However, something very interesting occurred at this juncture. In verse 9 the Bible records that Paul was filled with the Spirit in the work for the first time. Paul’s being filled with the Holy Spirit previously at his baptism was another matter. He repented, and he was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. That was a different matter. But in verse 9, the Bible records for the first time that “Saul, who is also Paul, [was] filled with the Holy Spirit.” Here God did something through Paul. Paul performed a miracle by causing a man to be blind.
Later, they came to Pamphylia and then to another place called Antioch, a place with a similar name, except that it was Pisidian Antioch. When they went into a synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down, the synagogue rulers asked them to speak. Then Paul stood up. In the previous instance Paul performed a miracle, and here he preached. This was the first time in Acts that someone preached other than Peter and Stephen. The Bible never records that Barnabas gave a long message. Up to this point, only Peter had given a few long messages in Acts. On the day of Pentecost, he gave one message in chapter two and a few messages in the following chapters until his message in the house of Cornelius. Other than the words of Peter and Stephen, the Bible does not record whatever was preached by others. The Holy Spirit, however, allowed Paul to step forward to speak a strong word; the Spirit used him to be a minister of the word.
From that point forward, the wording in the Bible begins to change. Acts 13:43 says, “And when the synagogue gathering had been dismissed, many of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas.” Do you see it? Paul is listed first.
Verse 46 says, “And Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly,” and verse 50 says, “But the Jews...raised up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and cast them out from their borders.”
But this does not mean that this matter was settled. When we come to chapter fourteen, Barnabas was mentioned first one more time. This occurred after they returned to Lystra. From chapter thirteen Paul was clearly in the forefront. Even in chapter fourteen Paul was in the forefront. It was Paul who preached and healed the lame man. Then verse 12 says, “And they called Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the one who took the lead in the discourse.” Zeus and Hermes were the names of the gods of Lystra. The heathen saw that Paul was the leading speaker. Therefore, when they addressed him with a name of their god, they used a name with a higher status because he was the one speaking and taking the lead. Although verse 14 says, “Barnabas and Paul,” with Barnabas being spoken of first, this is an exception. There is a reason for this exception: When the priest of Zeus (whose temple was outside the city) heard that Zeus had come down from heaven, descending upon a person, he came quickly, bringing bulls and garlands to the gates, and he wanted to sacrifice with the crowds to the apostles. They thought that Barnabas was Zeus; therefore, they put Barnabas in the forefront. The priest of Hermes did not come, but the priest of Zeus came to sacrifice to his own god. This is why verse 14 says, “But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard this, they tore their garments.” It was natural for Barnabas to take the lead here, because the people thought Barnabas was Zeus. Therefore, Barnabas jumped into their midst before Paul.
Following this, we can see that the crowds originally were sacrificing to both apostles, but the apostles refused to accept such a thing. As a result, “Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, supposing that he was dead.” Formerly, they wanted to sacrifice to him, but now they tried to stone him to death. “But as the disciples surrounded him, he rose up and entered into the city. And on the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.” Paul was the center of this incident. From this point onward until chapter fifteen, Barnabas’s name was placed ahead of Paul’s only one more time. That incidence also had its own reason. Besides these two places, Paul always took the lead.
In chapter fifteen they returned to Antioch. What did they do when the trouble arose in Antioch? “No little dissension and discussion with them came about through Paul and Barnabas” (v. 2a). Later, when the brothers sent people to Jerusalem, “the brothers directed Paul and Barnabas and certain others among them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this question” (v. 2b).
Barnabas spoke first in the meeting and then Paul because Barnabas was one who had come out of Jerusalem. Therefore, Barnabas naturally spoke first in the meeting, and then Paul gave an answer. The weighty persons always speak later. Hence, those who speak later have a more respectable position. The last one who spoke was James.
The Bible says, “It then seemed good to the apostles and the elders with the whole church to choose men from among them to send to Antioch together with Paul and Barnabas” (v. 22). Paul was standing in the forefront, but when they wrote the letter, it was written by “Barnabas and Paul” (v. 25). Barnabas was in front. They could not have said that they sent Paul and Barnabas, because Barnabas was from Jerusalem. This is the reason.
After the problem in Acts 15 was resolved, it was still Paul and Barnabas, who “stayed in Antioch, teaching and announcing the word of the Lord as the gospel with many others also” (v. 35).
We have spent only a little time to see that the matter of who should be the leader and who should obey in the work is spontaneously arranged before God. When Christians are together there should be fellowship as well as obedience among them. We hope that brothers and sisters can eventually learn that when two are together there will always be one who obeys. When three people are together, there will always be two who obey. This is the basic coordination in the work. Without obedience there is no coordination. When two or three brothers or eight or ten brothers live together, we should never allow a confused situation to exist in which they do not know whom they should listen to. Such a confused situation would prove that we have received very little instruction before God. Whenever God’s children live together, they will spontaneously and immediately know whom they should listen to if they have been instructed before God. When brothers live together or when brothers fellowship together, spontaneously there is one who is in the forefront among them. Whenever something happens, learn to obey. Once we have learned this matter, there is no need for man to tell us or teach us. We will automatically stay in our position and ask, “Brother, what do you think I should do?” After he speaks, the matter will be settled and it will be arranged that way. We need to keep our place, knowing what our position is and knowing that this is what God wants us to do.
The first thing in God’s work and in the coordination among workers is to ask God to open our eyes that we may know the authority among us. When we are together with brothers, we should know which brother is ahead of us. We need to humble ourselves to see that as soon as a word is spoken, a matter is decided, or an opinion is expressed, we need to obey. We are persons who obey. We are not here to elect or nominate, but to stand spontaneously in our place. Recognizing authority is the first principle of coordination. If we do not recognize this fact, we will find that it is impossible to coordinate.