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.”As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.”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 as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
4 sermons cite this verse
… They gather together there. in Acts chapter 13, verses 1 through 4. They gather together to pray, all the leaders of the church, and while they're praying, the Spirit comes down and says, set apart Saul and Barnabas, Paul and Barnabas, to go on some missionary journeys. And so they prayed, and they fasted, and they laid their hands on them, and they sent them off. And the first missionary journey of Paul came about as a result of concentrated time of gathered prayer in the church. And that missionary journey had a pretty huge impact. This really started the whole mission movement that we see throughout the rest of the book of Acts. Churches being started everywhere as a result of gathered prayer. All these books that we have written in the New Testament to those churches, all coming as a result of that time in prayer where they gathered together and corporately made prayer a priority. That's something we're diving into, exactly how this looks at the church of Brookhills, and we're going to play it out some next week, what it means to be a church that gathers together for prayer. …
… to Acts chapter 3. You see the church setting apart missionaries to go and proclaim the gospel. And it says in verse 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. Acts chapter 13, verse 2. One more time, Acts chapter 15. Acts chapter 15. Look over in verse 36 and 37. We're going to see another picture of Barnabas. The Bible says, Sometime later, Paul said to Barnabas, Let's go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preach the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them. But Paul didn't think it was wise to take him, because he had deserted him in Pamphylia and had not continued with him in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement, and they parted company. And Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. …
… Now watch this. 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've called them. Then after fasting and praying, they lay their hands on them and sent them off. So get the scene. They're in a worship, prayer gathering, they're fasting. God speaks and says, set apart two people, Barnabas and Saul, for the work. And the work he's calling them to is to make disciples and multiply churches. this is the point where some people might say wait a minute like the new testament commands us to make disciples but the new testament doesn't command us to multiply churches why are we talking about church planning and to that i would respond multiplying churches is the entire story of the new testament watch this work that they go out to do so the church lays their hands on barnabas and Saul sends them out. Fast forward to Acts chapter 14, verse 21. At the end of this journey, so this is talking about after Derbe right here. It says, when they had preached the gospel to that city, had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Echodium and to Pisidian Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every what? Church. There were churches in all these places with …
… They ministered unto the Lord in fasting. And then the Holy Ghost said, separate unto me Paul and Barnabas for the work whereunto I have called them. Now how important was that work? How important was the Apostle Paul's commissioning? And then the Bible said after they had fasted in that same chapter, after they had fasted, they laid their hands on them and sent them forth. that was the commissioning the sending forth of the great apostle Paul in his ministry it was done with fasting it was the direction of God the altered course of his life would never be the same I think that is so important that we understand the power of fasting. And there are options that you have when you really are desperate for God. When you really at the beginning of the year say, I really want to know you. I really want to experience your power in my life and your will, your provision, your help. You have options. And one of those mighty options in the playbook of the church is fasting. …