PRIORITIZING THE PROPHETIC (Power to Work and Power to Win)
Acts 13:1-2, 5…
“Which Kind Are You?”
A lot of Christians are like wheelbarrows—not good unless pushed.
Some are like canoes—they need to be paddled.
Some are like kites—if you don’t keep a string on them, they fly away.
Some are like kittens—they are more contented when petted.
Some are like a football—you can’t tell what way they will bounce next.
Some are like balloons—full of wind and ready to blow up.
Some are like trailers—they have to be pulled.
Some are like lights—they keep going on and off.
And there are those who always seek to let the Holy Spirit lead them.
This truth, God has given gifts to His church (13:1) In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them…” Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit… and “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1). The prayer meeting in Acts 13 is similar to the one in Acts 2, which records the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost. Pentecost is one of the annual Jewish festivals and is held in Jerusalem. This is one of the three annual festivals or celebrations that all Jewish men were required to attend. The three festivals were: Passover; Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
Passover is celebrated to remind the Jewish people how God set them free from Egyptian slavery. The Passover feast consists of unleavened bread, bitter herbs and lamb. The unleavened bread reminds them of their hasty departure. Pentecost was an agricultural celebration where thanks were given for the “first fruits” of the spring harvest, and in some Jewish traditions, it was also associated with the giving of the law and the renewal of the covenant. Pentecost occurs seven weeks and one day after Easter Sunday or the seventh Sunday after Easter. If Easter is counted as the first day, then Pentecost is 50 days later. After the suffering Jesus endured, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, He showed Himself to His disciples at various times over a forty day period.
Pentecost actually used bread that had leaven in it, symbolizing how God would use the impure to hold His blessing. The Feast of Tabernacles was a celebration occurring at the end of the harvest season in the fall of the year. These celebrations were intentional times of communion and connection between man and God.
I) INTENTIONAL OUTREACH
God Has an Intentional Plan to reach unreached people (Acts 13:1-6a). Acts 1:3 tells us “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Although Jesus had prophesied about the gift they were going to receive, the disciples came to a more worldly conclusion, as they expected that Jesus was going to restore the kingdom of Israel. The gift Jesus spoke of was the Counselor or Comforter who would be with the church forever. Jesus was speaking of Holy Spirit. John recorded these words spoken by Jesus: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).
Jesus also said to the disciples, “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). Jesus disciples wanted Him to stay with them on earth, but they did not realize that had He done this, He could physically be in only one place at a time. You and I can be in only one place at a time. The disciples could be in only one place at a time. If the Gospel was to spread throughout the entire world to all mankind, something miraculous needed to take place, that would allow Jesus to be with His disciples wherever they were so that God’s plan to redeem humanitycould unfold.
We are God’s Plan A. There is no Plan B. God’s Plan A is found clearly in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This miraculous event was going to take place ten days after Jesus ascended into Heaven. This event would give the disciples power they had not known. The power Jesus was talking about was more than what the disciples could realize. It was not just the power of strength, but it was power that would enable them to minister beyond their imagination. Acts 13 is an extension of this promise to take the message to the ends of the earth. This is a promise that is predicated on a prophesy, you will receive power.
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers... God puts leaders in place so that believers can grow spiritually and be equipped to do ministry. Acts 13 is an extension of this promise and empowerment to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In the era of the New Covenant, prophetic ministry needs to be re-prioritized, as the foremost purpose of the New Covenant Prophet is not to prophesy, it is to train others to hear God for themselves, to discover God’s will for their lives and live it out, and it is to bring the word of the Lord in an inspiring way that changes lives. It should be understood that the men in v.1 had been filled with Holy Spirit. So, they themselves were gifts for the church, being prophets and teachers; but beyond that, they had received the gift of Holy Spirit so they could provide powerful ministry to those in the body of Christ. The Spirit dwells in every believer, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19), and as we live in fellowship with God He will fill us. When He does we are enabled both to serve and to grow, as Pauls tells us in Galatians, the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:19–23).
