Acts 13-14
While they were worshiping 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 after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:3-4
And so, Saul — who soon becomes known as Paul (Acts 13:9) — begins his first missionary journey. We should note that this is at the explicit direction of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that drives the spread of the Gospel. It is the Holy Spirit Who sends and empowers. It is the Holy Spirit Who gives Paul his ability to preach. It is the Holy Spirit Who makes Barnabas such an encourager. (Acts 4:36) It is the Holy Spirit Who works miracles through the Apostles and other believers, confirming the message of Christ and His Resurrection. It is the Holy Spirit that brings people to repentance and the Holy Spirit Who gives life in Jesus’ name.
We might also note that the Spirit does not call the entire crowd to the mission field — just Barnabas and Saul. We are not all called to missions. In fact, very few have such a call, so no one should ever be “guilted” into going on a short- or long-term mission without that call from the Holy Spirit. We cannot do the Holy Spirit’s job.
See also:
One more thing…
Reading through the Book of Acts, with so many events presented in just a few pages, it is easy to lose track of the passage of time. It may feel like just weeks since Jesus’ Ascension and the Day of Pentecost, but that would be a mistaken impression. In fact, years are passing by. Paul’s first missionary journey is generally dated to about 47 or 48 AD, which means that the first 14 chapters of Acts span about 18 years — a wee bit longer than how the narrative might feel to us.