Good morning. Barnabas and Saul are back in Antioch. There were a group of prophets and teachers gathered together there. It does not say which ones were which, or if all of them were both. 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. First notice that this was a group of leaders gathered together and not the entire church. It does not say why they were fasting. It could have been that they were seeking to hear from the Lord and He spoke, or that may have been totally unexpected. God specifically called both Barnabas and Saul to an important task. It does not say whether or not they already had heard from Him within their hearts, but usually a person has an indication of their calling before an audible word of the Lord comes to them. They didn’t just say, goodbye, have a good trip. Even after hearing from the Lord, they fasted and prayed, laid their hands on them, and sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to the island of Cyprus. Cyprus is where Barnabas was from – his hometown. They continued on proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John Mark as their helper. Father thank You that You call us for the task You have for us, even sometimes giving us verbal confirmation. Help the reader to hear Your calling for him/her.

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