What If God Moves Them?

For a moment, imagine Bronx Bethany without Pastor Sam and Pastor Benji... as I imagine it, I see the church continuing to move forward in Christ whether these two men are there or not. Like the church at Antioch, Bronx Bethany is blessed to have a "deep bench" of pastors: three of the six pastors are ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene, and the other three have District Licenses and are actively pursuing the necessary training to be considered for ordination. Several of our congregants have been to seminary. And we have a few retired pastors in our congregation who are quite capable of filling the pulpit. We have no lack of preachers, and in that regard it would not be a hardship if Bronx Bethany were to lose two.

In Acts 13, we see the church doing something interesting: they are fasting. Not just praying, not just singing, but fasting. It's a not-so-subtle reminder of the verse (which reads differently based on the translation you use... but check your footnotes): "This kind cometh not out except by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). The implication is that there are some things that don't happen, that won't happen, in the spiritual realm unless you approach God in fasting.

So the prophets and teachers are worshiping and fasting, and God shows up with an announcement: the Spirit says, in effect, I'm breaking up this group. Give Me Barnabas and Saul. Get in all your looks now, because they're leaving soon. The work I have for them is beyond Antioch.

And what did the leaders do? They fasted and prayed. Same routine. No protests, no committee meetings, no congregational vote, no emergency calls to headquarters... they fasted. They prayed. And after they fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and sent them on their way (see Acts 13:1-4). Antioch's "deep bench" was strong enough to handle the loss of two of their key speakers.

But guess what? Even if Antioch had a thin bench, or no bench, I think they still would have obeyed the voice of the Lord. These men were in a posture of worship before, during, and after the announcement from the Holy Spirit. They were ready to hear from God and to do whatever He said.

What about you? Are you ready to hear from God? What if He says 'give up your best two'- how would you respond?