4,29 Going to the Nations

Going to the Nations

What is our foundation for “mission”? Why do we preach it and make it such a big deal?

What is our foundation for “mission”? Why do we preach it and make it such a big deal? Is it “biblical”? Does it matter?

Is it “biblical”? Does it matter?

Should everything that the church does be done on behalf of God’s mission in the world?

Would you agree that “missions” is not the ultimate goal of the church?

WORSHIP is!!

Missions exists because worship doesn’t!

WORSHIP is ultimate! Not Missions, because God is ultimate, not man!

To do “missions” is to call people to be reconciled to and come worship the King of kings.

Do we, the local church, still have an effective role to play in world evangelization?

-How many people are alive on the planet today?

more 7.25 billion

-How many distinct groups are in our world today?

almost 11,500

-How many people groups are unreached? (limited access to the Gospel)

more than 6800

-How many people on planet Earth have no access to the Gospel—the unengaged, unreached?

3.78 billion

We have already identified that:

-As believers, we have a calling and purpose— is our Great Commission.

-As the Church, we have gifts and a responsibility to God

-As believers, we are to be “neighbors” to our neighbors for God’s glory— is our Great Commandment—love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

God’s Purpose still depends on God’s Plan and Power

—

Have you ever typed in an address on your phone or gps tracking system and upon the journey, you realized that where you were riding, there was no road on the gps tracking map. Your little dot was just traveling in no mans land.

The followers of Jesus faced the same crisis—Jesus had returned to the right hand of the Father. Until then, Jesus had guided and directed them. They were now facing a lost and hostile world. If they were to continue His strategy, they needed direction.

Jesus answered with —Here we have God’s plan to accomplish His purpose.

Our Priority

“you will be my witnesses”

we do not exist to “build the church”! In , Jesus said that He would do that! The apostles focus was to grow the kingdom (vs6). They desired to build disciples. Their passion was to be “witnesses”!

Today, it is easier to simply resist the future than to prepare for it. It is easier to please each of the members that we have than to strategize to win the new ones. It is easier to maintain the church than to lead it to be a “witness”.

Our commission from Jesus is to be His witnesses—to take Christ to our communities and the world. That is our priority so that those “reached’ will in turn “WORSHIP” our Lord, Jesus Christ.

However, we are seeing many “local” churches plateau or decline. We hear about and read about “local” congregations closing their doors.

This leads me to ask, “Have we forgotten our PRIORITY?”— Unless we have God’s priority up front in our lives, in the lives of our “church”, we will not accomplish the plan He has for us to do.

Our Power

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”

The only power that accomplished God’s purpose is that which the Holy Spirit supplies.

Humans cannot preach, teach, lead, minister, change lives or convict of sin—Only the Spirit of God.

The Church that accomplishes God’s priorities will aways be a Church filled with the Spirit of God

Ephesians 5:18 KJV 1900

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

The word “filled” is Present Tense—filled every day! To be filled means to be “controlled by”.

The word “filled” is Present Tense—filled every day! To be filled means to be “controlled by”.

I recently read that the Church has “many organizers”, but few “agonizers”—we have many who pay, but few who pray; many “resters”, but few “wrestlers”; many who are “enterprising”, but few who are “interceding”.

We must get back to the Power—-the Spirit of the Living God.

-tithes may build the church, but it will be tears that give her life! Today, our emphasis seems to be on buildings and programs. We seem to be focused on PAYING and the early church was focused on PRAYING!

-When they prayed, the place was shaken—()

-If we are to be the Church that is going to go to our neighborhoods and then to our nations, we must first get back to being a church of PRAYER!

PRAYER is not an activity, but rather a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We must be a people committed to a Spirit filled lifestyle of prayer! That is our Power!

Our Place

“Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth”

The believers stayed in Jerusalem until they had built a powerful foundation for global expansion.

Due to persecution, God’s people moved into Judea and Samaria () Once the church had extended the kingdom across the region, the call came to go to Asia

Acts 13:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

). When Asia heard the gospel, the Spirit called westward () and ultimately to Rome, the “ends of the earth” (; ; )

When Asia heard the gospel, the Spirit called westward

Acts 16:6–10 KJV 1900

6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. 8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

) and ultimately to Rome, the “ends of the earth” (; ; )

and ultimately to Rome, the “ends of the earth” (; ; )

Is God’s plan still in place?

Are we still responsible for our friends? family? neighbors? community?

Yes, we are their MISSIONARIES!

We are to give, pray and go—to the “ends of the earth”!

There remains one more element if we are to “Go to the Nations”—

We have acknowledged that there is PRIORITY, POWER AND PLACES—

But another main element is GOD’S PEOPLE!—

Ephesians 4:11–13 KJV 1900

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

God’s People

By this translation, those who lead the church have three responsibilities:

-“perfecting” or maturing of the saints

-“work of the ministry”

-“edifying” or growing of the church.

The work is to be done by the Church, God’s people!

Our ministry to others is “mediatorial” in nature—mediators serve to reconcile two estranged parties. How do we do that?

Bear Witness that reconciliation is possible— -We should bear testimony of the salvation that we have in Christ Jesus. We are to call on those who don’t have salvation, to repent, deny themselves and run to Jesus.

--It is our Privilege to be used by God as instruments of reconciliation (1 Cor 5:18-21)

2) Building up those who are in the Body of Christ— we do this through discipleship

“Most Christians have become so subnormal that if they get back to normal, people would think they are abnormal” (Vance Havner) healing of hearts, minds, souls and bodies.

“Most Christians have become so subnormal that if they get back to normal, people would think they are abnormal” (Vance Havner)

We need a good dose of ABNORMAL Christianity today!

this is what it will look like according to

-Denying ourselves—we must treasure and value Christ more than ourselves, our plans, our comforts, our goals, and our aspirations.

-Die- die “daily”

-Follow—are we still willing to believe Jesus? Are we willing to Obey Jesus?

Will you give Jesus a “blank check” today with your signature on it?

CHANGED PEOPLE SERVE PEOPLE