Chapter 13 marks a “hinge-point” in the book of Acts for the open door to the international mission that God has for the church. Jesus said that the church would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring the Gospel from Jerusalem to all of Judea, Samaria and into the whole world (1:8). Our passage recounts the call of Paul and Barnabas by the Holy Spirit on their first missionary journey. In this way, the church in Antioch becomes the example for all future churches in its attention to theological depth, exalting worship, and international reach. What we see in v. 1-3 is nothing less than the impact of the Gospel on a church community, showing what each church is called to be with the inexhaustible power, presence, and purpose of God behind it.