Sketches From The Life of Paul
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 4: Ordination of Paul and Barnabas
The apostles and disciples who left Jerusalem
during the fierce persecution that raged there
after the martyrdom of Stephen, preached Christ
in the cities round about, confining their labors
to the Hebrew and Greek Jews. "And the hand
of the Lord was with them; and a great number
believed, and turned unto the Lord." When the
believers in Jerusalem
heard the good tidings,
they rejoiced; and Barnabas, "a good man, and
full of the Holy Ghost and of faith," was sent
to Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, to help the
church there. He labored there with great
success. As the work increased, he solicited and
obtained the help of Paul; and the two disciples
labored together in that city for a year, teaching
the people, and adding to the numbers of the
church of Christ.
Antioch had a large population both of Jews
and Gentiles; it was a great resort for lovers of
ease and pleasure, because of the healthfulness
of its situation, its beautiful scenery, and the
wealth, culture, and refinement that centered
there. Its extensive commerce made it a place
of great importance, where people of all
nationalities were found. It was therefore a city of
luxury and vice. The retribution of God finally
came upon Antioch, because of the wickedness
of its inhabitants.
It was here that the disciples were first called
Christians. This name was given them because
Christ was the main theme of their preaching, [p. 41] teaching, and conversation. They were
continually recounting the incidents of his life,
during the time in which his disciples were
blessed with his personal company. They dwelt
untiringly upon his teachings, his miracles of
healing the sick, casting out devils, and raising
the dead to life. With quivering lips and tearful
eyes they spoke of his agony in the garden, his
betrayal, trial, and execution, the forbearance
and humility with which he endured the
contumely and torture imposed upon him by his
enemies, and the Godlike pity with which he
prayed for those who persecuted him. His
resurrection and ascension, and his work in Heaven
as a Mediator for fallen man, were joyful topics
with them. The heathen might well call them
Christians, since they preached of Christ, and
addressed their prayers to God through him.
In the populous city of Antioch, Paul found
an excellent field of labor, where his great learning,
wisdom, and zeal, combined, exerted a powerful
influence over the inhabitants and
frequenters of that city of culture.
Meanwhile the work of the apostles was
centered at Jerusalem, where Jews of all tongues
and countries came to worship at the temple during
the stated festivals. At such times the apostles
preached Christ with unflinching courage,
though they knew that in so doing their lives
were in constant jeopardy. Many converts to
the faith were made, and these, dispersing to
their homes in different parts of the country,
scattered the seeds of truth throughout all
nations, and among all classes of society.
Peter, James, and John felt confident that
God had appointed them to preach Christ among [p. 42] their own countrymen at home. But Paul had
received his commission from God, while praying
in the temple, and his broad missionary field had
been distinctly presented before him. To
prepare him for his extensive and important work,
God had brought him into close connection with
himself, and had opened before his enraptured
vision a glimpse of the beauty and glory of
Heaven.
God communicated with the devout prophets
and teachers in the church at Antioch. "As
they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy
Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for
the work whereunto I have called them." These
apostles were therefore dedicated to God in a
most solemn manner by fasting and prayer and
the laying on of hands; and they were sent forth
to their field of labor among the Gentiles.
Both Paul and Barnabas had been laboring as
ministers of Christ, and God had abundantly
blessed their efforts; but neither of them had
previously been formally ordained to the gospel
ministry by prayer and the laying on of hands.
They were now authorized by the church, not
only to teach the truth, but to baptize, and to
organize churches, being invested with full
ecclesiastical authority. This was an important
era for the church. Though the middle wall of
partition between Jew and Gentile had been
broken down by the death of Christ, letting the
Gentiles into the full privileges of the gospel,
still the vail had not yet been torn from the
eyes of many of the believing Jews, and they
could not clearly discern to the end of that which
was abolished by the Son of God. The work
was now to be prosecuted with vigor among the [p. 43] Gentiles, and was to result in strengthening the
church by a great ingathering of souls.
