The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church
The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church
Acts 13:1-3
In November 2007, Ellen and I walked on the campus of the New Horizons Family Center, a group home for teenage mothers and their children in the foster care system. We toured the facility, met a few of the residents, and then I took our one year old daughter, Elizabeth, for a swing on their wooden playground set. The swingset was not used to a man my size and the top bar snapped in two. It was an awkward interview moment to say the least. But as we walked along the grounds, Ellen looked at me and said, “If we don’t take this job, I feel like we would be sinning against God.” Now, this caught my attention because my wife is typically very logical in her decision making and it seemed like an emotional decision. As she and I walked and talked about the opportunity to serve those young women and her children, we felt led by the Holy Spirit to take the job.
In November 2011, Ellen and I started praying about where to go after I finished seminary. We thought about going out west to Utah, we thought about returning to the Northeast, and even looked at returning to the Midwest. We started considering where there was great need for the gospel. As we continued to pray, we felt more and more constrained to stay in the South so we could care for family. Ellen is from Rock Hill so we wanted to be close to her mother as she was nearing retirement. We were part of a church revitalization in Manning, and had heard often of church revitalization from our church in Washington, D.C. so we felt led to go to a church with great need, plant our lives among its people and work for its good. We prayed the Lord would give us an older, dying, Baptist church near downtown Rock Hill. In mid-January 2012, I got a call from Bobby Shellenberger from Park Baptist Church. We felt led by the Holy Spirit to come and serve this congregation.
There are other moments in my life where I have felt the clear leading of the Holy Spirit. I am sure many of you have had those moments in your life when you felt a strong impression from the Holy Spirit was leading you in a particular direction in a particular situation for a particular purpose. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is always active and is always leading his people. And yet, even though the Holy Spirit is always leading us, we cannot always sense the right path forward. Our Father in heaven delights to give us the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. He has promised if we need wisdom he would give it generously to his children. Jesus promised before he died and was raised and ascended into heaven that he would send the Holy Spirit to comfort and lead us in all things. He is our Counselor, our Comforter, and our Consecrator.
The Holy Spirit is active in the life of the church. He has always been active and will always be active to lead the church. How does the Holy Spirit move in the life of the church? We will have already seen his hand throughout the book of Acts. The last words of the Lord Jesus before his ascension, Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 13 begins more formally the advance of the kingdom into the end of the earth. And we will see how the Holy Spirit shifts the missionary center of the church from Jerusalem to Antioch.
The Holy Spirit in Plurality
The word of God continues to increase and multiply. The Apostle Peter has just miraculously been freed from prison while Herod who did not give glory to God died and breathed his last. At the end of Acts 12, Luke shifts the focus from Peter and the church in Jerusalem back to Gentiles. “And Barnabas and Saul, returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark.” Remember Barnabas and Saul taught the church at Antioch for over a year before being sent by the church in Antioch to go to Jerusalem to bring financial relief because of the famine. The Bible does not give a lot of details on the timeline of how much time has passed from when they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch, but we see Barnabas and Saul leading the church in Antioch along with other men set apart by the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:1,
[1] Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Before the Holy Spirit is even mentioned in Acts 13, we already see his fingerprints.
First, the text says, “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers.” Why are their prophets and teachers because the Holy Spirit gifted this men with gifts as gifts to the church to build them up into Christ. Ephesians 4:11–16 is a key text in how the Holy Spirit works in the life of the church.
[11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
The Holy Spirit equipped the prophets and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry which is to grow into Christ and help others grow up into the fullness of Christ. And to further solidify the point, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11,
[4] Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; [5] and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; [6] and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. [7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to the church by gifting individual members to serve the church for the common good. In Acts 13, we see in particular how he gifted some as prophets and teachers for the good of the church, but do not forget every Christian has been born of Spirit and given gifts to serve the church. The Spirit gives as he wills.
There is some scholarly debate on whether the list in verse 1 is a list of some prophets and some teachers or a list of both prophets and teachers. There is no way to distinguish which one may be prophets or may be teachers, so I think it most likely that the title, “prophets and teachers,” is referring to all of the five men who are listed. Especially since Barnabas is a beginning and Saul is at the end and both of them are identified as both. Teachers were viewed as ones who were responsible more systematically to explain God’s Word. Elders in Titus 1 were called to teach sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it. The prophet and teachers in Acts 13 were the forerunners to the office of overseer or elder/pastor. The prophetic function is a little less clear in the New Testament. Old Testament Prophets would provide new direct revelation from God. There appears to be a transition in the prophet function in the New Testament. Agabus was mentioned as a prophet at the end of chapter 11 and he warned over the coming famine. He foretold events that were to come much like an Old Testament prophet. Agabus is a rare case in the New Testament for it seems like the rest of the New Testament, prophets function more like those who apply the Scriptures to a particular situation. A word shared to the congregation as a whole or to individuals within the church on how to apply God’s word in one’s life.
