Acts 13:2

‘And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” '

To ‘minister to the Lord' would involve both worship, prophesying and teaching the gathered people. Their fasting, something rarely mentioned in the New Testament (although regularly slipped in by copyists later), may simply have been because the day had been set apart for prayer and ministry. Not wishing this to be interrupted by the question of food they simply went without. Or it may have been because they were seeking God's face about some particular problem and wished to concentrate on that without interruption. Or it could even have been a weekly or seasonal fast. We are not told which because the detail was unimportant. But the point of mentioning it is in order to bring out that they were in earnest in seeking the Lord's face. For it is when men seek His face because they love Him that He then comes to them with greater blessing.

No wonder then that God gave them a revelation concerning Barnabas and Saul, although at the time probably none recognised the full significance of what they were doing. The fast may well have included the whole church, gathered in order to hear these prophets and teachers and to worship with them throughout the whole day. The command was that the whole church separate the two men out for the work to which He had called them.

Outwardly the command may have come as a surprise. These were two of their leading teachers, and the church was constantly growing and needed teachers. But we may assume that what the Lord was calling them too had been revealed to the church, so that having a missionary heart (they too were a missionary church) they therefore responded without question. Humanly speaking the later success of Barnabas and Saul would not result only because these two were obedient, but because the whole church was obedient. As a result all had a share in their ministry.