Acts 13:7 Sermons: who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.

◄ Acts 13:7 ►

an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.

Sermons

Seekers After God	R. Tuck	Acts 13:7
A Place Found At Last for Saul	H. R. Haweis, M. A.	Acts 13:2-13
Barnabas and Paul Sent Forth	A. Barnes, D. D.	Acts 13:2-13
Blessing Sent to Others		Acts 13:2-13
Bodily Abstinence	J. Pulsford.	Acts 13:2-13
Church Enterprises, How They Must Begin in Order to be Blessed	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:2-13
Church Offices	Rieger.	Acts 13:2-13
Mission and Commission	Bp. H. C. Potter.	Acts 13:2-13
Missions, Home and Foreign		Acts 13:2-13
Obligation of Christians to Send Out Missionaries		Acts 13:2-13
The Best Travelling Attendance for a Departing Missionary	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:2-13
The Completion of the Apostolate	Prof. Von Dollinger.	Acts 13:2-13
The Duty of Sending the Gospel to the Heathen		Acts 13:2-13
The First Foreign Mission	M. C. Hazard.	Acts 13:2-13
The First Foreign Mission	C. S. Robinson, D. D.	Acts 13:2-13
The First Missionary Journey	J. Parker, D. D.	Acts 13:2-13
The First Missionary Journey	T. Binney.	Acts 13:2-13
The First Missionary Ordination At Antioch	Lisco.	Acts 13:2-13
The Messengers of the Gospel	Lisco.	Acts 13:2-13
The Strength of Missionary Work	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:2-13
Work of Missions	R. Roberts.	Acts 13:2-13
A Prudent Man	J. N. Norton, D. D.	Acts 13:3-12
Christian Prudence	G. Clayton.	Acts 13:3-12
Cyprus	Dean Plumptre.	Acts 13:3-12
Cyprus and its People	C. H. Spurgeon.	Acts 13:3-12
Elymas the Sorcerer	Dean Plumptre.	Acts 13:3-12
John Mark	H. R. Haweis, M. A.	Acts 13:3-12
Paphos	Bp. Jacobson.	Acts 13:3-12
Paul and Elymas	B. Kent, M. A.	Acts 13:3-12
Paul in Paphos	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:3-12
Paul's Fitness for His Mission	H. R. Haweis, M. A.	Acts 13:3-12
Prevalence of Sorcery	H. B. Hackett, D. D.	Acts 13:3-12
Prudence Defined	Milton.	Acts 13:3-12
Prudence Imprudent		Acts 13:3-12
Prudence is Practical Wisdom	S. Smiles, LL. D.	Acts 13:3-12
Prudence is the Art of Choosing	L. M. Stretch.	Acts 13:3-12
Prudence, False	C. H. Spurgeon.	Acts 13:3-12
Prudence: its Necessity for Self-Protection	J. Parker, D. D.	Acts 13:3-12
Salamis	Bp. Jacobsen.	Acts 13:3-12
Saul in Cyprus	J. Eadie, D. D.	Acts 13:3-12
Seeking for the Truth	J. M. Charlton, M. d.	Acts 13:3-12
Seleucia	Bp. Jacobsen.	Acts 13:3-12
Sergius Paulus	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:3-12
The First Missionary Intelligence	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:3-12
The First Missionary Ship	K. Gerok.	Acts 13:3-12
They Preached the Word of God	C. S. Robinson, D. D.	Acts 13:3-12
To the Jew First	H. C. Trumbull, D. D.	Acts 13:3-12
Undying Fame	Archdeacon Farrar.	Acts 13:3-12
The Gospel in Cyprus	R.A. Redford	Acts 13:4-12
The Mission in Cyprus	E. Johnson	Acts 13:4-12
Forwardness and Frailty	W. Clarkson	Acts 13:4-13

Pulpit Commentary Homiletics

Seekers After God

Acts 13:7

R. Tuck

This passage introduces to us a Roman official, speaks of him in generally good terms as a "prudent man," but lets us know something of his secret feelings and his unrest of heart, by adding that he "desired to hear the Word of God." The way in which heathen religions prepared the way for the gospel is often pointed out, but we have not yet adequately apprehended the fact that a Divine work of preparation was carried on in many heathen souls; such instances as this of Sergius Paulus being properly treated as prominent examples of a general fact. It is to the yearning of the heathen heart for the true God and the eternal life that St. Paul makes his appeals; and in later missionary work remarkable instances have been met with of soul-seeking for God, before the missionaries brought the gospel light. We ought, indeed, to expect to find men everywhere seeking after God, seeing that "he hath made of one blood all nations to dwell upon the earth," and has never "left himself without a witness;" but a conception of the exclusiveness of the revelation in Christ has so occupied Christian thought that the noble conception of Christ's revelation as the ultimate issue and completion of all other revelations, is only now gaining acceptance. Men have so strongly felt the antagonistic sides of the heathen religions that they have failed to ask whether earnest souls within utterly corrupt systems may not be

"Infants crying in the night;
Infants crying for the light;
And with no language but a cry." Dean Plumptre gives an interesting inscription - the date of which is, however, uncertain, and may be of the second or third century after Christ - found at Galgoi, in Cyprus, which shows a yearning after something higher than the polytheism of Greece. It reads thus: "Thou, the one God, the greatest, the most glorious Name, help us all, we beseech thee." The unrest and anxious inquiring of Sergius Paulus are farther indicated in the fact that he had come into the power of Elymas the sorcerer, who evidently persuaded him that he could settle all his doubts. The subject introduced by this incident may be considered under the following divisions: -

I. THE NATURAL DISPOSITION OF MAN TO SEEK FOR GOD. Remember St. Augustine's words, "Man is made for God, and can find no rest till he finds rest in him." Seeking God is necessary to the dependent creature, who must lean, and must find some one on whom he may perfectly lean. "A belief in some personal power, the arbiter of man's destiny, above and beyond himself, is a primary necessity of the human mind. Mankind can never dispense with this belief, however superfluous in certain cases and for a time it may seem to be to the individual" (Canon Farrar). Much has been made of the fact that some tribes of men have been found which had no name for God, and indeed no knowledge of him or concern to hear about him; but it may fairly be urged, from the utterly degraded condition of these tribes, that men have never lost their care for God until they have virtually lost their manhood. Degraded to be like the beasts, they cease to have uplooking eyes and yearning hearts. Humanity is knit in brotherhood by its great united cry for its Father.

II. THE THINGS THAT MAY TEMPORARILY SATISFY THE SEEKING. These take one of three forms; either:

1. The absorption of a man in purely material and selfish interests, which may overlay and crush down the soul's great needs; just as now the world and its business and pleasure so often silence the soul's cry in the Christian.

2. The teachings of a philosophy which attempts to put "thoughts" and" ideas" in the place of a living being.

3. So-called false religions, which give unworthy views of God, but, by ceremonial, seek to satisfy the religious instinct. Such religions offer, what man appears to need, a doctrine about God, and a cult or worship of him. It may be shown that, in subtle forms, men are enticed from their seekings, even in these Christian days, by one or other of these evil influences.

III. THE UNREST WHICH SOONER OR LATER RETURNS. For man can only find permanent rest in that which is true. The false has no "staying power." It may seem to fit at one time, but life advances, new needs arise, new thoughts stir within, and the false theory will no longer serve, - the man finds himself looking out again, as anxiously as in the early days, and with the feeling that life is passing and the time for the quest is brief, for the truth and God wherein are final rest. Sooner or later a man wakes up from his sleep of delusion, feels the darkness all about him, and puts out his hand, feeling after God, if haply he may find him. The unrest that surely comes to men within the world's care and pleasure, within skeptical philosophies, and within merely ceremonial religions, is our constant plea for the preaching of the gospel and the revelation to men of God, in Christ manifest.

IV. THE RESPONSE WHICH GOD SURELY MAKES WHEN A WHOLE SOUL IS TURNED To HIM. He waiteth to be gracious, stands at the door ready for the opening, really wants every man to be saved, in the mystery of his great Fatherhood has a real need of souls, desires their love, finds his own joy in their trust, and so is sure to respond when men turn and seek him. And finding God, and coming into personal relations with him, is the end of man's quest. Against God, and everything in life is hard and dark and wrong. Apart from God, and all life and relations lie bathed in the lurid glow of stormy passion and self-will. With God, and earth, life, duty, and fellowship catch the soft, sweet sunlight, and everything takes on its beauty and perfection. If we have God we have all; and we have all in God, in the God whom St. Paul preached, of whose glory Jesus the Man is the express and blessed image. - R.T.