We may not fully understand the specific functions in detail, but it is clear the Holy Spirit is one who gifted these men for service. It is interesting the Lord set aside these particular men to lead the church at Antioch. First, we see God does not show partiality in who he gives his gifts to. There are five names listed. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, a levite from Cyprus, has been well documented thus far. Saul, who will be known as Paul shortly, is a pharisee who persecuted the church and was converted on the way to Damascus. There is little information on the rest of these men, but all helped shape the early church. Simeon, who was called Niger, was most likely from somewhere in North Africa. Niger is latin for black which has led most scholars to think he had a darker complexion. Some scholars think he is the Simon of Cyrene mentioned in Luke 23:26 to help carry the cross for the Lord Jesus, but there is no solid proof to that claim. The spelling is different and it would make sense for Luke to reference where he was from to make the connection.
Lucius of Cyrene (modern day Libya) was from North Africa. Some scholars believe this was Luke’s signature for the book, but Luke in Greek is different from Lucius in Latin. We can assume Lucius was not Paul’s traveling companion and the doctor Luke, but another brother who helped lead the early church. Manean is a very interesting person to be a leader in the church. The language of the Greek here implies he was a very intimate friend of Herod the tetrarch literally meaning they were nursed from the same place which led some to believe he was Herod’s half-brother. Manean was probably Luke’s source for all the details of Herod he shared throughout his gospel. Herod the tetrarch was the one who beheaded John the Baptist.
Let me make some brief pastoral observations. First, your upbringing does not solely determine your future. Manean and Herod grew up together. One was an enemy of the church and one gave himself to serve the church. Our past does not determine our future. God can change anyone’s history through the power of the Holy Spirit. Second, there was significant diversity among the leaders. Some like Manean probably had significant social status and influence. The men were from different nations. Now, in our American context, most evangelicals may want to focus on how they all looked, but I think the diversity of these leaders coming from different nations is actually more profound. Just think of how different culturally these men were from one another and how those differences could have made it difficult to serve together. Yet it was those differences that actually forced them to lay down their preferences for one another and ground their unity not in their ethnicity or nationality, but in Christ. They were all citizens of heaven first. They belonged to God first.
Third, there was plurality in leadership. Elder-led congregationalism is rare, but clearly taught in the Scriptures. Elder-led congregationalism is when a church is led by a plurality of qualified male elders and finally governed by the congregation. Elders led but the final authority is the church (Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Cor 5:1-5). Many of you when you first come to Park have rarely been part of a church that had elders. Elders, overseers, shepherds, pastors are used interchangeably in the New Testaments. Let me take a few moments and share some verses that teach a plurality of elders so you know this is rooted in the Bible.
Philippians 1:1, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons” (Overseers, plural in one town, singular, Philippi.)
Titus 1:5, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—” (Elders plural in every town singular.)
Acts 14:23, “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Elders plural in every church singular.)
Acts 20:17, “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.” (Elders plural in the church singular)
1 Peter 5:1, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.” (Elders plural among you singular)
James 5:14, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (Elders plural, church singular)
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” (Them plural, you singular)
One of our family’s movie quotes is from Ralph breaks the Internet, “It’s new and different. Therefore, we should fear it.” Plurality of elders is not new and different in the New Testament. Therefore you should not fear it. It is actually an unbelievable blessing. Let me share a few blessings.
Plurality Improves Congregational Care - Multiple qualified men, with godly character and godly wisdom, will be better to care for the spiritual needs of the congregation. There are limits to the spiritual care that can be done by one man. 1 Peter 5:2 says to elders to, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” It is both wise and biblical to have multiple men give themselves to this shepherding task
Plurality Uses More Gifts of Church - A plurality of elders gives a platform to godly men to use their shepherding gifts to care for the spiritual needs of the body. There are multiple avenues for teaching, not just the Sunday morning sermon. If God has gifted men to serve as elders, it is right and good for them to serve in that role.
Plurality Increases Accountability - Although pastors should be godly men, they are not infallible men. Pastors need to be held accountable in their teaching and their character. I Tim 4:16 “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” A plurality of pastors helps guard the church from sin in a pastor’s life by surrounding him with men to help watch his life and his teaching. It also helps to provide wisdom in decision making. Mark Dever says, “Sharing leadership with a group of godly, able non-staff elders will almost invariably keep pastors (especially young ones) from saying or doing dumb things, or from saying of doing the right things in unhelpful ways.”[2]Unfortunately, pastors can be domineering and totalitarian in the leadership and this often hurts the church. A plurality of elders protects the church from the misuse of authority because it shares authority. It also protects churches from taking on the personality of a senior pastor. The church should be shaped around the Word of God and not the personality and vision of one man.
