Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
December 2025
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’35 So it is also stated elsewhere: “‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:13-52 NIV)
Today, we want to talk about responses to the gospel. When the gospel is presented clearly, there are many different responses that people have. Some are positive and some are negative.
Some love it and some hate it. Paul and Barnabas got kicked out of town at the end of this chapter, but it ends on a high note. The Word of God spreads (Acts 13:49) and the disciples are filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52).
The gospel divides people. Truth divides people. Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew that He did not come to bring peace but a sword (Matthew 10:34). You say, “I thought He was the Prince of Peace.” He did not come to bring a literal sword. That is what Muhammad brought.
What did Jesus mean? Luke tells us what He meant in a parallel passage, Luke says that Jesus did not. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says that He did not come to bring peace but division (Luke 12:52).
He brought division among people, even among families. We see this a lot in the Middle East in Jewish families and Muslim families when someone accepts Jesus as Messiah. Their whole family turns against that person and in many cases their safety is put at risk.
He said, “For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:35-36 NIV)
Paul’s Three Roles
Paul has three roles in Acts 13: missionary, miracle-worker and minister. In the beginning of the chapter, we see him as a MISSIONARY. He is sent out by the church as a missionary. The church lays their hands on Paul and Barnabas and sends them off.
Then, we see him as a MIRACLE-WORKER. He had an encounter with a false prophet and struck that demonized sorcerer blind on the spot. It was his first miracle. That is an interesting first miracle.
There are many more in the Book of Acts. He causes people to walk who have never walked. He raises the dead. People are even healed by touching the clothes that he wore.
In this passage, we see him as a MINISTER. Paul stood up and started preaching. We have heard a lot of sermons in our day. Some are better than others.
Paul’s Synagogue Sermon
This was a sermon, not just by a seminary trained pastor, but by an actual apostle, who was hand-selected by Jesus to the position. He did not get in by a vote of the church. Jesus picked him out.
He delivered a sermon around 47 AD in Pisidian Antioch. Pisidian Antioch is in Turkey today. It was a powerful sermon. We preach today and nothing seems to happen, other than a few people falling asleep.
When the apostle preached, great things happened. There is either a riot or a revival. Peter preached a sermon at Pentecost, and three thousand people were instantly converted and the first church started in Jerusalem.
Paul preached two sermons and a new church was started and the whole city of Pisidian Antioch heard the gospel.
It wasn’t the first time that Paul preached a sermon. He’d preached many times before. Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus Road. He spoke to him and Paul was radically saved. The very first thing he did was to preach Jesus in the synagogue in Damascus
21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. (Acts 9:21-22 NIV)
This was not Paul’s first sermon, but it was the first one that was recorded. We have his actual words or a summary of what he said.
The Synagogue Service
Paul and Barnabas show up at a weekly synagogue service. We are told, “On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down” (Acts 13:15 NIV). We learn a little about this synagogue service.
It had Scripture reading in it. Luke tells us that there was a reading from the LAW and the PROPHETS (Acts 13:15). That is a Jewish tradition that continues is synagogues today.
They have a reading from the law (which the call the Torah) and a reading from the prophets (which they call the Haftorah)
That is something we could learn from the synagogue which was like a Jewish church. Some churches today don’t even have Scripture readings.
It is biblical. Paul told Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” (I Timothy 4:13 NIV).
It was also an informal service. Our church services today are often so structured and planned out down to the minute that there is often no room for the Holy Spirit to work. While they were there, the leaders of the synagogue, gave them an invitation to speak.
After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” (Acts 13:15 NIV)
Why were they given an invitation? Visiting rabbis were often an opportunity to speak. Paul and Barnabas were two Jewish visitors from out of town. They were dressed like Jews.
Paul was a former Pharisee. He probably had his special robe on. Pharisees in the first century wore specific robes. They wore long flowing garments, with enlarged and embroidered fringes or borders.
They may have heard that Paul not only had some rabbinical training but studied under the greatest rabbi of the day, Gamaliel. They would have been interested in anything he said. He would have had an open invitation to speak.
Paul gets a golden opportunity to share the gospel and he takes it. How often do we get a chance to share our faith and we completely blow it. Paul stood up and started preaching. He preaches from Acts 13:16-41. We do not have his full sermon. This is a summary.
Paul preaches a very similar message that Peter preached in Acts. Peter and Paul were very different. They had different personalities. They had different backgrounds.
Peter was an uneducated fisherman. Paul had one of the finest Jewish educations of his day but they both preached the same message. They preached the same gospel.
Both preached that Jesus’ death was a miscarriage of justice but was also a fulfilment of prophecy. Both preached not only the death but the resurrection and appearances of Jesus. Both preached the message of salvation.
Paul said that Jesus offered a salvation that you could not find in the Law of Moses. The Law does not save anyone. It just condemns you.
“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39 NIV).
He preached to two different groups of people. Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! (Acts 13:16 NIV).
He spoke to ethnic Jews and he spoke to Gentiles. Gentiles who converted to Judaism, were known as proselytes. Another group of Gentiles were called “God-fearers.”
God-fearers embraced the God of Israel. They worshipped in the synagogue. They were moral. They were religious but were not full converts. They had not been circumcised.
Paul’s Evangelism Tactics
1) Seek common ground
How did he do that? Paul taught to his own people (fellow Jews) in their house of worship (local synagogue) using their Bible (Hebrew Bible) and talked about their common heritage as Jews.
That is the first part of the sermon was a survey of Jewish history (Acts 13:16-22). Paul went over a thousand years of Jewish history from Abraham to David and what God did for the Jewish people.
He chose Abraham, made the people prosper, led them for forty years, overthrew seven nations, gave them judges, gave them a king.
