Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Review

This past month the sermons have been about missions.

There was a time when missions would be considered one of many committees in the church.

There are those that teach, lead worship, manage the finances, make meals, maintain the facilities of the church, and then there are those that do missions - usually when we say that we mean preparing meals to take to Project Echo, filling backpacks to be taken to area schools for children to take home to their parents, going to Shirley’s Place (a drop in center in Washington DC) and sharing a meal with people who walk in.

Sending a team to Nicaragua.

You heard from Farming 4 Hungry last week.

Missions.

But what if we put the label “missions” on everything we do?

Worship, learning, fellowshipping is not the goal, but a means to a greater goal: missions.

Finances are not just to keep the lights on and the pastor paid, but they are resources to help us fulfill our mission.

A building is not just a place to host activities, but a facility that helps us prepare ourselves for missions.

Even when a program or ministry team doesn’t use the word “missions,” that should be the ultimate goal.

The sign on the door as we leave: “You are now entering your mission field.”

Without the Holy Spirit there are no missions.

The book of Acts begins with a group of people waiting in a room, and ends with a missionary expansion that no one could have predicted - except for Jesus.

The book of Acts, tells us this story, but makes sure we realize that the Holy Spirit made all of this possible - including the strategy.

Sermon Introduction

Sermon Introduction

Have you ever watched football with someone who said, “I have no idea what is going on?”

To the uninitiated, football looks ridiculous.

A few minutes or even seconds of play, then the game is paused for 40 seconds, then resumed.

What fans are watching is a repeated combination of rapid strategy formation and execution.

During this 40 seconds teams can assess the situation and formulate a strategy for the next play.

During the Rock Retreat, my all-male team was killed in laser tag, party because we were outmatched by the other team, but also because we had no coherent strategy.

Next year if we do laser tag, I want the teams to be co-ed, to make things fair.

We need strategy in almost every aspect of life: organized competition, finances, the military, business and yes, churches.

What’s our plan?

What’s our strategy?

What are we doing?

Aim for nothing and you’re bound to hit it.

Today’s message is about is about church strategy.

Churches make long term strategies - where we want to be this year, where we see ourselves in the next 5, 10 years.

We do demographic research, evaluate our strengths, assess the needs of the community; Strategy.

is about

The book of Acts tells us something about church strategies: churches can come up with whatever strategies they want, but the Holy Spirit is the strategist of missions.

In Acts we see the church developing strategies - to go there, take this person with you, organize this effort.

But there are times when the Holy Spirit takes over and rewrites the church’s strategic plan.

There are 2 categories of strategies: Those that make sense and those that don’t.

Rock, laser tag, need for strategy

Rock, laser tag, need for strategy

Strategies that Make Sense

This is unexpected.

Philip has just planted a church and it is growing.

I have a colleague who planted a church in the middle of a growing suburban area Frederick County.

For 2 years he knocked on doors in a growing suburban neighborhood - they held the first worship service in unused office space.

For 3 years they grew when unexpectedly the bishop reappointed him to a church where he didn’t think he was needed.

He was angry - He was a part of a church where there was excitement, God was doing something, and with one phone call he’s out of there.

Suddenly, the Holy Spirit sends Philip away from his growing church and sends him to the desert.

Maybe Philip was baffled, but as soon as he met the Ethiopian eunuch he realized that the Holy Spirit knows what He’s doing.

Taking Philip away from a growing church to the Ethiopian is a strategy that makes sense.

This Ethiopian is a person in a position of power, contacts in high places.

Someone like this could influence a lot of people.

Rather than pastoring a growing congregation, Philip is planted a seed that would transform an entire region.

Taking Philip away from a growing church to the Ethiopian is a good strategy, even from our finite point of view.

This Ethiopian is an educated man.

He is an intellectual.

He is a person in a position of power, contacts in high places.

Someone like this could influence a lot of people.

Here’s another good missional strategy that makes sense.

Just like the Ethiopian, Cornelius is a person of great influence.

He’s a military leader, he’s well loved and respected for his generosity.

He is strategically located.

Caesarea was the home to influential leaders and businessmen.

If a well respected man like Cornelius converts to Christianity, a lot of people will hear about it.

The Holy Spirit sending Philip to the Ethiopian and Peter to Cornelius is a stroke of strategic genius.

These are only 2 people, but they are 2 important people who could influence a lot of people.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit’s strategies make so much sense - they are obvious.

Dublin United Methodist Church, a church that averaged just over 100 on a Sunday morning, is a good example of an obvious mission field - if you’ve ever been to Dublin, either you have a relative there, or you got lost and your car broke down there.

The most “happening” is the Dublin snow cone shack.

Dublin Elementary School became their mission field.

The needs were obvious.

Teachers were exhausted.

They needed assistance and encouragement.

The church served as tutors, teacher assistants, held 2 banquets per year just for the school faculty and staff.

The doors were wide open for them.

There was no divine dream or supernatural experience compelling them to serve: the missional strategy was still from the Holy Spirit, but it just made sense.

Acts 109:3-6

We might have a similar opportunity at HES - the doors are wide open to us (we have knitters on the mission field right now).

There are needs and opportunities for us.

This requires a missional strategy, a strategy that makes sense, but it is still the Holy Spirit’s strategy.

Let me give you a few examples from Acts of...

Strategies that Make No Sense

Acts

If Paul had followed a reasonable strategy, he would not have listened to this.

Asia was a heavily populated, rapidly growing province.

When I think of how appealing this area must have seen to Paul, I think of modern day church planting.

Bad church planting: 1) Nashville, TN.

Heavily populated, so many churches.

2) Rural, outskirts of town, sparsely populated.

Good church planting: new suburban neighborhoods popping up everywhere; population shift; base realignment in Aberdeen (3 churches planted); Modern day church planters look for places like this when planting churches.

The Holy Spirit has other ideas and sends Paul south to Macedonia.

You might think a reassuring sermon illustration is coming.

God’s ways are higher than our ways (this is true).

God’s call doesn’t make sense (this is also true), but if we have faith and are obedient, God will prosper our ministry.

Everything turned out great for Paul, right?

Acts 16:31

Take that leap of faith and engage in risk taking mission!

What a night mare this is!

It would be nice if the Holy Spirit would just send us to people who are eager to hear the good news of Jesus.

Welcome us with open arms.