SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 22 February 2026
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#20)
Sermon Text: Acts 13:1-3
Main Points:
Introduction
I. The beginning: The Spirit speaks in the church
II. The selection: The Spirit calls out His servants
III. The commissioning: The church obeys the Spirit’s call
Conclusion
We’ve been walking through the book of Acts for some time now. Its official title is The Acts of the Apostles. But some people say that a better title might be ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit,’ since it seems that the real main character in this book is not the apostles themselves, but the Holy Spirit. In many ways, they’re right – the Spirit is at work from start to finish, guiding, empowering, and directing everything.
But I believe the present title is perfect. Because while the Holy Spirit is the power behind it all, He carries out His work – and indeed delight to do so – through His servants. So far, we’ve seen Him working through servants such as Peter, John, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, and Saul. The Spirit calls them, equips them, and sends them out to do His work – that is, building up the church, safeguarding it in the truth, and proclaiming the gospel to the very ends of the earth. The Spirit does His work through His people.
That’s why The Acts of the Apostles is such an amazing title. It’s an outstanding and fascinating title. It reminds us both of the grace and the power of the Spirit! And here is the thing: just as God called and empowered ordinary men to be apostles, He also calls and equips us today for His work in His church and His world.
And in a really timely way, that’s what we’re about to do in our church today, after the service. we’ll have our congregational meeting to elect God’s servants. But before we elect, it’s important that we first listen to God’s Word, so that our decisions are guided by Him and not just our own preferences.
So, let us reflect together on what Acts 13:1-3 teaches us about how God sets His servants apart and commissions them for His work.
I. The Beginning: The Spirit Speaks In The Church
In the first three verses of Acts 13, we need to notice something very simply but very important. That is, the church is the context in which all of this takes place. Not in a marketplace. Not in a private gathering. Not in an individual’s personal ambition. But it takes place in the gathered church.
That’s not accidental. God’s choosing and setting apart of His servants for His work begins in His church. It does not float around independently of the body of Christ. It is rooted in the life of the church. This is a matter grounded in the very nature of the church and in the work the church is called to do.
The church is not just a loose collection of spiritual individuals. The church is the body, and Christ is her Head. Because Christ is the Head of the body, any work that is done in His name is done by and through His body, the church. There is no such thing as Christ’s mission that bypasses Christ’s church.
That’s precisely why Acts 13 begins the way it does. Before we hear about Barnabas and Saul being set apart and sent out, we’re introduced to the church in Antioch. We’re told about its leaders who were ‘prophets and teachers.’ Luke is deliberately grounding the missionary movement in the ordinary life and recognised leadership of a local congregation.
The Holy Spirit speaks – yes. The Holy Spirit calls – absolutely. But He does so in the context of a worshipping, fasting, ministering church. He does not create spiritual freelancers.
That has implications for us. No worker in the NT church is self-identified, self-appointed. There is no room for anyone to say ‘I feel called, so I’ll go and do it on my own.’ In Acts 13, those who are called are called within the church, affirmed by the church, and commissioned by the church.
God’s work, God’s mission begins in God’s church. And if we want to see the Holy Spirit at work, we must value the church as the place where He speaks, calls, commissions (and sends).
Now, having said that, we do need to pause and think carefully about what 13:1 means when it says, ‘prophets and teachers.’ ‘Teachers’ is fairly straightforward. We understand that. Teachers are those who explain and apply the Word of God to the church. That’s something we’re familiar with.
But the word ‘prophets’ raises questions. In the early NT church, ‘prophet’ was a legitimate and recognised office. These were not merely gifted encouragers or insightful speakers. In the context of redemptive history, prophets were those who delivered God’s Word to His people with divine authority.
In the OT, prophets received revelation from God and declared it. They disclosed God’s will, His saving purposes, His covenant dealings. They were instruments through whom God made known His redemptive plan.
The same was true in the foundational period of the early NT church. Before the NT Scriptures were completed, God continued to reveal His will through apostles and prophets. Both offices were part of that once-for-all, foundation-laying era of the church.
But, here is the crucial point – their role was tied to revelation. Prophets were needed when God’s redemptive plan was still being disclosed. They were needed while the church was still receiving the Word that would become the NT. But once God’s plan and will were fully revealed in the completed Scriptures – the sixty-six books of the Bible – the situation changed.
If there is no new revelation to be given, no longer is there a need for revelatory prophets. God is not adding chapters. He is not extending the cannon, His holy book. He is not progressively updating His redemptive plan. In Christ, and in the apostolic witness to Christ, the fullness of God’s saving revelation has been given.
So, what does the church need now? Not new prophets, not even apostles – but faithful teachers. Not new revelation – but clear explanation. Not fresh words from heaven – but faithful preaching of the Word already given. That is why, in every generation since the completion of the NT (thus, the closing of the canon), Christ has given His church pastors and teachers – ministers of the Word – whose task is not to reveal something new, but to proclaim, guard, and apply what has already been revealed.
