Leviticus 1-3; Acts 13

“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
The birth of the church is an exciting time of breaking unchartered territory. Miracles are happening, lives transformed, and entire communities are becoming followers of Christ. The disciples are learning to hear the voice of the Lord and decipher the leading of the Holy Spirit. They are doing the work of the kingdom of God, which is ministering, serving people. If you are in the trenches for the Lord, you are serving people. You learn that not every one is easy to work with, not every one appreciates you and not every one is ready to follow the Lord at the level you would want. However, do not give up. As Paul later writes in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Now it goes on to say that “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted….” There are times that we are seeking God’s direction for ministry, we hit a brick wall, and we need to fast and seek the leading of the Holy Spirit. We can save ourselves a lot of time by seeking God first rather than trying to do it ourselves. You know, we can become self-sufficient in ministry after we’ve had a couple of successes here and there and then the Lord has to knock us on our behind and remind us that it’s His work and we need to seek Him with our whole hearts. So, now they fast, and then the leaders in the church lay hands on them in prayer and some one apparently has a prophetic word and tells them what they need to do so Barnabas and Saul go out to do the work. It appears that they sent them away immediately and they went in obedience. Likewise, Abraham responded swiftly with obedience when the Lord called him to leave his home and move on. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8 When God tells you to do something, you need to do it immediately, and do not delay or you might begin second-guessing what the Lord is calling you to do. Respond in faith, knowing that God is going to go before you as you walk in obedience. Like those ministering in the newly birthed church, you also have many adventures awaiting you as you step in to the things the Lord wants you to do.
Serving together,
Pastor Carol Danna

Next reading: Leviticus 4-6; Acts 14