The Beginning:
In the church at Antioch, while believers worship and fast, the Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul for mission work. The church prays, lays hands on them, and sends them out with John Mark assisting. They travel first to Cyprus, proclaiming the word of God in Jewish synagogues.
The Middle:
In Paphos, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Elymas opposes their message before the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus. Paul rebukes Elymas, who is struck blind, and the proconsul is persuaded by the teaching about the Lord. From there the team sails to Perga, where John Mark leaves and returns to Jerusalem, and Paul and Barnabas press on into Pisidian Antioch. Paul preaches in the synagogue, proclaiming Jesus as the promised Savior raised from the dead, offering forgiveness and justification to all who believe; many respond, but opposition arises, and they are driven out. They continue to Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, preaching Christ amid both conversions and persecution—Paul is even stoned at Lystra yet survives and continues the mission.
The End:
After preaching in Derbe and making disciples, Paul and Barnabas retrace their route, strengthening believers and appointing elders in the new churches. They teach that hardships are part of entering the kingdom of God and encourage the disciples to remain in the faith. Finally, they return to Antioch and report how God opened “a door of faith” to the Gentiles and what He accomplished through them.
This journey highlights God’s initiative in mission: the Spirit calls, the church sends, and the gospel advances beyond ethnic and geographic boundaries. Acts presents Jesus’ resurrection as the decisive fulfillment of God’s promises, making forgiveness and new standing with God available through faith. The story also shows that the spread of the gospel often meets resistance, yet God sustains His witnesses and forms local communities of believers with ongoing leadership and teaching.
Acts’ travel details fit the first-century Roman world, where established sea routes and Roman roads connected major cities across Cyprus and Asia Minor. Paul’s repeated synagogue preaching reflects a common pattern for early Christian mission: beginning within Jewish community life and then extending the message to Gentiles in the wider Greco-Roman city setting.
“We now bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.” — Acts 13:32–33
Answer the questions below. When you choose an option, you will see the result and an explanation.
1. Who opposed Paul and Barnabas in Paphos before the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus?
2. After sailing to Perga, what did John Mark do?