KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

Paul and Barnabas continue on their missionary journey. They left Paphos and came to Perga, which was in Pamphylia. John Mark, who was their minister or assistant, decided to go back to Jerusalem. The Bible did not give any reason for his refusal to continue with the mission. In Acts 15:37 and 38, Barnabas determined to take along John for their mission, but Paul refused because he left them in Pamphylia and would not go with them to the work. May we always maintain our commitment to the work of God and not give up as John Mark did. Many church workers run away from difficult moments. Some make pledges only to refuse to pay because times may be difficult.

Once again, they joined the Jews at the synagogue to fellowship with them. (Note the apostles and the Christians met on the Lord’s Day or the first day of the week. Acts 10:7″And upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them……” The Christians, after the resurrection of Jesus, met on Sundays.) Apostle Paul, speaking to the Jews, used the principle of the known to the unknown. He started from the story of Moses and narrated the history of the Jewish people to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Apostle Paul made sure that he based what he said about Jesus on the Old Testament prophecies. He then majored in the death and resurrection of Jesus. He established that Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after his resurrection. Apostle Paul made them understand that through Jesus, their sins were forgiven, for all those who believed were also made righteous, something that the law of Moses could not do for them. This is the good news. We must passionately send it to all men.

In Acts 13:42, the scriptures said that after the Jews were gone, the Gentiles also came requesting that the gospel be preached to them on the next sabbath. By the next sabbath, the whole city came together to hear the gospel. Dear reader, many people in our day are not responding to a lot of preaching because most of these preachings are not the gospel. The true gospel is about the grace of God that made Jesus a substitute for our sins so we may be justified and become the righteousness of God. Please preach the gospel and not something different. Jesus died for all men, so they must be free from the power of sin and the devil.

CONFESSION.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I am made righteous through believing the gospel and sharing in the divinity of God.  I am a new creation, and I am more than a conqueror because God lives in me.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Acts 13:38-39” Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses”.

2 Corinthians 5:19” To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.