Being Sent

Read: Acts 12:1-4

Being Sent

(Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone)

“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers…they were worshiping the Lord and fasting…after fasting and praying they laid their hands on (Barnabas and Saul) and sent them off.”

What is it that we spend our time doing as God’s people? What should we expect to find in “the C/church”? Each of us has an idea of what to expect when we show up. It has been formed by a countless number of things, and is unique to each of us. We all have our ideas… or maybe it is better to say; we all have our “baggage”!?! Each of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, have our own caricatures of what other churches are like… our own preconceived notions of what a “healthy” church does and does not do. What would YOU say a “healthy” church looks like? Is that something that is shaped by the scriptures? Or is it more so what you are “comfortable” with? Take the time today to write down on a piece of paper what you think the church should look like. Then, let us look at this short passage to see what it has to say.

The C/church has “prophets and teachers”. (v.1) It is important to note they are not one and the same. We cannot just lump together all of the spiritual gifts into one amorphous ball. The church needs BOTH teachers and PROPHETS. Who are your church’s “prophets”? (you probably know who the teachers are because we seem to focus a lot on that!) We need people with gifts of teaching the word of God and we need people with gifts of hearing God speak to them and delivering directions from the Lord that correct, refine, or “steer” God’s people… and these messages go hand in hand with the scriptures / “teaching”. It was not some sort of “guess” for the church in Antioch. They knew the actual NAMES of those people. (See how they were listed here? v.1) Furthermore, notice that list of names! There were Jews, gentiles, and people from all walks of life… including “Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch”! (v.1) We need to stop guessing at people’s gifts in the church and star paying attention… naming them! Could you make a “list” of the gifting of people around you?

The C/church spends its time “WORSHIPPING, FASTING, AND PRAYING”… among other things. Do we fast? If so, how often? Do we live lives of worship? Do we fast and pray together? I am guilty of missing out on this as much as anyone else. I do not often “go without” (fast). I have forgotten that “going without” / fasting actually STRENGTHENS my faith and sharpens my ability to HEAR GOD. Do you want to hear from the Lord? Try fasting. (v.2) It was in the midst of “worshipping and fasting” that he Holy Spirit spoke to them. Do we expect the Holy Spirit to speak to us while we worship? Or do we envision worship as a “one way” stream of our “songs” going up to Jesus?

“Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (v.3) The C/church “lays hands on people” and “sends them out”. We should be sending each other out to what God has for one another. Very rarely do we know for ourselves what we need. We need others to speak into our lives. We need this community. God didn’t just tell Barnabas and Saul what to do. He told the others. And it was the C/church that sent Barnabas and Saul out. Do the people around you… your church… do they speak into your life? Could you “church” send you out? Could / would the Holy Spirit speak to your church and then they come to you, lay hands on you, and launch you into ministry?

In then end, Barnabas and Saul saw that the people of the C/church were working hand in hand with the Holy Spirit. They did not see that as a purely human endeavor. Notice what it says: “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.” (v.4) They knew it was the Holy Spirit sending them. The people of God teach, prophesy, listen to the Holy Spirit, fast, pray, lay hands, and send… to name a few things. Hearing from God came against the backdrop of fasting and worshipping… while knowing each others gifts and talent. The C/church was intimate enough that they knew each others names, gifting, and could speak into each others life. I am not talking about some weak speaking either… I mean Barnabas and Saul laughed out on a trajectory that would change the rest of their lives on the suggestion and merit of their “church”. That is the weight and power these people carried with one another. That is C/church. That is the people of God. This upcoming week, do you want to hear for God? Try worshiping and fasting. Wonder what your “gifts” are? Try listening to those people around you. May we continue to grow into the fullness of C/church that God has for us. Love you guys. - JDP