487 – Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

SEMESTER 6

487 – Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE

COURSE: BIBLE SURVEY VI LESSON # 87
PAUL’S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY

Read Acts 15:36 through Acts 18:22

INTRODUCTION:

1. Paul’s second journey was perhaps both, the longest and the most productive of all.
2. It started with a split between Paul and Barnabas, resulting in two teams.
3. It introduces into mission work at least four other men: Mark (re­stored), Silas, Luke and Timothy.
4. It covers a very large section of New Testament history.

I. THE SEPARATION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL (ACTS 15:36-40)

1. Importantly, the division was not over doctrine, practice, or morality.
2. It lay simply in an issue of, with whom Paul would work?
3. Some try to justify Paul, and some try to justify Barnabas. Let God be God, and providence work.

II. GEOGRAPHICAL DIRECTION OF PAUL’S JOUR­NEY

1. Paul’s journey took him north by land then west around the northeast point of the Mediterranean Sea.
2. He visited at all the churches in Syria and Cilicia. (Acts 15:40-16:2)
3. From there he went through Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch of Pisidia, (areas previously visited).
4. From there, he went north, east, back north, then west, establishing the churches of Galatia. (Acts 16:6-8, Gal. 1:1-2)
5. From there, due west and passing by Mysia and Bithynia, they came to Troas.
6. From Troas, by sea, north to Neapolis, then west by land to Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica and Berea.
7. From Berea, by sea to Athens, and by land to Corinth, by sea back to Ephesus, and again by sea to Caesarea and Syria.
8. Then by land to Jerusalem, back to Caesarea, and north to Tyre, Sidon, and finally back home to Antioch.

III. EVENTS OF THIS JOURNEY

1. He gained, as part of the missionary team, among others, Luke and Timothy.
2. This trip probably had the greatest world-wide effect of any mission­ary trip of a natural man.
3. He started most of the churches to which he ever wrote epistles.
4. Though no numbers are mentioned, he preached to tens of thousands, and thousands were converted.
5. We must not think all the churches he started are mentioned by name.
6. The duration of this journey was a minimum of two and one-half years, and perhaps as much as five years.

IV. THE SUFFERING OF THIS JOURNEY

1. Just the labor of his travel is greater than most of us can imagine.

IIIs: by people exhausted by 10 hours of driving.

2. They were imperiled by robbers, weather, religion and heathen­ism.
3. He was beaten, imprisoned, stalked for murder and ship-wrecked. (2 Cor. 11:23-28)
4. This man, who persecuted the church, probably suffered more persecution for the church than any other.