4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 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.
The Holy Spirit again acted by sending the team of three to the Gentile world.
13:4
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit,
It was not only the church but the Holy Spirit who also sent them on this missionary journey. The primary Sender from the Antioch church was not the congregation but the Holy Spirit (Ga 1:1). The Holy Spirit sent two men to launch the first missionary journey of the Christian church.
they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
The ministry team first went to the port of Seleucia Pieria, Syria, a port city 16 miles from Antioch. This port served the city of Antioch. From there, they launched their first mission with the backing of the Antioch church.
From Seleucia Syria, they sailed to Cyprus. Cyprus was the home of Barnabas. Cyprus was the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily and Sardinia were larger. The island was about 60 miles from the port of Seleucia. Cyprus already had Christians scattered there because of persecution in Israel (Acts 11:19).
13:5
And when they arrived in Salamis,
The team arrived in Salamis, Cyprus, a port city on the island’s northeast side.
they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.
Their first mission was to preach the Word of God in Jewish synagogues. Going to the Jew first by preaching in synagogues became Paul’s pattern throughout his ministry.
They also had John as their assistant [helper].
John Mark assisted the team of Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25). He was Barnabas’s cousin (Co 4:10) and the person who wrote the book of Mark. Mark was not an apostle.
PRINCIPLE:
God uses churches that are alive, not spiritually dead.
APPLICATION:
The early church was alive. We need to ask whether our church is alive and active. We describe life as the correspondence of an organism with its environment. Is our church in communion with our community? Are we able to reach them for Christ? This kind of communion comes from fellowship with God. The nature of our walk with God shows itself in reaching the lost. Vital connection with man originates with vital fellowship with God. A church is a living organism with members who engage with its ministry. A church satisfied with the status quo is self-indulgent and self-satisfied. The lifeblood of the church is in its missionary activity.
