The church cannot continue to try to exercise the kingly authority to rule without the priestly rhythm, the leitourgeo, in place. Otherwise, we will sow much and reap little. We will work for a wage and put it in a bag with holes. We will keep prophesying revival when there is no revival. It is time we step back as we consider our ways.

The first Gentile churches provide the prototype; David provided the blueprint. If we want the kingdom to expand in our cities, our worship must expand. Remember what makes the church distinct from every other business or institution: It is not that we have better branding and marketing - it is that God is in our midst. That is what makes us distinct. We are being built together to be a dwelling place for God.

In Acts 4:36–37, Luke shows us how Barnabas’ trusted ministry began—it began with a demonstrated freedom from the love of things and a heart of love for people. He sold a field that belonged to him and gave all the proceeds to the apostles to use for the movement. In this story, he stands as the example of what the grace of God and the spirit of revival does in the human heart.

Antioch Sending Centers are always deeply marked by the lives of fathers and mothers like Barnabas who long ago “sold their field” to be a part of what God was doing on the earth. They have been radically transformed by grace. They have seen Jesus as supremely worthy, and they have responded with all their hearts. What you do today is setting the stage for what you will walk in, five, ten years from now…