When the Church Prays, God Sends
When the Church Prays • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Sermon Title: When the Church Prays, God Sends
Scripture: Acts 13:1-3
Occasion: The Lord's Day
Date: August 30, 2026
Opening Prayer
Father,
By Your Word and through Your Spirit, make us more like Christ and faithful to the mission of Christ.
Guard us from becoming inward and comfortable.
Give us a heart for Christ, His church, and those who have not yet heard His name.
And if You would call some from among us to go, make us willing to send them joyfully.
We ask in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Introduction: Power and Boldness Are Meant to Go Somewhere
Over these last few weeks, we have been asking a simple question:
What happens when the church prays?
In Acts 1, we saw that when the church prays, God gives power.
Jesus promised:
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”
The church prayed.
The Spirit came.
And ordinary disciples were empowered to bear witness to an extraordinary Christ.
Then last week, in Acts 4, we saw that when the church prays, God gives boldness.
Peter and John had been threatened.
The pressure was increasing.
And when the church gathered to pray, they did not primarily ask God to make life easier.
They prayed:
“Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.”
And God answered.
The place was shaken.
They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
And they continued speaking the Word of God with boldness.
But now we come to Acts 13 and discover that power and boldness are meant to go somewhere.
The Spirit gives power so that the church will witness.
The Spirit gives boldness so that the church will speak.
And the Spirit sends so that the gospel will go.
Acts 13 is a major turning point in Acts.
Barnabas and Saul will leave Antioch.
Cities will be entered.
The gospel will be preached.
Sinners will believe.
Churches will be planted.
Elders will be appointed.
Opposition will come.
And the name of Jesus will continue advancing.
And where does that movement begin?
Not at a missionary conference.
Not with a strategic plan.
Not with a fundraising campaign.
It begins with a local church seeking the Lord.
So here is the question Acts 13 puts before us:
What happens when a local church truly seeks the Lord and surrenders itself to His mission?
Here is the answer:
When a church seeks the Lord in prayer, the Holy Spirit raises up servants, sets them apart, and sends them out for the sake of Christ.
That is where this series has been leading us.
When the church prays, God gives power.
When the church prays, God gives boldness.
And today:
Sermon Title: When the church prays, God sends.
And as we walk through these three verses, notice what happens in a prayerful church:
When the church prays, it serves. (v.1)
When the church prays, it seeks. (v.2)
When the church prays, it sends. (v.3)
Transition:
And Luke begins by showing us that before a church sends faithfully, it must first be a church that serves faithfully.
1. When the Church Prays, It Serves — Acts 13:1
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.
Notice where Luke begins.
He begins with a local church.
“Now there were in the church at Antioch…”
Before there is a missionary journey, there is a church.
Before missionaries are sent, there are Christians faithfully serving together.
Before Barnabas and Saul are sent out, they are rooted in the life of a local congregation.
Antioch was a remarkable church.
Back in Acts 11, persecution scattered believers after the death of Stephen.
Some came to Antioch preaching the Lord Jesus, and Acts 11:21 says:
“The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”
Barnabas came to Antioch, saw the grace of God, and rejoiced.
Then he went looking for Saul and found him in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch. (Acts 11:25-26)
For an entire year, Barnabas and Saul taught “A great many people” there at this new Church.
And it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
This was also a generous church.
When believers in Judea faced famine, Antioch sent relief.
So by Acts 13, there is already a pattern.
They receive the gospel.
They proclaim the gospel.
They care for other churches.
And NOW they will send people with the gospel.
That is the life of a healthy church.
Grace comes in.
Grace grows among us.
And grace goes out.
Now look at these leaders.
Barnabas.
Simeon.
Lucius.
Manaen.
Saul.
Different men.
Different backgrounds.
Different stories.
Barnabas was a Jewish Levite from Cyprus.
Simeon was called Niger - a Latin term meaning “black,” likely referring to his dark complexion or African background.
Lucius came from Cyrene - a prominent city in North Africa, in what is modern-day Libya.
Manaen had grown up in close association with Herod the tetrarch.
And Saul had once persecuted the church.
Yet here they are.
One church.
One Lord.
One gospel.
One mission.
