Continuing in the book of Acts, the next mini-series of articles is from Acts 13. Let’s start at the beginning of that chapter.
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 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.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:1-3 NIV
For a little background, there are at least two cities named Antioch in the Bible [see What is the significance of Antioch in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org, for instance]. The one at the start of this chapter seems to be the one in first-century Syria (although that particular location appears to be part of Turkey [Türkiye] now). This particular Antioch is about 300 miles from Jerusalem [see Exploring the Lesser-Known Biblical City of Antioch (learnreligions.com)], a little inland from the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea, in a little corner of Turkey that wraps around that corner of the sea [here’s a link to a map].
This Antioch seems to have been a significant center for the early church after the persecution of Saul that occurred following the stoning of Stephen (see Acts 8:1-3), perhaps as kind of a local “home base”.
The Lookout study guide [cited below] reminds us of what Jesus said to His disciples, recorded in Acts 1:8. The disciples had testified about Jesus in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and now in other countries as well.
We find five “prophets and teachers” here, with two of them receiving less initial detail than the other three, probably because Luke spends much more time talking about Barnabas and Saul elsewhere in the book of Acts. Two of these men are identified by the Holy Spirit for a particular “work”, and they are commissioned through a process that we might relate to a modern-day ordination service.
There’s a step here that I don’t want you to miss, though: the Holy Spirit specifically instructed others to commission Barnabas and Saul for this work.
I think that it’s important to use this as an example for church leadership. So often in this world, it is tempting to use human methods of making decisions, whether these be our own judgment, popular opinion, a majority vote, or what has worked for others. While I believe that God gave us minds to think, and He doesn’t necessarily have to tell us (for instance) exactly what flavor of ice cream to eat, there are times when the very specific elements of His will and His plan need to come from Him and only from Him.
Those who seek leadership roles in the church for the purpose of “getting their way”, or “making things better” are probably not who we want in charge of the congregation. This also applies to church members who try to persuade church leaders to do things the way that they want things to be done (i.e., separate from the guidance of the Holy Spirit), whether by nagging, complaining, gossip, pressure, or threats.
Instead, I believe that each of us should be so eager – even desperate – to know the will of God, that we are willing to do whatever it takes to learn His will and then to do it, even if that means fasting (like the people mentioned here in Acts) or letting go of what we want to do (when that doesn’t align with God’s will). I’m no saint in this regard: I still make decisions based on what I want, and don’t dig into the Bible enough or spend enough time listening to God’s voice to understand His will on a lot of things. However, I have some idea of where I need to get to in this area.
So, let’s work together on this. May we seek to be so focused on God’s will that we are not only ready and willing to give up our own will to learn what His will is (from Him), but also intentionally seeking it out, through Bible reading and listening to God.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 12, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, November 12, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 