Why We Exist!

As most of you if not all of you know, we are a church that has done many outreaches in the past and we will continue to do big ones and small ones as we reach Kohala. That being said, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the reason we Christians exist. We can get so caught up in “doing good” for people that we can forget what actually makes us needful to the world.

So let’s get down to basics and look at the reason none of us went straight to heaven when we recieved Jesus but we stayed here to advance God’s kingdom! So let start.

Matthew 16:13–20 NKJV

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 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. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

If you’ve been in church for any amount of time, you have probably heard this scripture. Let me read this again in The Passion Translation

Matthew 16:13–20 TPT

13 When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples this question: “What are the people saying about me, the Son of Man? Who do they believe I am?” 14 They answered, “Some are convinced you are John the Baptizer, others say you are Elijah reincarnated, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 “But you—who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked. 16 Simon Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God!” 17 Jesus replied, “You are favored and privileged Simeon, son of Jonah! For you didn’t discover this on your own, but my Father in heaven has supernaturally revealed it to you. 18 I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it! 19 I will give you the keys of heaven’s kingdom realm to forbid on earth that which is forbidden in heaven, and to release on earth that which is released in heaven.” 20 He then gave his disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was God’s Anointed One.

Jesus is the Rock, the Foundation of Our Lives!

We must realize that when we help people only with physical things, nothing eternal happens and the Kingdom of God doesn’t advance! Why is that important? Well I believe it is because we want to be involved in what Jesus i s doing and He is building the Church on the fact that He died and resurrected for people, the Church!

John 4:31–38 NLT

31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” 33 “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. 34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

The Harvest Kept Jesus Going and It Should Do That for Us Too!

Jesus got energized doing what the Father sent Him to do. Seek and save that which is lost. He got energized when the woman at the well got the whole town to come out to hear about the Kingdom. The Harvest was on His mind all the time and so it should be on ours all the time. One of the things that we have zero control over is time. We don’t know how much time we have and we don’t know how much time that person we work with, that neighbor across the street, that cashier at the market, everyone we know has no idea! So we need to be constantly seeking and saving those who are lost.

Matthew 28:18–20 The Living Bible

18 He told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. 19 Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

The Great Commission is NOT a Suggestion!

Jesus didn’t say if we have time in our busy schedule make disciples out of people. No, He said go into all the world and make disciples. Sometimes we can get into thinking that if we can just get our family or friends to church then they can be saved. Jesus didn’t say that. He said that His disciples GO!

Acts 1:4–11 The Living Bible

4 In one of these meetings he told them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them in fulfillment of the Father’s promise, a matter he had previously discussed with them. 5 “John baptized you with water,” he reminded them, “but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days.” 6 And another time when he appeared to them, they asked him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel from Rome now and restore us as an independent nation?” 7 “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.” 9 It was not long afterwards that he rose into the sky and disappeared into a cloud, leaving them staring after him. 10 As they were straining their eyes for another glimpse, suddenly two white-robed men were standing there among them, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has gone away to heaven, and some day, just as he went, he will return!”

We Need the Holy Spirit to be Effective Witnesses!

Now we know that there are the Nine Gifts of the Spirit. And we all like when the Spirit moves during a service and people are healed or set free. But according to this portion of scripture, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to become effective witnesses, sharing what Jesus did for all of humanity. If you think about it, what the Spirit does for us in church will definitely speak to those who do not believe. Think of the times Jesus healed people outside the synagog, the man at the pool, the blind man, the woman with the issue of blood, even raising Lazarus from the dead. All outside where the people are.