The Early Church: Set Apart and Sent by the Holy Ghost
"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." — Acts 13:2 After the risen Christ ascended, He did not leave His people without direction. He gave the Spirit, the apostolic Word, and a missionary church. Acts is not a catalog of techniques for getting personal messages. It is the record of the church’s founding, and it still teaches a guided people how to live together under that Lord. Notice the setting. They were ministering to the Lord and fasting. Guidance for world mission was given in worship, not in restlessness. Barnabas and Saul were not sitting in a corner demanding a destiny. They were in the work when the next work was named. The Spirit’s call was confirmed in the body. The church fasted again, prayed, laid hands on them, and sent them away. Private impressions were not treated as sufficient. That pattern rebukes two kinds of men: the man who will not be sent, and the ma...