Acts 13:1-12
OPEN IT: When was the last time you did something new and exciting? Tell us about it.
DIG INTO IT:
1. Read Acts 13:1-3 and answer the following questions:
1. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
2. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
a) What two types of leaders were prominent in the church? What is unique and similar about them?
b) From reading the names of these leaders would you say the church was diverse or were they all alike?
c) What was the church doing when the Holy Spirit spoke to them? What effect did it have?
d) Is there a connection between fasting and prayer and fulfilling our God-given mission?
2. Read Acts 13:4-12 and answer the following questions:
4. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
5. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
6. They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
7. who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.
8. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
9. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,
10. “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
11. 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.
12. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
a) Who decided where this team would travel?
b) Where was the first place they preached and why?
c) Why was Bar-Jesus so opposed to the missionaries speaking to the proconsul?
d) Describe the encounter between Paul and Bar-Jesus: Are you surprised by Paul’s actions? Why or why not?
e) What was the positive result of Paul’s actions?
f) What significance, if any, can be found in the Holy Spirit leading these men to both religious establishments and secular government leaders?
REFLECT ON IT:
1. What is your first thought if someone tells you that they are fasting?
2. If there is a direct correlation between worship, fasting, prayer and the Holy Spirit’s guidance, why do you think most Christians don’t practice these things more often?
3. Would you consider yourself to be more of a prophet, a teacher, or neither one? What is your role in the church?
4. What would you do if you ran into someone like Bar-Jesus?
5. How can our church be effective in reaching those in religions other than Christianity as well as those in secular government? What can you do personally?
6. How can we pray for you today?
PRAY ABOUT IT: “God’s way of answering the Christian’s prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” ~ Richard Cecil
Davis, Barry L.. Instant Bible Studies for Small Groups (p. 44). GodSpeed Publishing. Kindle Edition.