Saul to Paul - The Book of Acts

In this Bible Story, Paul and Barnabas began their journey to preach the gospel in parts of Greece and Rome. Although they are met with some opposition, the Lord moves. This story is inspired by Acts 13. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Acts 13:9 from the King James Version.

Episode 228: The Church in Antioch continued to grow under the direction of God and His servants Barnabas and Saul. As they were praying, God showed them His call for them to move on to the next city. As the men ventured to Paphos they met a man named Bar-Jesus. A man filled with evil intent who held great influence over the people. When Paul and Bar-Jesus came face to face, the sorcerer was blinded by the power of God and the people came to believe the message of Jesus.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. Then, Saul, who also is called Paul,
filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes upon him.
Acts thirteen nine. Dear Lord, as I speak, I thank
you that you are transforming me from a lamb into

(00:21):
a lion in the same way that you promoted Paul
with a name change. To day, I receive my new
name because of jesus sacrifice. I was once called fearful,
but now I am called courageous. When I was once
called doubtful, I am now called faithful. And when I

(00:46):
was once called invisible, I am now seen. When I
was once ignored, I am now heard. At every new
season in my life, I will now level up and
step into a new dimension of who I am with
an even greater influence and understanding. I declare that any

(01:11):
and all old names that have ever limited my life
are gone and done away with. Behold, I stand as
a new creation, ready to proclaim the works of Jesus.
In Jesus' name. Amen, thanks for making prayer a priority

(01:35):
in your life. To hear the Bible come to life.
Stay tuned for the Bible in a Year, brought to
you by Bible in a Year dot Com.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Saul to Paul, In our last story, we witnessed the
tragic yet noble death of James. He would be the
first apostle to be martyred, and he would not be
the last. As persecution of the church increased, so did
the risk of imprisonment. Yet death was no match for Jesus,

(02:14):
nor is it a threat to those who believe in him.
So Peter pressed onward. Now we focus on the ministry
of Saul, who learns how to protect the sheep of
God with his words and thus transitions into the ministry
of apostleship inspired by the Book of Acts.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
I'm so glad you've joined us on the Bible in
a Year podcast today, But before we get to today's episode,
I want you to know that I would absolutely love
to send you my daily devotional that will give you
fresh encouragement every single morning and day from the moment
we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention.

(03:02):
But it's in the midst of all this crush and
hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,
life changing word by sending you my free daily email
devotional PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign

(03:23):
up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org
Jack Graham dot org. In our last episode, we heard
how Herod put James to death and imprisoned Peter. It
seemed that the enemy had gained an upper hand, but
the Church gathered in fervent prayer, and God delivered Peter

(03:44):
from his chains and dealt with Herod, also striking him
down for seeking glory over God. The church continued to
grow and multiplied, powered by the work of the Holy Spirit.
These prayerful, faithful Christians shared courageously the good news of
Jesus Christ to the world. And today we'll hear how
Saul grows into his own ministry and stands firm in

(04:06):
the truth. Saul, who was dramatically and dynamically converted on
the road to Damascus, is about to defend the flock
against false teachers who try to lead them astray. So
let's listen now to God's Holy Word.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
The Church and Antioch continued to strengthen day by day
through the teaching and leading of Barnabas and Saul. As
the leaders of the church prayed with one another, the
Holy Spirit tugged on their hearts to depart from Antioch
towards Cypress. Barnabas and Saul listened and set sail for
the island of Cyprus. They were filled with hope that

(04:45):
the Lord would move, but there was no telling what
dangers dwelled in the middle of the island. Barnabas and
Saul stepped foot onto the shores of Cyprus. The peaceful
port country was filled with sailors, fishermen, and synagogues. However,
underneath the quaint exterior was a lingering evil, a presence

(05:07):
that slowly poisoned the people without knowledge. Saul sensed it
and kept alert as he met the people of Cyprus.
The two men ventured to Paphos, which was at the
end of the island. Saul sensed a shift in the
air as they walked. Something was not right, something was unsettling.
Emerging from a home nestled on the shores of Paphos

(05:30):
was a man by the name of bar Jesus. He
emerged from his home with staff in hand, glaring at
the two travelers. The second Saul's eyes met his, he
knew that this man was the source of the evil.
This man had a mind held by the enemy. Bar
Jesus was a man of dark arts. He dabbled in

(05:50):
things better left alone, and sacrificed to them for power.
Not only this, but he was also a man of
great influence and intelligence. It made him dangerous. Saul and
Barnabas went to preach in the city, but bar Jesus
would whisper lies into their ears and spin tales about them. Saul,
filled with the spirit of God, confronted him. You are

(06:14):
a son of the enemy himself. Saul said, with commanding force.
He took a step forward, causing bar Jesus to step back.
You are an enemy of righteousness and filled with corruption.
Look me in the eyes and hear what I am saying.
Stop muddying the pure waters of God. Saul paused to

(06:34):
look at bar Jesus. There was no sign of remorse
in his eyes. Saul pointed to him and said, the
Lord's hand is upon you. For a time, your eyes
will be dimmed to the light of the sun. Blindness
will overtake you, as it once did to me. Every
person watching saw bar Jesus's eyes fade into darkness, as