Paul was not confrontational. He did not stand up and start screaming in their face that they were all going to Hell. He used tact. He sought common ground. That is a lesson for us today. That is something we should do.
2) Use Scripture
Paul had an amazing testimony. It is one of the greatest conversion stories in history how he went from a persecutor to a preacher and from a murderer to a minister.
He encountered the supernatural. Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus Road in a brought light and spoke to him audibly. We have never had that happen to us. I would have expected him to share that experience with his audience, but he didn’t share it.
It is a powerful testimony, but it was one man’s testimony. Someone else could come and give a different testimony. Instead, what he did was to quote Scripture.
Why did he do that? He preached a biblical gospel. Paul said the gospel is Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES (I Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV)
Paul quotes four OT passages in his sermon. Paul knew his Bible. He quotes Psalm 2:7, which says, “You are my Son, this day I have begotten you” (Acts 13:33).
He quotes Psalm 16:10, which says, “You will not let your Holy One see corruption” (Acts 13:35). He quotes Isaiah 55:3, which says, “I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David” (Acts 13:34).
Lastly, he quotes Habakkuk 1:5, which says, “Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish” (Acts 13:41). He quotes Scripture because there is power in the Word of God. It is living and powerful. Do we know the Word well enough to quote it like Paul did?
He quotes another passage from Isaiah at the end of the chapter. “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. That is Isaiah 49:6.
3) Preach Jesus
He did not preach himself. He preached Jesus. He preached Jesus as Messiah. He preached Him as Savior (Acts 13:23). He preached him as a descendant of King of David (Acts 13:23).
He preached His death. He preached His resurrection. He preached His appearances. Paul said that Jesus appeared to people in Galilee. He appeared to people in Jerusalem (Acts 13:31). They can verify what Paul taught.
God has fulfilled his promises in bringing Jesus into the world through the line of David. The prophecies were fulfilled. The Messiah has come. OT Jewish history culminates in the coming of the Messiah. He is here.
4) Be balanced
He gave both promises and warnings. Paul gave them an incredible promise. There is salvation in Jesus. His name means “savior.” Your sins can be forgiven. You can be free of your sins.
Paul said, “Through him EVERYONE who believes is set free from EVERY sin” (Acts 13:39 NIV). You can not only be forgiven but justified or declared righteous in Jesus.
Paul says, “Through him EVERYONE who believes is set free from EVERY sin” (Acts 13:39 NIV). You can not only be forgiven but justified or declared righteous in Jesus.
There is a also a warning. It is a warning about unbelief. It is a warning about skepticism. Paul concluded with a warning not to reject the message of the gospel.
The prophets warned that judgment was coming. The Babylonians were coming and they rejected it.
Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you (Acts 13:41 NIV)
5) Don’t give up
When they were rejected and kicked out of town, they did not go home. They did not stop preaching. In fact, the chapter ends with the Word being spread through the whole region (Acts 13:49).
They just preached to other people. When one city rejected them, they just went to Iconium, which was ninety miles away. When the Jew rejected his message, he preached it to the Gentiles instead.
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46 NIV)
Paul did not force the message on people who rejected it. He looked for open hearts, so Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet and turned to the Gentiles. We should do the same.
Two Responses
The sermon ends with two responses. It led to JOY and it led to JEALOUSY. Some loved the message and some hated it. Some loved it so much that they wanted him to come back after preaching a long sermon.
They could not get enough. They were begging for them to come back. That is a preacher’s dream. They can’t wait to hear more about this. There was no internet. There was no social media but somehow the word got out.
People told their neighbors and their friends, “You missed it. There were visitors who came to the synagogue and spoke. It was incredible. You have to come hear them next week.”
Thousands of people show up the next Sabbath. It was wall to wall Gentiles. Jews couldn’t find a seat and they were not happy. The whole town was there. That led to jealousy. It led to criticism. It led to slander. It led to persecution.
Paul preached a second time. We don’t know what he said but we know that some loved the message, and some hated it, so much that they kicked Paul and Barnabas out of town.
It led to criticism. It led to slander. Paul preached a second time. We don’t know what he said but we know that some loved the message, and some hated it, so much that they kicked Paul and Barnabas out of town.
50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. (Acts 13:50 NIV)
The irony is that most of the Jews rejected the message. Most of the Gentiles accepted the message. The group you expect to receive the message rejected it.
The group you expect to reject the message, surprisingly received it. It was the Gentiles who accepted the message of these two Jewish missionaries. The Church at Pisidian Antioch was a Gentile church.
Chosen for Eternal Life
Before we leave this chapter, there is an amazing verse in it that many just skip over. This verse says why some people believe and some people do not believe. It is a verse that contradicts many people’s theology. This verse teaches BOTH divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48 NIV)
First, it teaches divine sovereignty.
There is a predestination to life. Some people are “chosen for eternal life” (NLT, CEV, GNT), “destined for eternal life” (IRV), “ordained to eternal life” (KJV, ERV) or “appointed to eternal life” (NIV, ESV).
That is what the text says. If you are chosen for eternal life, your name is in the Book of Life. They are chosen BEFORE they believed. It does NOT say that they were appointed to eternal life because they believed.
They believed BECAUSE they had been appointed to eternal life. If they were not appointed to eternal life, they would never have believed in the first place.
Some try to retranslate it. The LB says, “As many as wanted eternal life believed.” That is Kenneth Taylor’s paraphrase. It is not a translation. It is not what the Greek word means.
The word τάσσω never means “wanted” in the NT. The LB never translates it “wanted” any other time, and it is passive in Greek, not active.
Two, it teaches human responsibility
This verse does not say, “As many as were chosen for eternal life were saved.” It says, “As many as were chosen for eternal life BELIEVED.” In order to get eternal life, you have to believe. No one can believe for you. You have to believe for yourself.
