Saul’s approval of Stephen’s death in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1).
Saul’s conversion in Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).
Saul’s departure from Damascus and journey south into
Arabia (Gal. 1:16-17).
Saul’s return to Damascus (Gal. 1:17).
Saul’s stay in Damascus for three years (Acts 9:19-25; Gal.
1:18).
Saul’s First Visit Back to Jerusalem for fifteen days (Acts
9:26-29; Gal. 1:18-20).
Saul’s travel to the port city Caesarea to catch a boat to
Tarsus (Acts 9:30; Gal. 1:21-24).
Saul’s friend Barnabas found him in Tarsus and brought him
to Antioch for a whole year (Acts 11:25-26).
Saul’s Second Visit Back to Jerusalem. Barnabas and Saul were
chosen to bring financial support to the Church in Judea (Acts 11:27-30).
Saul’s return to Antioch with Barnabas and John Mark from
Jerusalem (Acts 12:25).
Saul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13 – 14).
From Antioch,
they [Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark] were sent off and first headed to Seleucia, a port city, to catch a boat
going to Cyprus. They first
proclaimed God’s Word in the synagogues located in the city of Salamis and then made their way across the
island of Cyprus all the way to Paphos – which is on the other side. It
was here that Saul’s name changed to Paul (Acts 13:1-12).
By the time they set sail from Paphos
Paul had officially become the leader of the group. This may be the reason why
John Mark ended up leaving the team upon reaching the port city of Perga which is located in the region of Pamphylia. It was there that John Mark
decided to return to Jerusalem,
but Paul and Barnabas continued on and traveled to Antioch of Pisidia [this is not the same Antioch in which they began
their journey]. And after preaching a sermon in the synagogue and being
rejected, Paul and Barnabas traveled east to Iconium
(Acts 13:13-52).
They spent “a long time” in Iconium
until they learned of a plot to stone them, so they ended up fleeing to Lystra and then Derbe,
cities of Lycaonia. However, Jews from
Antioch of Pisidia
and Iconium came and stoned Paul while they
were in Lystra, but he survived and
traveled with Barnabas to Derbe
the next day. Only after they had preached the Gospel in that city and had
spent time making disciples did they return the way they came by heading back
through Lystra, Iconium,
Antioch of
Pisidia, Perga,
and then west to a different port city called Attalia
where they boarded a ship and headed all the way back to where they began – Antioch. There they remained for quite
some time (Acts 14:1-28).
Paul’s Third Visit Back to Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-21; Gal.
2:1-10). Though this is his third recorded visit back to Jerusalem following
his conversion, it is both his second and final time visiting with Barnabas before the missionary
split (cf. Acts 11:30; 15:2). On his first
visit back, Barnabas was already there in the city (Acts 9:26-27). It is also
interesting to note that this is seventeen years after Paul’s salvation [i.e. 3 + 14 = 17 years (Gal. 1:18;
2:1)]. Therefore, this event takes place roughly eighteen years after Jesus
died on the cross.
Some men came down from Jerusalem to Antioch demanding
that the Gentiles be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses. This dissension
resulted in both Paul and Barnabas, along with a group of fellow Christians,
traveling to Jerusalem to attend the very first Church council (Acts 15:1-5).
Paul had taken an uncircumcised Gentile named Titus
with them to Jerusalem in order to show the apostles all that God has done and
is doing (Gal. 2:1-10).
After much consideration and debate, both Peter and
James stood up and made a public statement before the people. They had agreed
that God was not requiring the Gentiles to become Jewish (Acts 15:6-21).
Paul’s return to Antioch (Acts 15:22-35). The apostles
decided to send a letter to the Gentile Christians living in Antioch via Paul
and Barnabas along with two leading men from Jerusalem: Judas and Silas. And
after reading the letter and rejoicing over its encouraging words, Judas and
Silas were sent back home while Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch.
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36 – 18:22).
After spending some time in Antioch,
Paul received news that the Galatian churches [Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts
14:1-7)] had been infiltrated by Jewish false teachers claiming that these new
believers needed to be circumcised while keeping the customs of the Law in
order to be saved. This led the Apostle Paul to author the book of Galatians
[Paul’s 1st Epistle].
Thus, Paul desired to travel with Barnabas on a second
missionary journey in order to see how things were going in the churches they
established. However, there arose a sharp disagreement between the two
regarding John Mark which ended up splitting the team in half. Barnabas and
John Mark traveled to Cyprus
while Paul and Silas headed northwest up into Syria
and Cilicia towards the Galatian churches (Acts
15:36-41).
