were messengers and representatives of Jesus Christ Himself to His holy Church. So my first missionary journey began with a loyal spiritual soldier by my side, my good friend Barnabas. He was indeed a friend who stuck closer than a brother. It was God's ordained order to be sent out two by two. So we departed together and went down to port city of Seleucia just as the Holy Spirit had instructed us. From there we sailed from that port to the Island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean.
When we arrived at Salamis, a town on the Island of Cyprus, we preached the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. We had John Mark, a cousin of Barnabas as an attendant to assist us. After we had passed through the entire Island of Cyprus as far as Paphos, the capital city of Cyprus. Paphos housed sacred shrines to the goddess of love known as Venus to the Romans and Aphrodite to the Greeks. We came face to face with a sorcerer, a false Jewish prophet, whose name was Bar-Jesus. The sorcerer withstood us, but I was full of the Holy Ghost. I spoke boldly against him and commissioned that he be blind for a season, just as I once was on the Damascus road. Darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking for someone to lead him by the hand.
We sailed from Paphos, a port in Cyprus and travelled to Perga, a fortified city in the Province of Pamphylia. The goddess Diana was worshipped in Perga and her priestesses were cult prostitutes. John Mark separated himself from us, abandoning us there and went back to Jerusalem. After we departed from Perga, we travelled to another Antioch in the Province of Pisidia in Southern Galatia. It was a major stopping point on the trade route from Ephesus to the Euphrates. The sanctuary of Apollo, the sun god, the half-god, half-man was in the nearby hills. Apollo was worshipped freely and openly there.
We went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. After the reading of the Law of Moses and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue asked us if we had any word of exhortation or encouragement for the people. That's when I stood up, and motioning with my hand for them to be silent as I was about to speak. I spoke under the control of the Holy Spirit and said, "Men of Israel, and all you who fear God and have reverential respect for Him, listen to my words." It was my passion to persuaded men everywhere to revere and fear God contrary to the Law of Moses. It was my desire that they would have grace and serve God acceptably with the reverential fear of the Lord.
I continued to preach with great boldness like the apostles did in Jerusalem, "The God of this people Israel chose our forefathers, and made this people great. When they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, with an outstretched arm God uplifted and brought them out of that strange land. For about forty years like a nursing father, God cared for them in the wilderness and endured their unruly behaviour. When He had destroyed seven nations greater than themselves in the land of Canaan, He divided and gave the Hebrews their land as an inheritance. Distributing it to them by lot, all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. He then gave them the judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Afterwards they desired a king and asked God for a king. So God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin for forty years."
The room was filled with silence as I was delivering my history lesson. Their eyes were fasten on me intently. However I was saving the best for last. I continued in my quest to deliver Gods message to them, "So, when God had removed Saul as king, He raised up David to be their new king. God testified, and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, who shall do all my will and carry out my instructions.' Of this man's descendants God has brought to Israel a Saviour in the person of Jesus, in keeping with His promises. Now before the coming of Jesus, John preached to all the people of Israel the baptism of repentance, in turning to God from sin. As John was ending his ministry, he asked, 'Who do you secretly think that I am? No, I am not the Christ. But after me One is coming, whose shoes of His feet I am unworthy to untie.' Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and all among you who revere and fear God. It is to us that this message of salvation has been sent."
Gods words began to flow off my tongue like arrows shot from a bow. His words upon my lips were inspired and spontaneous. They were sharper than any two edged sword in the hands of a skilled battle warrior, "For the people living in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognise who Jesus was or understand the message of our prophets which are read every Sabbath day. So they fulfilled that prophesy by condemning Him. They could not find any legitimate grounds for a death sentence. Nevertheless they asked Pilate to have Him slain and executed. And when they had carried out all the things that were written about Him in the Book, they took Him down from the cross, and placed Him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead."
The room was filled with a silent expectat
ion. Their eyes and faces were fixed upon me with anticipation. I had taken them on a journey through time and had enlightened their minds to the Scriptures. They understood them in a way that they had never seen them before. I continued bravely, "Jesus appeared for many days to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now His witnesses to the people. As for us, we are bringing you the Good News that, what God promised to our forefathers, He has fulfilled for us His children, in raising Jesus again from the dead. As it is written in the second Psalm, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.' As concerning that He raised Him up from the dead, to no more return to decay, He said, 'I will give the holy and trustworthy things of David to you.' This is explained elsewhere in another Psalm, 'You will not let your Holy One see decay.' For David did indeed serve God's purposes in his own generation, but after that, he died and was buried with his fathers and he did see decay. His body returned back to the ground and returned
