What is the Church Part 1

Week 1: Intentionally reach people for Jesus Christ (evangelism)

Scripture References: Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8

Announcements:

1. Thank you for everyone who came out to the Friendsgiving Fellowship. We had a blast! The food was great from Chick-Fil-A to the jumbalia to the pizza and Cole slaw/potatoe salad and the desserts. We also had a fun time with the games and I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time-my checks were sore!

2. No service this Wednesday.

3. The board has approved the calendar for the rest of the year. Hopefully, with all the holiday activities and events, this will help everyone to plan accordingly. We will be posting it this week and have it available to pick up next Sunday. If there is an event that you would like added to the church calendar in the future, please let a board member or the pastor know in advance so we can plan accordingly.

Worship:

He Set Me Free

Our God

Revelation Song

God I Look to You

Introduction:

This week we will be starting a message series entitled, “What is the Church?” What is the purpose of the church? What does that look like for Hillcrest AG?

This morning our topic will be: The Church is to intentionally reach people for Jesus Christ.

I have to be honest, I was only planning on preaching this sermon series depending on the outcome of the special business meeting vote. But, since it has been postponed until Dec 11th, I still believe God wants us to go through this series no matter what happens because this is His church and He has a specific plan and purpose for Hillcrest AG.

Jordan will be unpacking the text and then we will unpack the application part afterwards. Prayerfully, I am expecting God to help us understand what His church is for and how Hillcrest AG can be a part of what He is wanting to do through His church globally.

Jordan starts message:

Body:

Matthew 28:19-20 (What’s the purpose?)

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

We have all heard the great commission before and it’s probably something we have memorized, but do we completely understand its meaning and significance?

So, then, what is the action here in this passage? Many would say that Jesus is obviously calling us to go right? What if I told us that “go” was only half of the verb here? It’s essentially a supporting verb to, what I would argue is, the main verb…make. “Go” is still important, but without “make” it’s insignificant.

My parents tell me to go and pick up the groceries. I get in the car and head to the grocery store, then come back home. I come home and my parents ask me where the groceries are, so I tell them that I went to the store but failed to pick up the groceries. I went but failed to do the very thing I went there to do. In doing this, my “going” was pointless and was a waste of time. Not because the going was insignificant, but because I failed to complete the entire task; going was only the first part of it. I wasn’t going with a purpose or an intention, I simply went with no direction.

How often do we find ourselves going without a purpose?

It doesn’t matter where you’re going if you’re not making

To read this passage and suggest that Jesus is only commanding us to “go” is to suggest that Jesus lacks vision and purpose

If that’s the case, then we’re all screwed. What are we even doing here if the faith we claim to have has no vision or purpose? Isn’t that the whole reason everyone seems to be searching all the time? Identity is a huge part of it, but you know what key factors come into play with identity? Vision and purpose. We were created for a purpose, but if we can’t seem to recognize the identity and hope we have in Jesus then what are we doing here? How can we be effective as the Church if we don’t understand our reason for existing?

One of the major reasons for The Church is to go and make disciples

How do we do that? Verse 20 gives us another verb, teach. Making disciples is teaching people to do what the master does. Who is the Master? Jesus is the Master

It’s telling people about Jesus

If we are truly transformed by the Gospel, then we would understand the importance of telling others

When we neglect the direct call to go and make disciples, sharing the Gospel, being a light in the darkness, then we have developed a selfish faith that goes directly against everything Christ stands for

Spreading the Gospel is not simply telling people about Jesus with our words; the Gospel is so much more than a verbal message…it’s a lifestyle. It pours into the way we live and takes our inward focused selves and shifts the focus back to the Creator

Acts 1:8 (Fulfilling the purpose)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Jesus gives us the authority (Matthew 28:18 “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth”; Luke 10:19A “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy”), the Holy Spirit gives us the power

What is (are) the function(s) of the Holy Spirit?

Let’s look at the context of this passage alone because diving into the functions is a whole series on its own. In this context, the Holy Spirit’s function is divine empowerment; this simply means that our natural abilities that we’ve been gifted are taken to a whole other level that could not be attained otherwise.

God gives us a spiritual calling to go and make disciples and build the Kingdom of God…we can’t do this in the flesh but need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit

It is impossible to do Kingdom work apart from the Kingdom

Who is the Holy Spirit for?

Everyone who believes regardless of age, male or female

Joel 2:28-29 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.”

If we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to empower us and be The Church we were created to be, then what are we doing?

There is absolutely nothing that we can say or do to change someone’s heart, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job

When we fulfill the Great Commission, going and making disciples and teaching, we aren’t simply dealing fleshly problems, we are addressing spiritual issues

There is absolutely no way we can expect to function in the spiritual realm without the Holy Spirit

Jesus gives us the authority and the Holy Spirit gives us the power

__________________________________________________End of Jordan’s Part_______________________________

Application:

Stats:

25 churches in Hayesville listed (Hillcrest is not listed which tells me there are more than 25 lol)

11,505 people in Clay County (half is 5,752; one-quarter is 2,877)

96.2% in Clay County claim to be religious (do the people you interact on a daily basis live as if they are living for Christ?)

There is a difference between religion and relationship.

We cannot use the excuse that “everyone claims to be a Christian so we don’t have to witness/evangelize.”

We cannot use the excuse that “there are so many churches in our area/county that we don’t have to witness/evangelize.”

Evangelism is how we can talk to others where they are and help them understand their need for a Savior. If they don’t understand they need a Savior, then they won’t listen or care.

Ways to go and make disciples:

Get into their world (what are they wearing, what is going on in the world/community)

It’s about them and Jesus; not us

Divine appointments (always be ready)

1 Peter 3:15 CSB

but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

Share the message with different methods (the message stays the same but the method changes)

Remember, it takes time/doesn’t happen overnight

Relationally vs purposefully (both are different but useful) (shotgun evangelism (no personal interaction) - not signs on a street corner that condemn or open-ended) redemption draweth nigh/repent (from what? Why?))

Making disciples starts with getting them planted in the right church as we are not supposed to be lone Christians as I have said many times before. But get them planted where God wants them to be planted (our church or another)

1 Corinthians 12:18 CSB

But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.

What can Hillcrest do to go and make disciples?

Back in the day it was knocking on doors but not so much anymore. There was a pastor i knew that still kept doing that and it turned people off to church and guilt tripped them into coming to church and made them uncomfortable and that was the legacy he left. He even went to the community pools, etc.

We have to be cautious when we do this.

Lifestyle

line in the store/attitude (talk or complain)

treating waiters and waitresses (talk, pray, tip)

Presence at community events (Easter, summer, thanksgiving, Christmas)

illustration: previous church we set up at a community festival and talked to people at the festival and ended up resulting in a father and his daughter coming to church bc he was looking

Places:

homeless community

communities that have been forgotten or written off and where no one wants to go to

nursing homes (talking to them)

Conclusion:

We can do better. We can do more. We need to maximize every opportunity we have!

Use the things around us (cultural, etc.) as Paul did with the tomb to the unknown God (Acts 17:23).

It takes time and you will be rejected from time to time but it is worth it!

Be prepared to share your testimony! (Rev 12:11)

In order to evangelize, we need to get out of the church and go into the world!

And it starts in our backyard (Jerusalem)!

There are people dying and going to hell in our backyard and God is waiting for us to be obedient and go into Jerusalem first!

Acts 1:8 CSB

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Pray for God to give us Divine opportunities to share the Gospel with those we come in contact and not be satisfied with the status quo (what we have always done).