IN OUR WORLD!

REFLECTION TEXT: Isaiah 43:10-11

SERMON TEXT: Acts 1:8

BENEDICTION TEXT: 2 Corinthians 9:8

INTRODUCTION

Ezell Blair Jr.,

David Richmond,

Franklin McCain

and Joseph McNeil

These are the names of 4 students at North Carolina A & T. 4 Students that the nation took note of on February 1, 1960 when they sat at the “White’s only” lunch counter in the Woolworth Company store.

The young men, who quickly became known as the “Greensboro Four” refused to leave, even after being denied service. 

Their peaceful act of civility soon sparked similar sit-ins in Nashville, TN. Then on to 55 cities in 13 states that proved to be one of the key events that brought national attention to the sinful and heinous injustices against our own fellow citizens and neighbors - because they could be easily targeted by their skin color - as if melanin itself had intent.

This small group impacted a Woolworths, a city, and a nation. The Greensboro 4.

But because of a handful of disciples - this motley crew that has handpicked by God -from the other side of the globe being about the Father’s business, we have a church family!

How can such a small group have a such a great impact?

TRANSITION How can a small church in the heart of Charlotte’s SouthEnd touch the nations?

ESPECIALLY IN THIS ALL-INCLUSIVE / NOTHING EXCLUSIVE POLITICALLY CORRECT SOCIETY. REMEMBER THE GOSPEL PUSHES BACK ON ALL OF THAT - GOD NARROWED THE ENTRY POINT INTO HIS KINGDOM TO ONE PERSON - THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, HOW BIG CAN HIS MISSION REALLY BE?

Before we spend a few minutes on Acts 1:8, we need to get there. There are a few big picture elements that lay the groundwork for this global expanse that is both DESCRIPTIVE of what happened and PRESCRIPTIVE for us!

The Bible shows us:

1. GOD DESIRES FOR ALL TO KNOW HIM

Psalm 22:27 ESV

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

Isaiah 61:11 ESV

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

Romans 8:20–21 ESV

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The Bible shows us:

2. IT IS GOD’S DESIRE FOR NONE TO BE APART FROM HIM

Psalm 51:17 ESV

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

1 Timothy 2:3–4 ESV

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

The Bible shows us that

3. Jesus Christ is the only hope for mankind!

He came to Earth as the answer and accomplished all that was needed for all that will heed to come to the Father!

WE PREACH & PROCLAIM THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12 ESV

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

We summarize it this way from the “our beliefs” section on our website.

Jesus Christ is true God and true man, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary. He led a sinless life and died on the cross as the sinner's substitute, shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sins. The third day He arose from the dead in the body which had been laid in the tomb. He ascended into heaven, where at the right hand of God the Father He is now our high priest and advocate.

4. God commands/equips His people to spread the Good News

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15 ESV

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Luke 24:47 ESV

47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

John 20:21 ESV

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

This is not a concept unique to Acts or the New Testament. God has always been concerned that his people reflect on what he has done and tell others about it. God’s people have always been primarily witnesses to his greatness.

Isaiah 43:10 ESV

10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.

This is the GREAT COMMISSION…now Jesus speaks to His disciples and to us.

Here’s the strategy...

Acts 1:8 ESV

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.”

APPLICATION:

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ESSENTIAL

Jesus ascended to Heaven.

He is at the right hand of the Father

He sent the Holy Spirit

John 14:16–17 ESV

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

at home

abroad

STATE OF BEING - WITNESSES

neighbors AND nations

both / and NOT either / or

The meaning of the clause you will be My witnesses is subject to question. Is this a command, or is it a simple statement of fact? Grammatically the words may be taken either way, but because of 10:42 (cf. 4:20) it is clearly an imperative in the future tense.

“Witness” is a key word in the Book of Acts and is used twenty-nine times as either a verb or a noun.

A witness is somebody who tells what he has seen and heard (Acts 4:19–20). When you are on the witness stand in court, the judge is not interested in your ideas or opinions; he only wants to hear what you know.

While some of God’s people have a calling to the office of evangelism (Eph. 4:11), ALL of God’s people are expected to be witnesses and tell the lost about the Saviour.

So this WORK here in Acts 1 is talking about BOTH the MISSION and THE MISSIONARY.

MISSIONARY DEFINED: In the traditional sense the term missionary has been reserved for those who have been

called by God to a full-time ministry of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4),

and who have crossed geographical and/or cultural boundaries (Acts 22:21)

to preach the gospel in those areas of the world where Jesus Christ is largely, if not entirely, unknown (Rom. 15:20).

