Acts Series Part 17: The Holy Spirit in Action: Paul and Barnabas Commissioned in Antioch

Send Dean your question here Acts Chapter 13 As Christians, we often ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and strengthen us. But in asking for all that the Spirit gives, do we overlook asking for the Spirit himself? In this podcast, we explore Acts 13, where the church in Antioch sets apart Paul and Barnabas to take the good news to the Gentiles, sending them through Seleucia, Cyprus and Pamphylia. The Spirit is at work from start to finish, but he works differently in each situation. Picture a sailing boat, where each sail catches the wind in its own way. We can identify four: The mainsail: a church that expects God to speak. The mainsail drives the whole boat, and here it is a church gathered in worship, expecting God to speak through the Spirit. Everything else follows from that. The jib: obedience that the Spirit steers. Once the church acts on what God has said, the Spirit guides, adjusts and refines. Paul and Barnabas set out in obedience, and the Spirit directs them at each stage of the journey. The genoa: power added to our words. Our words and actions are only ours. Yet the Spirit adds power at the right moment, and Paul’s preaching has an effect that his words alone could not produce. The spinnaker: joy that carries us through opposition. When persecution drives Paul and Barnabas out of Pisidian Antioch, the Spirit does not remove the opposition. He fills the disciples with joy and carries them forward. So the question stands: when we pray, are we asking only for what the Spirit does, or for the Spirit himself, the wind that fills every one of these sails? You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text. Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.