Acts 13:2-3 2And while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Now set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3Then, after fasting and praying and laying hands on them, they sent them off.
The worship gathering and fasting indicate that the church was sincerely seeking God. Prayer and fasting are powerful ways to position oneself to receive God’s leading. How the Holy Spirit spoke is not stated. The Spirit may have spoken through the prophets, who were leaders. The Spirit can lead a church to arrive at a clear decision and purpose. This church sets a good example for any church seeking to be effective in its mission to its community and beyond.
The mission was the Holy Spirit’s and not the church’s, Baranabas’, or Saul’s. The church had to agree with what the Spirit was indicating. The church was to send its two key leaders who had been with them for at least a year. They had full confidence in Barnabas and Saul to represent them to the Gentile world. Barnabas and Saul had a specific call to go. The church recognized this call and commissioned them with prayer and fasting and the laying on of hands. With Baranabas and Saul gone, other leaders would rise up as prophets and teachers. When we faithfully follow God’s leading, God always raises up others to take our place.
Three aspects of this commission come together. The Spirit spoke, called, and had a clear mission. The church heard and obeyed by setting apart their leaders for this mission. Barnabas and Saul had a specific call to go and obeyed this call in faith. The Antioch church was the first known, as recorded in Acts, to send missionaries out into the Gentile world. This step was significant in the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission in 1:8 to go to “the ends of the earth,” a mission we are still working on.
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