Inertial Guidance Of “Nautilus” When the U.S.S. Nautilus made her epoch-making journey under the Arctic icecap, there were no guiding stars or radio beams to give her position. Instead, the world’s first nuclear-powered sub marine relied upon a new means of finding latitude and longitude without external reference points. The means used was inertial guidance. With it the submarine made the journey without visual or electronic aid from earth or stars. To believers, this would be the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.
II) INTENTIONAL GIVING
God is a giving God! He gave us Jesus, His only Son, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). In Luke 11:13, Jesus told His disciples, “Your Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” He has given us Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, which you can read about in 1 Cor. 12. When have developed a proper relationship with Holy Spirit, we will receive the boldness to tell people the good news about Jesus – even in the face of danger and opposition. God is a giver! James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” So, part of God’s plan to reach unreached people is to give gifts to His church. Let’s not neglect those gifts, but stir them up and welcome them. One way we do that is to be in the habit of connecting with God and by avoiding despising; hold on to what is good; prove /test for authenticity, Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good (I Thessalonians 5:20-21).
When believers lived under the Old Covenant, Prophets received words that were directive. In the New Covenant, Prophets are not supposed to tell people what to do. They are supposed to confirm what God is saying. People do not need a “prophecy.” People do need Jesus. John has told us that the truth that is Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy, at this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10). When Jesus is the gift and the revelation we present prophetically, lives change. This is why we have the command to earnestly desire/covet the better gifts of the Spirit for our lives, now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire the greater gifts… Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (1 Corinthians 12:327-31; 14:1, 39). It is hard to read this passage of Scripture and not walk away wondering why so many have tried to nullify this command. Prophesy is supposed to be a part of our worship experience.
God Speaks to Us When We Seek Him Diligently (13:2a). While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said… Part of God’s intentional plan to reach unreached people is to communicate His intentions to us. I have to wonder what would have happened here if these believers had not been worshiping the Lord, praying and fasting with an openness and with the intention of receiving from God in both instances. Speaking God’s Language: “Is hell a place of fire and brimstones? Is heaven a place of gold and pearl and beautiful mansions? When I speak of these things, I ought to use the language of God. I have never been to heaven; I have never been to hell. I must trust God’s revelation. … I must speak God’s language and when I do, I find that I am speaking in the power and unction of the Lord.” —W. A. Criswell
God doesn’t speak to us to tantalize us or to terrorize, He speaks to inform and equip us to do His will, the secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law, and for it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous (Deuteronomy 29:29; Romans 2:13). Hearing should always lead to doing, otherwise we become candidates for deception. Psalm 37:7-11 helps us identify conditions of the heart: rest; commit; trust; bring; cease; forsake; inherit; delight; peace, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. According to Hebrews 6:12 it takes faith and patience to inherit Gods promises, we do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Faith and patience combine to enable us to appropriate what is needed. Faith and patience help us to secure what has been promised to us as we pursue God’s will.
III) INTENTIONAL EXPECTATIONS
God calls each of us to a specific work (13:2b), based on the specific needs of the Kingdom.
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
God had a special task for Barnabas and Saul, which we read about in the next several chapters of Acts. However, don’t think that their calling was any greater than that of Simeon or Lucius or any of the other believers in Antioch. Paul goes to great lengths in 1 Corinthians 12 to show that what would be considered to be the lowliest member of the body of Christ is valuable and precious to God and vital to the church.
Filling with the Spirit (Acts 2:4). The image is common in the Old Testament where it emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s empowering of the individual for service, then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him… Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house (Judges 6:34; 14:19). In the New Testament, the Greek verbs meaning “to fill” are always in the passive voice when filling with the Spirit is described. We “are filled,” we do not fill ourselves. At Pentecost, the Fire of God came as a gift to the gathered disciples. The fire was a symbol indicating a change in the life of each one “touched by the Spirit”. When the disciples were “touched by the Spirit” their life was changed, cleansed, and each had a burning desire to share the Gospel with others. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4).
The disciples saw something they had never seen before. “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them” (Acts 2:3). This was not real fire, but it was like fire. This type of fire was a symbol of the divine presence of Almighty God just as it was in the in the days of Moses. Remember the story of the burning bush. Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law when suddenly there appeared right before his very eyes a burning bush. The bush was on fire, but it did not burn up. God was present and communicated with Moses through the burning bush. God was not visible to Moses and God was not visible to the disciples who were gathered together in this room. In each case, His presence was made known through what appeared to be fire.
