While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”- Acts 13:2
A Divine Invitation
This study begins with an invitation. A divine call. A whisper from the Holy Spirit in the depth of our souls that says, “Separate yourself for the special work I have planned for you.” There is a flutter in our hearts as He bids us to become one with His purpose. An excitement over what grand adventure may await us. Then questions. Possibly fear. Uncertainty and insecurity creep in, interrupting the sacred stirring within. To which voice will we listen? Which call will we heed?
The Call and the Work
I’m getting ahead of myself. Acts 13 is not the moment Paul and Barnabas first received their call. Their story began many years and pages back in Scripture. However, the bid to begin the work comes now. Long before this moment, Paul and Barnabas made a decision. They chose to surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives, no matter where He may send them or what He might ask them to do. This moment of decision occurred first, an acceptance of the divine invitation. Once they accepted, the Holy Spirit guided them into relationship with the right members of His church to adequately prepare and equip them. After this time, they were ready to begin the work.
The Call and the Church
God accomplished their preparation through the study of the Scriptures, development of daily disciplines, the witness of the Sprit’s work in and through the lives of other believers, fellowship with Christ Himself, and- this is key- through the other members of the Christian church. The unexplainable church in Antioch and Jerusalem was inextricably tied to the invitation given to Paul and Barnabas.
And the church continues to be inseparably tied to every divine call since. The wonder of the Holy Spirit is  that while He calls individually to live unexplainable lives, He works collectively through the body, bidding the realization of the Unexplainable Church. The early believers understood their interconnectedness to one another. They found it inconceivable to fulfill the call of Christ apart from each other as members of the Christian church at large.
You, dear one, have this divine invitation as well.
The Unexplainable Church
The Holy Spirit has chosen you for a special work. He bids you to become one with Him. But you cannot do it alone. You were not meant to figure it all out by yourself. Hopefully this truth will soothe some of your fears and insecurities. You and I were meant to be threads within the beautiful tapestry called The Unexplainable Church, the body of Christ Himself. Knitted and knotted together, indivisibly tied to our brothers and sisters around the globe, yet each one individually fulfilling their own special work.
Will you join me on a fifty day journey, discovering your own divine invitation? The Unexplainable Church: Reigniting the Mission of the Early Believers is a 10 Week bible study covering Acts 13-28. Within its pages we are offered our own divine invitation and the opportunity to accept it. Are you ready to say yes?
To learn more about the study click here.
