“1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:1-3
A couple days ago we saw how God’s grace allowed the gospel to take root in Antioch and a Gentile (non-Jewish) church was born! As we pan forward to Acts 13 we see a multi-ethnic leadership team at Antioch – Simeon, was presumably a black African; Lucius who was from Lybia; Manean seems to have been born in Palestine in a wealthy, privileged family, the household of King Herod; Barnabas from Cyprus and then Saul from Tarsus. The gospel unites unlikely family members!
God led and unified this multi-ethnic leadership team while they, along with the church, were worshiping, fasting, and praying!
These leaders, these believers were already engaged in ministry when the Lord unfolded His purposes for them, unleashing Paul and Barnabas as the very first missionary team to be intentionally sent out by a local church.
We don’t have any idea how “Holy Spirit said…” what He said. An audible voice, subjective internal leading? It’s not clear. There is a healthy hesitation we should have when people say the Holy Spirit “said” something: “God told me this…” and “God told me that…”. God’s self-revelation, His word, is a more sure source of direction and the ultimate source of revelation (2 Peter 1:16-21).
However, pastoral teams, churches and individual believers should anticipate God leading/speaking in subjective ways to accomplish His purposes. Worshiping and ministering to the Lord together...fasting together...praying together...all of it has a refining effect on our hearts and minds. We begin to shed anxieties...with the Spirit’s help we crucify our selfish plans and desires...and as our minds are renewed, God brings into view His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2).
As churches and as individual body parts we need to be willing to SEND OUR BEST and SACRIFICE when God calls us to. In Antioch, centuries ago, this new christian church had plenty of demands and needs to occupy the leadership team.
But in the midst of the various things clamoring for their attention within the church in Antioch, these prophets and teachers gathered together: Simeon, Lucious, Barnabas, Manaen and Paul and as they continued to serve the body they engaged in fervent, intentional prayer about how they were going to fulfill their calling to publish God’s mercy to the world. As a result, Paul and Barnabas were willing to GO and the church was willing to SEND them.
David Livingstone, a doctor/explorer/missionary, spent 11 years of his life taking the gospel to Africa. He was quoted as saying: “God had only one son, and He was a missionary!”
We are ordinary people, saved by extraordinary grace and sent on an adventure of faith to publish God’s mercy to the world!
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate (set apart) myself, that they also may be sanctified in the truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…” Jn 17:18-20