Devotional #21
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 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. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away” Acts 13:1-3.
After Stephen was martyred, persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem, and the believers were scattered abroad to different places as far as Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch(Acts 11:19). Some of them when they come to Antioch preached about the Lord and the hand of the Lord was with them, consequently a great number of Greek-speaking people believed (Acts11:22-26). Persecution of believers in a way brought blessings to Samaria through Philip and to Antioch by those who traveled to far places in pursuing the work of the Lord.
For the first time, a church came into being, completely in a gentile place at Antioch. It has a marked difference from the Church in Jerusalem not only in place but also in its composition. The Lord told the Apostles that they shall be witnesses unto Him to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Yet they remained in Jerusalem even after more than 8 years of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit came first upon them.
Then the Holy Spirit raised a new company of people to take the word of the Lord to Greek-speaking people as far as Antioch to fulfill His word. God will always raise other people when we fail in our commitment to the Lord. He knows how to fulfill His wonderful plans. Let us be cautious to hear, understand, and do diligently what He is expecting of us.
When the report of the believer’s work reached the Church at Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. Barnabas was full of the Holy Ghost and when he came, he exhorted the Antioch believers to cleave unto the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul and brought him to Antioch. They both continued in Antioch for the whole year, teaching the word of God. After their brief visit to
Jerusalem, they both were in Antioch and the Holy Spirit spoke to Prophets and teachers in the Antioch assembly as they ministered unto the Lord.
The Holy Spirit records for us that, in the Church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers. Prophets and teachers are gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit in the assembly to strengthen the believers inwardly and also to build them up together in faith (1 Cori12:7-11, Ephe 4:11).
A prophet serves as a mouthpiece of God, in conveying the message of God to the hearer’s conscience to both a believer and an unbeliever to bring the conviction about their relationship with God. He helps the Church to bring the hearers to truthfulness in our dealings with the Lord. A teacher expounds the word and
explains to the believer to understand the eternal plan and glorious purposes of God. These two gifts were manifested by the Spirit in the early Church. If these two gifts are not found or not exercised in an assembly the ministry does not function as the Lord desires.
As these prophets and teachers altogether five of them ministered (leitourgeó) unto the Lord. The word ‘ministered’ in Greek means, a solemn ministration, or a holy service, the word often applies to priestly and Levitical services in the Temple.
In the early Church, these gifted prophets and teachers were found waiting upon the Lord in fasting and praying to serve the assembly with the mind of God. Those who are serving the Lord in the Church often say they are in the ministry of teaching or evangelizing and so on. But here we notice, that those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and received the gifts of the Spirit will first learn to minister unto the Lord by showing prompt obedience to His will, in turn, to serve His children in His plan.
Those who are filled with the Spirit will learn how to please God first and then God will use them pleasingly for His glory, to cause blessings to others. A true blessing; is when the present Church exercises these functions for the edification of believers. Otherwise, the churches will be found anemic and frail.
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