Even our own eldership reflects this:
I come from a Portuguese immigrant family, saved by grace out of a troubled life;
Don is a military veteran whom God rescued from worldly pursuits;
Jeremy is a New Yorker saved out of legalistic Pentecostalism;
and Traie is a brother whose past could have ended in a life sentence, yet by the mercy of God is now a man you would trust around your children—
And here we are, together serving Christ and His church!
That is what the gospel does!!
It creates a family out of people who otherwise might have very little in common.
But do not miss this:
Barnabas and Saul were already serving.
They did not suddenly appear and announce:
“God called us to go.”
They were known.
They were teaching.
They were serving.
They were pouring themselves into this congregation.
Here is an important principle:
God ordinarily calls people from faithfulness into further faithfulness.
If you believe God may someday call you into pastoral ministry, church planting, missions, or some particular gospel work, do not despise the ministry God has put in front of you today.
Serve now.
Love people now.
Evangelize now.
Disciple someone now.
Pray now.
Show up now.
Be faithful now.
Because before Barnabas and Saul were sent from Antioch, they served in Antioch.
And that teaches us that Sending begins with serving.
That may look like helping with setup and breakdown, serving faithfully in children’s ministry week after week, cleaning, greeting, running sound, preparing communion, or caring for a member quietly behind the scenes.
There are no insignificant acts of service in Christ’s church.
God often forms those He will later send through the ordinary, unseen faithfulness of serving His people right where they are.
But we have to understand this morning that Tthe local church is not merely a place where gifted people are discovered.
It is a place where faithful servants are formed.
Where Their character is seen.
Their doctrine is tested.
Their gifts are exercised.
Their love for God's people becomes evident.
We don’t merely want men with ambition, or men who can preach, or men that just want a platform.
We want men with character, men who serve, men and women who love Christ and His people.
And eventually, if God wills, some who faithfully serve here will be sent from here.
That is part of what makes the next two weeks so precious for us.
We will hear from two of our own church planters, Austin and Cory.
We will hear how the Lord has been shaping them, preparing them, and directing them toward the work ahead.
That is not disconnected from this series.
It is part of the fruit we are praying for.
God gives power.
God gives boldness.
And God raises up servants whom He sends.
Application
Church, we should pray that this becomes increasingly normal among us.
That children grow up here and say:
“Jesus Christ is worthy of my whole life.”
That more residents are trained and sent.
That pastors are raised up.
That missionaries are raised up.
That church planters are raised up.
A healthy church does not merely ask:
“How many people can we bring in?”
It also asks:
“Whom might God send out?”
When the church prays, it serves.
Transition
Now look at verse 2. Not only does a praying Church serve, it also seeks.
2. When the Church Prays, It Seeks — Acts 13:2
While 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.”
Notice that word:
“While.”
While they were worshiping.
While they were fasting.
While they were ministering before the Lord.
While they were seeking God.
The missionary movement of Acts 13 is born in the presence of God.
They are not asking:
“How can we make a name for ourselves?”
“How can we increase our influence?”
They are seeking the Lord.
Their attention is vertical before it becomes horizontal.
Before they look outward, they look upward.
They worship.
They fast.
They wait upon God.
Fasting is a physical expression of spiritual hunger.
It says:
“Lord, we want You more than food.”
“We want Your will more than comfort.”
“We want Your glory more than control.”
“We need You.”
It reminds us that God's mission cannot be accomplished merely through human wisdom, strategy, resources, or personality.
The church's responsibility is not to invent a mission for God.
It is to seek the God who has already given us His mission.
And don’t miss this, while they seek Him:
“the Holy Spirit said…”
Luke does not tell us precisely how the Spirit communicated this.
So we should not speculate.
The emphasis is NOT on HOW the Spirit spoke.
The emphasis is on WHO directs the mission.
The WHO is The Holy Spirit.
This is God's mission.
The church does not manufacture it.
God directs.
His church responds.
The Holy Spirit then directs this Church...
And listen carefully what he says:
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
I want you to carefully notice three things about what the Spirit said.
First:
“Set apart.”
Barnabas and Saul are going to be released from their regular ministry in Antioch for another work.
Sending requires letting go.
Second:
“For me.”
Those may be the most important words in the verse.
“Set apart for me.”
Barnabas and Saul ultimately belong to Christ.
The church loves them.
The church needs faithful leaders like them.
But Jesus has first claim upon them.
They belong to Him.
Antioch cannot say:
“Lord, we need them too much.”
“They are too valuable.”
“We cannot afford to lose them.”
The Spirit says:
“Set apart for me.”
Third:
“For the work to which I have called them.”
Friends...
God is the one who calls.
God appoints.
God directs.
God sends.
This protects us from two errors.
On one side, a person should not simply announce,
“God called me,” and reject the discernment and affirmation of the local church.
Barnabas and Saul are known by this church.
They have served this church.
Their calling is recognized by this church.
But on the other side, the church must never think God's people exist merely to strengthen our institution.
Jesus is Lord of His church.
The church belongs to Him.
Its leaders belong to Him.
Its resources belong to Him.
Its future belongs to Him.
For us, that means being willing to let go of Austin and Alicia—not because they are expendable, but because sending often means releasing some of our strongest, most qualified, and most beloved people for the sake of Christ.
We send out best, our most qualified, those who love Christ and His Church most.
The mission will require us letting go of our best, not for us, but for Christ.
Because He has called them.
Sending is an acknowledgment that this church is not ours—it is His.
Some of us need to hear that, because we can start thinking: our people, our money, our ministry.
No, church—this is Christ’s church, and He will build it. His way. His timing. His squad.
What He says goes!
Illustration:
Like a coach who serves under a general manager, we don’t get to say,
“You can’t move that player—he’s mine”.
The roster belongs to the one in charge, the who wo pays the bills, and Christ alone has paid the ultimate sacrifice for His elect, and therefore He has the final say over His church.
So when He sets someone apart for him, and He calls them, our willingness to let go reveals whether we truly trust that this is HIS Church or Our Church.
If Jesus chooses to take someone faithfully serving among us and send that person elsewhere for the gospel, our response must be:
“Yes, Lord.”
Prayer loosens our grip.
Prayer reminds us that none of this belongs to us.
And so our prayer becomes:
Not simply:
“Lord, grow us.”
But:
“Lord, use us.”
Not simply:
“Lord, bring people here.”
But:
“Lord, whom would You send from here?”
Not simply:
“Lord, meet all our needs.”
But:
“Lord, make us willing to sacrifice for the advance of Your kingdom.”
The kingdom of Christ is bigger than our attendance.
Bigger than our budget.
Bigger than our programs.
Bigger than our plans.
We care deeply about the health of this church.
We should.
Jesus purchased His church with His blood.
But one mark of a healthy church is that it cares about the advance of the gospel beyond itself.
A selfish church will always protect what it has.
But a selfless church that knows it belongs to Christ will be willing to send—even its best.
And church, this is not ultimately a numbers problem.
It is a spiritual problem.
The question is not, “Are we big enough to send?”
The question is, “Do we trust Christ enough to let go?”
Application
Prayerful churches seek God's glory above their comfort.
God's will above their plans.
God's kingdom beyond their walls.
So here is the question for us:
Are we more concerned with what God will do for our church, or with what God wants to do through our church?
Our prayer must be:
“Lord, give us open hands. Make us willing to surrender our comfort, our plans, and even our best people so that Your gospel advances beyond us.”
That is what Antioch did.
God said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul.”
And they obeyed.
Transition
When the church prays, it serves.
When the church prays, it seeks.
And now, in verse 3, when the church prays, it sends.
3. When the Church Prays, It Sends — Acts 13:3
Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Notice that they pray again.
Prayer surrounds the sending.
Before the call is recognized, they seek God.
After the call is recognized, they seek God.
Because gospel ministry requires dependence upon God from beginning to end.
As I mentioned last week:
We can do more than pray after we have prayed, but we cannot do more than pray until we have prayed.
Then:
“they laid their hands on them.”
This is an act of identification and affirmation.
The church is saying by laying their hands on them:
“We know these brothers.”
“We affirm these brothers.”
“We recognize God's grace in these brothers.”
“We stand with these brothers.”
“We are sending these brothers.”
Barnabas and Saul are not independent spiritual entrepreneurs.
They are being sent from a church.
They go with the prayers of a church.
The affirmation of a church.
The love of a church.
The partnership of a church.
Just like we will do, if the Lord wills, by His grace, lay our hands upon the Darrow's and the Coopers in the days ahead for the task the Lord has called them to.
And then the three powerful but faith saturated words:
“they…sent them off.”
They actually let them go.
And remember whom they are sending.
Barnabas and Saul.
These are not the men Antioch could most easily spare.
They are among their strongest leaders.
Sending is costly.
Sometimes obedience means sending resources we could have used here.
Sometimes money.
Sometimes friends.
Sometimes leaders.
Sometimes a pastor.
Sometimes a family.
Sometimes sending produces tears.
But they are kingdom tears.
Because Jesus is worthy.
Antioch understood:
The goal of the gospel is bigger than the growth of one local church.
We want Restoration Church to flourish.
We want people converted here.
Families strengthened here.
Children discipled here.
Members cared for here.
Residents trained here.
Elders and deacons developed here.
But we should also want to see people LEAVE HERE because Jesus is sending them somewhere else where the gospel is needed.
We should long for commissioning Sundays.
We should long to support church planters.
We should long to send missionaries.
We should long to give resources away.
We should long to plant churches that plant churches.
Why?
Because Jesus did not shed His blood merely to build one congregation in Sanford.
He purchased people from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Romans 10:14 asks:
“How are they to hear without someone preaching?”
And Romans 10:15:
“How are they to preach unless they are sent?”
Some must go.
And the church must send.
And notice the beautiful relationship between the church and the Spirit.
Verse 3 says:
“they…sent them off.”
Verse 4 says:
“being sent out by the Holy Spirit…”
Who sent them?
The church.
Who sent them?
The Holy Spirit.
Both.
The church sends because the Spirit sends.
The church recognizes because the Spirit calls.
The church lays hands because the Spirit has been at work.
The church releases because Jesus is Lord.
When the church prays, it sends.
Conclusion: Lord, Whom Would You Send?
This is what we learned in this series:
When the Church prays it receives powerfrom the Holy Spirit.
Than that Power produces Boldness.
And that Boldness leads to sending.
And all of this is rooted in the gospel, isn’t it?
Christianity is a sending faith because our salvation began with a sending God.
The Father sent the Son.
Jesus entered our broken world.
He lived the righteous life we could never live.
He bore our sins on the cross.
He died in the place of sinners.
And on the third day, He rose victoriously from the grave.
Having accomplished redemption, the risen Christ sends His church.
We are not sent to finish the work of Jesus.
We are sent because Jesus said:
“It is finished.”
We are not sent to make Jesus King.
We are sent because Jesus is King.
We are not sent hoping the gospel has power.
We are sent because the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
So what should we pray?
Lord, give us power.
Lord, give us boldness.
And Lord:
Send us.
Send some across the street.
Send some into workplaces and schools.
Send some into neighborhoods.
Send some to plant churches.
Send some across cultures.
Send some to the nations.
Raise up pastors.
Raise up missionaries.
Raise up church planters.
And give the rest of us joy to pray, give, sacrifice, and send them well.
And as we hear from Austin and Cory these next two weeks, don’t merely listen to their stories as though we are observing something God is doing in somebody else's life.
See it as an invitation to our whole church.
This is what we are praying for.
Then in a year from now, Lord willing, with joy, tears, and much prayer, we want to lay our hands on this precious families and say:
Go.
Go preach Christ.
Go make disciples.
Go plant healthy churches.
Go to the nations.
Go for the sake of the name.
And then ask God to do it again.
And again.
And again.
Because perhaps the greatest question for our future is not merely:
“How large can our church become?”
But:
“How much can our church give away for the glory of Christ?”
Lord, keep us from becoming so comfortable that we stop going.
So inward that we stop giving.
So protective that we stop sending.
Lord make us a praying Church.
A church that seeks the power of God, walks in the boldness of God, and goes on the mission of God.
Final Charge and Challenge:
Will you put your yes on the table today?
How much can you give away for the glory of Christ today?
What part of sending will you be involved in today?
Prayer
