Pauls First Missionary Journey

1
Pauls First Missionary Journey
We dont know what Paul looked like. But we
know well the extent of his accomplishments.
2
Paul's First Missionary Journey, with Barnabas to
Cyprus and Asia Minor BCE46-48 and Its Sequel,
the Council at Jerusalem BCE49 Taken from Acts
134-1428
3

• Barnabas and some other prophets and teachers
  received a Word from the Lord, "Now separate to
  Me, Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
  have called them".
• So the disciples in Antioch
• "fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them,
  they sent them away"
• They began their missionary journey and headed
  for the port in Seleucia to set sail from Syria.

4

• So these two (Barnabas and Paul) ....
• went down (from Syrian Antioch 1) to Seleucia
  2 and from there sailed off to Cyprus.
• On their arrival at Salamis 3 they began to
  proclaim God's message in the Jewish synagogues,
  having John (Mark) as their assistant.

5

• Salamis The Missionary team landed at Salamis,
  which was the main port and commercial center of
  the entire island.
• At Salamis the Roman influence was very apparent,
  a beautiful forum, gymnasium, public baths, a
  large theater, and a temple dedicated to Zeus.
• In fact Salamis was known for having the largest
  agora (marketplace) of all the colonies within
  the Roman Empire.

6

• After ministering at Salamis, Paul journeyed from
  the east side of the island across to the west
  side preaching in the Jewish synagogues along the
  way.
• They reached Paphos 4, the city port on the
  western side of the island, and the seat of Roman
  government.

7

• Paphos was the worship center for the goddess
  Aphrodite (Venus), the Greek goddess of love,
  beauty, and fertility. According to a legend
  Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea, and
  she floated in a shell on the waves, and landed
  on Cyprus near Paphos. Every year people came
  from all over the Mediterranean world to visit
  her temple.

8

• It was here at Paphos that the Roman proconsul,
  Sergius Paulus, who, hearing of the arrival of
  Barnabas and Saul, sent for them, desiring to
  hear the word of God.
• Accompanying the governor was a Jew named
  Bar-Jesus, or Elymas, a false prophet and
  magician, who, fearful of the influence of the
  apostles, withstood them,
• "seeking to turn the proconsul away from the
  faith."

9
Paul looked at him and spoke these words Acts
1310-12

• "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of
  the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will
  you not cease perverting the straight ways of the
  Lord?
• And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon
  you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun
  for a time."
• And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he
  went around seeking someone to lead him by the
  hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw
  what had been done, being astonished at the
  teaching of the Lord."

10

• From this point in history Paul appears as the
  prominent figure of every event.
• He was now clearly seen as the preacher to the
  Gentiles, and simultaneously his name of
  reference was changed. Nothing is said to explain
  the change of name, although there are many
  conjectures among writers.

11

• When they left the city of Paphos,
• Paul and his companions set sail for Asia 5
• (modern Turkey).

12

• Asia is a massive 3000-5000 foot plateau with
  high mountain ranges all around it. The area is
  somewhat arid with a few natural resources,
  therefore the land was used mainly for grazing
  and grain. The mountains are a great source of
  resources, lots of timber, and wealthy deposits
  of gold, silver, and copper, lead, iron, zinc,
  and marble. There is fruitful rainfall along the
  coast producing grapes and olives which were
  common around the Mediterranean.

13

• The main trade route in Asia minor during the
  first century CE went from Ephesus to Antioch of
  Pisidia and then split north to the Euphrates and
  south to Tarsus and down into Syria.

14

• When Paul landed in Asia,
• he and his companions traveled inland for about
  eight miles to the city of Perga in Pamphylia
  5,
• and it was here that John Mark left the group and
  went back to Jerusalem
• (Acts 1313).

15

• They remained in Perga a short time and Paul and
  Barnabas continued north for about 100 miles, to
  "Antioch of Pisidia in the central plateau area
  of Asia Minor
• (Acts 13 14).
• There they began evangelizing the southern region
  of the province of Galatia.

16

• Galatia - A large Roman province in Asia Minor,
  extending almost from the Black Sea to the
  Mediterranean through the mountains and plains of
  modern central Turkey.
• Settled by Gauls from central Asia in the 3rd
  century BC, Galatia included the Phrygian town of
  Pisidian Antioch not to be confused with Syrian
  Antioch

17

• Antioch of Pisidia was actually "near" rather
  than "in" Pisidia.
• It became the chief administrative and military
  center for southern Galatia after Emperor
  Augustus had made it a Roman colony.
• This city was an important commercial center on
  the great trade route linking Ephesus on the
  coast with Syria and the cities of Mesopotamia.
• It was also a place of pagan worship and
  contained a great temple dedicated to Ascaenus,
  the chief deity of the city.
• Antioch of Pisidia was a highly strategic place
  from which to spread the gospel.

