Paul In Cyprus

After Saul came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior it took time for other Christians to accept him as a friend. After all, many of them remembered how terrible Saul used to be. But Saul continued to speak boldly of the Lord Jesus to everyone. Saul was so bold, that the disciples had to move him away from Jerusalem for fear that some Jews would kill Saul. Now the Jews in Antoich were building a strong new church and Saul went up to be with them.   Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 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." Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.*   God is in the process of causing His church to grow. The new Christians know that the most important thing to do is to minister to the Lord. How does one minister to the Lord? Picture yourself as a servant in biblical times and you want to properly serve your master or lord. You would constantly be attentive to him, waiting for his command. You would listen carefully to make sure you heard your lord's instructions. You would not let anything distract you from accomplishing the task he gave you to do. These men loved Jesus as their Lord. To minister to God they fasted. That means they stayed away from the distraction of food to direct their attention to the Lord instead. These men also prayed. They spoke to God and carefully listened to hear their Lord's instructions. Jesus is Lord. It is a blessing to be able to serve Him today.   You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.*   The good news is that the Lord loves His servants as friends. Acts 13:1-3, Deuteronomy 6:5 (NASB)

Lesson Questions for the Full Story: