SPIRITUAL WARFARE HITS THE
NEW MISSION FIELD
Acts 13: 1 - 12
THE FIRST MISSIONARY CALL AND SENDING
FROM ANTIOCH
• Prophets and teachers gathered: Barnabas …
• Simeon – called Niger (N-eye-gear)
• Lucius of Cyrene – one of the 1
st
evangelists of Antioch –
remember Simon & his sons: Alexander & Rufus – related?
• Manaen – foster brother of Herod Antipas: An Essene (like a
Jewish monk) prophesied to Herod the Great that he would
become “great”…when he was appointed King over Israel,
he wanted to bless the Essene by raising the Essene’s son
with his own son (Herod Antipas), educated in Rome,
fascinated by John the Baptist’s lifestyle, drawing him to
Christ…perhaps on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
• Note: Barnabas was listed 1
st
and Saul listed last… showing
their “rank”/positions of accepted leadership. Saul was an
“underling” here…
V2 They were worshipping the Lord and fasting together
• Then the Holy Spirit spoke (immediate revelation), “Set
apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
called them.”
• “Set apart” = consecrate
• V3 “So after they had fasted, they placed their hands on
them and sent them off.”
• Laying on of hands:
• Symbolic of transference – Lev 16: 21
• Giving blessings – Matt 19: 13 (Jesus and the children); Gen 48
& 49 – Jacob blessing his sons before his death
• Praying for healing – James 5: 14
• Ordination – Numbers 8:10; I Timothy 4: 14
• Receiving of the Gift of the Holy Spirit – Acts 8: 1 & 19: 6
It was the Holy Spirit Who sent Barnabas and Saul…the leaders
“gave them leave”…
THE 1
ST
MISSIONARY TRIP!
• Vv4&5 Went from Antioch to
Seleucia – for a boat ride to the
island of Cyprus
• Cyprus was Barnabas’ home
• They took John Mark – Barnabas’
nephew/cousin
• Salamis – their first city; they
proclaimed the Word of the Lord
to in the synagogues (Jews 1st)
• Traveled thru the entire island to
Paphos (the capital of Cyprus)
• V6 They met a false prophet
named Bar-jesus (Joshua) or
Elymas (Sage) – an attendant to
Sergius Paulus – the Roman
governor of Cyprus
• V7 Sergius called for Barnabas
and Saul to hear their message
• V8 Elymas kept bothering and
arguing against the gospel
• V9 Saul, now called Paul, filled
with the Holy Spirit, looked straight
at him and said…
• V10-11 “You are a child of the devil and
an enemy of everything that is right! You
are full of all kinds deceit and trickery. Will
you never stop perverting the right ways
of the Lord?
• Now the hand of the Lord is against you.
You are going to be blind for a time, not
even able to see the light of the sun.”
• Immediately mist and darkness came
over him and he groped about, seeking
someone to lead him by the hand.
• V12 When Sergius saw this, he believed,
for he was amazed at the teaching
about the Lord.
• Eph 6:12, “For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly places.”
• “struggle” – battle of life
• “flesh and blood” – humanity
• Principalities & powers – evil angelic
powers
• Rulers of darkness – Satan = prince of
this world
• Darkness of this world – a world
overshadowed by evil and sin
SPIRITUAL
WARFARE
• This darkness of this world is able to enslave those who yield
themselves to this evil/wickedness
• “Spiritual wickedness in high places” & “spiritual hosts” –
demons
• “Battles in heavenly places” – evil spirits fighting against
what the Spirit of the Lord is doing throughout this world
• These refer to created beings – created in perfection who
followed Satan
REMEMBER:
• God is! Never created, He is the Creator!
• He is omniscient, omnipresent, and
omnipotent! – our enemy is NOT!
• I John 4:4, “Greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the
world!”
• II Cor 10: 4, “The weapons we fight with are not weapons of
the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds.”
• Psalms 22: 3, “But You are holy, Who inhabits the praises of
Israel (Your people).”
• I Timothy 6: 12, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold
of the eternal life to which you were called…”
“…In all things we
are more than
conquerors through
Him who loves us!”
Romans 8: 37