The apostles, in this their special work, were
to be exposed to suspicion, prejudice, and
jealousy. As a natural consequence of their departure
from the exclusiveness of the Jews, their
doctrine and views would be subject to the charge
of heresy; and their credentials as ministers of
the gospel would be questioned by many zealous,
believing Jews. God foresaw all these difficulties
which his servants would undergo, and, in his
wise providence, caused them to be invested with
unquestionable authority from the established
church of God, that their work should be above
challenge.
The brethren in Jerusalem and in Antioch
were made thoroughly acquainted with all the
particulars of this divine appointment, and the
specific work of teaching the Gentiles, which the
Lord had given to these apostles. Their ordination
was an open recognition of their divine
mission, as messengers specially chosen by the Holy
Ghost for a special work. Paul witnesses in his
Epistle to the Romans, that he considered this
sacred appointment as a new and important
epoch in his life; he names himself, "a servant
of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God."
The ordination by the laying on of hands, was,
at a later date, greatly abused; unwarrantable
importance was attached to the act as though
a power came at once upon those who received
such ordination, which immediately qualified
them for any and all ministerial work, as though
virtue lay in the act of laying on of hands. We
have, in the history of these two apostles, only a [p. 44] simple record of the laying on of hands, and its
bearing upon their work. Both Paul and
Barnabas had already received their commission from
God himself; and the ceremony or the laying on
of hands added no new grace or virtual qualification.
It was merely setting the seal of the
church upon the work of God—an acknowledged
form of designation to an appointed office.
This form was a significant one to the Jews.
When a Jewish father blessed his children, he laid
his hands reverently upon their heads. When an
animal was devoted to sacrifice, the hand of the
one invested with priestly authority was laid upon
the head of the victim. Therefore, when the
ministers of Antioch laid their hands upon the
apostles, they, by that action, asked God to
bestow his blessing upon them, in their devotion to
the specific work which God had chosen them
to do.
The apostles started out upon their mission,
taking with them Mark. They went into
Seleucia, and from thence sailed to Cyprus. At
Salamis they preached in the synagogues of the
Jews. "And when they had gone through the
isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer,
a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was
Bar-jesus; which was with the deputy of the country,
Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called
for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the
word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so
is his name by interpretation) withstood them,
seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith."
The deputy being a man of repute and
influence, the sorcerer Elymas, who was under the
control of Satan, sought by false reports and
various specious deceptions to turn him against [p. 45] the apostles and destroy their influence over him.
As the magicians in Pharaoh's court withstood
Moses and Aaron, so did this sorcerer withstand
the apostles. When the deputy sent for the
apostles, that he might be instructed in the truth,
Satan was on hand with his servant, seeking to
thwart the purpose of God, and prevent this
influential man from embracing the faith of Christ.
This agent of Satan greatly hindered the work
of the apostles. Thus does the fallen foe ever
work in a special manner to prevent persons of
influence, who could be of great service to the
cause, from embracing the truth of God.
But Paul, in the power of the Holy Ghost,
rebuked the wicked deceiver. He "set his eyes
on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all
mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy
of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to
pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now,
behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou
shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.
And immediately there fell on him a mist and a
darkness; and he went about seeking some to
lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when
he saw what was done, believed, being astonished
at the doctrine of the Lord."
The sorcerer had closed his eyes to the
evidences of truth, and the light of the gospel, therefore
the Lord, in his righteous anger, caused his
natural eyes to be closed, shutting out from him
the light of day. This blindness was not
permanent, but only for a season, to warn him to
repent, and to seek pardon of God whom he had
so offended. The confusion into which this man
was brought, with all his boasted power, made
of none effect all his subtle arts against the [p. 46] doctrine of Christ. The fact of his being obliged to
grope about in blindness, proved to all beholders
that the miracles which the apostles had
performed, and which Elymas had denounced as
being produced by sleight of hand, were in truth
wrought by the power of God. The deputy was
convinced of the truth of the doctrine taught by
the apostles, and embraced the gospel of Christ.
