📖 Unit 3: Paul the Missionary Is Sent
God calls Paul and Barnabas out of Antioch and sends them across Cyprus and Galatia preaching the gospel. After the Jerusalem Council confirms that salvation is by grace alone, Paul launches a second journey with Silas, adds Timothy to the team, and the mission pushes further into Macedonia and Greece.
Saul, Also Called Paul, and a Magician Is Blinded
Acts 13:1-12
The church at Antioch lays hands on Barnabas and Saul, and the Holy Spirit sends them out on the first missionary journey. On the island of Cyprus they meet Elymas, a magician who fights against the gospel, and Saul, who is also called Paul, strikes him blind. Seeing the power of God, the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus believes in Jesus.
View LessonPaul's Bold Missionary Message in Antioch
Acts 13:13-52
In Pisidian Antioch, Paul stands up in the synagogue and preaches a powerful sermon that traces Israel's whole history straight to Jesus, the promised Savior from David's line. He proclaims forgiveness through faith in Christ, and when many of the leaders reject the message, Paul and Barnabas boldly turn to carry the good news to the Gentiles.
View LessonPaul and Barnabas Never Give Up on the Gospel
Acts 14:1-28
Paul and Barnabas press on through Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe despite fierce opposition. In Lystra Paul heals a man lame from birth, the crowd tries to worship the missionaries as gods, and Paul is stoned and left for dead. He gets back up and keeps preaching, showing kids that following Jesus can bring hardship while God gives the strength to persevere.
View LessonThe Jerusalem Council Settles the Issue
Acts 15:1-35
A heated argument breaks out over whether Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be saved. The apostles and elders gather in Jerusalem, and after Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James speak, the church confirms that salvation is a free gift through faith in Jesus alone and sends a letter of encouragement to the Gentile churches.
View LessonPaul's Second Missionary Journey Begins
Acts 15:36-16:15
Paul and Barnabas part ways over John Mark, so Paul takes Silas and later adds young Timothy to the team. Following the Spirit's leading and a vision of a man from Macedonia, they cross into Europe, where God opens the heart of Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, who believes and is baptized along with her whole household.
View LessonPaul and Silas Singing Praises in Prison
Acts 16:16-40
After Paul casts a fortune-telling spirit out of a slave girl, her angry owners have him and Silas beaten and locked in the inner cell of a Philippian jail. At midnight the two men sing praises to God, an earthquake shakes the doors open, and the trembling jailer and his entire family come to believe in Jesus and are baptized that very night.
View LessonPaul and Silas Preached in Thessalonica and Berea
Acts 17
In Thessalonica Paul reasons from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah, stirring up a jealous mob that drags Jason before the officials. The Bereans are praised for searching the Scriptures every day to test his message, and in idol-filled Athens Paul points to an altar to an unknown god to preach the one true God and the resurrection.
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