In Acts chapter 13, Missionary David Gross points to clear principles that prepared Paul and Barnabas for the work God called them to do. Just as a rocket requires careful preparation, skilled teamwork, and intentional steps before it can be launched into space, the call to pastoral and missionary service does not happen overnight. Fewer men and women today are ready to say yes to full-time ministry. Looking at the church in Antioch reveals what was already true in the lives of those God later sent out.
The Priority of Being in the Church
Acts 13:1 begins, “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” The church is not a building. It is the gathering of the people, the congregation meeting together. After COVID, many have decided that watching a service at home is enough. One result of that thinking is fewer people developing a desire to serve as pastors, missionaries, or missionary wives.
Being present in the local church matters. The fact that people gather on a Wednesday evening already shows that the Lord and His people hold priority. Children and grandchildren need to see that gathering with the church is of utmost importance. Looking back, David Gross notes that his own path toward missionary service in Moldova began with parents and grandparents who treated church attendance as non-negotiable. That example cultivated a love for the church in him. Scripture warns against forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). The men listed in Acts 13 were already part of the church at Antioch. That simple reality formed the foundation for everything that followed.
Studying the Word in Order to Teach Others
Those prophets and teachers in Antioch were already busy teaching. They were not merely attenders who treated church as a social event. They had studied the Word of God with the purpose of teaching others. Every believer falls into one of two categories: either learning so that they can teach, or already teaching what they have learned. If neither describes a person, the starting place is the first category.
Coming to services on Sundays and Wednesdays is valuable, yet it is not enough. Continual study of Scripture throughout the week is essential. Fathers, mothers, and grandparents need to know the Word so they can teach their children, coworkers, and neighbours. A lack of serious study helps explain why fewer people enter ministry. Church becomes a social gathering rather than a place of preparation.
David Gross recalls a growing hunger for the Word even in junior high. In a large church of about two thousand, the youth group offered only a brief Bible challenge followed by games. Wanting more, he approached the Sunday school superintendent and proposed a deeper study group called “Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only.” Permission was granted, and the group met. That desire continued into high school. Looking back, he sees that the Lord was directing his steps through those ordinary choices. Proverbs 16:9 states, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” Small, consistent steps shape direction.
Busy Serving the Lord
Acts 13:2 records, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” They were already active in service. A parked car cannot be steered. Those who want God to lead them must be busy with the opportunities already available. After a service there may be invitations to hang door hangers or share the gospel. Some will go; others will stay and pray. Both matter. Service does not wait for a dramatic call. Witnessing, teaching, and helping begin where a person already lives. David Gross understood that if he was not serving in his own culture, he could not expect to do so effectively in another language and culture. Faithfulness now prepares for greater responsibility later.
Practising Spiritual Disciplines
The same verse notes that they fasted. Fasting marked a church serious about its walk with the Lord. Spiritual disciplines such as prayer and periods of fasting cultivate a close personal relationship with God throughout the week, not only on Sundays and Wednesdays. These practices position believers to seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance for their own lives and for those around them.
Supporting Those Whom God Sends
Acts 13:3 continues, “And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” The church did more than pray. Travel required resources. Missionaries do not board boats or planes without provision. When the church invests financially in missions, hearts become personally connected to the work. David Gross remembers learning to tithe and give to missions even as a child. Birthday money, Christmas gifts, and other income were directed toward the Lord. Those early habits helped form a heart for ministry long before he ever set foot on a foreign field. Personal investment often opens the door for God to work in unexpected ways.
Preaching the Word of God
Acts 13:4-5 states, “So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.” Those who will not share the gospel in familiar surroundings are unlikely to do so effectively in another culture. Every believer should learn to explain the gospel clearly. If that skill is lacking, the practical step is to ask a pastor to pair the person with someone experienced so that training can take place.
The Value of Helps Ministries
John is described as their minister, a servant who helped them carry out the work. Not everyone stands in a public preaching role. Helps ministries remain essential. Organizations that provide vehicles for missionaries on furlough, print Bibles in other languages, or support families behind the scenes all advance the gospel. Missionary wives and children often labour in quieter ways, managing homes, educating children, and enabling the public ministry. Their contribution is biblical and crucial. Ladies who sense a call to missionary service should understand that the daily reality may involve more behind-the-scenes work than they first imagined, yet that work remains part of God’s mission.
Cultivating Endurance
John Mark eventually left the team and returned to Jerusalem. Ministry and the mission field are not easy, even when the work is deeply loved. Parents and grandparents can instill stick-to-itiveness in the next generation so that young people do not quit when difficulty comes. Endurance is required both on the field and in local church service.
Making Disciples
Acts 14:21-22 records, “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” The word “taught” carries the same idea found in the Great Commission. Paul and Barnabas made disciples. Preaching the gospel is essential, yet so is walking alongside new believers to show them how to live as godly husbands, fathers, wives, and witnesses. Older men teach younger men. Older women teach younger women. This pattern forms the heart of lasting ministry both at home and on the field. David Gross openly admits that he had not yet made a disciple who then led others to Christ before he left for the mission field. That gap exists in many places and needs deliberate attention in local churches.
Intentional Preparation for the Call
Romans 10:13-15 declares, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Verse 17 adds, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Pastors are aging. Missionaries are leaving fields because of health and age. The world’s population continues to grow. The church must intentionally increase the number of workers it trains and sends. Like the preparation of a rocket, this process requires purpose, skill, and time. It will not happen by accident.
Conclusion
The questions remain practical and personal. Is gathering with the church a clear priority, and do children see that priority lived out? Are believers studying the Word so they can teach others, and is that study continuing through the week? Are they serving with the opportunities already available? Are spiritual disciplines part of daily life? Is the gospel being shared, and are disciples being made? Young people do not need to wait until adulthood to begin studying Scripture more carefully or learning to witness. Simple tools, such as writing down what a passage says, what it means, and how it applies, can open the door to deeper engagement with God’s Word.
The church at Antioch had people ready to be sent because these patterns were already present. The same patterns can be cultivated today. Take the next step. Serve where you are. Study the Word. Share the gospel. Make disciples. Support those who go. In doing so, the local church becomes a place where more men and women are prepared to answer the call when the Holy Spirit says, “Separate me” for the work.