The moment this event took place, each one present was “touched by the Spirit.” The tongue enables us to speak and to communicate and this was God’s way of giving the disciples a means to communicate the Gospel throughout the land. John MacArthur says that the Holy Spirit came on this day as the first fruits of the believer’s inheritance, now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come… In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will… who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:11, 14). cloven tongues, like as of fire, etc.—“disparted tongues,” that is, tongue-shaped, flame-like appearances, rising from a common center or root, and resting upon each of that large company (JFB).
Acts 2:4: Some scholars have adduced instances of incoherent speech in other cultures as parallels to this speaking in tongues, but the purported parallels from Greco-Roman antiquity are weak. Luke presents this speech not as incoherent but as worship in languages they do not know, and he points to an Old Testament background in the gift of prophecy (see comment on 2:16–18 IVP Background Commentary).
Additionally, we see in 1 Enoch a vision of a throne room of fire and tongues of fire that the visionary is called to step into. I realize that the books of Enoch are not canonical, but they were extremely influential in the days of the early church. There were many people in the Jewish world who held these oracles to be accurate and a God-word, with many of them converting to Christianity after the birth of the church. You can see germ ideas in these writings, and you can see where an expectation for tongues of fire could come from, as well as the idea of a counselor in this vision taken from the apocalyptic writings, and I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to affright me. 10 And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house which was built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a tessellated floor of crystals, and its groundwork was of crystal. 11 Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightning’s, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was (clear as) water. 12 A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and its portals blazed with fire. 13 And I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice: there were no delights of life therein: fear covered me, and trembling gat hold upon me. 14 And as I quaked and trembled, I fell upon my face. 15 And I beheld a vision, And lo! there was a second house, greater than the former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire. 16 And in every respect it so excelled in splendor and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to you its splendor and its extent. 17 And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightning’s and the path of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. 18 And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of cherubim. 19 And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look thereon. 20 And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and was whiter than any snow. 21 None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory, and no flesh could behold Him. 22 The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor. 23 And the most holy ones who were nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him. 24 And until then I had been prostrate on my face, trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: ‘Come hither, Enoch, and hear my word.’ 25 And one of the holy ones came to me and waked me›, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my face downwards. (1 Enoch 14:9-16)
At Pentecost, the Fire of God came as a gift to the gathered disciples. The fire was a symbol indicating a change in the life of each one “touched by the Spirit”. When the disciples were “touched by the Spirit” their life was changed, cleansed, and each had a burning desire to share the Gospel with others. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4).
The prophecy (2:15–21), These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17” ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Peter explains what has happened by quoting a prophecy which is being partially fulfilled. The fact that the ultimate fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies was often foreshadowed by partial fulfillment was understood by Peter’s listeners. The elements of the prophecy he emphasizes are (1) the pouring out of the Spirit, which takes place “before” (no time specified!) the Day of the Lord comes, and (2) during which “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (v. 21). Acts of the Apostles says that the term “resting” (in א and D the verb is plural!). διαμεριζόμεναι, “divided,” does not mean “divided tongues,” but indicates that the tongues were distributed to each individual. The tongues entered into them (the sense is not that they formed a halo above them). This is important to understand from a hermeneutical point, as this is the initiation of a new epoch, God was inhabiting man on a grand scale. The Spirit’s impartation was now freely available to the any and all who were willing to receive Him.
Also, this is a primary example of the Pesherim methodology of biblical interpretation, as Peter explains that this is that which was written. His application of an obscure verse and his use of the passage outside of its context gives an appreciation of the prophetic qualities that are necessary in special times and places. As I said last week, the closer we get to the end, the greater the need for deep end prophets, men and women who are enabled to point out the meaning of, “this is that which was written” principle.
Conclusion: Ask yourselves, what are my expectations of God? Am I lined up with Him and His plan to reach this generation? Am I open to being ‘gifted’ by Him to accomplish His work?
