We last left Saul in Antioch after Barnabas went to Tarsus to get him. Barnabas needed help with his ministry in Antioch. Saul spends 1 hear in Antioch.

The church in Antioch was started by men from Cyprus and Cyrene. We see in Acts 11:19-21 that these were men from Jerusalem, who had fled the persecution after the martyrdom of Stephen. The incident where we first see mention of Saul in the Bible.

"Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." - Acts 11:19-21

It is not clear the reasoning behind the move of the church at Jerusalem, but we see in Acts 11:22-24 that they heard about this new church in Antioch and sent a representative, Barnabas, to find out what was going on. It is probable that the choice of Barnabas was due to the fact that he was from Cyprus as well. Whatever the motivation of the church, Barnabas accomplishes much there.

"News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord." - Acts 11:22-24

Then in Acts 11:25-26, Barnabas seeks out Saul in Tarsus and brings him to Antioch to help him with his ministry. Remember in Acts 9:26-27 that it was Barnabas who sponsored Saul in Jerusalem when the apostles there were afraid of him. It was because of Barnabas that Saul was able to spend time in the Jerusalem church before he fled to Tarsus because of threats from the Grecian Jews. Barnabas must have seen something in Saul then and remembered to seek him out now. Together, they did great work in Antioch.

Acts 13:1 notes that "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers." They list first, Barnabas. Then Simeon, called Niger. I can find no other reference to this man. Lucius of Cyrene may have been a relative of Saul's. Romans 16:21 reads, "...as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives." Manaen has been characterized by some historians as a nobleman. This name is found in 2Kings 15:14, one of the kings of Israel. The Acts 13:1 verse notes that Manaen was brought up with Herod the tetrarch. This would be Herod Antipas.  This person had noble upbringings. Then lastly, Saul is listed. So when Barnabas went and got Saul, he became a part of this team.

Then Acts 11 goes on to say in verse 27-28 that, "during this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius).

Historical perspective - According to Josephus there were 4 famines during the reign of Claudius. Scholars believe that this famine which was prophesized occurred in AD41.

In Acts 11:29, Barnabas and Saul transport relief aid to the elders in Judea. So after 6 years away, Saul visits Jerusalem for the second time after his Damascus road experience. At this point in the narrative Acts takes an interlude from Saul's story to describe the persecution by Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great and son of Aristobulus. We read that James is put to death by beheading and Peter is thrown in jail and escapes miraculously. Another amazing event that is described in Acts 12:22-23 is Herod's death by God! You should note that Barnabas and Saul must have been in Jerusalem at time! They would have lived under the atmosphere of persecution by Herod.

Chapter 12 ends with Barnabas and Saul returning to Antioch from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. Who was John? He is said to be the author of the gospel of Mark. He was a cousin of Barnabas according to Colossians 4:10. He was the son of Mary, whose home was used by one of the Christian groups in Jerusalem. It is where many were in Acts 12:12, praying for Peter when he escaped from prison. He was the traveling companion of Barnabas and Saul on Saul's first missionary trip (Acts 13:5). We find in a couple places that John's early departure during this trip creates friction between Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:13 and Acts 15:37-39). John is later useful to Saul (II Timothy 4:11) and is later with Peter (I Peter 5:13).

We end this lesson with Acts 13:1-4. In Antioch, the Spirit send Barnabas and Saul on Saul's first missionary journey. They begin their journey by going to the coastal town of Seleucia, ~15 miles due west and 5 miles south of Antioch, on the Mediterranean near the river Orontes.