Have
you ever wondered what is it like to be commissioned by God to do his work in
our world?
In
the reading we heard from Acts, we see an example of one of the earliest
ordinations or commissioning services in the church. Of the five men Luke mentions,
four were Jews born outside the Holy Land who spoke Greek. Barnabas was from Syria, Simeon was from
Africa, Lucius was a Cyrenian and Paul was from Tarsus. Only Manean was from
Israel. By laying hands on Barnabas and Paul, the three other leaders were
identifying with their mission. The text says “they sent them away”, but the
wording is literally, “they released them.” They selflessly broke their
emotional ties to them and freed them to do God’s will. Barnabas and Paul
became the Christian church’s first two missionaries. They were recognized as
prophets in the church but they did not have any guarantee that the Holy Spirit
would speak to them unless they spent time in worship, fasting and prayer.
Cyprus
is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. It was also Barnabas’ home.
It had two main cities: Salamis, the commercial centre on the eastern side, and
Paphos, the political centre on the western side. Barnabas and Paul arrived
first in Salamis, and preached the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. As a
Jewish scholar, Paul was allowed to speak to those who knew the Scriptures. It
was a perfect way to begin a ministry in a new area. Paul’s knowledge of the
Hebrew faith, along with his preparation in Tarsus and knowledge of Greek
culture and the Roman world, prepared him to speak to many different people.
Our backgrounds, knowledge and interests also allow us to touch more people and
a wide variety of people.
Paul
and Barnabas found their life’s calling when they prayed and worshipped with fellow
believers and not on their own. Likewise, God’s people must remain faithful in
a local church. We learn to be ministers and our gifts can be developed. Our
experiences will confirm whether or not God has called us to a larger place in
ministry. Those Christian brothers and sisters who know us best will witness to
God’s call.
God
wants us to serve him together and show the world how relationships are
supposed to work. God will work through anyone who is willing-even us. If we do
not feel that we are up to the tasks he asks us to do, we don’t have to worry.
God equips the called. He does not necessarily call the equipped. These gifts
are to be used for his purposes and according to his will, to build his
kingdom, not our own. They are affirmed by others who empower us to focus on
what God is calling us to do.
As
I mentioned earlier, Barnabas and Paul were prophets. Prophecy can mean
foretelling future events, but it can also involve speaking a word from God
that tells his followers what to do. Barnabas and Paul encountered a Jew who
was a sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was also called Elymas,
which means “The Enlightened One.” It was not uncommon for the governor of a
district to send for visitors. It was the governor’s job to stay on top of all
the latest news in his area.
Elymas
was successful because the Romans believed in the ability to predict the
future. He deceived the governor with false claims. He also tried to divert the
governor from the Gospel. Elymas saw the Word of God as a threat to his own
“ministry” of deception and false power. He did not want the governor to be
converted to Christ because he would lose his position within the city’s power
structure. Elymas opposed the missionaries because he saw them as a threat to
his relationship with the governor. Indeed, they were a threat because Paul’s
knowledge of the Hebrew faith enabled him to see Elymas for who he really was-a
false prophet. When Elymas was struck blind, the governor became a Christian.
Paul’s
verbal rebuke of the sorcerer is one of the most dramatic denunciations of
demonic power in Scripture. Instead of calling the sorcerer Bar-Jesus (or “Son
of Jesus”), Paul called him “son of the devil.” That play on words described
him accurately as the enemy of righteousness-an opponent of everything Barnabas
and Paul represented.
Besides
labelling Elymas for who he was, Paul caused him to go temporarily blind, and
that was a fitting picture of his spiritual blindness. The supposedly
all-powerful sorcerer was reduced to being led around by the hand. No one can
stand in the way of God and not be punished. Christianity has nothing to do
with the magic and superstition of the world. The power of God’s Word and the
power of the Holy Spirit overcomes them all.
Bibliography
1.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1508-1509)
2.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3.
Ogilvie, L.J.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983,
pp. 205-207)
4.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles,
2005)
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