A0287_Its What We Do
Date: 11th February 2007 (Sunday AM) Ref: A0287
Place: Kambah P.S.
Title: Its What We Do
Text: & Acts 13:47
Illust: In the very early 70’s a young Harold Warner left Prescott Arizona to pastor a church in Kearney Arizona. After 5 days he was heading home. On the way home his car left the road rolled a number of times & he was left a paraplegic. He spent 4 months in hospital; 3 months after coming out of Hospital, complete with wheelchair he was in Tucson Arizona to pioneer a church. That church today is one of the biggest in our fellowship. This was the beginning of a key distinctive of our fellowship – Church Planting
I. Our Purpose
A. Mission
i. Many church groups have spread across the world in the past. Today there are a number of large good churches. The question is not whether they have grown, the question is; ‘what is their focus?’ Don’t get me wrong not saying that if they have a focus on reaching business people or transforming a city that these are bad things, not at all. But each group needs to have a distinctive a focus.
ii. We have a threefold mission statement as a Potters House fellowship Church that is:
Evangelise the lost which are the unchurched and the backslidden. & Mark 16:15
Make Disciples that would become Christlike disciples of Jesus Christ & Matt 28:19-20
Equip and release those who are called to leadership ministry & Acts 13:2-3
B. Basis
i. This is not something that Pr Mitchell or any other man made up this is a biblical mandate centred around & based on the Great Commission. This is what Jesus expects.
ii. How many know Jesus didn’t call us to an impossible task? – No it is a very achievable task, why because He is actively involved. – Actually it is His work, we are His agents, His representatives, His mouthpiece. But it is His work
Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (NKJV)
Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. (NKJV)
iii. The book of Acts, fully named “The Acts of the Apostles” is a record of the birth & the beginning of the expansion of the church across the world. If we want to understand what church should be like then ‘Acts’ serves as our reference manual.
Some have called this book ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’ because throughout the book the Holy Spirit is moving in power touching lives, empowering, enabling & guiding believers as the church moves out into the world
II. Practical Mechanics
A. Importance of Conference
i. What we want to focus on. – In a months time we have the annual Perth conference. A full conference in that it is for a whole week, Mon to Fri night. Last year Sydney had the 1st full conference for a number of years. This year Melbourne will have a full conference.
ii. What makes this so exciting is the key part of every full conference. Thursday & Friday nights. We plant churches. To have a full conference the host church/churches MUST plant at least 1 church on the Friday night. – Thursday Intl night
iii. As a fellowship this is what we do, this is one of the main reasons for Conference. To plant churches. We take seriously the mandate of our text. In effect our local churches need to be workshops for the salvation of the lost, the discipling & preparation for ministry for those who are called & the planting out of new churches.
B. 3 Things
i. To do this takes 3 main requirements
1) New Converts: - Without the lost getting saved then we have no raw material in a sense to work with, it is the underpinning of the next 2 requirements.
2) Men & Women who hear a call & are prepared to go: - God calls a man to preach His word, this is not an occupation it is not a choice, it is a calling. God speaks to your heart, He stirs you & you respond. You set your life your affairs around the possibility that I am going to go out & do a work for God.
3) Solid core of believers that support the work: – Not all are called, to go out & pastor churches, but you ALL are called to obey the Great Commission. Without a faithful core of believers who will stay focussed will outreach to bring in the lost, to be in church keeping things running, to give – It takes a lot of money to send out churches.
When Pr Warner had his accident, number of people in the Prescott church were naturally upset, they questioned if Pr Mitchell had missed God, if maybe they should pull back. Pr Mitchell challenged them & while some left many stood firm & said ”no we can do this” – It was the faithful body of the church that was behind it that enabled them to continue to embrace & pursue the vision.
ii. All 3 elements have to be in place to be able to plant out churches to impact suburbs & cities that have yet to be touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ
III. What About Us
A. We Must
i. As I have said a distinctive of our fellowship is the planting out of churches from a local church. If that is the case then what about us? – The truth is we need to begin to see a bigger vision. We could look & say we want to touch this city, that is true, - His Fame is a group of churches in the Canberra region that want to see Canberra impacted for the Gospel. Great goal, great idea; but God wants us to touch the nations.
ii. Need to lift your eyes, your focus & begin to believe that God could use your life to impact other cities, other nations. You may not be called to go & pastor a church BUT, never fall into the trap of thinking that you are not a vital & key part of what God wants to do through this church.
iii. As a fellowship church we MUST plant churches, you need to pray & believe God for the resources, couples that would be called, for the lost to come in & get saved. That we can be obedient to our text, that we would be a light to the lost across the earth.
B. Faith
i. The key ingredient that we must have is Faith. – Faith is the essential factor for all of the Christian life. Your very salvation is based on faith Body
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (NKJV)
ii. You look around & think, how? – Easy believe God! – This is God’s plan, God’s purpose for us. We must set our lives to pursue this vision & then we must believe
Romans 4:17 God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; (NKJV)
iii. By faith claim the purposes of God for this church & this fellowship, pray for explosions of growth, that not only us but churches across the fellowship will plant churches to see the Gospel spread across this country & into the nations of the world. - Believe God