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.

Jerry opened the door of what I learned was a photographic darkroom. Inviting me to come in and sit down, it started a long-lasting and deep spiritual friendship. Jim and his wife came to visit about the church I was serving. Our conversation was one of many. They became faithful members of the church I served, and Jim and I became good friends – one of my closest. Kent invited me to join him on a mission trip to Russia. The experience was life-changing. He was instrumental in my pursuit of a Doctor of Ministry degree, and my move to Texas.

None of those encounters brought me to faith. But each of them was a springboard to other faith-building relationships. Maybe you can name some of your own. Perhaps you can point to someone who actually brought you to faith. It could be that someone’s influence was removed from your relational orbit (like Elymas’ influence was removed from Sergius Paulus).

I note how Luke names Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, Saul, and John (Mark) in these few verses – not to mention Elymas and Herod. Each of these played a part in the growth of the church. The gospel reach was extended through or in spite of their efforts. 

I believe God’s mission will succeed. I believe God will find his lost ones. I believe there are people we may influence toward Jesus – or sadly, away from him. And if we drop the ball, God will see to it that someone will share the message. But to be clear, it does not go well for those who resist, thwart, or undermine God’s mission. We may fumble, not expressing our faith well, or failing to give the witness we should. That is not good. We need God’s mercy and forgiveness for that. But let us never stand in the way of God’s good will toward all people.

To that end, I think of Manaen, the lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch. Some might have written him off as too enmeshed in Herod’s evil. Herod had ordered John the Baptizer to be beheaded and had presided over one of the trials of Jesus. He was at best curious about Jesus, but no friend of God. Yet Manaen, his lifelong friend, was a leader of the church in Antioch.

All kinds and sorts of people make up the church. We who are part of the church will have occasion to interact with all kinds of folks. We must be ready always to offer grace, mercy, hope, and love to those whom we encounter. We may never know how our lives may be woven into others’ spiritual journey. But we must do all we can to honor Christ whenever we are part of such encounters.