The Church is a Scattered People

Introduction:

· “It’s time to burn the wooden shoes.”

· It’s never easy for a church to break outside of its bubble – why not?

LET’S LOOK AT HOW GOD’S MISSION EXPANDS OUTWARD, LET’S LOOK AT THE THREATS TO THIS MISSION, AND FINALLY, THE SUCCESS OF THE MISSION.

I) The Expansion of God’s Mission

A. God’s Mission Was Focused in a “Bubble” (chs. 1-7)

i. Christianity began among the religious sub-culture

1. Until now, the church has focused her mission on Jerusalem

2. So: Christianity was aimed at Religious people who were similar

ii. Like the early Church we can develop “bubbles”

1. Over time, we associate w. people from school, church…

2. How many non-believing people do you regularly talk to about Jesus?

B. God’s Mission Was to Expand outside the bubble

i. From “Jerusalem” to “Judea & Samaria”: God’s expanding mission (1:8/vs 2)

1. The Samaritans: sub-human, cultural, religious, traitors

2. EXAMPLE: God desires Sunnyslope to move beyond our walls

ii. The Question: Can it make it?

1. The gospel can grow among religious…but among non-religious?!

2. Will the gospel thrive? In Salem? Portland? The Pacific Northwest?

AS GOD’S MISSION IS EXPANDING, THIS QUESTION IS REAL. HOW CAN IT SUCCEED?

II) The Threat to God’s Mission (vv. 1-3)

A. The Church is Persecuted

i. How do you engineer growth?

1. Conventional wisdom says -- marketing your message carefully

2. EXAMPLE: HW,P gospel, in US… and Africa

ii. God raises a season of increasing hostility & persecution

1. The newly elected leader…is stoned; Saul is on a murderous mission

2. Is the American church persecuted? Secularism, pluralism,

B. The Church is Scattered (vs. 1c)

i. God scatters his people among the nations Pt. I

1. When “blessed-to-be-a-blessing” people stay home, God disperses them

2. EXAMPLE: Building homes, communities, business, among Babylon

ii. God scatters his people among the nations Pt. II

1. When the church grew comfortable, they were scattered

2. God disperses his church here in the PNW; pagan, secular…

BUT LOOK AT THE OUTCOME!

III) The Success of God’s Mission (VV. 4-8)

A. God blesses the Proclamation of the Gospel for the Success of the Mission

i. Wherever they went, they took the gospel with them! (vs. 1, 4)

1. The “scattering” of people meant the “scattering” of gospel seeds!

2. The word & Christ: The central hope of the gospel! (vv. 4, 5)

3. We need to be mindful, sensitive…but never compromising

ii. The Joy in the City (vv. 6-8)

1. The kingdom of God crosses a boundary & the city rejoices!

2. EXAMPLE: in Philly… and in Salem?

B. God uses Adversity to Advance His Mission

i. Because the church is scattered…the gospel is too!

1. God used the very worst thing to become the very best thing

2. Why does this surprise us…when the cross is God’s modus operandis?

ii. Therefore, do not lose heart!

1. Some of us or overly nostalgic; some of us are cynical, despair

2. What if we saw this cultural moment as a great opportunity?

Transition:

Conclusion

The church in India and the exponential growth