Biblical Illustrator

But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women.

Acts 13:50-52

Jewish tactics

Dean Plumptre.

The fact brings before us another feature of the relations between Jews and Gentiles at this period. They "compassed sea and land to make one proselyte." They found it easiest to make proselytes of women. Such conversions had their good and their bad sides. In many cases there was a real longing for a higher and purer life than was found in the infinite debasement of Greek and Roman society, which found its satisfaction in the life and faith of Israel. But with many, such as Juvenal speaks of when he describes ("Sat." 6:542) the Jewish teacher who gains influence over women, "The trembling Jewess whispers in her ear, And tells her of the laws of Solymae" (i.e., Jerusalem). The change brought with it new elements of superstition and weakness, and absolute submission of conscience to its new directors, and thus the Rabbis were often to the wealthier women of Greek and Roman cities what Jesuit confessors were in France and Italy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Here we get the darker side of the picture. The Jews stir up the women of the upper class, and they stir up their husbands. The latter were content apparently to acquiesce in their wives accepting the Judaism with which they had become familiar, but resented the intrusion of a new and, in one sense, more exacting doctrine.

(Dean Plumptre.)

But they shook off the dust of their feet against them

When should a servant of God shake off the dust of his feet

K. Gerok.

1. When he has not only knocked in a friendly manner, but also boldly kept is ground.

2. When he has been called on to proceed, not only by men, but by God.

3. When not only the door here is closed, but when he also sees it opened elsewhere for successful work.

(K. Gerok.)

Israel's temporary rejection

K. Gerok.

1. Wickedly caused by themselves, through pride and ingratitude.

2. Righteously ordained by the Lord in virtue of holiness and truth.

3. An admonitory example to Christianity, and also an impressive call to go after the lost sheep of Israel.

(K. Gerok.)

And the disciples were filled with Joy and with the Holy Ghost.

Holy joy

Weekly Pulpit.

I. THE PROSPERITY OF THE WORD OF GOD IS A SPECIAL SOURCE OF REJOICING TO CHRISTIANS. It was not an ordinary gladness, but the special and overflowing joy which can only be stirred up by extraordinary manifestations of the grace of God. We are full of joy —

1. Because we are saved. Deliverance from danger and death is ever a source of gratitude. A soul rescued from the power of sin and the consequences thereof, is a theme of the highest inspiration, whether we think of the value of the soul, or the price of deliverance. The brave rescuer risks his life to save others. Jesus died to save mankind.

2. Because Jesus sees of the travail of His soul.

3. At the prospect of seeing the glory of the Lord filling the earth. Every step onward which the Word of God takes, revives the hope of universal restoration.

II. THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY GHOST IN THE HEART IS A SPECIAL SOURCE OF SUPPORT TO CHRISTIANS. The Comforter sustained them in their trial.

1. They were full of holy courage. The circumstances of the disciples at Antioch were depressing. Devout and honourable women, with the chief men of the city, had raised the storm of persecution. The apostles were driven out of the city. The number of believers was small, and probably they were poor; but the source of their strength was the power of the Spirit in their heart. They could not be cast down while they were under such influence. There could be no darkness while the glory of the Lord shone within them.

2. They were full of consecration to their work. They were resolved to labour on until the name of Jesus would become universal. The light which shone on their path revealed the triumph of faith.

3. They were full of assurance that Jesus' name would become glorious in the earth.

(Weekly Pulpit.)

Joy in the Holy Ghost

Dr. Boyd.

When I was a country minister in Scotland, some time ago, the most joyous person in my parish was a poor old woman whose every joint was knotted with rheumatism; her husband was a poor labouring old man, her home a crowded hut, yet her life was bright and cheerful. When I was dejected I used to visit her, and after ten minutes conversation my load would be tightened. She diffused gladness wherever she was, because the Holy Spirit dwelt in her as a temple.

