Episode Summary  
In this message from Acts 13, we see how the church at Antioch listened together, fasted, and responded when the Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to be sent out. This sermon invites us to consider how God speaks, how community helps confirm calling, and how making room for God can shape our next faithful step.

Key Takeaways  
- Fasting helps create intentional space to pay attention to God and listen for his voice.  
- Calling is often discerned in community, not just in isolation.  
- God may confirm calling through desire, gifting, and the encouragement of others.  
- Faithful obedience can be costly, but God uses it for mission and encouragement.  
- God has purpose for every believer, even when the next step feels unclear.

Key Moments  
- [03:58] Acts 13:1–3 introduces the church at Antioch and the sending of Barnabas and Saul  
- [10:48] Fasting is highlighted as a regular part of the church’s worship, prayer, and discernment  
- [17:11] The church confirms a calling God had already placed on Paul and Barnabas  
- [21:55] A practical turn: what this story means for personal calling and the role of community  
- [28:52] Invitation to trust Jesus and respond to God’s call through prayer

Scripture References  
- Acts 13  
- Acts 13:1-3  
- Acts 13:2  
- Acts 13:3  
- Acts 1:8  
- Acts 2  
- Acts 9  
- Acts 13-14  
- Matthew 14:28-31

Reflection Question  
Where might God be inviting you to make more room for his voice and take one faithful next step in response?

Connect With Us  
If this message encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and pass it along to someone who may need clarity or encouragement in their calling. We’d also love for you to stay connected with your church community and keep leaning into prayer, discernment, and mission together.

From our Acts series

Acts 10

What if the most world-changing moments in your faith don't feel extraordinary at all?

This week, Pastor Matt welcomes Casey Tobik — Prayer Pastor at King's Church and Midwest Regional Director for 24/7 Prayer — to unpack one of Scripture's most overlooked hinge-moments: Ananias in Acts 9. Not Saul. Not the Damascus road. The ordinary, hesitant, honest disciple God called to place his hands on the very man who'd been hunting Christians.

Casey walks through what it actually looks like to hear God's voice, wrestle with fear and doubt, and still say "yes, Lord" — using Ananias's honesty as a model for real, unedited prayer. From Edward Kimball's shoe-store conversation that eventually led to Billy Graham, to Pastor Matt's own vacation encounter with a young couple he felt nudged to pray for, this episode makes the case that God's math isn't about grand gestures. It's about small, faithful obedience whose ripple effects we may never live to see.

If you've ever doubted whether that quiet nudge was really God — or wondered if your ordinary "yes" could matter — this one's for you.

A woman moves to Philadelphia because her brother calls and says "God is here." College students sell their stuff to help a stranger. Three thousand strangers become one family overnight. This is the early church in Acts 2 — and it wasn't built by strategy or social engineering. It was built one heart at a time. This week we explore what it looks like when a community is actually devoted.