Elymas was not a man of education, yet he
was peculiarly fitted to do the work of Satan.
Those who preach the truth of God will be
obliged to meet the wily foe in many different
forms. Sometimes it is in the person of learned,
and often in the person of ignorant, men, whom
Satan had educated to be his successful instruments
in deceiving souls and in working iniquity.
It is the duty of the minister of Christ to stand
faithfully at his post, in the fear of God and in
the power of his strength. Thus he may put to
confusion the hosts of Satan, and triumph in the
name of the Lord.
Paul and his company now continued their
journey, going into Perga, in Pamphylia. Their
way was toilsome, they encountered hardships
and privations, and were beset by dangers on
every side, which intimidated Mark, who was
unused to hardships. As still greater difficulties
were apprehended, he became disheartened, and
refused to go farther, just at the time when his
services were most needed. He accordingly
returned to Jerusalem, and to the peace and
comfort of his home.
Mark did not apostatize from the faith of
Christianity; but, like many young ministers,
he shrank from hardships, and preferred the
comfort and safety of home to the travels, labors, [p. 47] and dangers of the missionary field. This desertion
caused Paul to judge him unfavorably and
severely for a long time. He distrusted his
steadiness of character, and his devotion to the cause
of Christ. The mother of Mark was a convert to
the Christian religion, and her home was an
asylum for the disciples. There they were always
sure of a welcome, and a season of rest, in which
they could rally from the effect of the fierce
persecutions that everywhere assailed them in their
labors.
It was during one of these visits of the apostles
to his mother's that Mark proposed to Paul
and Barnabas that he should accompany them
on their missionary tour. He had witnessed the
wonderful power attending their ministry; he
had felt the favor of God in his own heart; he
had seen the faith of his mother tested and tried
without wavering; he had witnessed the
miracles performed by the apostles, and which set
the seal of God upon their work; he had himself
preached the Christian faith, and had longed to
devote himself entirely to the work. He had, as
the companion of the apostles, rejoiced in the
success of their mission; but fear and discouragement
overwhelmed him in the face of privation,
persecution, and danger; and he sought the
attractions of home at a time when his services
were most needful to the apostles.
At a future period there was a sharp contention
between Paul and Barnabas concerning
Mark, who was still anxious to devote himself
to the work of the ministry. This contention
caused Paul and Barnabas to separate, the latter
following out his convictions, and taking Mark
with him in his work. Paul could not, at that [p. 48] time, excuse in any degree the weakness of Mark
in deserting them and the work upon which they
had entered, for the ease and quiet of home; and
he urged that one with so little stamina was
unfit for the gospel ministry, which required
patience, self-denial, bravery, and faith, with a
willingness to sacrifice even life if need be.
Barnabas, on the other hand, was inclined to
excuse Mark, who was his nephew, because of his
inexperience. He felt anxious that he should not
abandon the ministry, for he saw in him
qualifications for a useful laborer in the cause of Christ.
Paul was afterward reconciled to Mark, and
received him as a fellow-laborer. He also
recommended him to the Colossians as one who was a
"fellow-worker unto the kingdom of God," and a
personal comfort to him, Paul. Again, not long
prior to his own death, he spoke of Mark as
profitable to him in the ministry.
After the departure of Mark, Paul and Barnabas
visited Antioch in Pisidia, and on the
Sabbath went into the synagogue, and sat down;
"and after the reading of the law and the prophets,
the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them,
saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any
word of exhortation for the people, say on."
Being thus invited to speak, "Paul stood up, and
beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and
ye that fear God, give audience." He then
proceeded to give a history of the manner in which
the Lord had dealt with the Jews from the time
of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and
how a Saviour had been promised of the seed of
David. He then preached Jesus as the Saviour
of men, the Messiah of prophecy.
