What kind of soil is best for planting? In His parable of the soils (see Matthew 13 and Mark 4), Jesus illustrated this beautifully. Some seed fell on the road, others fell on the rocky places, still others fell among the thorns. None of these seeds produced lasting fruit. But then there was “the good soil.” Jesus said that the seed which fell on the good soil, “yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty” (Matthew 13:8). He wasn’t teaching a course on agriculture. He was teaching kingdom principles—principles for the Church Age.
The Fresh Soil of Antioch
Those principles lead to a logical question: what kind of church is like “good soil”? What kind of church is best suited to multiply into other churches? Fortunately, we have an excellent example in the Church of Antioch. The story begins in Acts 11:19: “So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.” “Those who were scattered” were Jews and they were “speaking the word to…Jews alone.” It was a natural, cultural thing to do.
But, something different happened in Antioch. Notice the “but” in v.20. “But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.” Some spoke—were preaching (euangelion) the Lord Jesus—to “Greeks.” If you compare translations on this word “Greeks” (NASB), you discover that there are some variations: “Gentiles” (NLT), “Hellenists” (ESV) or even “Grecians” (KJV). The reason this is important is that the Greek word behind these English words could refer to Hellenized Jews or non-Jews (i.e., Gentiles) or even a mixture of both. Which is it? We have more than just one Greek word to go on. We have the context. The word “Greeks” almost certainly included Gentiles because it stands in contrast to “Jews only” in v.19.
So now look at v.21: “The hand of the Lord was with them”! What a magnificent thing to say about a church! It’s a very good thing. But why was “the hand of the Lord with them”? The context provides the best answer: they were doing what God wanted them to do. They were taking the gospel to Gentiles. The story of Peter taking the gospel to the Gentile Cornelius in Acts 10-11 comes right before this activity in Antioch. God supernaturally moved Peter to go into the house of a Gentile and share the gospel. If you haven’t read that story recently, do so now. It is clear that God was moving the church toward Gentile mission (see 10:15, 30-31, 34-35, 47; 11:9, 15-18). So, how can we—churches throughout the Church Age—make sure “the hand of the Lord” is with us? Take the gospel to Gentiles! The larger principle is this: understand (really understand) what God is doing in this Church Age and cooperate with Him.
Notice also the result of this church having God’s hand with them. “A large number believed and turned to the Lord” (v.21). This was the sign of God’s hand—His blessing—on the preaching of the gospel to Gentiles. A natural question is whether all faithful churches will see “a large number” become Christians. But, that is not necessarily what is promised here. It was a sign that God’s hand was with that church—the church in Antioch—but not necessarily every individual local church. “Large numbers” are not our goal. God may bless us with large numbers if we are prepared to handle them, but as we explore the entire teaching of the New Testament, the goal of every church should be strength. “Large numbers” flock to false teachers and movements too, so numbers don’t necessarily mean a church is strong. But sometimes God blesses churches with large numbers if they are strong. Other times, not. We plant. We water. But God causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7).
The Work of Barnabas
The activity in Antioch drew the attention of the leaders in Jerusalem. So, they sent Barnabas.
“The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:22–26)
Notice what Barnabas did after he arrived in Antioch. First, he “witnessed (lit. “saw”) the grace of God.” How does anyone “see the grace of God”? In God’s people! Put yourself in that church at that time. He must have “witnessed” celebration, love for one another, wonderful fellowship and plenty of good works—the grace of God poured out in salvation, and impacting that church in amazing ways. This explains why he did what he did next: he “rejoiced” along with these new believers!
Next, he “encouraged them all with a resolute heart to remain true to the Lord.” He encouraged them to remain faithful. Then, he brought in Saul. By that time, he knew that Saul was supposed to play a special role (9:15-16) and somehow Barnabas knew it was time. So, together with Saul, “for an entire year they met with the church and taught…” What do you think they “taught” these new believers? We’re not told specifically, but Acts 2:42, as well as Paul’s letters are probably good indications. In other words, they almost certainly taught “the Apostles’ teaching.” There is a very important principle here for the Church Age: The focus of every strong church should be to understand “the Apostles’ teaching” as well as Paul’s letters (i.e., the New Testament, which explains the Old Testament in the process) and teach the same thing.
More on this later, but for now look at this developing picture of the church in Antioch: grace—probably celebration, love, fellowship and good works—rejoicing, encouragement, faithfulness, and now teaching. The “good soil” being prepared in Antioch is taking shape.
The Word of the Lord
Acts 11:30 tells us Barnabas and Saul were sent to Jerusalem to take a gift to the church in Jerusalem. Acts 12 then focuses on James and Peter, perhaps because Barnabas and Saul were in Jerusalem. Then we read a chilling story of the death of Herod (12:20-23). Probably all of this is showing that “the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied” (12:24) even if the Apostles are martyred, or thrown in prison. And no one (not even the tyrant Herod) is powerful enough to stop the progress of the gospel. The clear encouragement is for the church to just keep going. No matter how dark things may get, how discouraged we may be, we must trust that “the word of the Lord” will continue to grow and be multiplied.”
Ministering to the Lord
All of this brings us to a very climactic moment in the history of the Church—the beginning of the first intentional missionary journey. Acts 12:24-25 tells us Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, bring John Mark with them, and the “good soil” continues to be prepared.
“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to 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, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.” (Acts 13:1–4)
Once again, focus on what this church was doing. What does it mean that they were “ministering (leiteurgeo; serving) to the Lord and fasting”? It indicates they were not settling into a passive faith—they were seeking God’s will. They were probably asking God, “What next?” They were a well-established church, with a strong leadership base and they were, no doubt, still preaching the good news to everyone in Antioch. But the language here suggests they were seeking God’s will—they were mission-minded. They wanted to win the world for Christ! But they knew they needed the Holy Spirit’s power. They needed Him to lead and speak and move.
The Good Soil of Antioch
So, the soil was prepared. It is a real-life picture of what Paul later encouraged in Philippi: “…conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ… standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). In other words, Antioch was fertile soil—a community in an environment of humility and dependence upon God. It was very similar to Acts 1-2: “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer…” (Acts 1:14; cf., 2:42-47.
It was then that something miraculous happened: the Holy Spirit spoke! The word “said” (v.2; eipon “speak/talk”) indicates this was probably an audible message to one of the prophets. His message was clear and specific, but the point is that as far as we know, He spoke only when the soil was prepared—when the church was strong and ready and desperate for God to use them. Not only that, but they were prepared and eager to obey whatever the Holy Spirit said. Why—after the Spirit spoke—did the church fast and pray and lay hands on Barnabas and Saul, then send them away (v.3)? They were publicly declaring their agreement with the Holy Spirit—they were obeying what the Spirit commanded the church to do.
The Voice of the Spirit
This leads to a very logical question: how does the Holy Spirit speak today? Can He still speak audibly? Of course. But that’s not the question we should ask. We should ask, “How does the Holy Spirit speak today?” He could rearrange the stars in the night sky, or appear visibly in any form or even drop a 67th book into all of our Bibles if He wanted to—He’s capable of more than we can imagine. But the question is, How does He actually choose to speak today? Can He still give direct, audible revelation? Of course. But according to Scripture, when the Holy Spirit spoke, it was very clear. There is no evidence that He spoke through someone’s feelings or by giving them ambiguous impressions—that is a popular idea today, but it is foreign to the Bible.
This is a big question that requires serious study of the Scriptures. But for now, ask yourself these questions: Hasn’t the Holy Spirit already spoken? Do we need Him to tell us more about God’s will or are the Scriptures sufficient? The New Testament provides us with numerous principles for understanding God’s will for churches. Perhaps by studying God’s word (for “an entire year”?), with expectant hearts, fasting and praying, ministering to the Lord, begging Him to show us His will, we will gain greater clarity about what He has already said, then step out in faith and participate in the progress of the gospel. We won’t find chapter and verse that tells each individual church specifically what they should do or where they should go. But, we know we’re supposed to “make disciples of all nations,” so we have the freedom to do that “with one mind striving together.” What else do we need the Holy Spirit to say?
The principle modeled by the church at Antioch is that the Spirit leads through churches who, in humility and dependence, search for His guidance and are willing and ready to trust and obey. The church at Antioch did not have the written Scriptures. We do. So, we should understand what the Holy Spirit has already said—really understand it—and move forward in one-mindedness.
The Question of Fasting
Another question should surface from this passage as well: should we too fast? Perhaps fasting was just a normal part of Antioch’s existence as a church—in other words, it is possible that their reason for fasting was not to ask God what they should do next. Perhaps they were just showing God that He was more important than His gifts—including food. If so, we should do the same. We too should show God He is more important to us than His gift of food.
But if this church was desperate to know God’s will for them and how they could participate in the progress of the gospel, then we should think long and hard about the example of these believers. If it was out of desperation to know the will of God that they were fasting, it was in that act of desperation (i.e., fasting) that the Holy Spirit spoke. John Piper said it well,
“…There is a direct correlation between loving the Lord’s appearing and laboring for the cause of world evangelization. This simply deepens the connection between fasting and the coming of Christ. …Fasting has turned the course of world history precisely in unleashing the first great missionary thrust in Acts 13:1–4. This fits with Jesus’ words that his disciples will fast out of longing for the Bridegroom. For the Bridegroom will not come until the gospel is preached to the nations, and the nations are reached through spiritual breakthroughs that come by fasting and prayer.” (John Piper, A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997), 94–95.)
The Response of the Desperate
At least three responses are fitting for those who share the desperation of Antioch. First, pray. Pray about this entire picture. Are you too desperate for God to use our church in the progress of the gospel? Are you willing to spend dedicated time in prayer talking to God about it? Second, assess. Assess the soil of our community. Are we truly humble before God? Are we truly dependent upon Him for everything we do? Do our actions and activities, meetings, decision-making processes, strategies reflect a genuine belief that apart from God, we can do nothing of eternal significance? Are we willing to change whatever is not in harmony with what the Holy Spirit has already spoken in the word of God? Finally, fast. Are you willing to fast (from food or something else) to communicate to God that we “can do nothing apart from Him”? That we are so desperate for God to use us that we’re willing to skip a meal or nine? That we’re willing to replace a movie with a quiet time of prayer? Are we willing to show God—in a tangible way—that He and the progress of the gospel are more important to us than anything else?