(Dr. Boyd.)

Spiritual experience

J. P. Allen, M. A.

The description is brief but noteworthy.

I. IT RECORDS AN EXPERIENCE — SPIRITUAL, REAL, AND EXEMPLARY. There was emotionalism, high and holy; and it was visible. The elements were simple, but grand.

1. "Joy."

2. "The Holy Ghost." Each is suggestive, and both were prominent features of those early times. They are, too, co-related. Instead of spirituality and gladness being antagonistic, the soul is joyous just because it has the Holy Ghost; and the fruit of the Spirit's influence is a more perfect, joy, so that the more largely we possess the Spirit, the greater becomes our joy.

II. THE DEGREE AND MEASURE OF THIS EXPERIENCE deserves consideration. It was not the possession of a favoured few, but of the "disciples." By them it was possessed, not scantily, or partially, they were "filled" with it. These emotions did not spring from external circumstances, but were independent of them and superior to them: they were, despite outward adversity (see vers. 50-51, and Acts 14:22).

III. THE ATTAINMENT OF LIKE EXPERIENCE can never be deemed impossible when we remember the exhortations of Scripture, and the testimony of "disciples" — learners in the school of Christ. "If ye being evil know how," etc. If possible, how advantageous to us would such an experience prove! joyous in itself; an evidence; an energy; a foretaste.

(J. P. Allen, M. A.)

Full of joy and of the Holy Ghost

A. Maclaren, D. D.

(Acts 8:39): — There is a striking resemblance between the condition of the eunuch deprived of his teacher and of these raw disciples, in Pisidian Antioch, bereft of theirs. Both were very recent converts; both had the scantiest knowledge; both were left utterly alone. Now this phrase, "full of the Holy Ghost," is not an uncommon one in the Acts of the Apostles; and the Writer is fond of connecting with it other graces, of which it is declared to be the cause. So they were to be "men full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom"; and of Stephen we read that "he was full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." The text traces the joy of these solitary Christians to the complete possession of that Divine Spirit. So filled, we shall have an all-sufficient Teacher for all our ignorance; a Companion for all our solitude; a fountain of joy in all our sorrow. And the stories before us may help to illustrate these three things.

I. First, then, note here, THE ALL-SUFFICIENT TEACHER FOR OUR IGNORANCE. Think, for instance, of that Ethiopian statesman. An hour or two before he had said, "How can I understand except some man guide me?" And now he is going away into the darkness, without a single external help, knowing only the little that he had gathered from Philip. He had not a line of the New Testament. He had nothing but a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, but he went away with a glad heart, quite sure that he would be taught all he needed to know. And these other people at Antioch, just dragged out of the darkness of heathenism, with no teaching beyond the rudimentary instruction of the two apostles for a few days — they, too, were left by their teachers without a fear. We trust far too little to the educating and enlightening power of God's grace in the hearts of men who have no other teacher. And if Christian people more really believed the promise of their Master, "He will guide you into all truth," they would be more likely to realise the promise, and be all taught of God. Only remember the instrument of that Divine Teacher is the Word of God. And if we, as Christians, neglect our Bibles, we shall not get the teaching of the Spirit of God. And remember, too, that that teaching is granted to us on plainly defined conditions. There must be a desire for it. And there must be patient waiting and solitary meditation. Let us take the lesson, and whosesoever scholars we may be, let us enroll ourselves in the school of the Master, and learn from that Spirit who will guide us into all truth.

II. Now, note, secondly, THE COMPANION IN ALL OUR SOLITUDE. Think of the loneliness of this man on the Gaza road, or of that handful of sheep in the midst of wolves at Antioch. And yet they were not alone. "Full of the Holy Ghost," they were conscious of a Divine presence. And so it may be with us all. We are all condemned to live alone, however many may be the troops of friends round us. Every human soul, after all love and companionship, lives isolated. There is only One who can pass the awful boundary of personality which hedges off every man from every other. Besides the natural, necessary solitude in which every human soul lives there are some of us, no doubt, on whom God, by His providence, has laid the burden of a very lonely life. God's purpose in making us solitary is to join Himself to us. Left alone, nestle close to Him. Beside the natural and the providential solitudes there is yet another. We must make a solitude for ourselves if we would have God speaking to us and keeping us company. Solitude is the mother country of the strong. To be much alone is the condition of sanity and nobleness of life. No man's religion will be deep and strong unless he has learned to go into the secret place of the Most High, and shut his doors about him, and there receive the fulness of that Spirit.

