Study Desk

Then Barnabas went to the city of Tarsus to look for Saul.

When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. They stayed there a whole year. Every time the church came together, Barnabas and Saul met with them and taught many people. It was in Antioch that the followers of the Lord Jesus were called "Christ-followers" for the first time.

One of them, named Agabus, stood up and spoke with the help of the Spirit. He said, "A very bad time is coming to the whole world. There will be no food for people to eat." (This time of famine happened when Claudius was emperor.)

So Peter was kept in jail, but the church was constantly praying to God for him.

Peter and the angel went past the first guard and the second guard. Then they came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened for them by itself. After they went through the gate and walked about a block, the angel suddenly left.

Herod looked everywhere for him but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and then ordered that they be killed. Later, Herod moved from Judea. He went to the city of Caesarea and stayed there a while.

Herod was very angry with the people from the cities of Tyre and Sidon. But these cities needed food from his country, so a group of them came to ask him for peace. They were able to get Blastus, the king's personal servant, on their side.

These men were all serving the Lord and fasting when the Holy Spirit said to them, "Appoint Barnabas and Saul to do a special work for me. They are the ones I have chosen to do it."

Now the Lord will touch you and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun." Then everything became dark for Elymas. He walked around lost. He was trying to find someone to lead him by the hand.

And he was patient with them for 40 years in the desert.

Then the people asked for a king. God gave them Saul, the son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was king for 40 years.

After this, for many days, those who had gone with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem saw him. They are now his witnesses to our people.

We are their descendants, and God has made this promise come true for us. God did this by raising Jesus from death. We also read about this in Psalm 2: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.'

This is what the Lord told us to do: ‘I have made you a light for the other nations, to show people all over the world the way to be saved.'"

So Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time, and they spoke bravely for the Lord. They told the people about God's grace. The Lord proved that what they said was true by causing miraculous signs and wonders to be done through them.

They also chose elders for each church and stopped eating for a period of time to pray for them. These elders were men who had put their trust in the Lord Jesus, so Paul and Barnabas put them in his care.

When Paul and Barnabas arrived, they gathered the church together. They told them everything God had used them to do. They said, "God opened a door for the non-Jewish people to believe!"

Simon Peter has told us how God showed his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time, God accepted them and made them his people.

Then the rest of the world will look for the Lord God— all those of other nations who are my people too. The Lord said this. And he is the one who does all these things.'

"So I think we should not make things hard for those who have turned to God from among the non-Jewish people.