Originally posted: 1/24/2020

Assignment: “a particular task or duty to which one is appointed.”
Appointment: “the act of appointing: to name or designate to a position.”

While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,” (13:2).

Barnabas and Saul, later to be called Paul, “But Saul, who was also known as Paul,” (13:9), have been set apart by the Holy Spirit, not by men; they have been called to His work, not to their own.

Consider His Assignment by His Appointment

Set apart and called to His Assignment by His Appointment:

…to Be Sent
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus, (13:4).

…to Proclaim His Word
When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; (13:5).

…to Make Straight the Crooked
But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, ¹⁰ and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? (13:9-10).

…to Go to the Need
Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down, (13:13-14).

…to Preach the Good News of the Promise
“Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent… ³² And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm,³⁹ and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. (13:26).

…to Encourage Believers to Continue in the Grace of God
Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God, (13:43).

…to Speak Out Boldly
Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles, (13:46).

…to Rejoice in and Glorify the Lord
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region, (13:48-49).

How do we respond to His Assignment by His Appointment?

His Assignments are not arbitrary; they are deliberate by His Appointment.

We too have received His Assignment by His Appointment, beginning with placing our faith in His Word for eternal life.

…and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed, (13:48).

And after faith, we are set apart to minister. While some translations describe the scene in Acts 13:2 as, “while they were worshipping the Lord,” the impression of “ministering to the Lord” is more accurate.

This Greek word translated as “ministering” in the NASB is not the same word used when Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers,” (see John 4:21-24).

To the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus used a word conveying worship as “to kiss, adore; to worship, do obeisance, show respect, fall or prostrate before,” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: 4352. προσκυνέω proskunéō.

But here in Acts 13:2, the word used indicates the believers are performing “religious rites as part of one’s religious duties or as the result of one’s role,” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: 3008. λειτουργέω leitourgéō.

When we are adopted into the family of God, we become the kind of worshipers the Father seeks and we are then chosen to receive His Assignment by His Appointment, to minister to and for Him as part of our religious duties and as the result of our role in His body.

While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,” (13:2). (13:2).

Barnabas and Paul accepted His Assignment convinced of His Appointment…

…to Be Sent

…to Proclaim His Word

…to Make Straight the Crooked

…to Go to the Need

…to Preach the Good News of the Promise

…to Encourage Believers to Continue in the Grace of God

…to Speak Out Boldly

…to Rejoice in and Glorify the Lord

May we wholeheartedly accept His Assignment by His Appointment. Let us minster to the Lord in our role as His chosen and royal priesthood, ready and willing to be sent; that we too, like Barnabas and Paul, may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9).

Let’s Grow Together!