III. Lastly, notice THE JOY IN ALL THE SORROW. "Full of joy and of the Holy Ghost," says the latter of the two texts. That collocation is familiar to the student of the New Testament. You will remember the apostle's great enumeration of the fruits of the Spirit, "Love, joy, peace." And in another place he speaks to the members of one of his Churches, and tells them that they had "received the Word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost." So then, whoever has this Divine Guest dwelling in his heart may possess a joy as complete as is its possession of him. I need not remind you how that Divine Spirit, that enters into our souls by faith, brings to us the consciousness of forgiveness and of sonship, nor how it fits the needs of every part of our nature, and brings all our being into harmony with itself, with circumstances, and with God. But I may remind you that not only does this Divine Spirit in us make provision for joy, but that, with such an indwelling Guest, there is the possibility of the co-existence of joy and sorrow. It is no paradox that the apostle gave forth when he said, "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." Even in the midst of the snow and cold and darkness of Arctic regions the explorers build houses for themselves of the very blocks of ice, and within are warmth and light end comfort and vitality, while around is a dreary waste. But remember that this joy from the Spirit is a commandment. I am sure that Christians do not sufficiently lay to heart that gladness is their duty, and that sorrow unrelieved by it is cowardice and sin. We have no business to be thus sorrowful. But remember the conditions. If you and I have that Divine Spirit within us we shall be enlightened, however ignorant; companioned, however solitary; joyful, however ringed about with sorrow. If we have not, the converse will be true.

(A. Maclaren, D. D.)

Persecution not inconsistent with joy

Cawdray.

As if a man should throw precious stones and jewels at another, with intent to kill him, and the other should gather them up and enrich himself with them; even so do persecutors enrich the children of God, that they may rejoice being worthy to suffer for Christ's sake.

(Cawdray.)

Joy a Christian evidence

H. W. Beecher.

The ordinary idea is that a Christian is sombre, but that is a perversion of the gospel. The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy in the Holy Ghost, and if God comes into the soul, we may expect that the result will be the imparting of the element of joy which is so eminent in him. Sometimes through secular instruments God makes us joyful, for He employs the whole world to work out His purposes; but sometimes, by seemingly breaking upon the spirit of His people, He makes them joyful. You cannot tell why you are so musical at times. On some days you are full of music. There are some hours that are radiant above all other hours. And when these transpire among God's people, it is not an unfair thing to infer that they are signs of Christ's presence with them.

(H. W. Beecher.).

People

Barjesus, Barnabas, Benjamin, Cis, David, Elymas, Herod, Israelites, Jesse, John, Kish, Lucius, Manaen, Niger, Paul, Pilate, Samuel, Saul, Sergius, Simeon

Places

Canaan, Cyprus, Cyrene, Egypt, Galilee, Iconium, Jerusalem, Pamphylia, Paphos, Perga, Pisidia, Pisidian Antioch, Salamis, Seleucia, Syrian Antioch

Topics

Able, Barnabas, Deputy, Desire, Desired, Desiring, Friend, God's, Intelligence, Intelligent, Keen, Message, Paulus, Proconsul, Prudent, Ruler, Saul, Sergius, Sought, Summoned, Understanding, Wanted

Outline

1. Paul and Barnabas are chosen to go to the Gentiles.
6. Of Sergius Paulus, and Elymas the sorcerer.
13. Paul preaches at Antioch that Jesus is Christ.
42. The Gentiles believe;
44. but the Jews talked abusively against Paul,
46. whereupon they turn to the Gentiles, of whom many believe.
50. The Jews raise a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, who go to Iconium.

