A VESSEL OF DEVOTION
Opening Prayer
Precious Savior, in you I find love beyond measure, overflowing joy, and peace that passes understanding. Help me, that my gratitude would overflow in ways that show others who you are, that draw them to you.
Read ACTS 12:25–13:3
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. 13 1 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. 2 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.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Footnotes
- Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.’1
This episode sets the scene for the epic missionary adventures that are to come. For Luke, the church at Antioch plays a crucial missional role. It is the springboard for all of Paul’s ensuing journeys, and functions as an ideal model of a sending church. Luke has already emphasized that followers of Jesus are first called Christians here,2 that it is a large, wealthy, and influential congregation,3 and that it is the first place seriously to experiment with multicultural Christian community, including both Jews and non-Jews.4 Luke then includes a fascinating summary of the diverse Antioch leadership team, which includes Barnabas and Saul (13:1).
This early community is gathered worshipping and fasting (v. 2), which provides an important insight into their spiritual fervency. Into this environment of expectant prayer, the Holy Spirit speaks powerfully, leading to Barnabas and Saul being commissioned for God’s work. After fasting and praying again, the community lays hands on these two missionaries and sends them off.
This is a crucial turning point in the Acts narrative, for it is the first example of intentional outreach to a location further afield. Up to this point, mission has happened naturally as people have gone about their lives, even while fleeing from persecution, but here we see a new model: a praying church that sends people on missionary journeys. Luke’s point is that this emerges out of the devotion to God’s presence that the church at Antioch has cultivated. This is the pattern in Acts—mission is birthed by a community engaged in ardent prayer, expectant worship, and devoted fasting. Today’s church longs for the missional effectiveness seen in Acts, but can miss the culture of radical devotion that leads to it.
Apply
Could your life be described as a vessel of devotion to God? How could you help your community cultivate more of this passion for God today?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for your church. Give us vision that enables our love for you, and gratitude for all you have done, overflow into the lives of others—our families, our community, and even to the ends of the earth.
1 Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, c397 2 Acts 11:26 3 Acts 11:21, 24, 29, 30 4 Acts 11:20
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