Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible recap.

Today we open in the church at Anioc in modern-day Syria.

There's a group of prophets and teachers leading the church, including two who have sketchy

pasts.

They're Saul, of course, the former persecutor of Christians, but there's also a guy

named Manayan, who used to work for the King Herod who killed J.T.B.

So here are these Christians working alongside and being led by people who, at one point,

killed their leaders and friends.

This is what the gospel looks like.

It not only reaches past nationalism, but it reaches past pain and hurt as well.

Together their worshiping God and fasting and in the midst of it all, they get some direction

from the Holy Spirit.

Remember how Jesus said this Spirit would be their guide?

We're continuing to see that in the ways he's directing Peter's steps to go see Cornelius,

and in the way he's telling them to appoint Barnabas and Saul as missionaries, and the church

obeys the Spirit's promptings.

They lay hands on them and pray for them and annoy them with oil, the symbol of the Holy

Spirit, and they're off.

First up, Cyrus, and John Mark comes along too.

While they're preaching their way across the island, the governor hears about it and summons

them.

He's hanging out with a false prophet slash magician who relies on the power of the enemy.

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