DSM (Paul Cowley Interview)

Intro:

Good morning! We got a something special lined up for you today. As you know, we have begun a sermon series that is based on the Book of Acts. And one of the main themes we’ll be talking about is “Recalibration.”

Given that, as a church, we have a goal to spiritually mature (to grow up) in 2023, this idea of recalibration can help us accomplish our goal because sometimes, in order to grow, we need to get back to the basics. And as a church, for us to spiritually mature, we need to get caring about what Jesus cares about.

Btw, just to be clear, if you’re wondering where you find the answers to what Jesus cares about… they are found in this Book.

And in the book of Acts, Jesus said something extremely important - something He wanted His church focused on...

Acts 1:8 ESV

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

Operate (live) in the power of the Holy Spirit...

Go tell everyone about Jesus.

And at the end of the book of Acts, we see how the church responded… [Paul - while in a Roman prison - was…]

Acts 28:31 ESV

proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

Last week, I mentioned how important Sunday morning worship is… how special and valuable it is for the people of God to be gathered together for the specific purpose of glorifying God.

I also, mentioned how important God’s Word (the Bible) is…

...that being said, I also believe our Christian faith, and the mission Jesus has given us, is much more than...

Showing up to one location, for one hour, to listen to one person speak.

And studying the Bible on a Thursday night.

One of my favorite definitions of “the Kingdom of God” is where “anywhere King Jesus has His way.” And I think what we see happening at the end of Acts is...

The church heard what Jesus said at the beginning of the book...

And then went everywhere, and did anything Jesus told them to do...

In order that King Jesus would have His way in every place!

In other words, they didn’t just hide in churches or Bible studies. And in order for our church to spiritually mature, we need to make sure we don’t do that either. So, that’s one reason I’ve invited my friend Pastor Paul Cowley to come share with us this morning.

We were first introduced to his ministry last year through Alwyn and Anpu Christy. And to introduce you to their ministry, I have a short video to show you...

DSM Video:

That video tells us a lot...

Interview:

Question 1: But is there anything else you’d like to share about what God is doing through DSM?

One thing our church has been discussing this year is discovering and pursuing God’s dream (His purpose) for our lives. And how those dreams might seem impossible without God’s help - they require faith!

Tell us a little bit about your family and...

Question 2: How did you guys end up in Kenya doing what you are doing for the Lord?

…At The River Church, we can be a little different. I think “different” is okay, as long as it’s biblical. I shared with our church last week that I just finished reading the Book of Acts in my One-Year Bible Plan (reading through the Bible in a year). One thing I noticed is...

There are a lot of things happening in the church in Acts that I don’t see happening today. They were different! And in my opinion, we need to recalibrate to them; but, my question is...

Question 3: What makes Disciple Support Ministries different from other missions organizations?

John 15:18 ESV

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

The gospel has always faced the challenge of hostile cultures - places and people that weren’t receptive to receiving the good news about Jesus Christ. We see this all throughout the book of Acts.

As a missionary, I’m sure you are familiar with this challenge...

Question 4: What challenges have you faced as a missionary and how did you deal with any hostility to the gospel?

Obviously, though it may look different than Africa, America has it’s own resistance to the gospel...

Question 5: How can what you’ve done/learned help our church reach our current community?

Switching gears a little bit...

Acts 2:17–18 ESV

“ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

In the book of Acts, we see God radically changing lives by the pouring out of His Spirit on people. Earlier, we watched a video where many of our Youth experienced this at Camp Berea...

Question 6: Do you have a story of when God poured out His Spirit in Kenya and things radically changed?

Question 7: How can we pray for you? Or, if the Spirit lead us, how can we partner with you?

Question 8: If time Q & A...

Response:

As the worship team comes up, would you pray for us to close our time together?