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Acts 13:7

8427 evangelism, kinds of

Acts 13:4-12

4248 islands

Acts 13:6-7

5894 intelligence

Acts 13:6-8

7742 missionaries, support

Acts 13:6-11

4185 sorcery and magic
7774 prophets, false

Acts 13:6-12

     4155   divination
     5109   Paul, apostle
     8483   spiritual warfare, causes

Acts 13:7-8

5464 proconsul

Library

Easter Tuesday
Text: Acts 13, 26-39. 26 Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth. 27 For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. 29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

John Mark
'... John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.' --ACTS xiii. 13. The few brief notices of John Mark in Scripture are sufficient to give us an outline of his life, and some inkling of his character. He was the son of a well-to-do Christian woman in Jerusalem, whose house appears to have been the resort of the brethren as early as the period of Peter's miraculous deliverance from prison. As the cousin of Barnabas he was naturally selected to be the attendant and secular factotum of Paul and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Unworthy of Life
'... Seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.'--ACTS xiii. 46. So ended the first attempt on Paul's great missionary journey to preach to the Jews. It is described at great length and the sermon given in full because it is the first. A wonderful sermon it was; touching all keys of feeling, now pleading almost with tears, now flashing with indignation, now calmly dealing with Scripture prophecies, now glowing as it tells the story of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

'Full of the Holy Ghost'
'And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.'--Acts xiii. 52. That joy was as strange as a garden full of flowers would be in bitter winter weather. For everything in the circumstances of these disciples tended to make them sad. They had been but just won from heathenism, and they were raw, ignorant, unfit to stand alone. Paul and Barnabas, their only guides, had been hunted out of Antioch by a mob, and it would have been no wonder if these disciples had felt as if they had been …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Why Saul Became Paul
'Saul (who also is called Paul)' ...--ACTS xiii. 9 Hitherto the Apostle has been known by the former of these names, henceforward he is known exclusively by the latter. Hitherto he has been second to his friend Barnabas, henceforward he is first. In an earlier verse of the chapter we read that 'Barnabas and Saul' were separated for their missionary work, and again, that it was 'Barnabas and Saul' for whom the governor of Cyprus sent, to hear the word of the Lord. But in a subsequent verse of the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

To the Regions Beyond
'Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. A. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

The First Preaching in Asia Minor
'Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 27. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning Him. 28. And though they found no cause of death in Him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 29. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of Him, they took …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Luther --A Stone on the Cairn
'For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37. But He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.'--ACTS xiii. 36, 37. I take these words as a motto rather than as a text. You will have anticipated the use which I purpose to make of them in connection with the Luther Commemoration. They set before us, in clear sharp contrast, the distinction between the limited, transient work of the servants and the unbounded, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Jewish Rejecters and Gentile Receivers
'And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. 45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47. For so hath the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Gospel Missions
I SHALL not confine myself to the text. It being an old custom to take texts when we preach, I have taken one, but I shall address you, at large, upon a subject which I am sure will occupy your attention, and has done for many days and years past--the subject of gospel missions. We feel persuaded that all of you are of one mind in this matter, that it is the absolute duty as well as the eminent privilege of the Church to proclaim the gospel to the world. We do not conceive that God will do his own …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

His Own Funeral Sermon
* This sermon was preached on the Lord's-day evening after Mr. William Olney "fell on sleep." Long before the beloved preacher was "called home," it was selected for publication this week. Mrs. Spurgeon feels that her dear husband could not have delivered a more suitable discourse for "his own funeral sermon." She has, therefore, given it that title in the hope that many will be blessed by the message which "he, being dead, yet speaketh." Believing that many friends will wish to have this sermon …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Ninth Day for God's Spirit on Our Mission Work
WHAT TO PRAY.--For God's Spirit on our Mission Work "The evangelisation of the world depends first of all upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for men--ay, deep down at the bottom of our spiritless life, is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, world-wide prayer." "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul. Then when they had fasted and prayed, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed."--ACTS …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Separated unto the Holy Ghost
"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen . . . and Saul. "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. "And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed unto Seleucia" (Acts 13:1-4). In the story …
Andrew Murray—Absolute Surrender

In Endeavouring to Prove that Such Intercession Derives Some Support from Scripture they Labour In...
In endeavouring to prove that such intercession derives some support from Scripture they labour in vain. We frequently read (they say) of the prayers of angels, and not only so, but the prayers of believers are said to be carried into the presence of God by their hands. But if they would compare saints who have departed this life with angels, it will be necessary to prove that saints are ministering spirits, to whom has been delegated the office of superintending our salvation, to whom has been assigned …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith

Mr. Moody and Rev. Marcus Rainsford.
HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN. MR. MOODY.--Mr. Rainsford, how can one make room in their heart for Christ? Rev. M. Rainsford.--First, do we really want Christ to be in our hearts? If we do, the best thing will be to ask Him to come and make room for Himself. He will surely come and do so. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." "Without Me ye can do nothing." Mr. M.--Will Christ crowd out the world if He comes in? Mr. R.--He spake a parable to that effect. "When a strong man armed …
Dwight L. Moody—Sovereign Grace

The Man after God's Own Heart
"A man after mine own heart, who shall fulfil all my will."--ACTS xiii. 22. A BIBLE STUDY ON THE IDEAL OF A CHRISTIAN LIFE No man can be making much of his life who has not a very definite conception of what he is living for. And if you ask, at random, a dozen men what is the end of their life, you will be surprised to find how few have formed to themselves more than the most dim idea. The question of the summum bonum has ever been the most difficult for the human mind to grasp. What shall a man …
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Holy Spirit Sending Men Forth to Definite Lines of Work.
We read in Acts xiii. 2-4, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed into Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." It is evident from this passage that the Holy Spirit calls men into definite lines of work and sends them forth into the work. He not …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

Via Dolorosa
We have finished the first part of our theme--the Trial of Jesus--and turn now to the second and more solemn part of it--His Death. The trial had been little better than a mockery of justice: on the part of the ecclesiastical authority it was a foregone conclusion, and on the part of the civil authority it was the surrender of a life acknowledged to be innocent to the ends of selfishness and policy. But at last it was over, and nothing remained but to carry the unjust sentence into execution. …
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

The Kingdom Conquering the World
Acts Page Paul's Epistles Page Outline for Study of Epistles Page I Thessalonians Page I Corinthians Page Romans Page Philippians Page II Timothy Page The General Epistles Page Questions on the Book of James Page Studies in I and II Peter Page I John Page THE ACTS I. Author: 1. Name. 2. Number of …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible

The Extension of the Church Throughout the World
A.D. 45-70 Section 1. The First Mission to the Gentiles. [Sidenote: A.D. 45.] [Sidenote: St. Paul and St. Barnabas sent to preach to the heathen.] It would seem that in the special Eucharistic offerings and Lenten discipline mentioned by St. Luke[1], the Church in Antioch was seeking guidance of her Divine Head as to her duties with respect to the gentile world in the midst of which she was placed; and that the command of the Holy Ghost to consecrate St. Paul and St. Barnabas as Apostles to the …
John Henry Blunt—A Key to the Knowledge of Church History

Early Life the Place of Paul +The Man
STUDY I EARLY LIFE THE PLACE OF PAUL +The Man, Paul,+ judged by the influence he has exerted in the world, is one of the greatest characters in all history. He is pre-eminent not only as a missionary, but as a marvelous thinker and writer. "He was a personality of vast power, force, and individuality." There are some men who seem to be born and prepared to do a large work for the world; Paul makes the impression upon those who carefully read the record of his life that he stands first in this class …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

First Missionary Journey Scripture
STUDY III FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY Scripture, Acts 13:1-14:26 INTRODUCTION TO THE THREE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS Before taking up the study of the first missionary journey, attention is called to certain points which should be considered in regard to all three of them (Acts 13:1-21:17). We have now arrived at what we might call the watershed of the Acts of the Apostles. Hitherto we have had various scenes, characters, personages to consider. Henceforth Paul, his labors, his disputes, his speeches, occupy …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Paul's Missionary Labors.
The public life of Paul, from the third year after his conversion to his martyrdom, a.d. 40-64, embraces a quarter of a century, three great missionary campaigns with minor expeditions, five visits to Jerusalem, and at least four years of captivity in Caesarea and Rome. Some extend it to a.d. 67 or 68. It may be divided into five or six periods, as follows: 1. a.d. 40-44. The period of preparatory labors in Syria and his native Cilicia, partly alone, partly in connection with Barnabas, his senior …
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

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