A devotional study of Acts 13:1-3

Worship Focus

“Jesus We Love You” by Bethel Music

Scripture Foundation

“Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.” -Acts 13:1-3, NKJV

The Priority of Worship

Before our sending or our serving is the place of worship—ministering to the King. Before commissioning is the secret place with Him where we are marked and branded by His presence. He is not looking for mere workers in this hour, but rather He desires sincere lovers. This is a beautiful passage of invitation for us to come to Him in worship—hungry for the Lover of your soul—before the calling, assignment, or mission is revealed.

Purity and simplicity, longing and desire for Jesus are the origination points of our calling and the places from which commissioning is born!

The Example of Early Believers

Here they were ministering to the Lord. I picture an upper room of sorts—a birth place of new beginnings, where desperation for Jesus fills the atmosphere. Not knowing what was ahead for any of them, they pressed in, ministering to one another, fasting, and praying. Their eyes were locked on the One their hearts desired. Jesus was the focus, not the work to be done, in order to get to the end result—their calling. In all of our serving and going and doing, we can lose sight of our First Love. Not these guys. Their eyes and hearts were locked in on the Lord, their lives given as a living sacrifice and their spirits positioned to receive the next territory God would call them to.

The Power of Preparation

Paul was being prepared in this place with a trusted group of men to be sent on his first missionary journey. He had no idea that the years of preparation would come to this one moment. The very commissioning in Acts 1:8 was deposited so deeply in them by the Spirit that all they knew was to worship, fast, and pray. This was their acceptable act of service to the Lord as kings and priests in the Earth. Would they simply love Him and fix their eyes on He who was worthy of their adoration, even if the assignment was delayed? As they fasted and did without, God deposited a consecration deep unto deep.

“When a generation embraces the fire of God by setting themselves apart to fast, we will see an unstoppable army of lovers running hard after Him regardless of the cost. These fiery, consecrated, and set-apart saints will turn the world upside down for His glory. And fasting will be one of the pathways to increase and sustain their flame of love for Jesus.” -Jennifer Miskov, “Fasting for Fire”

The Process of Confirmation

What happened next is, all together, the overflow of intimacy. The Holy Spirit spoke to them. They all received the same word through the ministry of the prophets in that group, and there was agreement in their spirit with the directives of the Lord. This is key to discerning the word of the Lord; is there agreement and unity from this place of prayer and worship? The confirmation of the Holy Spirit in two or three witnesses establishes a matter (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1). Two were to be consecrated and set apart for what would come next. This was not to minimize the calling of others, but two had a specific assignment for a specific work. Saul and Barnabas were being called up and out.

The Call to Consecration

In order to be separated unto the Lord, we must be separated from the things that will keep us from our calling. This is the holiness of consecration. We are separated unto God because of what Jesus did on the cross for us. We are cloaked in the righteousness of Christ. But our calling, out of identity and inheritance, is of another matter. Saul and Barnabas were being commissioned to missionary service, a specific assignment to take the gospel to the Gentiles to the ends of the Earth. It was a specific work, created in Christ Jesus, prepared for them before the very foundation of the Earth was laid.

The Time for Action

The time was now for them to be released into it, birthed from a place of worship and consecration. God had a specific timetable that was not too late. There was to be no delay. Now meant now, not tomorrow.

I have heard many say to me, “One day, I will serve the Lord. One day, I will have enough courage to go tell people about Jesus.” If the Spirit of God is saying, “Now,” it is for a divine purpose and timing you know nothing about. Your responsibility is to worship and respond! He will supply both the faith and the details of what this will look like.

The Historical Significance

What happens next is equally profound. “Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:3, NKJV). They laid their hands on Saul and Barnabas as a formal commissioning to the work they were about to do. They were entering a whole new sphere of ministry, and this moment had never happened before in the history of the Church. All of those sent prior to this (Acts 8:4 and 11:19) were perceived as “accidental missionaries” due to the scattering. They were not sent by the Church but rather by the hand of God. This commissioning would be a formal sending to go win souls for Jesus. Traditionally, this is regarded as the first missionary effort of the Church.

The Present Call

Since this time, we have seen missionary movements birthed throughout history. In 1972, the Jesus Movement began in Dallas, Texas. It was the largest evangelism training conference in Church history, and many entered full-time vocational ministry as missionaries. I can emphatically say, one week post-election, it is time for another missionary movement to be birthed in America! I have a small assignment God has placed on my heart to find women in 70 cities in our nation who will be sent ones (missionaries) to our nation and the nations. This calling burns deep inside of me. Why? Because I see women moving from the sidelines to the front lines of what God is doing in this hour. I believe there is an anointing on women to carry the heart and purposes of God so the lost will be found.

The Eternal Impact

In six days, we will gather together for our last Arise luncheon of 2024 to hear from author and missiologist David Joannes, who is flying in from Thailand to join us. (Get your ticket here.) I leave you with a passionate excerpt from his book, “See the City.”

“What you do here touches strings that reverberate throughout eternity. The point of storing up treasures in Heaven now (Matthew 6:19-21) is so you can lay them before the throne of Jesus then (Revelation 4:10-11). After all, Jesus will present his kingdom as an inheritance to those who feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, welcome the homeless, clothe the needy, comfort the sick, and visit the imprisoned (Matthew 25:34-40).”

I am praying and asking the Lord for women who will be consecrated and commissioned to take the gospel to the ends of the Earth. Could this be you?

A Few Key Notes

• The Arise Fall Luncheon is next week! Join us on November 19 in Plano, Texas. We will hear from author and missiologist David Joannes as he shares your God-given destiny and purpose in the Great Commission. Reserve your seat today!

• Take the gospel to the unreached with Arise! We take teams that are armed with the gospel to various countries to share the love of Jesus with a desperate world. View our open teams!