The prophets and teachers

When those with spiritual gifts have been trained and become mature in their use: Watch Out! The kingdom is coming with power!

When the church leadership sets aside time to pray and fast together – Watch Out! The kingdom is coming with power!

When prophets and teachers come together to fast and pray and worship – Watch Out! The kingdom is coming and your church will probably never be the same again.

These verses – Acts 13:1-3 – mark a seismic development and step forward in the development of God’s mission to save humankind.

It wasn’t just the church at Antioch that was never the same again, the whole church changed as the Holy Spirit took the next step in bringing the Gentiles into the church as equal members with the Jews.

This is a call that those who have been given gifts of the Spirit learn to use these gifts maturely and come together to pray and fast and worship so that the kingdom of God comes with power; ‘thy kingdom come’.

Your life will probably never be the same again - but the reward will be eternal.

Two Stories for reflection

• A godly Christian woman felt led to fast and pray for a prominent woman in her community who was a member of another faith. She, along with other Christian women, said nothing to anyone but fasted for a month for the other woman. At the end of the month, the non-Christian woman phoned up the Christian woman and asked what she needed to do to become a Christian.
• A man I know led a church on a housing estate where many lived in poverty. His practice was to fast regularly for the kingdom to come. As the years went by the church grew and he noticed that often, (without anyone knowing what he was doing), homeless people and those in great need would come to his door for food on the days he was fasting.

Some tips for fasting

• If possible begin the fast with a substantial time of prayer.
• If you have the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, use the gift.
• Play Worship music.