“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)
Is there anything not done by the Spirit of God? Without Him, nothing can be done what has been done in history. It is well illustrated in the book of Acts. This book is the act of the Holy Spirit from the beginning to the end.
Starting from the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the call of Apostle Paul on the way to Damascus and all things were occurred according to what God had designed and programmed even before the time began.
Especially, since the call of a man named Paul, the Holy Spirit powerfully and microscopically led every step of apostle, delivering and preaching the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ to all kinds of people from nobles, officials, men, women, young and old, Greeks, and Jews.
Paul was invited by Barnabas to Antioch Church when he was in his hometown Tarsus. The Holy Spirit moved to call Paul of Tarsus to preach the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. It had been more than a decade after the dramatic Damascus experience that a great light had flashed around him.
He was prepared and called to bring the good tidings of Christ far away to the Gentiles. When he tried to reach out to the Jews by means of powerfully winning debate, proving that Jesus was the promised Messiah, they wanted to kill him.
So, the people sent him off to Tarsus and the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened (Acts 9:31). God couldn’t use Moses when he killed an Egyptian, thinking that he would be accepted by the people of Israel by it. Rather, he was rejected and fled to the wilderness forty years.
This is the evidence that God is in action to advance the gospel of Christ Jesus and hence to save the world. Evangelization of the world is God’s program designed and operated by the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul and apostles were the instruments of advancing the divine program of God. So are we!
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
The measurement of gospel ministry shall never be taken by numbers or glittering programs but by the fact that the Spirit is the sole player and resource for all the events and activities of church. The Spirit set apart for Him Paul and Barnabas for the work to which He had called them.
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:16-17)
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