GIFTS of MISSIONAL LIVING: A 5-Day Journey Exploring the Gifts of the Holy Spirit for Missional LifeSýnishorn

THE SPIRIT’S CALL TO MISSION

We might define missional living as a life lived with purpose and intentionality, aligned with the mission of Jesus himself. This kind of purposeful living begins with the call of the Holy Spirit. One of the clearest illustrations of this is in Acts 13:1-4 when the church in Antioch hears the Spirit’s specific call upon Barnabas and Saul and sends the two men out to follow that call. Often, our individualistic cultures tempt us to think that the Spirit’s call is a purely personal and private matter, but Acts 13 shows that our calling is best discerned in the midst of a worshiping, praying community. How did Barnabas and Saul receive their call in the midst of the Christian community of Antioch? We see at least three key aspects.

First, Barnabas and Saul were actively involved in the church's teaching ministry. Verse 1 says that they were among the “prophets and teachers.” The church community had already experienced the Spirit’s gifts in these men and had developed confidence in their leadership. Barnabas and Saul weren’t “lone rangers”; they were deeply connected to a local congregation.

Second, the Holy Spirit’s specific call came while the church was worshiping. Luke narrates this in such a simple, straightforward way, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said. . . ” It seems that this congregation entered into worship expecting God to speak to them! As a group, they were attentive to the voice of the Spirit. The Spirit’s call likely came through one or more of the other “prophets and teachers,” which underlines Barnabas and Saul’s humility to submit to the Lord’s voice mediated to them through other respected believers.

Third, this congregation was responsive and obedient to the Spirit’s call. They fasted and prayed some more and then took concrete steps to confirm the Spirit’s call upon Barnabas and Saul: “They laid hands on them and sent them off.” The church was generous and supportive, willing to give up two of their notable “prophets and teachers” to advance the mission of Jesus in other places. Barnabas and Saul were responsive and willing, not clinging to the security of what they knew or the comfort of “the home place.”

Verse 4 affirms that the mission of these two men was not the idea of the Antioch church, but the purposeful call of the Spirit: “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there to Cyprus.” And so began the great missionary movement of the early church! How might the course of history have been different if Barnabas and Saul had not been deeply involved in the local church in Antioch, if that church had not been attentive and discerning of the Spirit’s call upon their lives, and if both the two men and the congregation had not submitted to that call? Thank God for their responsive obedience!