Paul and the pagans: They were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. Acts 13:48

The first missionary journey of the apostle Paul marked the beginning of the large-scale evangelization of the Gentiles to the Christian faith, as recounted in the book of Acts. Christ had already prophesied a new Israel, born of the Spirit, who would be called to enter the Kingdom of God, and Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, was entrusted with the mission of fulfilling this prophecy of the Lord, until that time, conversions were modest and related to people who had contact with the disciples.
The Book of Acts relates that Paul was with other prophets and doctors in Antioch, celebrating the worship of the Lord and fasting. And happened that the apostle Paul was called along with Barnabas by the holy spirit to do missionary work, and so Paul embarked with Barnabas to Cyprus, and from there they went to Perga and then to Antioch of Pisidia.
As was the custom of the early Christians, Paul preached Jesus and his spiritual kingdom among the Jews of the city, giving a first speech in a sinagogue that the Book of Acts mentions in detail. The Book of Acts recounts that Paul gave a second speech the following week, but unlike the previous speech, almost the entire city was present to hear Paul teaching the word of God, the presence of the apostles of the Gentiles had aroused great curiosity.
The Book of Acts relates that Paul, at the end of his discourse, found that it was mostly the pagans who received his message, and the text relates this fact with these words: "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed" Acts 13:48. And the book of facts tells something more: "The word of the Lord spread through the whole region" Acts 13:49. The Book of Acts relates that Paul then left the city but soon returned to visit it again, thus founding the Church in the city. The Book of Acts does not mention this community again, but over time, this Christian church became one of the largest centers for the spread of Christianity in Asia. Paul's missionary work had begun, and the founding of the Church in this city was the starting point for the evangelization of Europe and the Greek world.

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