by Rev. A. M. Cattanach, M.A.
VIII. A Meeting for Prayer
Some time after Barnabas and Saul had returned from Tarsus to Antioch, there were gathered together five of the brethren at Antioch, to minister unto the Lord in prayer and fasting. The meeting for prayer was small, but the outcome of their ministrations was momentous. At the beginning of Chapter 13 in the book of Acts, we read of them in these words:
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work, wherunto I have called them.”
As these men of understanding in the fear of the Lord poured out their hearts unto Him, He made known unto them His Divine will, by means of the secret testimony of the Holy Ghost, confirmed in the words above quoted. It was in this manner that a Gospel mission to the ends of the earth was first unfolded to the infant Church at Antioch. The result was far beyond any of their expectations; yet the whole project was but a logical development, in process of time, of the Saviour’s own commission to the disciples, “Go ye into all the world.” Had He not also said that “beginning at Jerusalem,” they were to carry their faithful witness beyond the city walls, out into Judaea, and then into Samaria, and finally, unto the uttermost part of the earth? Here now, they were to go beyond all that had been already done; beyond Judaea, and Samaria, into the unknown regions of the nations round about, even unto the uttermost part of the Roman Empire.
Our present meditation, then, might well be centred on these two matters:
a. The men involved in this enterprise
a. The men themselves are named: each has, no doubt, his own special significance; his own spiritual background; his own special gift. In the absence of any great detail about them, in the pages of Divine Writ, we can only mention, here and there, a thought or two, which may serve to show the quality of the men and the wisdom of the Lord, in so ordering it that we find among them, both Jew and Gentile, one in Christ Jesus, ready to unite in prayer and in practice, for the furtherance of the cause of Christ on earth.
i. Of Barnabas
who heads the bill, we need say very little. We have already met him in these studies, and, therefore, need only remind ourselves that he is the converted Levite from Cyprus, whose wealth was great, but whose generosity to the common cause of the newly-established Church was greater. His special recommendation in the Scripture is, “a good man, full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith.”
ii. Simeon
that was called Niger, that is, black. It is not certain whether this is to be taken to refer to the fact that he was black-skinned — a true African — or merely dark-skinned, as so many were in the East. Perhaps it matters not. The main thing is that he is found among the brethren; surely he had learned what it was to say with the Church of old in the Song, ‘I am black, but comely.’ Song i. 5.
iii. Lucius of Cyrene
— in North Africa. Most likely a Gentile, with a Roman name. One of the band who came over to Antioch first, with the Gospel of the grace of God, we know not how he himself had come to hear and to love that same Gospel, unless it was that he had come up to Jerusalem at the feast of Pentecost, when Peter preached that wonderful sermon in Acts 2. In Romans xvi. 21 we read of one, Lucius, among Paul’s companions at Corinth; possibly this is the same, although we cannot be sure, as the name was fairly common. The one definite point is that he came from Cyrene — a place from which came another, called Simon or Simeon, who bore the Cross after Jesus, on the way out of Jerusalem to the hill of Calvary. Simeon, called Niger, and Lucius from Cyrene — were they both from Cyrene? Can this be the Simeon who was so highly honoured? Whatever be the case, they were now in the service of the despised Nazarene together and bearing His Cross in no uncertain manner.
iv. Manaen
who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch. Perhaps he is the most interesting member of this noble group. The word in Greek, translated in the paraphrase, ‘who had been brought up with,’ means ‘foster-brother’, literally, one suckled by the same mother. By extension of meaning, it passed into use in the sense of a companion of youth. What appears to be revealed here about Manaen is, the near relationship in which he stood to Herod, the tetrarch, a ruler in the land, the man who caused John the Baptist to be beheaded, and mocked the Lord of glory, by clothing Him with a gorgeous robe. Herod went his own way and finally to his own place, while Manaen, his foster-brother, came to the knowledge of the truth and took up his cross and followed that same Jesus, whom Herod had so cruelly mocked. “One shall be taken, and the other left.” The one-time child of the royal palace in Judaea, is now a child of God and follower of the King of glory. O, the wonder of the sovereign grace of God! This man, indeed, could be a great help to the church at Antioch — a power for good. He was a most valuable member of this famous group of five praying men.
v. Saul.
Last, but not least, the ‘young man’ Saul, now much more instructed in the way of the Lord; much more exercised in the truth; much more refined in the furnace of self-imposed discipline. As he is, pre-eminently, the subject of our meditations, we can leave our discussion of him there.
O, what a noble band they present to us! Five men met for prayer. What was the outcome? A bursting forth of the river of the water of life, in the preaching of the Cross, that was to refresh, with its many streams, the souls of countless sinners, Jew and Gentile, the world over. So these men gathered together in Antioch, in those days. We now take up
b. Their frame of mind at that time.
They were united in prayer and fellowship, as they “ministered to the Lord and fasted”. The hours thus spent were not spent in vain. The word used of their ministering to the Lord is a technical term, originally used, in classical times, of rich Athenians who gave liberally of their means for the public good, especially for the provision of state occasions such as the annual, biennial or four-yearly festivals and games in Athens. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it is uniformly used in connection with the temple services, especially those of the Levites. Out of this usage arose the use of the word in the New Testament, in connection with service to the Lord, in the spirit of the sanctuary service of old. These noble men of God were giving of their time, their gifts, their talents, their spiritual exercises and services, for the good of the Church, not only at Antioch, but also in every place. Above all, they were giving, in the Spirit, of their services, to the Lord Himself — worshipping Him and serving Him only.
They were seeking the mind of the Lord; praying for guidance; waiting upon Him, at the posts of His door; denying themselves and taking up His Cross. While thus engaged, the Holy Ghost made known to them that two of their own number were to be chosen for a specific work, and these two were Barnabas and Saul.
Out of this small meeting for prayer and ministration before the Lord, arose the wonderful journeys of the Apostle Paul, first in company with his valued friend and companion of senior years, Barnabas of Cyprus, and later, in company with many others, who, from time to time, were called to join the band of noble witnesses for the Saviour, as they travelled all over the then known world, proclaiming the glad tidings of the redeeming love of God.
Let us not despise the day of small things. The great movement outlined in the above paragraph stemmed from very small and inauspicious beginnings. So, it is often still. The Lord has promised to be with the ‘two or three’ gathered in His name; to reveal Himself in their midst; to make known to such as earnestly desire it, and diligently and sincerely seek it, His mind and will, not merely for their salvation, but also for their continued walk in this world; not only in grace, but also in Providence. One final word: let us see the value of concerted prayer — to be united in the bond of peace, and in the unity of the spirit, earnestly striving together for the faith of the Gospel. Is it not herein fulfilled, even that which we have in Matthew, chapter 18, verses 19 and 20?
“Again I say unto you, That if any of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”