Plurality Increases Pastoral Longevity - Pastoral burnout is very high. Plurality helps to share the emotional load among a body of elders. The lead pastor does not have to feel isolated and alone in carrying the load since it is shared among a body of men who can better absorb the weight.
Plurality Glorifies God - Ultimately, the best benefit of plurality is that it honors the Lord. Whenever the church follows the Word of God, it honors and glorifies Him. And that should be the aim and glory of our congregational life.
The Holy Spirit moves in the life of the church through plurality in the body as well as in the leadership.
The Holy Spirit in Worship
As important as plurality is in the life of the body, if the plurality does not seek the Lord it is all for naught. Acts 13:2, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said.” This is the only reference to the word worshiping in the book of Acts. The word used here is where we get our English word liturgy. They were fasting and worshiping God. Jesus said, “When you fast,” not if you fast. Fasting should be a normative part of the Christian life. It does not have to be food, it may be something else, but it is primarily food in the Bible. They are denying themselves bread so they could focus and feast on the Bread of life. Fasting often intensifies our seeking after God. We are denying our worldly hunger to feed our spiritual hunger. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” It is good for us to hear the word, “No,” especially in our culture. Denial is not a common idea in our day, but a biblical one. Matthew 16:24–26,
[24] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [25] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [26] For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Fasting is a helpful way we can train ourselves to deny worldly lust and deepen our dependence and joy in God.
In the context of worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to the plurality of prophets and teachers at Antioch. How did the Holy Spirit speak? Was it an audible voice? Was it merely a consensus? I think you could interpret it both ways. The Holy Spirit could have audibly spoken to the church to set apart Barnabas and Saul. The command to set them apart is emphatic in the Greek implying urgency. When God speaks directly to his people in the Scriptures there is usually a sense of urgency. We just witnessed the miraculous freeing of Peter from prison and the immediate death of Herod, so God audibly speaking doesn’t seem too crazy. Yet, I do not think you have to come to that conclusion. It says in verse 3, “Then after fasting and praying,” which could imply they were confirming what they thought that they heard because they did not hear an audible voice. How did the Holy Spirit speak here? We do not exactly, but we do know that he did speak. And we do know the Holy Spirit still speaks today. The key question is, “How does the Holy Spirit speak?” Let me briefly offer seven ways I believe the Holy Spirit speaks today.
The Holy Spirit Speaks through Scripture - The most common and the most important way the Holy Spirit speaks today is through the Word of God. 2 Peter 1:19–21,
[19] And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, [20] knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
When you read the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Immerse yourself in the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit Speaks through Visions and Dreams - I do not believe this is very common today, but I do think the Holy Spirit still communicates this way. And yet, it is always under and in line with the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will never speak anything contrary to the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit speaks through an Internal Witness - The Holy Spirit wants to lead us. He works through our emotions and feelings. He often gives us impressions and “gut” responses to situations. I believe he gives a subjective sense of peace in certain situations. I do not think it is wrong to say, “I feel the Holy Spirit is leading me to…” The Holy Spirit is going to lead us into all things. The internal witness of the Spirit can never contradict the Word of God and very very very rarely the external affirmation of the community.
The Holy Spirit speaks through an External Affirmation - Our internal feelings may or may not be of the Holy Spirit. The heart is deceptive above all things. We can be easily deceived. This is why we need external affirmation from internal feelings. If you feel called to be a pastor, but the church and your spouse does not affirm it; you are not called to be a pastor: yet. You may or may not be called to be a pastor but if there is no external affirmation then it is not the will of the Lord. One of the reasons we do not wait for external affirmation is because we do not want to hear the word, “No.” As one of my children said when they were younger, “I hate that word.” Let’s be honest, we all hate that word. The heart wants what the heart wants, but the heart could be deceived. We need to submit ourselves to our families, our friends, and to our church and the elders on what is right and good. Even I as the Senior Pastor must submit to the will of the elders. If they are not in it, it is not of the Lord (yet).
The Holy Spirit speaks through a Convergence of Circumstances - We are led not merely by our internal witness and external affirmation, but through circumstances. If the Lord is Sovereign, he is orchestrating history for our good. He brings certain conversations up at a particular time. He causes certain doors to close and others to open. He has given us a mind to look at the events of our life and to interpret them alongside our church community and the Word of God. It is right and good to ask, “What is the Lord doing in and through these circumstances?”
