Acts 11:25
“Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.”
It is important to grasp the significance of what Barnabas did in searching for Saul. Remember that there was no rapid transit systems back then and so travel was done on foot. Tarsus was roughly 80 miles northwest of Antioch, so it would have taken the better part of a week for Barnabas just to get there. Then there was the daunting task of finding him in fairly large city. Without doubt Barnabas must have been led by the Holy Spirit to find the man God would use in a mighty way.
Keep in mind that at this time, Saul was not the mighty man of God that we see later in the New Testament. He was a fairly new convert to Christianity and was the target of the Jewish religious leaders who wanted him dead.
I can only imagine the conversations that took place between Barnabas and Saul about what would happen next. Finally Barnabas convinced Saul to leave the city where he had been raised and travel into the unknown with a man who had been the one who had paved the way for him to have access to the Apostles back in Jerusalem.
A new life for both of these men was about to begin!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil