Not much is known about the five men who led the church in Antioch, but when they prayed something happened that changed the world as we know it.
History has left us few clues as to the pedigree of Simeon, Lucius and Manaen. Were it not for this one reference they would not be recognized at all. Yet, in their day they were likely contemporaries of Barnabus and Paul. While this group was praying, the Holy Spirit spoke to them and said that Barnabus and Paul should be commissioned for a different work. They were to travel, the others were to remain. As they were obedient, Paul and Barnabus left on their first missionary journey, and the Gospel continued to spread like wildfire. Two important lessons can be learned from this short passage:
1. Sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit, and obedience to the Spirit are far more important than fame or obscurity.
2. Spending time in prayer and fasting are often precursors to hearing from the Holy Spirit.
If I truly want the Spirit to speak to me, and be able to recognize His voice….and have the courage and wisdom to respond to His call, I should make prayer and fasting a part of my schedule. I’m not sure what this has to look like….maybe attending a worship service is appropriate, maybe it’s a smaller, prayer meeting or a small group meeting. I wonder what Paul and company were praying about? Were they asking the Lord to show them where to go next, or were they praying about the upcoming preaching calendar? Possibly they were just praising God for the privilege of knowing Him. In any case, it would seem like the Holy Spirit is more likely to show up if we establish a connection with heaven.
We don’t want to leave this chapter without calling attention to the main theme, and that would be “missions”. I suppose Paul could have stayed where he was and shared the Gospel…eventually it would have spread out worldwide. But maybe not, or maybe not as quickly as the Lord desired…or maybe the next great leader of the church (now unknown to history) was converted by Paul and led the church in another area. We don’t know all the results of their mission work, but we know they were “commissioned” to share the good news. Today, many people argue that we need the gospel at home just as much as they need it abroad. “There’s lots of missionary work to do here” they say. “you don’t need to go to other dangerous countries” they say. Forget what they say…and listen to the Spirit when He speaks. Go where God leads, and you will enjoy the peace and contentment of knowing that you are in the center of His will. Maybe the path will be hard. So what?
Maybe the path will not lead you back this way again. So what? Consider this: when you became a Christian, this was no longer home anyway. No matter where you go in this life, you are a traveler. Travel where God leads.
And, I suppose we should also touch on the subject of controversy. Most people that I hang around with prefer not to be confrontational. Almost all my friends would rather get along with others than create a disturbance. I confess that as I grow in my faith I put a lot less emphasis having my “own way”. If my meal at the restaurant wasn’t prepared exactly as I ordered it, I tend to say little and eat it anyway. (unless it’s really wrong). I become uncomfortable around those who are always pointing out the shortcoming and flaws, or who keep getting louder and louder as the discussion polarizes.
However, I notice that Paul and Barnabus weren’t like me in this regard. They spoke the truth, and when the truth was rejected, they didn’t shrug their shoulders and “agree to disagree”. They pronounced judgment, saying “you have rejected it and judged yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life” (vs 46) and then they shook the dust from their feet and went on their way. Excuse me, but that’s a little confrontational.
So I say this: maybe we aren’t quite as insistent as we need to be. MAYBE, the reason that we don’t experience much persecution here in the U.S. is because we don’t stand out and disagree as much as we should. Perhaps Barnabus would taken a quieter, more gentle approach. In Greek the name “Manaen” means “consoler”. Maybe that’s why the Holy Spirit chose Paul instead. Sometimes what’s needed is a clear, unbending, unmistakable and unapologetic revelation of God’s Word.
Considering becoming less flexible,
PR