June 28, 2026 | ACTS | Week 20 | Acts 13:1-42

Devotional

Day 1: The River, Not the Lake

When Jesus calls disciples into mission, he invites them into unpredictable currents rather than stagnant waters. Following Christ means embracing movement over comfort, trusting him through rapids and bends. This journey requires leaning into the Spirit’s guidance rather than clinging to familiar shores. Adventure awaits those willing to release control and let God chart the course. [34:48]

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25, ESV)

Reflection: Where has your faith felt more like a stagnant lake than a flowing river? What practical step could help you lean into the Spirit’s movement this week?

Day 2: Beware the Prayer Meeting

Ordinary moments of worship and fasting become launching pads for divine assignments. The Antioch church’s routine prayer gathering birthed history’s most consequential missionary journey. When believers quiet their agendas to listen, the Spirit speaks disruptive, life-altering invitations. [39:28]

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2, ESV)

Reflection: When has God surprised you with an unexpected call during a “normal” spiritual habit? What makes you hesitant to ask, “What work are you setting me apart for?”

Day 3: Relational Currents

Mission flows through existing connections before expanding to new frontiers. Barnabas’ decision to start evangelizing Cyprus—his homeland—reveals God’s pattern of working through familiar relationships. Divine appointments often hide in plain sight among neighbors, coworkers, and family. [54:17]

“From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.” (Acts 13:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: Which existing relationship have you overlooked as a potential spiritual opportunity? How could you prayerfully engage them this month?

Day 4: Gospel Electricity

Paul’s declaration in Pisidian Antioch crackled with transformative power: forgiveness through Christ alone. The gospel isn’t mere philosophy but live voltage—disrupting strongholds, illuminating darkness, and rewiring hearts. When shared boldly, this current still jolts dead religion to life. [01:09:01]

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin.” (Acts 13:38-39, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt the gospel’s “voltage” in your own story? Who needs you to stop adjusting the message and simply flip the switch?

Day 5: Delight Before Direction

Missional relationships begin not with agendas but with authentic delight. The Venezuelan Uber driver and the moving neighbor stories reveal how valuing people precedes transforming them. When we mirror God’s joy in others before strategizing their salvation, walls become bridges. [01:03:11]

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels more like a project than a person God delights in? How could you tangibly celebrate them this week without an ulterior motive?

Sermon Summary

Acts 13 opens with God on the move, and the church at Antioch becomes the launch point where the gospel breaks out beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria into the wider world. The text shows that joining the church is not stepping into a placid lake, but getting into the river with Jesus. The river may get bumpy, and the boat may shake, but Christ gives the adventure human beings were created to live.

The Holy Spirit begins the whole thing. While the church worships and fasts, the Spirit says, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul,” and that means mission is not a church marketing plan or some human invention. God is a missionary God. The Father sends the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and the Spirit sends the church. A Christian, then, is not merely someone who believes in Jesus from the shore, but someone who gets in the boat with Jesus.

The missionary life begins with being Spirit sensitive. Acts 13 starts with the Spirit speaking, continues with the Spirit sending, shows Paul filled with the Spirit, and ends with the disciples filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. The Spirit does not just show up in a big prayer meeting. The Spirit stays with the believer in the car, in Trader Joe’s, on the soccer field, in a frustrating airport moment, and even in silence when God seems quiet. Prayer keeps the soul awake to what God is already doing.

The missionary life also becomes relationally intentional. Paul and Barnabas do not move randomly. Cyprus matters because Barnabas is from there, and Pisidian Antioch likely opens through the network of Sergius Paulus. The gospel travels along familiar pathways, through hometowns, friendships, synagogues, teams, neighbors, and people already near. Relationships are not projects. God’s purposes make relationships deeper when they begin with delight, move with sacrificial love, and honestly desire the other person’s highest good in Christ.

The missionary life stays gospel centered. Paul stands in the synagogue and says, “My friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.” The gospel goes off like a bomb because it announces that people are set free through faith in Christ in a way the law of Moses could never accomplish. The gospel is not just a nice idea or a quaint story. It is power, electric and supernatural, able to change a human life. God is on the move, the fish are biting, and the church is being called to learn how to recognize the moments right in front of it.

