How does Acts 13:3 connect with Jesus' Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? Setting the Scene • Acts 13 opens with the church in Antioch worshiping and fasting (Acts 13:1-2). • The Holy Spirit directs them to “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). • Verse 3 then records their response: “Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:3). • This local act of commissioning unfolds as a direct implementation of Jesus’ global mandate in Matthew 28:19-20. Matthew 28:19-20—The Standing Marching Orders “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. Key elements: • Go • Make disciples of all nations • Baptize and teach • Depend on Jesus’ abiding presence Acts 13:3—A Snapshot of Obedient Faith • The church fasts and prays—seeking God’s will before acting. • They lay hands—public affirmation and spiritual solidarity (cf. 1 Timothy 4:14). • They send Barnabas and Saul—active obedience to the Spirit’s directive, echoing the “Go” of the Great Commission. Where the Two Passages Interlock 1. Same Sender • Matthew 28: The risen Jesus commissions. • Acts 13: The Holy Spirit—one with the Father and the Son—calls and directs (John 20:21; Acts 1:8). 2. Same Mission Objective • “Make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). • Barnabas and Saul are sent to Gentile regions, beginning with Cyprus and Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:4-12, 13-52). 3. Same Method • Teaching and baptizing in Matthew 28. • Proclamation of the word, conversions, and establishment of believers’ communities in Acts 13 (cf. Acts 13:38-39, 48). 4. Same Empowering Presence • Jesus promises, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). • Acts underscores the Spirit’s guidance and power from start to finish (Acts 13:2,4,9). 5. Church Partnership • The Great Commission was first spoken to the eleven; by Acts 13 the whole church shares in sending. • Romans 10:15 affirms this partnership: “And how can they preach unless they are sent?” Practical Takeaways for Today • Church-led sending: Missions is more than personal zeal; it is affirmed and supported by the body. • Prayer and fasting precede strategic action, aligning hearts with God’s plan. • Laying on of hands highlights spiritual unity and accountability. • Every believer and local church inherits the “Go” of Matthew 28; Acts 13 shows what that obedience looks like in practice. • Confidence rests in Christ’s promised presence and the Spirit’s direction, not in human strategy alone. Summary in a Sentence Acts 13:3 is the Antioch church’s tangible, Spirit-led enactment of Jesus’ Great Commission, illustrating how local believers, through prayerful dependence and corporate sending, propel the gospel to the nations exactly as their Lord commanded. |
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