Acts 13:2

And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

As they ministered ... has reference, in all probability to the corporate worship of the Christians at Antioch, accompanied on this occasion by fasting, dearly indicating that worship is itself a "service" to the Lord, no less than the conveyance of alms to others as in Acts 12:15.

The Holy Spirit said ... This expression occurs so often in Acts that the book has been called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. As to the exact manner of the Holy Spirit's speaking here, "It is useless to inquire."[6] However, the speculation of MacGreggor is as probable as any that might be proposed: "(It was) through the inspired utterance of one of the prophets."[7] In fact, the New Testament reveals this to have been the usual manner in which the Holy Spirit communicated God's will to men since the days of the new covenant. See under Acts 20:23 and Acts 21:10.

When they had fasted ... etc. Significantly, it was the entire church which participated in the sending forth of this great missionary team. As Bruce summarized it:

It is evident that the laying on of hands imparted no qualification to Barnabas and Saul which they did not already possess. By this means, the church, through its leaders, expressed fellowship with them .... They were sent out by the whole church; and to the whole church they reported when they returned to Antioch (Acts 14:26).[8]

Sent them on their way ... We do not know if the Holy Spirit prescribed the route they took or not. It is doubtless true that many details were left to be decided by the prayerful best judgment of the missionaries, as it has been in all ages. Barnabas, a native of Cyprus, would naturally have recommended the evangelization of his native land; and thus it is no surprise that their itinerary had Cyprus first on the list.

[6] W. J. Conybeare, Life and Epistles of St. Paul (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1966), p. 110.

[7] G. H. C. MacGreggor, The Interpreter's Bible (New York: Abingdon Press, 1954), p. 167.

[8] F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1954), p. 261.