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Key Takeaways

1. The Spirit starts and stays [44:10] The Holy Spirit does not merely initiate mission and then leave believers to figure out the rest. Acts 13 begins with the Spirit and ends with the Spirit, which means guidance, courage, correction, and power remain present along the whole road. A quiet season does not prove the Spirit has withdrawn. Sometimes God gets quiet because the soul has to draw near enough to listen. [44:10]
2. Relationships are gospel pathways [55:34] The gospel moves through real people, real hometowns, real friendships, and real networks. Cyprus and Pisidian Antioch are not random dots on a map, but places where God uses existing relationships as roads for good news. The people nearest to a Christian are not accidents. God often starts mission with the person already sitting close. [55:34]
3. Delight comes before witness [01:00:48] God’s purpose in a relationship does not begin with pressure, control, or fixing another person. God delights in people before they change, and that delight teaches the Christian how to see beyond annoyance, judgment, or fear. Witness without delight can feel like a sales pitch. Delight makes love believable before words ever arrive. [60:48]
4. The gospel is real power [01:10:12] Paul’s announcement in Antioch is not moral advice, religious branding, or a better self-improvement plan. Forgiveness and freedom are proclaimed through Jesus because Christ has done what the law could not do. The gospel may offend because it strips away self-salvation. Yet that same offense carries the power to set a person free. [70:12]
5. Watch the line for bites [01:13:51] The fly fishing image exposes how easily gospel openings can be missed. A person may be waiting for an obvious tug when the real sign is only a pause, a shift, or a small movement in the conversation. Missionary living trains the eyes to notice what God is doing beneath the surface. The right moment may already be on the line.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:04] - God Is on the Move
[33:39] - Church Means Joining a Movement
[35:16] - Paul’s First Missionary Journey Begins
[36:24] - Every Christian Is a Missionary
[38:43] - Antioch Worships and Sends
[39:45] - Habit One: Spirit Sensitive
[47:48] - An Uber Ride Becomes Ministry
[53:05] - Habit Two: Relationally Intentional
[58:27] - Asking What God Is Doing
[60:48] - Delighting in People First
[67:15] - Habit Three: Gospel Centered
[69:01] - Forgiveness Proclaimed Through Jesus
[72:23] - Recognizing Gospel Openings
[75:21] - Training to Fish for Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 13:1-3 (ESV)
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Observation Questions

In Acts 13:2, what specific actions were the church in Antioch doing when the Holy Spirit spoke? How does this connect to the idea of being "Spirit sensitive"?
The sermon mentions that Paul and Barnabas’ journey to Cyprus and Pisidian Antioch wasn’t random. What relational networks did they leverage in these locations?
According to Acts 13:38-39, what does Paul emphasize as the unique power of the gospel compared to the law of Moses?

Interpretation Questions

Why might the Holy Spirit’s presence be described as continuous in Acts 13 (starting in verse 2 and ending in verse 52)? How does this challenge the assumption that God’s guidance is only for “big” moments?
The sermon states, “Relationships are not projects” but “gospel pathways” [55:34]. How does viewing relationships as “pathways” instead of “projects” change the way we engage with others?
Paul’s message in Acts 13:38-39 calls forgiveness through Jesus a “proclamation,” not a suggestion. Why might this language feel confrontational or liberating to different audiences?

Application Questions

The Holy Spirit’s guidance isn’t limited to prayer meetings but extends to everyday moments like car rides or errands [47:48]. When have you overlooked a “small” moment as a potential opportunity to join God’s work? How could you cultivate awareness this week?
“Delight comes before witness” [01:00:48]. Is there someone in your life you struggle to delight in? What practical step could you take to see them through God’s eyes this week?
The sermon compares sharing the gospel to fly fishing—watching for subtle “bites” rather than obvious tugs [01:13:51]. What “pauses or shifts” in conversations with others might signal openness to Jesus? How could you respond?
Paul and Barnabas started their mission in familiar places (like Barnabas’ hometown). Who in your existing network—family, coworkers, neighbors—might God be nudging you to intentionally love or pray for?
The gospel’s power lies in its ability to “set free” (Acts 13:39). Are there areas where you still rely on self-effort instead of Christ’s finished work? How might embracing this truth change your daily rhythms?

Sermon Clips

53s

“``Now, the whole thing is initiated by God, which it does tell us something about mission. Why do churches do missionary trips? Why is talking about a missionary life? Because God is a missionary God. And this whole missionary enterprise is not a human construct. It's not some kind of invention by the church to grow the church like some kind of capitalistic consumer campaign. It is the initiative, the heart, the will of God. God is a missionary God by nature. God the father sent the son, the son sent the spirit, and the spirit sends the church. To be a Jesus follower is to be sent from God. To not be sent is to not be a Christian.”

58s

“Now, there are gonna be some people that when they hear it, they're not gonna accept it or receive it. It's gonna be so powerful and so offensive. They're gonna reject it. They're gonna push it away. They're gonna they're gonna want they're gonna get uncomfortable. And our job as Christians is not to apologize for the gospel. It's not to make excuses for it. It's not to soften it. Our job is to live it and to share it with those who are willing to listen, who are ready to hear it. But we have to have the courage to put it out there Because when we do, it is the power to save and we live it and we speak it. It is power. It is power. It is more than a good idea. It is power. It is more than a premise or a proposition. It is an electric supernatural power that can change a human life.”

53s

“And the spirit is with you, whether you feel him or not, to guide you, to speak to you, to empower you, to strengthen you for all that God has given you to do. And just because he seems silent now is not does not mean he's not with you because sometimes the best thing to do to get our attention in a noise and loud world is to what? Is to get quiet. I got you, didn't I? Some of you break. Is he gonna is he did he did he forget his line? Does he know where he's going? Sometimes God gets quiet to draw us near. And so if God seems quiet in your life, the spirit is just trying to bring you closer.”

65s

“Amen. Come on. This moment goes off like a bomb. People don't know whether to kill him or shout for joy. Could it really be that simple? Could it really be that to be right with God is to merely accept that I cannot save myself and to entrust myself to him and to believe that in Jesus Christ, God has earned my salvation. And that if I put my trust in him, I will be me right with God. To be a missionary is to believe in the power of the gospel. To believe it's more than a quaint story. It's more than a theological proposition. It is a spiritual power that can transform human lives.”

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June 28, 2026 | ACTS | Week 20 | Acts 13:1-42 | Ryan Pfeiffer