18

• Then they entered a synagogue in Pisidia on the
  Sabbath day and sat down.
• Paul stood up and proceeded to preach to them the
  history of redemption from Abraham to Jesus.
• Many believed and urged him to speak on the next
  Sabbath.
• During the week so much interest was stirred up
  that on the Sabbath
• "nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word
  of God."

19

• Filled with envy because of the desire of the
  Gentiles to hear,
• the Jews
• "began contradicting the things spoken by Paul,
  and were blaspheming,"
• so Paul said,
• "We turn to the gentiles...",
• and the apostles boldly proclaimed salvation to
  the gentiles.
• Jewish opposition increased, and the apostles
  left Antioch
• (Acts 1342-51). As a result of their witness,
• "the word of the Lord spread throughout all the
  whole region"
• (Acts 1349)

20

• A week later Paul and Barnabas are expelled from
  the district ...
• and went on to Iconium 7.
• And the disciples continued to be full of joy and
  the Holy Spirit.
• Much the same thing happened at Iconium.

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• Iconium (the city of icons) was located in the
  central plateau region at the foot of the Taurus
  Mountains,
• a five to six thousand foot mountain range.
• Iconium had a good water supply and was well
  situated for defense. Iconium was like a garden
  in that arid region,
• and had been called
• "the Damascus of Asia."

22

• Paul and Barnabas traveled 80 miles southeast to
  Iconium of Lycaonia.
• When they had entered the synagogue, the
  unbelieving Jews had already poisoned the
  people's minds.
• Persecution was raised by the unbelieving Jews,
  but the apostles stayed a long time and preached
  and were, encouraged by the miracles that God
  worked through them.
• Although a great multitude believed the gospel
  at Iconium, because of their Jewish instigators
  the city was divided in opinion about the message
  preached by the evangelists.

Church of ST. Paul in Iconium
23

• But when a hostile movement arose from both
  Gentiles and Jews in collaboration with the
  authorities to insult and stone them, they got to
  know about it, fled to the Lycaonian cities of
  Lystra 8 and Derbe 9, and the surrounding
  countryside - and from there they continued to
  proclaim the Gospel.
• (Acts 1351-146).

24

• Lystra is located about 18 miles southwest of
  Iconium and it was not positively identified
  until the discovery of an inscription in that
  area in 1885.
• The town now a place of fallen ruins lay in a
  small valley watered by a small river flowing to
  the east.
• Lystra had once been a military outpost of Rome
  but declined in population and importance after
  the area was subdued.
• It was off the main roads, and its inhabitants
  spoke their native Lycaonian language rather than
  the Greek used by most citizens of the Roman
  Empire in Paul's day
• (Acts 1411).

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• To Paul and Barnabas, Lystra seemed to be a good
  place to wait out the storm of opposition stirred
  up in Iconium.
• In Lystra they starting preaching again and when
  Paul healed a crippled man the people thought
  they were gods and said
• "The gods have become like men and have come down
  to us",
• and they called Barnabas - Zeus, and Paul -
  Hermes. Paul and Barnabas corrected them and
  preached the gospel.

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• But Jews from Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia came
  to Lystra and turned its citizens against the
  missionaries.
• Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city,
  thinking he was dead.
• When the disciples came to him he rose up and he
  and Barnabas left for Derbe.

27

• The day following Paul's stoning at Lystra, the
  missionaries journeyed to another secluded city,
  Derbe (Gudelisin), located about 70 miles
  southeast of Lystra. Paul preached in Derbe and
• "made many disciples"
• (Acts 1421),
• one of them was (Gaius) who later accompanied
  Paul on his journey through Greece
• (Acts 204). Only recently has it been
  identified with certainty, and we have little
  information about the site.

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• Rather than taking the most direct route to
  Antioch of Syria, Paul and Barnabas retraced
  their steps through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch
  of Pisidia, , "strengthening the souls of the
  disciples, encouraging them to continue in the
  faith." They were also appointing elders in every
  church
• (Acts 1421-23).

29

• They also returned to Perga and preached the
  gospel there before proceeding to coastal
  Attalia, which lay southwest of Perga and was an
  important harbor and commercial center in Paul's
  day.

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• Antalya (pop. 600,000) is the modern name for
  ancient Attalia. 
• The city was founded by Attalus II (159138 BCE),
  the king of Pergamum, and was used by him as a
  Mediterranean port for his landlocked city. 
• The road from Pergamum to Attalia ran through
  Laodicea.Attalia served as the capital of the
  Pamphylia, one of the few plains located along
  the southern Mediterranean coastline of Turkey.

31

• From there, Paul and Barnabas sailed for Antioch
  of Syria,
• arriving in the autumn of 49 BCE, where they
  reported to the church all that had happened,
  especially the opening of the
• "door of faith to the Gentiles."
• (1421-27).

32

• They had been gone for nearly two years and had
  traveled approximately 1,250 miles.