Get your own Free Home Page
by John A. Kohler, III
I. Barnabas and Saul were members of the church at Antioch of Syria, which was a true New Testament church (v. 1).
A. This church was planted by the church at Jerusalem through some of its dispersed members (Acts 11:19-21). It was not founded by a man or a group of men with no tie to a true New Testament church.
B. In the providence of God, Barnabas invited Saul to become involved in this church (Acts 11:22-26).
II. Barnabas and Saul were actively ministering in the church at Antioch when the Holy Spirit called them to the work of missions and church planting (v. 2).
A. They were teachers in the church, not students in a Bible college or seminary.
B. They were teachers in a true New Testament church, not teachers in a false, man-made church or parachurch organization.
III. Barnabas and Saul were ordained and commissioned to do the work of missions and church planting by the church at Antioch (v. 3).
A. They were ordained and commissioned by a true New Testament church, not ordained and commissioned by themselves or by a false, man-made church or parachurch organization.
B. The church did not ordain and commission them without first praying and fasting about the matter.
IV. Barnabas and Saul were sent forth to do the work of missions and church planting by the Holy Spirit through the church at Antioch (v. 4).
A. They were not sent forth by the Holy Spirit alone or by the church at Antioch alone, but by the Holy Spirit working in and through the church at Antioch.
B. They were not sent forth by the Holy Spirit through a false, man-made church or parachurch organization.
C.They did not have the authority in and of themselves to go. They had to have authority. The authority was and still is in the Lord's true churches, not in men. No person has the authority to start a church. Authority must be obtained from an existing, scripturally organized, doctrinally sound Baptist church. (Bob Hugan)
V. Barnabas and Saul later returned to the church at Antioch to give a report about their work of missions and church planting (Acts 14:26-28).
A. They returned to their home church, �from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.�
B. They were accountable both to God and to the church at Antioch for their work of missions and church planting.
Get your own Free Home Page