(06:55):
if he was caught in a dark cloud. Bar Jesus
stumbled blindly onto the floor. This was the moment Saul
had truly felt the spirit of God move through him.
Bar Jesus was leading the sheep of God astray, and
as Saul spoke, he felt the shepherding heart of God.
He spoke in boldness and stepped forward in authority. This

(07:17):
was the moment Saul of Tarsus ceased to exist. Now
there was only Paul the Apostle. So Paul and Barnabas
ventured forth to preach in Pomphylia. They sat in the
synagogues and proclaimed the word of the Lord. Paul was
able to take what he had learned as a child
and weave the story of Israel and the story of

(07:37):
Jesus together into a beautiful tapestry. At first they preached
to the Jews, and then droves of Jews and Gentiles
alike gathered together to hear Paul speak. The Jews became
jealous that the Gentiles were allowed to enter into Paul's
presence and hear his teaching. They spat and reviled them,

(07:57):
but Paul would not stand for it. The word of
God was given to you first, yet you treated like
trash and toss it aside. So behold, we preach to
those who have been far off. We preach to those
who would listen. We preach to those who have not
grown complacent in their hearing of truth. So the Gentiles

(08:18):
rejoiced that they were able to enter into God's presence.
They looked to Jesus and believed. Yet some of the
Antioch Jews were not without their bitterness. They plotted against
the disciples and sought to destroy them, as they once
did Jesus.

Speaker 3 (08:39):
In God's Word today we read that Barnabas and Saul
are ministering in Antioch. Under their guidance, the church there
had grown in numbers and in strength, with other leaders
emerging to guide the body of Christ in that city.
And so as Saul and Barnabas prayed and fasted, the
Holy Spirit spoke to them, saying they were to leave.
There was work to be done in other places, brand

(09:01):
new places. So the Christians and Antioch laid hands on
them and sent them off to pursue God's calling. With
them was John Mark, a young believer from Jerusalem, they
set sail and arrived on the island of Cyprus, where
they began proclaiming the Gospel in the synagogues. These missionaries
traveled across the island, telling all who would listen about Jesus,

(09:23):
the Son of God, who had come, lived and died,
rose again in order that they might know eternal life.
When they reached the far end of the island, they
encountered a man named bar Jesus. He was called a
magician and was a false prophet who led many astray
with his considerable influence. Persecution was not the only threat

(09:44):
to the church and the work of spreading the good news.
Satan does not employ one single tactic to lead people
away from God and his truth. This false prophet worked
to undermine Saul and Barnabas's preaching and turned people away
from the one True God. He saw the danger of
this false teacher, Bar Jesus, and so he says in
Acts thirteen verses ten through eleven, You, son of the devil,

(10:08):
you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy,
Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of
the Lord. And now behold the hand of the Lord
is upon you, and you will be blind and unable
to see the sun for a time. As Paul spoke
these words to bar Jesus, the man became blind, dependent
upon others to lead him around. This man, whose name

(10:31):
literally meant son of Jesus, was anything but the son
of Jesus. He was the son of the enemy, and
Saul was not going to allow him to lead others
away from the Lord. Here we see the zeal of Saul.
Now Paul the missionary. Paul was defending the truth with
passion and conviction, and this was his calling, his high

(10:52):
calling is a missionary of the good News of Jesus.
From this point on into the scriptures, Saul is referred
to as Paul. This was not a new name. Rather,
it was his Roman name, whereas Saul was his Jewish name.
It is symbolic as Paul has now become a minister
not only to the Jews, but to the Romans, to
the gentiles everywhere. And so Paul and Barnabas continued to

(11:15):
travel around the region, speaking not only in synagogues, but
to the Jews in the town squares, to gentiles who
came to hear the word of God. This was God's
plan all along that everyone would hear the good news
of Jesus Christ and experience his grace. Many Jewish people, however,
were angry and still felt that salvation was not for

(11:36):
the gentiles. But Paul stood against this false teaching, rebuking
those who tried to turn the Gentiles away from God's
grace and mercy. The Gentiles rejoiced and received the Gospel gladly,
but the Jews in Antioch grew angrier and stirred up
persecution against Paul and Barnabas, who now had to run
to a new place, Iconium. The Gospel was still on

(11:58):
the move and those whom God was working through were
filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit as they
courageously took the message of Christ to as many people
as they could. Paul and barnabas ministry would bear great fruit,
but it would not be without challenges, and the next
time we'll hear as Paul experiences the pain of persecution firsthand.

(12:20):
Let's pray. God, we thank you for your word. Thank
you for reminding us to stand firm on the truth
and to be watchful of false teachers who would undermine
the message of Jesus and the Gospel give us the
boldness to take the good news not only to the nations,
but to our neighbors as we share the love of
Christ and his power to save. In Jesus's name, Amen,

(12:44):
thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, and before we go,
I want you to know that I would love to
send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
every single day. So visit Jack Graham dot org to
sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jack Graham

(13:05):
dot org.