Acts 13:4-12 | Head-to-HeadSýnishorn

Going Head-to-Head

At Acts 13, things take a shift. Until now, Acts has mostly focused on the ministry of Peter in and around Judea. Now, the focus shifts to the ministry of Paul as he takes the gospel throughout the wider Roman Empire.

Here in Acts 13 we see Paul and Barnabas sent out on what is typically called the first of Paul’s three missionary journeys. It’s a bit misleading, because it can lead you to believe this is the first time Paul engaged in missionary activity. Not so. If you remember from Acts (and Galatians), Paul spent a lot of time witnessing to Christ and proclaiming the gospel in Damascus and Arabia (Acts 9:19-25; Gal 1:17), Tarsus and Cilicia (Acts 9:30; Gal 1:21-24), and in Antioch—where we currently find Paul in Acts 13. From here, Paul and Barnabas are sent to Cyprus, and maybe that’s why it’s so common in Christian circles to call this Paul’s first missionary journey instead of his fourth—because now he’s formally sent. But Paul’s witness up to this time should remind us that each of us who calls on Jesus’s name is a witness – a missionary – wherever we’re at and to whatever people we are surrounded by. Here in Acts 13, we now see them formally sent. This time, to Cyprus, about 40 miles by boat west of the mainland. It’s where Barnabas is from (Acts 4:36).

Acts can get confusing for modern readers. All kinds of places get mentioned for which many of us have no frame of reference. Here in Acts 13 we find Paul and Barnabas going to Seleucia, sailing for Cyprus, arriving at Salamis, and making their way to Paphos. If that leaves you lost in the details, you’re not the first. It makes it all seem a bit random and keeps Acts feeling distant. When in doubt, look on a map, and the journey will start to make sense. (Below is a nice clean one taken from NT Wright’s commentary, Acts for Everyone.)

This first leg of the journey on Cyprus acts as a snapshot of everything else to come. The Spirit sends them, they teach and proclaim Jesus in a synagogue, expand into the surrounding region (or hit it on the way), and while some come to faith—especially among the Gentiles, they also find mounting opposition. Again and again, we find Paul and these early Christians coming head-to-head with the people and world around him.

When the kingdom of God invades a new area, almost always it’s met with head-to-head confrontation and opposition. And that’s what Acts is: the story of Jesus bringing his kingdom to the ends of the earth. It’s an invasion, or better, a liberation, of a world blinded and held in the grip of the powers of darkness, being set free by the power and presence of King Jesus. But the powers of darkness (and those controlled by them) don’t surrender lightly.

Today, read the account of the first leg of Paul’s “first” missionary journey on Cyprus. Get a feel for the story and pay attention to the patterns mentioned above; they’ll serve as a template for the rest of Acts. And ask how Christ’s kingdom is coming head-to-head with what’s around it.