Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Paul and Barnabas were sent out [from Antiok] to preach about Jesus in many places

At a city called Antioch [Antiok in the country called Syria] there were people gathered together who believed in [followed / obeyed] Jesus. One day, while their leaders were worshipping the Lord Jesus, Jesus’ Spirit said to them, “I have chosen Barnabas and Paul to do some special work for me. You must appoint [dedicate / authorize] them for this work.”

So the believers spent [gave] some time [days] to pray without eating food [fasting]. Then they put their hands on [touched] Saul and Barnabas, prayed for them, and sent them out to do God’s work.

(About this time, Saul changed his name to [became known as] Paul.) Paul and Barnabas traveled on a ship [large boat] to an island called Cyprus. When they arrived, they went to a synagogue and taught the people there about Jesus.

The Cyprus governor sent messengers to bring Barnabas and Paul to see him, because he wanted to hear their message about God.-line break-But there was a sorcerer [magician] named Elymas who tried to prevent the Governor from hearing the message about God.

Paul stared [looked intently] at Elymas and said to him, “You are serving the devil [Satan]. You oppose everything that is good. You turn the Lord’s truth into lies. So, for a time, the Lord will make you blind [unable to see].”

Immediately, Elymas became blind! He groped around, seeking someone to lead him. When the governor saw what happened to Elymas, he believed what Barnabas and Paul were saying [teaching] about the Lord Jesus.

Next [later], Paul and Barnabas left [Cyprus island] by ship to go to other towns [villages] [on the mainland / in Turkey Cyprus]. Since they were [from the tribe called] Jews, some Jewish leaders invited them to speak at their synagogues.

At one place, Paul said to the Jews and to non-Jews, “Long ago, God promised to send a powerful King to rescue [save] us Jews from our enemies. That King is Jesus. But people in Jerusalem killed Jesus.

“But then God raised Jesus from death to life, and many disciples who followed Jesus saw [witnessed] him alive. Jesus said to them that God forgives everyone their sins, if [when] they put their trust in him [Jesus].”

Many Jews and other people who worship God believed Paul’s message [words] about Jesus. Barnabas and Paul urged [taught] everyone to let God forgive them [their sins] by his grace [because of his kindness].

The next Sabbath [week], almost everyone in the city came to hear Paul and Barnabas speak about the Lord. -line break-They [Paul and Barnabas] said, “The Lord commanded us to show people from all nations how to be saved [rescued].”

But when the Jewish leaders saw the large crowds [so many people], they were [became] very jealous. So they insulted Paul and contradicted [spoke against] everything that he said.

Soon the Jewish leaders persuaded [caused] the city leaders to expel [send] Paul and Barnabas out from their city.-line break-But God put his Holy Spirit in those who put their trust in Jesus, and this made Paul and Barnabas [them] very glad [gave them much joy].

Paul and Barnabas went to another town and they told about Jesus in that town’s synagogue. There, both Jews and non-Jews put their trust [believed] in Jesus. But some Jews who did not trust in Jesus turned [incited] other non-Jews against all who had put their trust in Jesus.

Some [certain] men formed [led] a mob [angry group] that tried to kill Paul and Barnabas by striking them with big stones. But Paul and Barnabas escaped [ran away]. They went to other towns where they told many other people about the Lord Jesus.

In one [a certain] town, they met a man born lame [crippled] who had never walked. As the man listened to Paul, Paul saw that the man believed God could heal him. So Paul said to him, “Stand up!”

The man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd [many people] saw what Paul did, they shouted in their own language, “Our gods have come down in human form to help us!”

Then a priest [sorcerer / shaman] for an idol [a false god called Zeus] that the local people worshipped, brought bulls [animals] and flowers for the people to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. -line break-But Paul and Barnabas shouted, “No! Don’t do this! We are only human beings like you!”

“We are here to bring good news. Turn from worshiping these worthless things [idols]. Turn to the living God who made [created] heaven, earth and sea.” -line break-Paul and Barnabas almost could not restrain [stop] the crowd sacrificing to them.

Then, some angry Jews came [from other towns where Paul and Barnabas had already been preaching]. They formed a mob [angry group] of men who struck Paul with big stones. When they thought that Paul was dead, they dragged his body out from the town and left him there.

Later, some who had put their trust in Jesus [believers] came and stood around Paul’s body. While they watched, Paul stood up alive and walked back into that town.

Paul and Barnabas left that place and went back to the towns where they had gone before. They said to those who had put their trust [believed] in Jesus, -line break-“Remain faithful to Jesus. We [all] must all endure [suffer] many troubles before entering God’s [future] Kingdom.”

In every town, the believers formed new groups to worship [obey] Jesus together. In each group, Paul and Barnabas prayed with fasting, and then appointed mature men to [serve as] be leaders.

After many weeks [months], Paul and Barnabas traveled by ship back to Antioch city in Syria country. That was where the leaders had asked God to give them grace [power] to do their work [tell others about Jesus] [which they had now completed].

Paul and Barnabas gathered the believers [Christians] and reported to them all that God had helped them do. They told how God had enabled many non-Jews to trust [believe] in Jesus. Then Paul and Barnabas stayed a long time with the believers there [in Antiok].