Worship, Fasting and Prayer
Have you ever asked yourself, âWhy do I go to Sunday services?â
Notes
âYou might have asked that exact question, or more likely, you have attended a service and thought (or verbalized), âI got nothing out of that serviceâ. While those sentiments could be indicative of a problem with the church, they might also be an indicator of a common misconception we have about church and why we attend services.
âWe are consumers, arenât we? And we attach ourselves to a church often because of the way it meets our needs, right?
- Do they have programs for my kids?
- âAre there other kids there?
- âWhat kind of music do they have?
- âIs the message coherent or does the pastor just babble on?
- âWhat time or how many services do they have?
- âHow do they dress?
- âWhat version of the Bible do they use?
- âAre there people there like me?
âI have a feeling if I opened the floor, you all could help me expand on that list! Some of you have the ominous task every few years of finding a new church family. I do not envy that.
âWhile those might be things that we look for in a church, what do we go to service expecting?
- âTo be fed
- To be ministered to by the music
- To connect with other people
The church in Antioch was a young church. It was a young, multi-ethnic church that was made up of Jews and Gentiles. This young church was established in a city that was full of entertainment, the arts, culture, sports and even temples to other gods. They were in a center of learning as well. So what did they expect when they got together as a church?
Acts 13:1â3Â (CSB)
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, âSet apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.â Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.
âChapter eleven was about the church in Antioch. Chapter twelve was a flashback to Jerusalem and the Passover celebration. Chapter thirteen flips back over to Antioch.
âThese three verses may seem pretty insignificant in the scope of the book of Acts, but they are not! They are carefully placed here by Luke to show us what this young church was committed to and why God used this church as a launching pad for the mission to the Gentile world.
âIn The Church
âEvery church has its leaders, whether they carry an official title or not, right? In the church there were prophets and teachers. These are two of the big list of gifts for the church.
âEphesians 4:11â12Â (CSB)
And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
âChrist gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teacher to the church to help equip the church. We often joke by saying that David and I are Godâs gift to you⊠with no gift receipt! However, God has given a gift to each of us for the building up of the church.
â1 Corinthians 12:27â28Â (CSB)
Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues.
âWe do not read about these other gifts, such as healing or evangelism, in Antioch. Perhaps they were there and not mentioned? Or, perhaps they were not there. When we read that gifts are given to âthe body of Christâ we need to understand that to be the universal church. Not every local expression of the church will have all of the gifts in their assembly.
âThis church in Antioch has at least prophets and teachers. I am pretty sure Saul an Barnabas qualify as a teachers since Barnabas went to get Saul and the two of them taught the church for about a year (Acts 11:26). In Acts 11:28 we read about a prophet that came down from Jerusalem named Agabus. He is not named in the âfamous fiveâ of Acts 13, but we know there were other prophets there as well.
âWhoâs Who
âLetâs look at this list. There is a list of prophets and teachers. Who are these people?
âActs 13:1Â (CSB)Â
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
âBarnabas (son of encouragement) we talked about a few weeks ago. He was a disciple of Jesus that was instrumental in affirming Saul to the church in Jerusalem, and in affirming the multi-ethnic church that formed in Antioch. Greek speaking Jew from Cyprus.
âSimeon might have been of African origin as his Latin name âNigerâ (ÎίγΔÏ) suggests, a term that means âdark-complexionedâ or âblack.â
âLucius came from Cyrene in North Africa.
âManaen grew up or was raised with the son of the Herod who ruled in Galilee during the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus. MOST of the Jesus miracles took place in Galilee. His perspective on Jesus must have been fascinating!
âSaul was a Jew who grow up away from Jerusalem in Tarsus. Remember, Barnabas retrieved Saul from Tarsus and brought him to Antioch to help teach the believers.
âSo we have MOSTLY (if not all) JEWS from all over: Cyrene, Cyprus, Tarsus, Galilee and possibly another part of Africa. What a mix! And they are prophets and teachers: in other words, they were declaring the message of God and also teaching the scriptures.
âThis diverse groups of believers that came from different geographies, with different experiences, perhaps different skin colors, and different gifting from God (prophet/teacher) were all TOGETHER. â
âThere is a unity that is possible in the body of Christ that transcends physical, social and political bounds. When the people of God meet together for the purpose of God there can be unity.
âBut what were they doing together? That is what I want to us spend our time on today.
âTHEY were worshiping:â
Acts 13:2Â (CSB)
2 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, âSet apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.â
âThe word âtheyâ could mean the âfamous fiveâ but most likely means the original subject of the passage which is the church. THEY were worshipping.
This is a beautiful reminder that the church is people and not buildings. You donât go to church, you ARE the church. There is no reference in this passage to a building, or where they met. The church was together.
âThe word âchurchâ literally means, âan assemblyâ. It was a gathering of Jesus followers. This building could burn to the ground and we would still have a church. This is the reason the church âcontinued to growâ - which did not mean it had a great building program, but that the people of God kept taking the message of reconciliation to other people who then responded in faith. The church added to their number THOSE who were being saved - people.
âThey were WORSHIPING:
How many of you have the word âworshipingâ in verse 2? Does anyone have a different word there?
âThe YLT, NKJV, and NASB all have the word âministeringâ instead.
The Greek word is λΔÎčÏÎżÏ ÏÎłÎÏ [li·toorg·eh·o/] It is only used in 3 places. Here, and in:
Romans 15:27Â (CSB)
27 Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs.
âIn this passage, the word is translated, âministerâ. In the context of the verse, the church was giving of its resources to meet the physical, material needs of others.
âHebrews 10:11Â (CSB)
11 Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.
âAnd in this passage, the word is translated as âministeringâ. With the reference to the priests we have the idea of performing a religious duty for the benefit of others.
âThe ROOT of this Greek word is translated as âservantâ. I am not sure it is natural for us to take the words serve, minister and worship and use them so interchangeably. If this word derives itâs meaning from service, and is translated as âministerâ in the two other places it appears, WHY did most translators choose to substitute the word âworshipâ in Acts 13?
âDefining Worship
âIn most many churches, âworshipâ has become identified as music. They might refer to the music team and the âworship teamâ or âworship bandâ. Congregants will often talk about how good the worship was that Sunday, etc. In the GK there is a totally different word for music and another one for songs. Neither of which are related to our word in Acts 13. Music is certainly an aspect of worship, but worship is much bigger than just music.
âIn other churches, âworshipâ has a bit broader definition - they might talk about the âworship serviceâ. They encompass all of the elements of the corporate gathering as part of worship. Truly, corporate gatherings of the church can be worship, and this is a fuller understanding of worship than the former. However, worship is still much richer than that.
âWhen worship is defined as music, worship is associated with feeling or emotion and how the music affected us. In the second definition, worship is a passive act where we gather primarily to receive something from the time together.
âBoth of these definitions focus on worship as something we receive.
âActs 13:2Â (CSB)
As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, âSet apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.â
âThe word that we have in Acts 13:2 is more about what we GIVE than what we RECEIVE. That is how our translators viewed worship as well. They did not see a conflict between âministering,â âserving,â and âworshippingâ
A more wholistic view of worship must consider not just how I feel, nor what I receive, but more importantly, what I give and how I serve. In Acts 13:2 they were âministering to the Lordâ or they were serving the Lord. It might have included singing, it could have included praise and thanksgiving, it certainly included prayer and fasting. All of these are ways we server the Lord. It also would have included them using their gifts of teaching and prophesying. It might have included the breaking of bread together as the church did in Acts 2:42â
Acts 2:42 (CSB)
They devoted themselves to the apostlesâ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
âWorship is not something that is for our benefit, but for Godâs glory. I once heard a pastor say that âworshipâ is to declare the âworth-shipâ of God.
âIn worship human beings recognize God for his attributes and express this through adoration, praise, thanksgiving, service, and living holy lives. Worship constitutes the primary calling of humans.
âWorship is about recognizing God. It has very little to do with us, or any other human.
âWe have come on contact with the word âworshipâ in the book of Acts before. Recently, too! When Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius, the Roman bowed to the ground and worshipped him:
âActs 10:25â26Â (CSB)
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up and said, âStand up. I myself am also a man.â
âOur worship must not be of men or women (making them idols) nor should worship be measured by what we receive from others or from a corporate service. Worship is what we bring to the feet of Jesus; what we give to him. Saul will later go on to pen these words to the church meeting in Rome:
âRomans 12:1â2Â (CSB)
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
âWorship is about giving to God. It is giving, not getting. It is about living life FOR God, not getting something from God.
â1 Corinthians 10:31Â (CSB)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
âThe church in Antioch was worshipping the Lord, they were ministering/serving the Lord.
How would you define your worship?
âThey were FASTING
âThe second thing we notice is that the church was fasting.
âIn the US, fasting is seen as a dietary benefit, not a spiritual one. You can download apps that help you track your fasting and time in ways to get the most weight loss and other benefits. While there may be physical benefits for some people, that is not why the disciples would have fasted.
âWhile it might be tempting to want to create some super deep spiritual significance of fasting, it is quite basic: it is giving up food (and sometime water) to seek God. This could be done as an expression of remorse for wrongdoing, as an expression of mourning for a loss, or as a spiritual discipline meant to help one focus on spiritual matters.
âDavid Fastedâ
It could be that we seek God during a time of grief, such as David did. After his sin with Bathsheba was revealed by Nathan the prophet, we read:
â2 Samuel 12:13â16 (CSB)
David responded to Nathan, âI have sinned against the Lord.â Then Nathan replied to David, âAnd the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. 14 However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.â 15 Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the baby that Uriahâs wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.
