Church on Mission

Empowered for the Mission: The Church's Call to Action

Official outline

1. Intro & Connection

2. Context leading to Acts - The book of Acts is a continuation of the book of Luke. Acts was also written by Luke. In Luke’s gospel, we read about Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection, and we also have a glimpse of His ascension into heaven. The book of Acts then begins taking the end part of Luke and putting it at the beginning of this book. Acts is the book of the mission put into action that Jesus Christ gave to the Apostles and we will see how this breaks down with our passage today.

READ: Acts 1:4–11

- Bottom Line - The Church is called to actively participate in God's mission, empowered by the Holy Spirit and assured of Christ's return, as we engage with our world.

PRAY

3. Main Points

     A. Awaiting the Promise (Acts 1:4-5)

         I. Waiting, staying, and not leaving too soon.

i. Jesus was creating an anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

ii. John Chrysostom - God first prepared the soul so that it was anxiously awaiting and then poured forth his grace. For this reason he did not immediately send the Spirit, but on the 50th day.

iii. This made them more earnest for the power of the Spirit within them.

II. In Jerusalem - Redemptive plan of Israel in Jerusalem. The Prophets in the OT spoke about a time coming from Jerusalem when the word of the Lord would spring forth & the outpouring of the Spirit will take place.

III. Jerusalem is the place of the Passion & the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it will now be the time when the Ascension occurs. Jesus’ mission will be brought to completion in Jerusalem and the mission of the church will begin from Jerusalem.

IIII. Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

i .Baptizo - to be immersed. So the Holy Spirit was to fully influence their entire lives so they would be empowered to obey King Jesus and proclaim His kingdom.

ii. At salvation, the Spirit immerses us to influence us fully to walk in obedience to God and proclaim His kingdom as well. We are then prepared for the Mission God has made for us as well.

     B. Alignment to the Assignment (Acts 1:6-8)

         I. The Disciples were wanting to know about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. They were concerned about the National well being of Israel, freedom from Rome, but also they were wanting Israel to be renewed as prophesied by the prophets. They wanted Israel to be restored to its formal glory.

II. Jesus redirects their understanding - It is not about the times or dates, these only belong to God. Christ’s return does not revolve around such speculation and it is not a political and national issue, it is worldwide built around God’s own purposes. It is God’s secret will, but in His revealed will, we have our purpose.

            i. Questions & Inquiring more than necessary. 

1. Questions we ask for God in his secret will. Who will I marry, what will i do with my life, college, new job opportunities,

               2. John Calvin - “This is the true means to be wise, to go as far forward in learning as our Master goes in teaching, and to be willingly ignorant of what he conceals from us.”

3. The more we seek out these secret things we will find more answer for, the more it can make us slack in what God has truly called us to do. They also lead us to distrust, worry, and anxieties.

               4. But Distrust, Worry, and anxieties are removed by meditating on God’s promises.

5. James 1:5 “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”

i. Pray for wisdom, trust God to align everything together for your good.

          III. The Promises for the mission 

             i. Receiving Power - dynamis - this was the word used for Jesus’ miracles in the gospels, and it is what will equip the Apostles for the mission they are called to, which is to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

            ii. You will be my witnesses - Martys - The Apostles were the main eyewitnesses of Jesus’ earthly ministry, above all, to His resurrection.

Power and Witness must go together because the Less Jesus is the core of our witness, the less power we have.

            iii. The Mission (Gospel Moment)

And the Mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ is God and He has come in the flesh, He died to pay for our sins. He was resurrected to give us eternal life, and now He is exalted in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. He calls us to believe in Him and by doing so we will receive the forgiveness of sins! There is no system to climb up, there is no fine print, there is just a person to receive and, in him, eternal life.

And though we have this witness, it requires a costly commitment from its carriers, especially a commitment to fight against the powers of evil.

            iv. The Mission of God vs. the Mission of Satan

We have been promised both power and witness, what are you doing with your power and witness?

               1. There are a group of people calling themselves followers of Jesus that wear suits and come knocking on your door to witness you their savior Jehovah. They have a building on Wirth, they set up on the bike paths, in airports, and many places. They are on a mission to climb their way up to salvation, but it is not God’s mission they are on, it is a mission of Satan. For they do not hold to God being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and they do not hold Jesus to being God. They hold to an incorrect manipulation of the Scriptures, and they believe they can predict time the coming of Christ.

ii. And yet they are more passionate about their heresy than you are about the truth.

The devil is probably more zealous about his mission than the church in our culture is. I think he thrives on American Christianity.

We have are more concerned with convenience and comfort.

We believe the lie that God would not put us in situations that might make us experience discomfort, pain, or suffering.

We believe the lie that God cares about you being happy than His Word being sent out.

The devil is on mission in this place and we are falling right into his trap.

He’s got us going to palm readers, looking at tarot cards, trusting in periscopes and zodiacs, playing with ouji boards, burning sage, and putting crystals in our houses.

The devil has become a better missionary for destroying the kingdom of God than you have for proclaiming the kingdom of God.

My Question to is - Who’s mission are you going to be a part of?

          IV. The Sphere of the Mission (7-8) Would’ve created a lot of anxiety for them, worry, and even frustration. But this is also the outline of the entire book of Acts.

            i. Jerusalem(Chapters 2-7) - The place of Jesus' crucifixion, where the prophets of God were killed.

            ii. Judea (Chapters 8-12) - The place they were rejected and almost stoned.

            ii. Samaria (Chapters 8-12) - (include historical info) Half breed Israelites & false worshippers of God.

            iii. Ends of the earth (Chapters 13-28) - Gentile people.  Godless idol worshippers

          V. The Sphere of our Mission

            i. Our Home - Family

            ii. Our Neighbors - Friends & people we might live close by

            iii. People we do not like - Enemies, people we don’t get along with.

            iiii. Strangers - People we don’t know

     C. Ascension & Anticipation(1:9-11)

          I. Why the disciples were just standing at watching the sky. Wanting to stay with Jesus.

i. There is a temptation to stay in moments of spiritual highs. In those moments we feel closely connected to God. We feel motivated and encouraged and wise. But we are not called to stay in those moments. The angel rebukes them with a question, to make it known that they should get going on what Jesus commanded them to do.

          II. Jesus has Ascended. In His ascension, He sits on the right hand of God the Father on the cloud of glory. His Work on the throne is now intercession. Meaning He is actively at work on our behalf bringing our needs to God the Father. On the throne, He sits as king of the universe, the position He had before He stepped down to become like us.

          III. And He will come back the same way he went up. At His return, He will restore the world to the former glory of Eden, we will be made completely new, He will wipe every tear from our eyes, He will make us reign with Him forever.

But until then, we are called to God’s mission and Faith Church is a continuation of that Mission

     D. Faith Church is a continuation of God's Mission 

          I. Faith Church’s Mission - Reach the disconnected and Grow the connected

          II. Our Role in our church. 4G Life.

Where are you Gathering, Growing, Giving, and Going?