“As they ministered unto the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Acts 13:2
Dear Ones:
It is a wonderful thing to be like-minded with someone. Spiritually speaking, we could say that as the Lord Jesus taught His disciples the great truths of the Gospel, and lived it before them, they became like-minded. It is true that the beginning of this bond between the twelve disciples came first when they answered their individual call to follow Christ. There was immediately a certain unity in this regard. Afterwards, there came the teaching aspect of their unity, their oneness of mind. Day after day, by word of mouth, and the example of Christ’s life, confirmed by the His works, this oneness of mind deepened. The beginning and unity of this “band of brothers” had begun. However, there seems to be what we might call the “great leap” that was facing them, which would either divide them, or certainly, distinguish those who would KNOW the power of the Life of Christ in the heart, and those who wouldn’t. This great divide was breached on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out upon them. In that moment, as the Lord Jesus told His disciples before His crucifixion: “At that day you shall KNOW that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (Jn.14:20) From that day forward there was not only a oneness, a unity, of mind, and heart. There was also the indwelling of the Power of Life, the very Life of Christ by the Spirit. The knowledge that would unify the disciples would no longer be primarily devotional and intellectual, but also a mutual experience of LIFE lived. We see this illustrated when the Lord Jesus instituted what we call, the “Lord’s Supper”. It was at that last supper before His crucifixion, that Jesus told His disciples to “take and eat,” to partake, to make their own, that which the bread and wine represented. He was speaking not only of the work that He would accomplish on the cross, to deal with sin and the sinner, but the very communication, and communion of the LIFE of the Father, and the Son, by the Spirit, which the disciples were to know and experience. With the knowledge of the truth, and this in an ever-increasing measure, there would come the ever-increasing fullness of the knowledge of Christ’s life lived by the POWER OF THE SPIRIT. The spiritual formation of the “Band of Brothers” would be complete, and Christ would be revealed in the midst.
The question then becomes for all believers today: “Does this same concept, and spiritual reality, of this “Band of Brothers,” still exist, possible to be lived? And what are the prerequisites and conditions for which it can be truly known? In the book of Acts, after Pentecost, when the Gospel was being spread over the then known world, there was found in Antioch a group of brethren who were “ministering to the Lord and fasting.” (13:2) It is there, as they were worshiping the Lord in Spirit and in truth together, that “the Holy Spirit…” spoke to them. In other words, the unity of mind and the Spirit was such that the Holy Spirit could clearly reveal the will of God concerning the reaching of the world with the Gospel. It appears that all who were in that gathering, that church or assembly, that day, KNEW what was the will of God, for the Spirit of God not only spoke to them objectively, but confirmed His will to their hearts by a conviction given. The result was that Paul and Barnabas were sent forth “BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.” (v.4) The point is this…where brethren dwell together in true, spiritual unity, “…THERE the Lord commands the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Ps. 133:1,3)
Dear Father, give us to understand the beauty of such fellowship with Thee, and with the brethren. Make of us all to be of one mind according to the truth, but also, of one LIFE by the Spirit. Then You will most certainly “command the blessing,” leading in a most wonderful way to reach the world for Christ. We thank Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad