27th Mar 26 | 16:08
Studies by Book
02 Acts 13 04-12 THE MINISTRY IN CYPRUS 03 Acts 13 04 Working along with the Holy Spirit
📖 Acts 13:04-12
03 – Mon, 31 Mar 2025 – *Working along with the Holy Spirit* - _Acts 13:04-12_ – THE MINISTRY IN CYPRUS –
_Acts 13:4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and sailed to Cyprus from there._
Barnabas and Saul decided to go to Seleucia and sail to Cyprus from there. They trusted the Lord as they chose where to go to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
I encourage you to follow Paul’s missionary journeys on a map. This link is for the journey from Antioch to Seleucia and then to Cyprus.
Cyprus would have been a natural choice for ministry for Barnabas, who came from Cyprus. _Acts 4:36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), *a Levite of the country of Cyprus*,_
It is always said that we must go from the known to the unknown. There were already believers in Jesus in Cyprus. _Acts 11:19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen *traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only*._
Some of them from Cyprus had come to Antioch and preached to the people there. _Acts 11:20-21 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. (21) And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord._
The church was formed in Antioch. Now, the message of the cross was coming back to Cyprus through Barnabas and Paul. We can note the overlapping spread of the Gospel.
We are all interdependent for the work of His kingdom. We overlap with each other for His work. The Lord is the one who orchestrates each of our roles and functions. The end result is amazing.
No church or ministry should think they can be independent from others. This is foolishness and will lead to tragic results. Even when we do pioneering work, we must expect to see the hand of God that has left His imprints ahead of us. We must join hands with what God has already begun in any place.
We must learn to collaborate under God. _John 4:37-38 For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' (38) I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."_
Cyprus was a significant hub in the Mediterranean, with bustling trade routes and a diverse population. This made it an ideal place to begin the work of the Gospel and establish early Christian communities. Cyprus was thus a strategic place to begin their missionary journeys because here they would be ‘testing the waters’ of the kind of people they would encounter in different places where they would travel in the future.
The first place in Cyprus where they began their missionary work was Salamis. _Acts 13:5 And *when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews*. They also had John as their assistant._
Salamis was a prominent port city, and as a pattern that they always followed, they began by preaching in the synagogues there. Being a port city meant that any information and any new thought would more easily and more quickly spread to other places. This was strategic.
How was it that they arrived in Salamis and preached the word of God in the synagogues straightaway? We would not allow people who arrive from another place to share the word of God straightaway in our local church.
Let us get an insight into the Jewish culture, of which the synagogues and its activities were central.
The synagogues often followed an open format, especially for the reading and explanation of the Torah (the Law) and the Prophets. Paul could engage so readily.
After the reading of the Torah and the Prophets, there was a time for teaching or exhortation. The leader of the synagogue would often invite someone qualified to speak, especially a visiting scholar like Paul
Paul was a Pharisee and a highly educated scholar of Jewish law, having been trained under the renowned teacher Gamaliel in Jerusalem. His credentials and reputation would have been recognized among Jewish communities, giving him immediate access, respect and credibility.
Paul, as a travelling Pharisee, would likely have been welcomed to share insights or teachings, especially in the smaller or more isolated Jewish communities across the Diaspora.
Paul intentionally began his missionary efforts in synagogues, knowing he would find people familiar with the Scriptures and receptive to discussions about the Messiah. This approach also allowed him to first engage with Jews and then extend his message to interested Gentiles.
*It’s fascinating how Paul's training and strategy worked in harmony with the customs of his time, enabling him to spread the Gospel effectively.* We must recognise that the Lord places in us our skills, training, and exposure for the Gospel.
As we embark with Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey, we can see the beautiful meshing of the leading of the Holy Spirit with the execution of a strategy. Is there a place where we can draw the line that this is where we depend on the Holy Spirit, and this is where we operate out of our understanding?
There isn’t. *We must fully depend on the Holy Spirit always, and we must always apply our minds, skills, knowledge, background and strategy in whatever we do.*