Was Paul ministering among Jews or Gentiles when he first started preaching after visiting Peter?
After the two weeks with Peter, Paul went from Jerusalem to his home region of Cilicia, which was total Gentile territory. His first preaching ministry was directed to Gentiles, not to the Jewish congregations in Judea. He was sent in the opposite direction from Peter and the apostles.
Les explains that Paul began his ministry after spending two weeks with Peter, going from Jerusalem directly up to his home area of Cilicia. He was not far removed from Palestine, yet he was in total Gentile territory. The Holy Spirit inspired this record to show Paul had nothing to do with the Jewish congregations in Palestine, because he was going to be separated from all that. He had no ministry to the Jews in Judea, just as the twelve had no ministry to the Gentiles when Jesus sent them out. It was a complete fork in the road. Paul was sent in the very opposite direction from Peter and the apostles, into a total new Gentile area, Cilicia and Tarsus, where there were no doubt some Jews throughout the Roman Empire. Later, Jewish believers in Jerusalem and Judea heard only that the one who once persecuted them was now preaching the faith concerning Jesus the Lord Christ.
Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;