The Antioch church proved just how productive it can be to launch believers into their divine destiny. By sending out Paul and Barnabas, it replicated itself again and again. It gave birth to the church at Ephesus, the Colossian church, the Corinthian church, and others. It bore fruit far and wide.
By taking the Gospel to new places, the believers at Antioch reached people who had not heard the Good News before. They plowed new ground for the kingdom of God.
That’s the primary mark of the apostolic church. Its leaders are like spiritual plow mules. They have the toughness, anointing, and divine ingenuity to break fresh ground for Jesus. They’re not just conscious of what is going on in the local church; they’re looking beyond themselves. They are dreaming Holy Ghost dreams and making Holy Ghost plans to touch other cities, other cultures, and other nations.
The apostolic pastor doesn’t see the growth of one local church as an end in itself. He sees that church as a base from which other outreaches can be launched and new areas can be reached.
Already, there are many such churches springing up in nations all over the world. Some of them have developed strategies to reach people in nations that have been, for all practical purposes, completely closed to the Gospel for years. By sending out their members to minister the Gospel disguised as doctors, nurses, school teachers, and nannies, they are bearing fruit in places like Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
They are taking the Gospel and going, like the Antioch church, where none have gone before.
Scripture Reading: Acts 14:21 – 28
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”