After being “delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,” the Apostle Paul arranges a meeting with the Jewish rulers of the synagogues in Rome to explain why he was a prisoner there and, chiefly, to share the truth with them of Christ’s resurrection and the gospel of grace. We learn in this episode that the response of the Jews to Paul’s teaching in Rome was mixed, but a familiar one: some were persuaded by what had been spoken and believed, and others believed not. But this never deterred Paul, the preacher, as he boldly and unashamedly proclaimed the Word, so that others might be saved.

On the return leg of his third apostolic journey, with his destination being Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul makes a stopover in Miletus to meet with the elders of the Ephesian church to give them instruction, warning and encouragement. This episode reveals Paul’s three-point discourse to the church’s leadership. He reviews his past three-year ministry in Ephesus, informs the men of his present situation and current ministry and journey to Jerusalem, and reminds the elders of their future responsibilities as the spiritual leaders of their flock.

Paul’s second apostolic journey brings him to Athens, the intellectual center of the Greek world at that time. While there, he engages in dialogue in the synagogue with Jews and Gentiles about Christ, and also in the marketplace, where he interacts with everyday Athenians and also two groups of philosophers, who bring the apostle to Mars’ Hill to explain his “strange” teaching of Christ and the resurrection to the city’s main Council. We see in this episode that Paul’s purpose in his message that day was to convict the idol-worshipping Athenians of their accountability to the one true God.

As the Apostle Paul continues his talk in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia to both Jews and some Gentiles, he turns to the heart of his message—the resurrection of Christ—and how it was the fulfillment of prophetic promises in the Old Testament. In this episode we see that while his first teaching there was warmly received, his following week’s sermon stirred up opposition among antagonistic, non-believing Jews. This prompted Paul to make one of his three pronouncements in the Book of Acts that he was turning to the Gentiles with his message of grace.

In Acts 13, the Apostle Paul is on his first apostolic journey, during which he faithfully and boldly proclaimed God’s Word primarily to the nations. In our lives and ministries, we, too, need to bring the truth of the Word of God to both unbelievers and believers. Here, in the first of two episodes that chronicle Paul’s visit to Antioch of Pisidia in Asia Minor, however, the apostle starts off preaching to mostly Jews in the local synagogue, outlining God’s providential care during Israel’s history, and then explaining how prophecy was fulfilled when the nation rejected and killed her promised Messiah.