1st Missionary Trip - Lorin

of selection is not all that clear. 163 The use of the verb χειροτονέω, to choose by vote (cf. 2 Cor. 8:19 for the other
use), does seem to imply congregational involvement in the process although the recommendation of these two
missionaries would have played a significant role in the process. 164 The label for local leadership is the standard
Lukan designation πρεσβυτέρους, elders. 165 In Paul’s speech later (20:17ff.), what Luke terms the πρεσβυτέρους
Paul will label ἐπισκόπους, overseers (v. 28), and tell them to pastor (ποιμαίνειν) the church (v. 28). The concern
was simply that among the different house church groups individuals were already emerging who reflected greater
spiritual understanding and commitment in the face of opposition. Such individuals could give guidance to
these small groups of people seeking to understand their new religious faith and wanting to be faithful to Christ.
The process of choosing the leaders and then of dedicating the churches to the Lord came out of a period
of προσευξάμενοι μετὰ νηστειῶν, having prayed with fasting. The entire missionary journey had been born
in prayer and fasting (cf. 13:1-4), so to spend time praying and fasting in dedicating these newly established
churches seems quite natural and to be expected. These two actions in tandem with one another reflect a serious
effort to seek the will of God in important decisions, clearly what was at stake here. 166
What clearly emerges here is the intense desire of Paul and Barnabas to follow God’s leadership in every
aspect of helping these young churches establish themselves. They full well knew that only God could protect
these communities of believers from the pressures not just of the pagan lifestyle of the surrounding world, but
also the pressure from the Jewish synagogue leadership for everyone in these communities to abandon this new
religion in favor of traditional Judaism. In roads into the surrounding Gentile world had already been made by the
synagogues and this new religious movement presented serious threat to that influence. Stopping it was a major
concern of the synagogue leadership. Strong leadership in the churches would be needed in order to ward off
this pressure. And God’s protecting help would be essential.
5.0.2.3 Preaching in Perga and Attalia: 24 καὶ διελθόντες τὴν Πισιδίαν ἦλθον εἰς τὴν Παμφυλίαν, 25 καὶ
λαλήσαντες ἐν Πέργῃ τὸν λόγον κατέβησαν εἰς Ἀττάλειαν, 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.
25 When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. After finishing up at Pisidian Antioch, they
made their way south first to Perga and then to the port town of Attalia. This was an arduous journey descending
intended to establish a rule) regarding already existing usages. We must in all probability understand the text to mean that the
choice of officers is the business of the whole community.
Page 235
3 The injunction to choose officers is, at any rate, addressed to the entire
(individual) congregation. The procedure for making the choice is not prescribed. Χειροτονεῖν here means “choose” or “elect,” not
“appoint.” 4 Those who are chosen bear the titles ἐπίσκοποι καὶ διάκονοι; this is most probably to be understood to mean that a
number of ἐπίσκοποι and/or διάκονοι are to work in each community. 5
[Kurt Niederwimmer and Harold W. Attridge, The Didache : A Commentary, Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on
the Bible (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), 200.]
163 “One way of strengthening the churches was making provision for leadership in them. In each of them there were some members
who had already attained a sufficient degree of spiritual maturity to serve their fellow-believers as guides and give them the further
instruction and encouragement they required in face of the hardship and persecution which they must expect as they maintained their
Christian witness. It is held by many readers of Acts that the formal appointment of elders reflects the later situation of the Pastoral
Epistles rather than this early stage in apostolic history. The language may be Luke’s, 56 but it is plain from Paul’s letters that he made
provision for spiritual guidance in the churches which he founded and encouraged the members to recognize and respect their leaders. 57
What Barnabas’s policy in this matter was we have no independent means of knowing. It has more than once been pointed out that more
recent missionary policy would have thought it dangerously idealistic to recognize converts of only a few weeks’ standing as leaders
in their churches; perhaps Paul and Barnabas were more conscious of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the believing communities.
58 ” [F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), 280.]
164 “There is some question in this particular instance about who appointed the elders—the apostles or the congregation. The NIV
text follows the most natural rendering of the Greek construction: Paul and Barnabas appointed the elders (v. 23). 74 This seems to be an
exception to the more common practice of the congregation appointing its leadership (cf. Acts 6:1–6). 75 Perhaps in these early congregations
the wisdom of the apostles was needed in establishing solid leadership over those so recently converted from paganism. Perhaps
even in these instances the selections of the apostles were confirmed by vote of the congregations.” [John B. Polhill, vol. 26, Acts, electronic
ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 319.]
165See Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18.
166 “The fasting practice of the early Church closely reflects that of its Jewish milieu. When Christian leaders are commissioned, fasting
is the natural adjunct to fervent prayer (Acts 13:2–3 and 14:23). In Luke’s infancy story, Anna the prophetess is held up as a paragon
of traditional piety that expresses itself in fasting and continual prayer, and as a model for the church order of holy widows (Luke 2:27
cf. Acts 6:1 and 1 Tim 5:5). Similarly, Cornelius the God-fearer is renowned for his prayer and almsgiving (Acts 10:30–31). The textual
tradition (P50 ,A2 ,D) quickly supplemented these two acts of piety (prayer and almsgiving, v 31) with a reference to the third, fasting. In
the same way, the allusion to prayer in 1 Cor 7:5 attracted a textual addition of fasting in some manuscripts (Codex Sinaticus, K, L).”
[John Muddiman, “Fast, Fasting” In , in , vol. 2, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday,
1996), 774-75.]