Moving in the Apostolic

The Apostolic Church 109

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them (Acts 8:14). The Jerusalem church was also a sending church. They sent Peter and John to Samaria when they heard of the Samaritan people receiving the Word of God. Apostolic churches will send ministers where there are needs. Although the Samaritans had believed and been baptized, they needed the apostles to come and lay hands upon them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Sending churches have an ability to help believers receive and walk in a greater dimension of the Holy Spirit. Antioch: A Sending Church And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch (Acts 11:21,22). The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to Antioch when they heard of the numbers of people that were receiving the Lord. The church at Antioch was founded by a group of believers who were scattered during the persecution in Jerusalem. These believers, like Stephen and Philip, came out of an apostolic community. The church at Antioch had an apostolic dimension, a dimension strengthened by the arrival of Barnabas from Jerusalem. Antioch became a teaching center after Barnabas brought Paul to assemble the believers there for an entire year (see Acts 11:26). The church at Antioch was a church filled with grace (see Acts 11:23). This church also became a place where prophets and teachers ministered (see Acts 13:1). As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit instructed them to separate Barnabas and Saul for the ministry of apostleship. Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away (Acts 13:3).