The State of the Church Part 2

8 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.”

PRAY-

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Four Points:

Power For The Mission

Purpose For The Mission

People For The Mission

Passion For The Mission

State of the Church Address: Part Two

Title: “The Mission We Must Embrace”

Text: Acts 1:8 | Acts 4:32–37 | Matthew 28:19–20

Main Thought: A rallying cry to embrace the gospel mission with urgency and unity.

ILLUSTRATION – "The Unsent Message”

Let me begin this message with a story…

During the dark days of World War II, in a small French village under Nazi occupation, the people lived in constant fear. But there was hope—a network of resistance fighters working with the Allies to bring liberation.

One morning, a young courier named Julien was handed an envelope. It was no ordinary letter. It contained the precise signal for a covert Allied airstrike—the message that would bring freedom to his village.

Julien’s commander looked him in the eyes and said,

“Everything depends on this. Deliver it without delay.”

With his heart pounding, Julien tucked the sealed note into his coat and set off on his mission.

But along the way… he paused.

He stopped at his uncle’s cottage for breakfast. He lingered at a friend’s farm for small talk. He rested under a tree, thinking, “I’ve got time.”

By the time he reached the Allied contact at the safe house, he was hours too late.

The window had closed. The planes never came. And the village remained in chains.

Not because Julien didn’t believe in the mission… Not because he didn’t care… But because he delayed.

Church… how many of us are like Julien?

God has given each of us the message of eternal life—the hope of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve been commanded to go, to share, to witness.

But far too many of us… stop for comfort. Linger in distraction. Delay the mission.

We believe in the message. We love the Savior. But the world continues to perish—because we delay.

Let me remind you of what Jesus said in Acts 1:8:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses…”

He didn’t say you might be. He didn’t say when convenient. He said, “You will be My witnesses.”

The mission isn’t optional. The time isn’t unlimited. And the Gospel isn’t something to be stored—it’s meant to be shared.

I. Power for the Mission

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8)

We have the same Spirit as the early church—but lack the same surrender.

The early believers:

Did not have buildings or budgets—but they had boldness.(Francis Chan challenged his church instead of building a multi-million dollar facility, to meet in an amphitheater…

Did not have strategy meetings—but they had Spirit power.(we love to meet and meet and never accomplish anything but talking, like a squirrel trying to decide which side of the road to run to….)

Today, many churches rely more on programs than on prayer.

We must return to Spirit-filled dependence.

*When is the last time we committed to do something, being prompted by the Holy Spirit but didn’t know where the funds etc were coming from???

II. Purpose for the Mission

“You will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8)

We are not called to be:

Politicians for a cause,

Performers for crowds,

Or passengers on a cruise.

**We are to be witnesses—sharing what we’ve seen, heard, and experienced through Christ.

**John Harper didn’t have a microphone or a pulpit—he had faith and fire.

Are you a witness or just a watcher?

**By the way, we have enough spectators…

III. People for the Mission

“The Lord added to their number…” (Acts 2:47)

When the church is united, generous, and Spirit-led:

God grows it.

People come.

Souls are saved.

We don’t need better branding—we need biblical obedience.

***Francis Chan often asks church leaders what their congregants expect.

Typical replies include: "A really good service, strong age-specific ministries, a certain style/volume/length of singing, a well communicated sermon…parking…coffee."

Francis Chan then asks the same leaders to list biblical commands regarding what church should be.

The responses look very different: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12), “Look after widows and orphans in their distress” (James 1:27) and “Make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Chan continues, “I then ask them what would upset their people more: If the church didn’t provide the things from the first list, or if the church didn’t obey the commands in the second list.”

*Titanic priorities

*Father Thomas Byles, Father Montvila, and others didn’t abandon their people in crisis—they shepherded until their final breath.

God is still adding people to His Kingdom—but He wants to use YOU!

IV. Passion for the Mission

“And great grace was upon them all…” (Acts 4:33)

The Titanic band played “Nearer, My God, to Thee” as the ship went down.

What if the final song of our generation is one of compromise and silence?

*** Could it be that many churches are singing songs while souls are drowning?

It's time to recover our passion for the lost, for holiness, and for eternal things.

Final Challenge – Part 2:

In the words of one survivor:

“I am the last convert of John Harper.”

He was saved not just from drowning, but from hell.

Will you be like John Harper or like the Titanic band?

Will you live with urgency, unity, and unashamed witness?

***Let’s stop playing on deck while people are dying in the dark.

Action Steps:

Return to the Word (Apostles’ teaching),

Renew our Worship (prayer and awe),

Reclaim our Witness (Acts 1:8), Food Bank, Hope Center, Called to Love

Refuse to Waste our Lives. (Mark 8:36)

August: SS Contest b egins

Sharing Our Faith at 5pm

Conclusion:

The church is not a cruise ship; it’s a rescue vessel.

We must not rest while the world sinks.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!”

*** That’s the message. That’s the mission. That’s the mandate.

Get on board—before it’s too late.

-PRAY

-Invitation

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