When he had finished, and the Jews had left [p. 49] the synagogue, the Gentiles still lingered, and
entreated that the same words might be spoken
unto them the next Sabbath day. The apostles
created a great interest in the place, among both
Jews and Gentiles. They encouraged the believers
and converts to stand fast in their faith, and
to continue in the grace of God. The interest to
hear the words of the apostles was so great that
the whole city came together on the next
Sabbath day. But now, as in the days of Christ,
when the Jewish priests and rulers saw the
multitudes that had assembled to hear the new
doctrine, they were moved by envy and jealousy,
and contradicted the words of the apostles with
blasphemy. Their old bigotry and prejudice
were also aroused, when they perceived great
numbers of Gentiles mingling with the Jews in
the congregation. They could not endure that
the Gentiles should enjoy religious privileges on
an equality with themselves, but clung
tenaciously to the idea that the blessing of God was
reserved exclusively for them. This had ever
been the great sin of the Jews, which Christ, on
several occasions, had rebuked.
They listened, on one Sabbath day, with
intense interest to the teachings of Paul and
Barnabas, who preached Jesus as the promised
Messiah; and upon the next Sabbath day, because
of the multitude of Gentiles who assembled also
to hear them, they were excited to a frenzy of
indignation, the words of the apostles were
distorted in their minds, and they were unfitted to
weigh the evidence presented by them. When
they learned that the Messiah preached by the
apostles was to be a light to the Gentiles, as well
as the glory of his people Israel, they were [p. 50] beside themselves with rage, and used the most
insulting language to the apostles.
The Gentiles, on the other hand, rejoiced
exceedingly that Christ recognized them as the
children of God, and with grateful hearts they
listened to the word preached. The apostles
now clearly discerned their duty, and the work
which God would have them do. They turned
without hesitation to the Gentiles, preaching
Christ to them, and leaving the Jews to their
bigotry, blindness of mind, and hardness of
heart. The mind of Paul had been well
prepared to make this decision, by the circumstances
attending his conversion, his vision in the temple
at Jerusalem, his appointment by God to preach
to the Gentiles, and the success which had
already crowned his efforts among them.
When Paul and Barnabas turned from the
Jews who derided them, they addressed them
boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word
of God should first have been spoken to you;
but seeing ye put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord
commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light
of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for
salvation unto the ends of the earth."
This gathering in of the Gentiles to the church
of God had been traced by the pen of inspiration,
but had been but faintly understood. Hosea
had said, "Yet the number of the children of
Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which
cannot be measured nor numbered, and it shall
come to pass, that in the place where it was said
unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall
be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living [p. 51] God." And again, "I will sow her unto me in
the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that
had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them
which were not my people, Thou art my people;
and they shall say, Thou art my God."
During the life of Christ on earth he had
sought to lead the Jews out of their exclusiveness.
The conversion of the centurion, and of
the Syrophenician woman, were instances of
his direct work outside of the acknowledged
people of Israel. The time had now come for
active and continued work among the Gentiles,
of whom whole communities received the gospel
gladly, and glorified God for the light of an
intelligent faith. The unbelief and malice of
the Jews did not turn aside the purpose of God;
for a new Israel was grafted into the old
olive-tree. The synagogues were closed against the
apostles; but private houses were thrown open
for their use, and public buildings of the Gentiles
were also used in which to preach the word of
God.
The Jews, however, were not satisfied with
closing their synagogues against the apostles, but
desired to banish them from that region. To
effect this purpose, they sought to prejudice
certain devout and honorable women, who had great
influence with the government, and also men
of influence. This they accomplished by subtle
arts, and false reports. These persons of good
repute complained to the authorities against the
apostles, and they were accordingly expelled from
that district.
On this occasion the apostles followed the
instruction of Christ: "Whosoever shall not
receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, [p. 52] shake off the dust under your feet for a
testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It
shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah
in the day of Judgment, than for that city."
The apostles were not discouraged by this
expulsion; they remembered the words of their
Master: "Blessed are ye when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your
reward in Heaven; for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you."
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"Preaching Among the Heathen"
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