made for a mission - evangelism and mission
April 28th, 2008
I. SERMON OUTLINE:
Acts 1:8 ‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’
The church was made for a mission: to be witnesses to Christ both at home and to the whole world. This is one of the purposes of life. The infant chuch spread the Gospel with great effectiveness and the passage we meditate on today touches on some of the keys to their effectiveness (Acts 2:1-4)
Verse 1: “they were all with one accord in one place”- the church enjoyed unity. It was a unity that was forged on their knees and in fellowship in the shadow of the Cross and the Empty Tomb. In addition they were praying and waiting for the Holy Spirit.(Acts 1:14). There is great blessing and glory when the church are united(Psalms 133). Out of the overflow of this vertical and horizontal harmony the gospel spread.
Verse 2: “suddenly” - God can surprise us anytime, we should be more expectant! The room was still but suddenly a rushing wind entered; the emptiness became fullness; the despair became hope; the boredom of waiting became the excitement of fulfillment; it all happened “suddenly”. Like a father who loves to surprise his children with gifts, God loves to surprise us. We should expect it…especially when we are praying. Peter was in prison; the church prayed; but when he showed up at their prayer meeting SUDDENLY it shocked them. The gospel spread because God suddenly shows up when we preach and anything can happen!
Verse 3: “fire” Fire denotes purification, warmth, but one quality we must not forget: it spreads fast. Like Jeremiah the message of the gospel and the Spirit within was like fire that compelled the church to spread the gospel. As the apostles said, their experience was, “we cannot help but speak”.
Verse 4: “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” - they had encountered the Holy. He filled them, and later He filled them again, and again and again. Like the little lamps of the ten virgins we need to refill our small wedding lamps again and again with God’s inexhaustible supply. How? the vertical and horizontal experience of verse 1: deeper fellowship with the Lord and his people.
So these are the simple keys but they were the essentials. They had no great technology, nor “silver and gold”, not education, nor modern programs and methods. But they had the Holy Spirit in them and upon them and in front of them.
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What are the many spiritual resources that God has given to the church to carry out the task of evangelism and missions?
2. Besides what have been mentioned, what other secrets are there to the rapid spread of the Gospel that we read about in the Acts?
3. Some have argued that the church “need to go back to the basics” in order to be effective witnesses? What do you think are those basics?
4. Most people come to Christ via the natural network of loving and trusting relationships and based on needs and problems faced by pre-believers. Was that how it was with you? Share your experience?
5.Name one or two persons you care about and want to see saved and in small groups of two and threes, pray specifically for God to turn their hearts to Him.
Entry Filed under: Ministry
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