In this sermon titled "Set Apart For The Work," Pastor Kris Castro explores the pivotal moment in Acts 13:1-3 when the church at Antioch, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, commissions Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for missionary work. Pastor Castro emphasizes that the mission of God advances not through random events or individual efforts but through the ordered, Spirit-led worship, prayer, and sending of the local church. He highlights the significance of Antioch as a diverse, gospel-shaped community that faithfully nurtures and sends out workers for the gospel, underscoring the church’s central role in God’s mission to the nations. The sermon unpacks three key movements in the passage: mission arises from a worshiping church, is directed by the Holy Spirit, and is confirmed and sent through the church. Pastor Castro challenges believers to see their weekly worship and faithfulness as vital participation in God’s global mission. He also reflects on the unity and diversity within the Antioch church as a powerful testimony to the reconciling work of Christ. Ultimately, this message calls the Trinity Church family to embrace their identity as a worshiping, praying, and sending church, trusting the Spirit to empower them for the work of proclaiming the gospel both locally and to the ends of the earth.
Transcript
Good morning, church family. My name is Samuel Nagel. If I have not met you yet, I would love to do so. I am a member of Trinity and have the sincere joy and privilege of serving as one of the staff pastors. This morning, I want to introduce to you a dear friend of mine and a new ministry partner to Trinity Church: Chris Castro. Chris is here this morning with his wife Lynn and their three-year-old son, Judah.
I first met Chris two years ago in Tokyo, Japan, where we were part of a team working with Reaching and Teaching International Ministries. We spent two weeks there and then went to Malaysia together. Over the next two years, our friendship grew as we met in Louisville, Washington DC, and Portland multiple times. The one word I would use to describe Chris is humility. His life is marked by deep humility, demonstrated in love and service first to the Lord. He truly loves the Lord, the Word of God, God’s people, and his family. I’ve seen this clearly this past week as they stayed with my family here in Portland.
Trinity is partnering with Chris and his family for ministry, which he will tell you more about. Chris currently serves as one of the pastors at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. They are sending him and his family to church plant in Tokyo, Japan. Recently, our members approved the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, which includes financial support for the Castro family, as well as prayer, encouragement, and relationship. Chris and Lynn will also be here at 2pm today to share more about their work, including an eight-month training program in Tbilisi, Georgia, focused on culture and language acquisition to prepare them for ministry in Japan.
Let us pray. Father God, we praise you and thank you for saving a people for yourself. Though we are unworthy, Jesus is worthy to save for your glory. We thank you that your salvation extends to every tribe, tongue, and nation, and that in Christ we are one. Thank you for your Word, which reveals all we need for life and godliness. Empower Chris with your Spirit as he opens your Word. Convict us, draw us to repentance, and conform us to your image for your glory and our good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thank you, Pastor Sam. Many of you walked in discouraged this morning, and my aim is to encourage you from God’s Word. We will look at Acts 13
, which gives us a vivid and instructive picture of how God advances His kingdom today.Acts 13
says:“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”
This passage shows us how the risen Christ, by the Holy Spirit, advances His mission to the nations through the worshiping, praying, discerning, and sending of the local church.
To understand this, we consider the context of the book of Acts. For twelve chapters, the gospel spreads outward from Jerusalem, first by believers scattered by persecution, preaching as they fled. But here in Acts 13, we see for the first time a settled church at Antioch deliberately setting apart and sending two men to the nations. This marks a shift from gospel spread by scattering to gospel spread by sending.
God’s heart for the nations is ancient, going back to Genesis 12 when He promised Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed through him. In Acts 13, this promise becomes the deliberate action of a local church.
A key question arises: who sends? The Holy Spirit or the church? The answer is both. The Spirit calls, and the church recognizes, confirms, blesses, and sends. This matters because many today imagine missions as the work of impressive individuals or organizations. Acts 13 shows us that mission flows through the ordinary life of the local church—through worship, prayer, fasting, tested leaders, Spirit-given calling, public confirmation, and costly sending.
Let’s look at three movements in the passage:
First, mission rises from the worshiping church. Verse 1 begins not with a strategy meeting or a map, but with a church and a list of names. Antioch was a gospel church, a gathered, identifiable congregation formed by the preaching of the gospel. This church was planted by ordinary believers scattered from Jerusalem, not apostles or famous preachers. Their faithfulness in worship and teaching shaped them to be a sending church.
Second, mission is directed by the Holy Spirit. Verse 2 says, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul.’” The Spirit speaks with sovereign authority, calling and claiming servants for Himself. This affirms the Holy Spirit as fully God, personal and active in governing His church and mission.
Third, mission is confirmed and sent through the church. Barnabas and Saul were known and affirmed by the congregation. The church laid hands on them and sent them off, visibly commissioning them for the work.
This passage also highlights the diversity and unity of the Antioch church—men from different ethnic and social backgrounds united by the gospel. This is not a diversity slogan but a reflection of the grace of God making one new man in Christ.
For us today, this means our weekly worship, hearing the Word, and fellowship are vital parts of participating in God’s mission. The mission does not begin with human need but with the worthiness of God to be worshiped among all peoples.
If you find it hard to worship in your current season, I plead with you to worship God with the gathered saints. God blesses His people and calls them to worship Him.
Finally, the mission belongs to God. The burden does not rest solely on our shoulders. The Holy Spirit enables us to carry it. Paul and Barnabas were set apart for a mission that involved proclaiming forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, freeing all who believe.
My prayer is that we would be a worshiping, praying, gospel-loving church willing to send and be sent for the glory of God and the good of many. Let us pray.
Father, we praise you for gathering a people from every tribe and nation for your glory. Thank you for Jesus, who died and rose again, and for the Holy Spirit who empowers and sends us. Make us a faithful church, shaped by your Word and Spirit, ready to send workers into the harvest. Forgive our prayerlessness, fears, and small vision. Raise up faithful laborers here and to the ends of the earth. Strengthen us to gather faithfully and rejoice in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.