This is not volunteering for the Peace Corps.

This is not community service.

No longer is missions a duty where someone says, “Well someone has to go. I guess I will since no one else is volunteering.”

This is about God’s glory on display…not just a fulfilling assignment.

In John Piper’s book, Let The Nations Be Glad (which has become required reading for just about any evangelical missiology class), he captures this incredibly big picture of God to help hone our missions thinking.

“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. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”

Psalm 145:10–12 ESV

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, 12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

With the glory of God in view...

No longer is missions purposed on just getting people into heaven.

There is a higher purpose and motivation: “I want to go people groups of the world to glorify GOD!”

This gives us a fresh new motivation for "being on mission” instead of “doing missions”.

Yes, people are lost and going to hell, but God’s greatest glory will be revealed when we reach every one of them.

Acts—The Church Afire The Mission’s Power

When the Holy Spirit comes upon followers of Christ, the most unlikely people become fountains of power

In order for us to be about our Father’s Business in the world...

Holy Spirit is Essential

We are to BE His witnesses

THE CHURCH GROWS MISSIONALLY

The Kingdom will spread by the witness of Jesus’s disciples

measurably

geographically

OBSERVATION:

Immediate Context of these verses: Expansion literally happened as described here

Jerusalem

Judaea

Samaria

Uttermost parts of the earth (farthest reach of the Roman empire at the time)

This also gives us a general outline of the Book of Acts as it describes the geographical spread of the Gospel:

from Jerusalem (Acts 1–7)

to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8–9),

and then to the Gentiles and to the ends of the earth (Acts 10–28).

APPLICATION

This growth is Not ONLY by MISSIONARIES - but by God’s people being ABOUT OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS

No matter where we live, as Christians we should begin our witness at home and then extend it “into all the world.” As Dr. Oswald J. Smith used to say, “The light that shines the farthest will shine the brightest at home.”

There can be no burden for distant unreached peoples without a burden for unreached neighbors.

Christ demands a world heart! A heart that prays for those at home just as much as for those being touched by overseas missionaries.

R. Kent Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1996), 18.

WOW - This looks different from the many church growth movements of our culutre that are all attractionally based.

There is an awesome responsibility here...but the responsibility rests on Christ. The church is Jesus’ church, and what he began in his earthly ministry, he will finish (Phil. 1:6).

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

THE MISSION OF THE LORD IS REALLY THE LORD’S MISSION.

This passage reminds us that Missions & Missionary work is the FATHER’S BUSINESS.

Acts—The Church Afire The Mission Itself

To be a witness we must have logos —the Word of Christ, ethos —the inner reality of what we proclaim, and pathos —passion.

God’s Word. - LOGOS.

God’s Power working through God’s People - The PATHOS.

God’s Plan - The ETHOS!

The apostles’ hearts are probably beating out of their chests…eyes wide open to this resurrected Jesus giving the strategy for the Great Commission…and then:

Acts 1:9–11 ESV

9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

The ascended Christ WAS to be the confidence—the flame—AND THE FOCUS of the apostolic movement.

Having ascended, he now intercedes for the Church and has sent the Holy Spirit, “another Comforter” just like Himself.

WE DON’T FIX OUR EYES ON THE MISSION…WE FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS!

Acts—The Church Afire The Mission Itself

To be a witness for Christ is to bring a message that is a marvel of simplicity: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh; he died to pay for our sins; he was resurrected; now he is exalted in Heaven; he calls us to believe in him and so receive forgiveness of sins. This is good news.

Our current GCC Missionaries weren’t just mapping out strategic ventures in communications endeavors...

Empowered by the Spirit.

Sent by the Church.

They have gone on to glorify the LORD.

For those of us who have been to Jesus for the cleansing flood and been washed in the blood of the lamb...

We have everything we need to be witnesses and tell the lost about the Saviour.

CHRIST is our motivation with our neighbors.

CHRIST is our motivation in our communities.

CHRIST is our motivation with our causes.

CHRIST IS OUR MOTIVATION TO SPREAD THIS FLAME TO THE NATIONS!

He is our all in all - and our life is His! What an adventure! What a life!

Does this describe you?

Do you know him?

Let’s pray together.

In order for our church to grow missionally, we need to BE WITNESSES.

In order for us to BE WITNESSES that glorify God - we need to be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

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