Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 13-14.
“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:1-3).
This was the beginning of the first preaching tour by Saul (later known as Paul). Before being sent out, he was one of the teachers in the church in Antioch. He, along with Barnabas, was divinely chosen to go out and preach the gospel in other regions.
Though it may seem like a simple point, it is significant that the Holy Spirit went to the church to find the teachers needed to carry out this work. Why did He go to the church? It is because the church is the place to find those who are preaching and teaching the gospel. The Holy Spirit did not go to the college or seminary. He did not visit the missionary society or any other institution. He went to the local church.
The local church has been divinely commissioned with the role of being “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). It is in the church that men are trained to preach (2 Timothy 2:2). The church is the sole institution authorized to financially support gospel preachers (2 Corinthians 11:8; Philippians 4:15-16). Therefore, it is no wonder that the Holy Spirit went to a local church to find men to go out and preach.
When looking for men to preach, we do not need to look to the colleges, seminaries, societies, or institutions that exist today. Instead, we need to look to those in the church who will do as Saul (Paul) did – “not shrink from declaring…the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27).
Tomorrow’s reading: James 1-5
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
