23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
14:23
So when they had appointed elders in every church,
Paul and Barnabas “appointed elders” in every church they founded. Installing leadership in local churches is imperative for their survival and advancement (1 Ti 3:1-12; Tit 1:5-8). The Greek for “appointed” means “stretch out the hand,” referring to an appointment to office.
and prayed with fasting,
The team spent some time in both prayer and fasting with the churches.
they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
The apostles had to commend these churches to the Lord because they would have to leave them behind. They had to commit these churches to the Lord to care for them.
PRINCIPLE:
A church needs organization for stability in ministry.
APPLICATION:
Many of the converts during the apostles’ first missionary journey were Jews, who had significant knowledge of Scripture. The appointment of leadership in the church rests on the assumption of knowledge of God’s Word. They were not to be novices in the faith (1 Ti 3:6). Churches must be self-governing, self-sustaining, and self-propagating. They cannot do this without solid leadership.