The Holy Spirit speaks through Gifting - As I have said before, the Holy Spirit gifted the prophets and teachers in Antioch. The Lord will not give you gifts he doesn’t intend for you to use. One of the ways we determine the direction the Lord is leading is how he has gifted us. He gifts us for service. If he has given you a gift of mercy, he wants you to be merciful. If he has given you the gift of administration, he wants you to administrate.
The Holy Spirit speaks through History - The Holy Spirit wants to be known. We can look at how the Lord has worked and moved throughout history to figure out what he is doing now. There are patterns and themes God has revealed in his Word and his world to help us determine what we should do. He also has worked in your history. God may communicate to me differently than he communicates to someone else, because I am different from them. Study how the Lord has worked and communicated to you in your life in the past to help you figure out how He is speaking in the present.
I do not want to limit the Holy Spirit and how he speaks to his church. I believe the Holy Spirit wants to be known and to communicate with his people. Beloved, it is not a coincidence that the prophets and teachers of Antioch were fasting, worshiping and praying when the Holy Spirit spoke to them. If you want to be led by the Holy Spirit, fast, worship and pray. Read his word, pray, talk to your church family, use your reason, and trust him.
The Holy Spirit in Mission
The Holy Spirit has raised up Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manean and Saul for a purpose. The persecution of Stephen which led to the evangelizing of Antioch and the establishment of a church had a purpose. The church is called to be witnesses of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit emphatically spoke to the leaders of Antioch, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” And notice verse 4, “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit was the one orchestrating and leading the church to serve his purposes.
The church is called to be a witness. We must tell people about the death, burial, resurrection, ascension and coming return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ. People must hear about Jesus Christ. If you are not a Christian, please know our main aim is for you to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. We want you to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus as your Savior. The Holy Spirit has revealed in the Word that we are all sinners. Every single one of us has wronged God and deserves to be judged for our sins. We deserve death and eternal hell for wronging an eternal God. But God in his kindness towards us sent Jesus Christ to die for us. For our sake, he took our sin on the cross and paid the debt we owed. He was judged so we can be set free. God vindicated Jesus in his resurrection. The resurrection is proof to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and salvation can now be received. Friend, God wants you to be with him. And the only way for you to be with God is to repent of your sins, trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus said when the Holy Spirit comes, John 16:8, “He will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness and judgment.” If you feel convicted of your sin, knowing that you are not righteous but only God is. If you believe you deserve judgment but Jesus took it for you. If you call on the name of the Lord and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. Friend, repent and trust in Christ.
The church has a mission. The mission is to be witnesses for Jesus in the power of the Spirit to the ends of the earth. This is our mission. And this is why God said to the church at Antioch, set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. God has work for them to do. Remember Ananias’s conversation with the Lord Jesus right after Saul’s conversion, Acts 9:13–16
[13] But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. [14] And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” [15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
The Lord chose Saul for this work; this work of gospel advancement; this suffering work for the gospel. There has been about 10 years or so since Paul was converted. God sometimes takes his time to prepare his servants for the work he has called them to. Be patient, beloved.
From a human perspective, this doesn’t make a lot of sense for Antioch. Wouldn’t it make the sense that their most trusted teachers, Barnabas and Saul, would stay to do the work in Antioch? This is why we need the Holy Spirit to speak to us and tell us what to do. I am sure Saul and Barnabas loved Antioch and its people. I am sure they were not looking forward to years away from dear friends, cold sleepless nights, and hostile opposition to the gospel wherever they went. And yet, Jesus is so glorious and such a kind Savior, it was their joy to share his love with the world. The call of the gospel of Jesus Christ is always worth it. It is a work. It is hard work. Yet it is a glorious work.
Beloved, God has been kind to our church in so many ways. I am confident to say that our elders are seeking the Lord for the direction of our congregation. And the Lord may want to send some of our best across county or across the world for this namesake. If the Holy Spirit speaks to you to go, will you go? And if the Holy Spirit speaks to you to stay, will you stay? The question for our elders and for our congregation is not if the Holy Spirit will speak to us, but how and when and where. It was a sacrifice for Barnabas and Saul to go and sacrifice for the church of Antioch to send them, but that is the calling of the church. Sacrifice so that the name of Jesus will be known. I can only imagine how sweet that return gathering was as we read in Acts 14:24-28,
[24] Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. [25] And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, [26] and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. [27] And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. [28] And they remained no little time with the disciples.
The Holy Spirit sent them. The Holy Spirit used them.
How will the Holy Spirit speak to us? Who will the Holy Spirit send? How will the Holy Spirit use our work?
When I got here in 2012, I had no idea how the Lord would use Park Baptist Church. Ten years later, it is hard for me to fathom all that the Lord has done here. What will I see after 20 years? Or 30? I don’t know but I look forward to every day when this church is gathered together and we declare what God has done. May the Spirit continue to speak to us and use us to spread the glory of Lord Christ.