II. The Selection: The Spirit Calls Out His Servants
Coming back to our theme, the next step the Holy Spirit takes is the selection of His servants within His church. The Spirit identifies specific people for specific work. In Acts 13, He called out Barnabas and Saul. He spoke this to the church at Antioch, most likely through one or more of the prophets present there. That was consistent with how God had worked throughout the OT – speaking His will through His appointed prophets to direct His covenant people.
Having said that, because God no longer speaks through prophets, another question may arise – ‘If God no longer gives direct revelation speech, does that mean His selection of servants has ceased?’ Not at all. In fact, the opposite is true. With the completion of Scripture and the global expansion of the gospel, the need for faithful servants has multiplied. The harvest field has widened. The church now stretches across nations and cultures. The proclamation of Christ crucified and risen requires more labourers, not fewer.
The cessation of revelatory prophecy does not mean the cessation of divine calling. It means the mode of calling has changed. So, how does God call His servants in the age of the completed canon?
He does so ordinarily, not extraordinarily. First, the Holy Spirit works internally. He places a desire within a person to serve Christ and His church. That aspiration itself is not self-generated ambition but the gracious stirring of the Holy Spirit.
But, that’s only half of it. The next half is the Spirit’s work through the church. The church examines, tests, and recognises that internal call. All workers in Christ’s church do not appoint themselves. Nor does private desire suffice. The church must discern whether the Spirit has indeed set someone apart for His work.
When that call is recognised, it is formally authorised – in the local congregation and, in our Presbyterian polity, at the broader ecclesiastical level, that is, through Presbytery and, where appropriate, the General Assembly.
So, the pattern remains – the Spirit calls; the church recognises, authorises, and the servant is set apart. In Acts 13, the Spirit spoke through prophets because the foundation was still being laid. Today, the Spirit speaks through the completed Word – the Bible – and through the orderly processes of Christ’s church. The same Spirit who said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul,” still sets apart servants today – not by new revelation, but by inward calling and outward confirmation.
III. The Commissioning: The Church Obeys The Spirit’s Call
If the Spirit speaks in the church, and the Spirit calls His servants, then the next step is simple but decisive: the church obeys.
In Acts 13:3, we read, “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” The Spirit had said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul.” The church did not argue or delay. They prayed, they laid hands on them, and they sent them. That’s simple, but profoundly important, for at least three reasons.
First, the church’s obedience was marked by deep and earnest prayer. Even after receiving clear direction, they fasted and prayed. Commissioning was not a formality; it was an act of dependence. They recognised that this was Christ’s mission, not theirs.
Second, their obedience was corporate. By laying hands on Barnabas and Saul, they publicly recognised God’s call and stood behind it. The Spirit had called them, but the church affirmed and sent them. The ministry of the commissioned servants did not begin in isolation. It began in the gathered church.
And third, their obedience honoured Christ. The church in Antioch was sending out two of its strongest leaders, yet they did so willingly, embracing the opportunity to bring glory to Christ.
And that is our task as well. When we elect and appoint servants, we are not simply filling positions; we are seeking to obey Christ – personally and corporately. The Spirit calls; the church recognises; and in due course, the church commissions. If we listen carefully to God’s Word and act in faithful obedience, we can trust that the same Spirit who said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul,” will continue to advance Christ’s mission through His church today, just as He did in the days of the apostles.
Conclusion
As we reflect on Acts 13, let us remember: every work for God begins not with human ambition but with the Spirit’s speaking. Every calling is marked by God’s careful selection of His servants. And every mission is fulfilled as the church faithfully obeys the Spirit’s call, commissioning those the Spirit has set apart.
May we, as a church, be attentive to His voice, ready to recognise those He appoints, and willing to take part in His work – locally and beyond. As individual members of Christ’s body, may we carefully discern the desires the Holy Spirit places within us, and seek to walk in obedience to His gracious will. And together, let us go forward with this confidence – that is, to be set apart is for the Spirit’s work, and the work is always accomplished in and through His church. the body of Christ.
Now, brothers and sisters, this is deeply relevant for us. After this service, we’ll hold our congregational meeting. We’ll elect servants in this body of Christ. That moment is not merely procedural. It is spiritual; it is an act of obedience.
Our task is not to advance personal preference. It is not to reward popularity. It is not to preserve comfort. Our task is to discern – from Scripture, from character, from gifting – whom the Spirit is setting apart, and then to act in faithful obedience.
When we vote, we are saying, ‘Lord Jesus, You are the Head. We submit to Your Word. We trust Your Spirit. We obey Your call.’ And when a church lives like that – when it listens to the Spirit, recognises His call, and obeys in faith – the work of Christ advances, not by human strength, but by divine power working through a faithful, obedient body. ***
St Columba's Presbyterian Church 