âEventually, the baby does die, and David :
â2 Samuel 12:20â23Â (CSB)
Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lordâs house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate. His servants asked him, âWhy have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.â He answered, âWhile the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, âWho knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.â But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? Iâll go to him, but he will never return to me.â
âFasting in this case was about giving up eating while petitioning God. This might be during times of remorse or repentance. Notice that David does not say that God has to honor his request because he fasted. It is not a magical formula that God has to show favor to us because we fast, but it demonstrates us relying upon God. In a way it symbolizes surrender of our will and needs to God for him to accomplish his will.
âJesus Fasted
âJesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. It was not in remorse for any sin that he committed, was it? Of course not. In his case it was to seek the Father and show his dependence upon God and submission to his will.
âAfter fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, the Accuser tempted Jesus with food. His response was:
Luke 4:4Â (CSB)
But Jesus answered him, âIt is written: Man must not live on bread alone.â
âFasting is about being willing to be obedient and surrendered to God. To demonstrate physically that you are depending upon God for your future, your needs, your daily bread.â
Fasting is not for others to see, but between you and God.
âMatthew 6:16â18Â (CSB)
âWhenever you fast, donât be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isnât obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
âNot that God MUST reward you. Fasting is about seeking God and relying on God, for Godâs glory and his purpose, not for our own gain.
âHow might you display your dependence upon God?
âFasting may be done while seeking direction or guidance from God. That seems to be the purpose for the fasting of the church in Antioch - seeking direction from God. And God gave them direction!
âAS THE CHURCH WAS WORSHIPING and FASTING - The Holy Spirit spoke to them. In their case, they got direction -> Barnabas and Saul are to be used for something for God.
âActs 13:2Â (CSB)
As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, âSet apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.â
âHave you ever read a passage like that and thought, âHOW did the HS speak to them?â Was it an SMS message?
âWe actually have a clue in our passage. WHY would Luke mention there were prophets in the church? Because prophets are the mouthpiece of God! I believe the implication is that God spoke through one of the believers who had the gift of prophecy.
When the church head this message, what was their response? They fasted some more. And then they Prayed.
They were PRAYING
Prayer is a conversation with God. It is us talking to him. Did you know that we are commanded to pray? Every one of us!
How many of you struggle memorizing Bible verses?
I have one for you that I think EVERYONE can memorize:
â1 Thessalonians 5:17Â (NLT)
Never stop praying.
âI love the NLT version of that! Never Stop Praying! If you can talk, you can pray! If you can text you can pray! As a matter of fact, if some of us prayed as much as we talk or text, the world would be on fire for Jesus! đ€Ł
âHONEST CONFESSION: this is a hard verse for me! I am a workaholic, and I my mind is always thinking of what needs to be done. It is hard for me to âbe still and know that He is Godâ. It is a challenge for me to be in constant prayer. That does not mean I have a good excuse, it means I need some work!
âI think some people are afraid to pray because they DO understand that they are talking to God, and they donât want to mess up! GREAT NEWS - YOU CANâT MESS IT UP! Check out this verse:
âRomans 8:26Â (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we donât know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
âOur messed up prayers go through an interpreter that knows the heart of God and adjusts them. The Holy Spirit can fix even our most messed up prayers.
âPrayer is SO important that Jesus even taught his disciples how to pray, right?
âMatthew 6:5â8Â (CSB)
âWhenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you pray, donât babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine theyâll be heard for their many words. 8 Donât be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.
âWhen you pray.. pray TO your Father. ... and what should we pray about or for?
âLuke 11:2â4Â (NLT)
Jesus said, âThis is how you should pray: âFather, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And donât let us yield to temptation.â
âDependence, oObedience, Submission.
Help us honor you, God! (worship). Help us depend upon you, God! Forgive our sins, God! Help us stand and not fall, God!
âASK: How would you describe your prayer life?
Are you noticing the trend?
- We direct our worship/service towards God
- We fast to show our dependence upon God
- We pray and talk with God
There is a direction that these things are focused - and it is towards God, not towards us! Worship, fasting and praying are things that are meant to come FROM us and go TO God.
âAs we wrap up this appraisal of the church in Antioch, we can see that they met together to honor God.
- âThey worshiped -> They were SURRENDERED to Godâ
- They fasted -> They were RELYING on God
- They prayed -> They were TALKING with God
Jesus's lesson on prayer started with âOur Father in heaven, your name be honoredâ. We do that through surrender to, reliance on and speaking with God.
I started by asking the question, have you ever asked your self âWhy do I attend church services?â
The time that church does come together to meet should be a time where people are serving with their gifts (prophets and teachers were there) and when we, as a body, seek to make Godâs name honored. Not to be entertained, not be seek a blessing for us, not to get something out of it. We come to give back to God -> our will, our agendas and our praise.
âMay we be people of worship, fasting and prayer. When we gather together as a body may it be to surrender to God, declare our reliance upon God and talk with God.â