If you are looking for a turnaround in your life today, God specializes in such things. But perhaps you need a nudge from the Holy Spirit to show you the next step to take.
It’s reassuring to consider how the disciples of Jesus reached several decisive turning points on their way to turning the world upside down. The first was in John 20:19-23, when the resurrected Christ appeared to His devastated followers as they were cowering behind locked doors.
The second major inflection point, of course, was the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The 120 people who had waited in prayer were empowered by “the promise of the Father” to become witnesses for Jesus to the ends of the earth (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5, Acts 1:8). Such an amazing turnaround for those who had abandoned or denied Him at the cross.
Although there were several other turning points in the unfolding saga of the early church, today I’m struck by just one: the profound transformation that started in the church at Antioch. The story begins when something like a revival broke out and “a large number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21).
Revival is a wonderful thing, but it also brings huge challenges. When the Jerusalem church heard about the multitudes who were coming to the Lord in Antioch, they sent Barnabas to check things out. Since Barnabas was a great encourager, he was the perfect envoy for this assignment. Shortly after his arrival, even larger numbers of people were added to the Lord (Acts 11:24). More blessings, but more difficulties as well.
What would you do if faced by such overwhelming circumstances? This is a personal question for me today, because I’m seeing an overwhelming hunger for God’s Word in many nations around the world. It’s no exaggeration to say I could preach every day of the week, several times a day, and still be unable to handle all the invitations.
Not surprisingly, many impoverished believers also seek financial support, and these requests are overwhelming too. Some are undoubtedly just scammers, but many face very real hardships. When I tell these precious people I’m not the one to meet their financial needs, they typically reply: “Please tell your American friends about our situation and see if they can help.”
Hmmm… Yes, I’ve tried telling my American friends about these open doors, but only a few have responded.
Amid the overwhelming needs and opportunities I see, I’ve been looking again at the wisdom of Barnabas as he witnessed the revival in Antioch:
“Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers” (Acts 11:25-26).
Barnabas remembered Saul and thought he might have helpful spiritual gifts to strengthen the new believers in Antioch. Even though Barnabas surely had no idea of this at the time, his recruitment of Saul would soon provide one of the most significant inflection points in church history.
At this point in Saul’s life, it had been about 10 years since his dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). Yes, God had initially used him to share his testimony and declare that Jesus was the Messiah. But now Saul was back in his hometown of Tarsus, with no indication of involvement in noteworthy ministry.
However, Saul’s recruitment by Barnabas not only changed his own life, but it also changed the Antioch church and ultimately much of the world. We see this begin to come into fruition in Acts 13:1-4:
“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As 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.’ Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.So being sent out by the Holy Spirit…”
The rest is history.
But as I read this inspiring story, I think once again of my efforts to recruit American friends to help in discipling the nations. I would have expected most Christians to jump at such an incredible opportunity, yet it hasn’t been that way. People are either too busy or simply consumed by other priorities right now.
In light of this, I can’t help wondering what would have happened if Barnabas never had recruited Saul (who famously became the man we now call the apostle Paul). Looking at the backstory, it must have seemed like a risky choice.
Picture the scene if Barnabas had run this idea past a group of advisers. They no doubt would have confronted him with a long list of negative adjectives describing the reputation of this former persecutor of the church: controversial…opinionated…contentious… unpredictable…unlikely to ever be a team player. In today’s vernacular, we probably would consider Saul a dangerous “loose cannon,” with no track record of previous success. Sensible people would have predicted a disastrous result if Saul was ever given ministry responsibilities.
I also wonder the consequences if Saul had refused the offer to join the leadership team at Antioch. For countless reasons, Antioch seemed an unlikely launching pad for future prominence. Jerusalem was clearly “the place to be,” but the church there apparently had no interest in recruiting Saul. And just like many would-be disciples of Jesus were sidetracked by excuses (Luke 9:57-62), I’m sure Saul could have easily come up with excuses too.
This issue of recruitment is tearing my heart out today. When I see American friends frustrated about their lack of ministry opportunities, I wonder why they can’t see the international mission fields so white for harvest. I’m sure there are countless preachers who could do a far better job than me, but they aren’t available.
Hey, for the first time in history, you can become an international Bible teacher without even leaving home! No need for expensive airfare or jetlag anymore. Just sit at home with your computer, iPad, or cell phone, and preach the Word of God all over the world.
So, I ask for your prayers. As I consider the story of Barnabas and Antioch, I’m asking the Lord today, “Is there some ‘Saul’ who I need to recruit?”
