Introduction

Friends, welcome. Some of us came in with calendars crammed full and hearts running on low. You may feel stretched, hurried, or a little hollow. Find your seat. Breathe. The God who knows your name is near. He is not nervous, and He is not in a rush. He is here to meet with His people, and He loves when His people meet with Him.

There’s a quiet phrase in Scripture that holds a mighty key for weary souls: "ministering to the Lord." When was the last time that language warmed your heart? Ministering to the Lord—what a tender, thrilling, and transformative way to speak of worship. We often think of ministry as something we do for others. That matters, and it matters deeply. Yet there is a prior, precious calling: to bring our praise, our attention, our affection to God Himself. To stand before Him as His people. To give Him the glad welcome of our undivided hearts.

Picture a room in Antioch—lamps flickering, leaders fasting, voices hushed, hearts harnessed to heaven. No hurry, no hype; simply people who love God, listening for His voice. Then it happens. The Holy Spirit speaks. In that holy hush, He directs their steps and shapes world history. One quiet gathering. One clear word. A church on its knees becomes a church on its feet.

E.M. Bounds once wrote, "Prayer can do anything that God can do." (E.M. Bounds) If that’s true—and the church through the ages has found it true—then prayerful worship is not a warm-up; it is an altar. It is the place where God’s people bring the whole heart: repentance and reverence, adoration and awe, songs and silence. It is priestly service—a sacred offering of love to the Living God. And in that offering, the Spirit loves to whisper assignments, to kindle callings, to steady souls. Could it be that the strength we crave is found in returning to this simple, sacred posture? Could it be that the clarity we seek grows in the soil of Spirit-led devotion? Yes. A thousand times yes.

Maybe your week felt noisy, and your prayers felt thin. You tried hard, and the harder you tried, the more tired you became. Lay that effort at His feet. Let the Lord teach you the art of adoration. Let Him tune the strings of your heart so praise rings pure and clear. This is where we begin today: recovering the meaning of ministering to the Lord, learning worship as priestly service, and welcoming a way of living that is tender to the Spirit’s leading rather than centered on performance. Come with empty hands and expectant hearts. The Father delights to fill what we bring to Him.

Scripture Reading:

Acts 13:2 (NKJV)

"As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’"

Opening Prayer:

Father, we quiet our hearts before You. You are worthy of our attention, affection, and adoration. Teach us to minister to You with sincerity and joy. Holy Spirit, tune our ears to Your voice; free us from performance and fill us with Spirit-led devotion. Lord Jesus, be the center of our praise; receive our worship as a pleasing offering. As You spoke in Antioch, speak here today. Set apart our hearts for Your purposes, align our desires with Your will, and awaken fresh love for Your Name. We open our hands, we open our mouths, we open our lives—come and have Your way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Recover the meaning of ministering to the Lord

When Acts says they “ministered to the Lord,” it uses a word that speaks of sacred service. In the ancient world, it was used for priests who stood before God. It was also used for public service offered for the good of others. Here it points straight to God. It means serving God with worship. It means turning toward Him with full attention. It means giving Him songs, words, and quiet that say, “You are worthy.”

Think of it this way. There is a time to help people, and there is a time to face God. In that time, we bring our thanks. We bring our honor. We bring our love. We speak well of His Name. We tell His works back to Him. We bow our will. We present our bodies. We wait.

Scripture gives us this pattern again and again. Priests in Israel tended the lamp, offered incense, and blessed His Name. That was their first work. It was not busy. It was steady. It said, “God first.” In the same way, the church in Acts gave God their worship before they made plans. They stood before Him as a holy task. They let praise be their offering.

This kind of service is both simple and costly. Simple, because the focus is God Himself. Costly, because it asks for time, attention, and the heart. You cannot hold back and also serve in this way. You come low. You come honest. You come with a steady gaze. Your words can be few. Your love can be strong.

So what does it look like now? Sing with thought. Pray with awe. Sit in quiet and keep your mind on Him. Read a psalm to Him, slowly. Kneel. Lift your hands. Whisper thanks. Confess sin. Give an offering. Share the Lord’s Supper with a full heart. Every act says, “You matter most.” Every act is a gift to God.

Acts shows a church gathered in this way. It names people we would trust—Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who grew up with a ruler, and Saul. They were in one place. They set aside food for a time. They spoke to God and about God. They gave Him their full gaze. They were not running a program. They were paying attention.

Their service had a pace. They lingered. They let silence do some work. They made room for God’s weight to rest on them. They were willing to wait until He spoke. They were also together in this. This was not a lone act. It was the shared work of a family in Christ.

Notice the order in the text. Worship and fasting came before direction. Their first move was to honor God. Their next move was to hear instruction. When the people of God put honor first, they become clear people. When the church turns its face to God, the church receives sight.

This shows us something for our own times. We often rush to tasks. We can stack plans and still feel thin. Acts points to another way. Give God the first place. Give Him real time. Let the room be filled with praise. Let the room be filled with listening. From that place, light comes.

Fasting stands out in this verse. They were not eating for a time while they worshiped. Why? Hunger speaks. It tells the body, “There is something more important.” When you fast, the ache in your stomach becomes a prayer. Your body joins your mouth in saying, “God, You come first.”

Fasting also clears space. Food is good. Meals take time. So does planning, shopping, and clean up. Lay it aside for a set time and you gain hours and a fresh mind. Then give those hours to God. Sing. Read the Word. Sit quietly. Ask, “Lord, what pleases You?” Stay there.

Fasting sharpens hearing. Noise fades. Desire rises. Old grudges soften. Pride gets smaller. Weak places come into view. Grace meets you. In that softened place, the Spirit’s whisper is easier to notice. In that quiet, the Word lands deeper.

If fasting is new to you, start small. Skip a meal and give that time to worship. Drink water. Open a psalm. Speak it back to God. Keep your phone away. When hunger hits, turn it into a short prayer. If you cannot fast from food, fast from something that fills your mind. Turn from it and turn toward Him.

Do this as a church too. Choose a day. Meet with simple songs and open Bibles. Let the room be honest and still. Read Acts 13:2. Ask the Lord for His pleasure. Ask Him to shape the church. Pray simple prayers. Wait longer than feels normal. God meets people who wait.

Then comes the part that stirs us. “The Holy Spirit said.” This line tells us why this service matters so much. God speaks in many ways. Here, He spoke in a gathered room that was set on Him. He gave a clear word. He named names. He gave a task. It was not vague. It was firm.

He said to set apart Barnabas and Saul. That means He marked them for a task He already had in mind. The call did not begin in that moment. It was recognized in that moment. Worship did not make the call. Worship made the hearing clear. The church heard, agreed, and obeyed.

There is wisdom here for us. When we give God our direct service, we are ready to receive assignments. We are steady enough to carry them. Our motives get washed. Our ears get tuned. Our hearts grow soft. We can handle a “yes,” and we can handle a “wait.”

Notice also that they heard together. This guards us. It keeps us from odd paths. It keeps us close to Scripture. It builds trust. When a word comes, the room tests it with the Word of God. Leaders weigh it. The church bears it with prayer. Then they act with faith.

This is how sending gets holy. It rises from worship, moves through discernment, and lands in action. Hands are laid on people. Money is given. Paths are cleared. A church becomes part of God’s work far away because it first gave God its attention at home.

And this pattern is not only for big moments. It shapes the daily life of a believer. Give God praise each day. Keep a short list of thanks. Keep a short list of things to confess. Keep your Bible open. Keep some silence. These small acts are service to Him. Over time, they build a hearing heart.

In a gathered service, lead the same way. Put God first in the order. Sing to Him before singing about us. Pray to Him before speaking to the room. Read His Word early and with care. Leave space for quiet. Leave space for response. Trust that He is active when the church gives Him the first place.

This is the heart of serving God directly. It is face-to-face faith. It is love expressed in simple acts. It is time given. It is a people saying with their lips and lives, “You are worthy of this.” Then, when He speaks, the church is already turned toward Him, ready to hear, ready to go.

Worship as priestly service before God

Acts 13:2 opens a window into service before God that carries a priestly weight ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO