Reflection on Acts 13

Chapter 13 begins with a beautiful picture of Christ’s disciples worshiping and fasting.  Fasting, in this instance, is a practice of abstaining from food in order to seek the Lord and His guidance in a situation

Worshiping is a practice to be coupled with fasting that puts the focus on God and God alone. We are witnesses from this early account that this incredible missionary journey in chapters 13 and 14 were not due to Paul’s man centered planning, but rather it was a result of the Spirit’s initiative. We can learn much from these few verses in 13:2-3 about seeking the Lord’s will and His guidance if we are to see fruit in our lives and ministries. The Holy Spirit still desires to guide us.

After hearing the Lord’s direction, Paul and Barnabas were sent off on their missionary journey. The first stop was Barnabas’ home island of Cyprus. Right away we see a strong contrast between light and darkness as the sorcerer Elymas is led by the evil one to sway the Proconsul (governor of a province) away from the faith. Any attack on the gospel and the Christian faith, we can be sure, is an attack from the enemy that seeks to destroy the Lord’s people and the Lord’s work. The text says that Paul was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ to show that the boldness and power that was exerted was not of himself but was surely led by the Lord. The Lord’s judgment of this ‘court wizard’ was fitting as it exposed the truth of his life: he was a man of darkness led by the prince of darkness, so now he would experience physically what was already a spiritual reality. He was already blinded to the truth physically and now he was blinded physically. This encounter reminds us of the glorious truth for believers proclaimed in 1 John 4:4 ‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.’ If our faith is in Jesus, we can be sure that the same Holy Spirit that filled Paul is the powerful Spirit in us. In our world of evil, take heart: The Lord is victorious over the powers of darkness. In John Stott’s words ‘the gospel triumphed over the occult.’ This should give us great JOY. The light of the Kingdom was invading very dark spaces. It continues to do so today.

Next we hear Paul’s sermon to the Jews at Pisidian Antioch. We see that he wisely shows how the Old Testament Scriptures point to Jesus as the long awaited Messiah and how his death and resurrection was a fulfillment of the OT prophesies. We do well to remember that ALL of Scripture points to Jesus. Jesus says in John 5:39 that the OT Scriptures “… are the very Scriptures that testify about [him]!”

The focus of Paul’s sermon was on Jesus’ death and resurrection as fulfillment of the Scriptures. Paul’s rich theology comes out in verses 38-39: “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.”

In short, where this is a law, there is a judge. Those who transgress the law will stand guilty before the judge (that is ALL of us). But for those who have put their faith in Jesus, we are free from the penalty of the law. We stand before the judge and he proclaims us INNOCENT. The truth is, we are NOT innocent, but Jesus’ righteous, perfect and innocent status is imputed to us if we put our faith in Him. He lived a sinless life in our place - PERFECTLY obedient to the law. He died in our place for our sins and God raised Him from the grave so that our sin could be dealt with on the cross and a perfection could be given us that we could never obtain on our own: His perfection. We could never obey the law perfectly…Jesus is the only one who has EVER done that. He was the innocent One who stood before the judge and took the punishment for our sin. He took the death penalty for you and for me so that when we stand before the judge someday, we will not be condemned. This freedom from the law and righteousness from Jesus comes by putting our faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Paul placed before the people two options. Upon hearing about Jesus, we can choose life or we can choose death. By putting our faith in Jesus’ we are granted the gift of eternal life with God: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16. But to those who reject this message, they will be judged by a law that is IMPOSSIBLE to keep which will inevitably result in condemnation or death. 

It is a serious matter. The enemy will attack the message of the gospel more than any other. He knows his end is condemnation and he desires others to have the same end. Our fight in the Christian life is a FIGHT FOR FAITH. Paul says at the end of His life “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

HE IS the judge that was JUDGED in our place. Turn to Him. Trust in Him. His empowering presence is the living water and the bread of life that not only saves you from the coming wrath (1 Thess 1:10) but will also satisfy your souls.