David Bahn – Reflections

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Acts 13:1-12

 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 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.” ³ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. ⁷ He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Sometime between 8 & 9 PM each night my phone lights up with one-word texts. “Amen,” comes from 20 or more people – members of various call committees at churches I am working with. These churches are seeking pastors to guide and serve them for the sake of God’s mission. The “amens” are evidence of the prayers of these people of God, and a reminder to one another to do as Jesus commanded. Matthew records Jesus’ command to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). 

I’ve encouraged calling congregations to covenant together to pray each night at a specific time that God would send a pastor to them. The challenges to this are at least two-fold. First of all, it’s really easy to simply type, “AMEN” and hit send – without actually praying. Second, there is an urgent need today for pastors in our church body (and in most church bodies throughout the United States). That makes the task of finding and calling a pastor more challenging. I strongly suspect that these are not the only ones praying for a new pastor.

Saul and Barnabas will be sent from a worshiping, fasting, and praying congregation. Antioch would be the first sending New Testament congregation. They were intentionally dedicated to a level of urgency that brought them together in prayer. They recognized that God is worthy of our worship. And they were even willing to fast to heighten their awareness of their need for God’s favor. It would surely focus and intensify their prayers.

God promises through the prophet Isaiah, that he will not break off a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick. That speaks of Israel’s weakness and God’s faithfulness. It also applies to us when our faith is weak and we are more in need of his grace than in we are in step with his will. God will certainly listen to the strong and fervent prayers of God’s people for workers in the harvest. Will he also not hear the weak cries of his people who are seeking a new pastor?

There are currently more than 600 congregations in our church body that are calling pastors. That’s about 10% of the churches. We need pastors. Please join me in praying that the Lord would send more laborers into the harvest of souls. And while you’re at it, remember this: Immediately after Jesus commands his disciples to pray for workers to be sent into the harvest, Matthew records that Jesus named his 12 disciples and sent them out. They turned out to be part of God’s answer to their own prayers. There may be a roll for each of us in this need for which we are praying.