Before You Go

TITLE: BEFORE YOU GO

PASSAGE: ACTS 1:1-8

MIT: Jesus has commissioned and empowered the church to reach the world with the Gospel.

Intro

Good morning church family, if you have your Bibles, please make your way to Acts 1.

Illustration

Back in College I worked for Fedex as a material handler. One of the coolest parts of the job was getting to work around the planes. I loved the smell of the jet fuel and engine exhaust. But before we could actual get on any of the planes we had to do our checks of the plane. We would walk around making sure that the plane didn’t have any visible damage. Then the team lead would make sure there was a clear plan before we got on board to begin unloading all the packages so that we could get the job done quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, before we could go and get work done, we had to make sure we were in the clear and had a plan to get started.

This morning I want to spend a few minutes sharing with you three commitments that every believer needs to make before you go to reach one more person for Jesus.

Acts 1:1–8 ESV

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.”

1. Stay Rooted

Acts 1:1–3 ESV

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

a. Stay rooted in the risen Jesus.

b. Stay rooted in the teachings of Jesus.

c. Stay rooted in the kingdom of Jesus.

Illustration: Back during Helene in Georgia, I learned the power of a hurricane in a way that I’d never experienced. The devastation that it left behind was incredible. What shocked me wasn’t the amount of branches that were broken, but how many trees simply were completely uprooted. Before the storm hit, the ground had been saturated with rain. Then when those 80 plus mph winds came through the area, the root system was far to weak to withstand the storm.

The roots were not ready for that kind of experience. However, what is amazing is how God has made the Palm tree. These trees are subjected to hurricane’s all the time and in many cases they serve the storms because they are prepared to face those winds. They have a trunk and leaf structure that gives them an advantage but where their real advantage lies is in their root system. It has the top layer of roots that give it a wide base of strength, but they also go deep into the soil that allows them to stay rooted in place.

If you are going to be people who are going to remain faithful in the midst of opposition, you need to be rooted deep in Jesus.

So how do we get and stay rooted in Jesus?

Application:

Commit to reading Scripture.

Use a Scripture reading plan.

Get yourself involved in discipleship.

Find a one to five people to read scripture and talk scripture with.

Get in Sunday School for discipleship and commit to being involved.

Choose to prioritize the kingdom of God.

Gather in worship.

Grow through discipleship.

Go and serve through share the gospel and using your spiritual gifts for the kingdom work.

2. Stay Prepared

Acts 1:4–5 ESV

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

ILLUSTRATION

Have you ever had your mind set on doing something only to find out that you’re not prepared to accomplish the task? I’ve done it countless times, whether it be I needed my power drill to get a project done only to find out the battery is dead and so is the spare, or setting out to mow the yard only to find out that there is no gas in the tank or the gas can.

Maybe that just happens to me, even if it is, let me tell you there is absolutely nothing more frustrating than to have your heart set on getting it done only to have to be derailed to charge up the battery or run to the gas station to get the fuel needed to get the job done.

You have been called to be prepared to be used by God when he says go. But this isn’t something we can do on our own. It requires us to be walking with the Holy Spirit daily so we are ready in and out of season.

Another way of looking at it is that staying prepared in the Christian life means we refuse to live in our own strength.

So how do we live in step and prepared with the Holy Spirit?

Application:

Pray daily for boldness.

Pray daily for an open door to use your gifts and share your faith.

Commit to writing down one name and pray for them specifically for their salvation.

3. Stay On Mission

Acts 1:6–8 ESV

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.”

a. Don’t get distracted.

b. Stay submitted to God’s authority.

c. Stay committed to be witnesses of Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION

No matter how great an organization is, there is a real temptation to drift and get distracted. In most cases, it is not because people stop caring about the organization, it is because they focus on the wrong things.

As the drift lingers, meetings multiply, there are major differences of opinions that rise up, debates over what is next for the organization comes up, and the mission of the organization can slip into shadows.

It happens in business, on teams, and even churches. In many cases, the reason churches fall prey to being distracted is they get to busy doing things that are focused on the mission of sharing Jesus and making disciples. They have incredible programs, they might have a ton of people involved in the church but they have lost sight of the actual mission. They begin to shift away from biblical truth, they stop calling people to repent and turn to Jesus, and they stop taking the gospel to their community and around the world.

The fact is Jesus didn’t want the disciples to get distracted with when God would restore the nation to Israel. He wanted them focused on taking the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

You and I should never lose sight that our mission is to reach our community with the Gospel, are we reaching Georgetown City, Georgetown county across the bridges, our state, our nation, our world with the Gospel through our service, giving, and gospel sharing?

So what can you do to stay on mission?

Application

Ask God for one opportunity to reach one more person with the Gospel.

Share your story and the gospel when God provides that opportunity.

Make one more intentional invite to someone to come to church with you.

Once you reach that person the reach one more, Then another, and another.

If we are going to reach one more for Jesus, we must be a people that before we go we are rooted in Jesus, prepared to serve, and committed to stay on mission.

In rescues, there’s a phrase that hits the heart: “One more.” One more room to check. One more name unaccounted for. One more pass through the smoke. One more person who might still be there.

And here’s what’s powerful: the rescuer doesn’t go back in because it’s convenient. He goes back in because that person matters. Their life matters.

That’s the gospel.

Jesus didn’t stay at a safe distance from our broken world. He came in. He stepped into sin and sorrow and death. He went all the way to the cross—not as a moral teacher, not as a good example, but as a Savior. And then He rose again—alive, proven, victorious—so that anyone who turns from sin and trusts Him can be forgiven, made new, and brought into His kingdom.

So let me speak to two groups today:

If you’re not following Jesus: Before you go try to fix your life… before you go try harder… come to Christ. The first step isn’t doing better—it’s being saved. Today, you can turn to Jesus in faith: “Lord, I need You. Save me. Forgive me. Make me new.” He will.

If you are following Jesus: Jesus didn’t save you to sit still—He saved you to be His witness. So ask Him for one opportunity. Share your story and the gospel when He opens the door. Make the invite. Start the conversation. Pray for that one name. And when God gives you the chance—don’t back away. Step in.

I want you to write in the back of your Bible one name. Who is it that this morning, you knew immediately this is who I need to commit to praying for and sharing the gospel with this person. Write it down, and commit this morning to pursuing them and sharing Jesus with them.

If someone didn’t come to mind, draw a line and this week pray that God would give you that one person, then write them down.

Because the mission of God moves forward one conversation at a time, one prayer at a time, one invite at a time—Let’s commit to going after that one more person.

Closing line: “Before you go—come to Jesus. And if you’ve come to Jesus—go for Jesus.”

With every head bowed and eye closed.