So where do we go from here??
we have one Common Mission
So, the big question is where do we go from here in 2020??
Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
So, what did the first church formed after Jesus ascended do that was so special, so awe-inspiring that led to the making of so many disciples?
1. They learned together
2. They had one common mission
3. They hung out and spent time together
4. They gave for the common mission
It's hard to believe that it is that simple, but it was. And simple does not mean easy!
· It takes commitment
· Its takes your time
· And it takes a purpose!
Recap!
Jesus' last command is our first priority!
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.”
· Jesus wants us to make disciples
· Jesus wants us to teach them about Him, His commands, His character, His values, what is important to Him, ………………..
· That’s hard to do when you skim over the bible, you pick and choose what’s important and what’s not; when you make other things a priority over building a solid relationship with Him.
· And that brings us to the first thing we must do to follow Jesus' last command
o It’s one of the things the first church did very, very well
o It’s what most “successful” churches do well
o They learn together!
We don’t want to be Lukewarm!
Revelation 3:14–16 (NLT)
14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!
16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!
· I see too many churches just getting by
· I see too many churches never walking out their doors
· I see too many churches just going through the motions
· And we will not sit back and watch us become LUKEWARM!
This Week, One Common Mission!
Jesus gave us commands to carry out His mission
· Some commands were for us to stay close to him
· And others were for us to carry out His mission (reaching others)
The commands He gave us for reaching others (the Mission)
Let Your Light Shine
Be Salty
Keep Your Word
Go the Second Mile
Love Your Enemies
Judge Not
Do unto Others
Love the Lord
Feed My Sheep
Take My Yoke
Deny Yourself
Go to your Offenders
Be a Servant
Fear Not
The ones I want to concentrate on today!
Jesus gave us commands to be the light and Salt to a dark and tasteless world. To go out and carry out His mission to reconcile the world back to God the Father through Him. And it was these very simple straight forward commands that the 1st church followed to reach the world.
1. Keep My Commandments
John 14:15 (ESV)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
· He knew the world would interfere in our lives
· That sin would separate us from Him and His Father
· And that the only way we would be able to carry out His mission was to follow His commands
· That’s why the first church learned together and spent time together, and had one common mission
· Jesus’s commands are for us to turn from sin and lean into Him!
2. Forgive Others
Matthew 18:21–22 (NLT)
21 Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
· Jesus knew that without forgiveness we could never carry out His mission
· That people both in the body and out would offend us and we need the skill of forgiveness
· This is a key part of staying on mission
· To learn to forgive often and regularly
3. Love Your Neighbor
Mark 12:31 (NLT)
31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
· The world needs more love
· More compassion
· More hope
· And we do that by not putting a price on things
· But rather people
· God put unbelievers in your path for a reason
· And that is to show a lost and dying world the importance of people
· That they have worth, value
· That we know they will fail often
· But that we will love them through it
4. Love Each Other
John 13:34–35 (NLT)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
· This is how a world peering in will know we are different
· This is us living out the all that Jesus taught us
· In community, together
· Loving each other
· Taking care of each other
· Doing life together
· Holding each other accountable in love
· Not judging each other
· The world needs to see Jesus in ACTION, through His people!
· And frankly this is where we fail so miserably!
5. The church, God's people on Mission!
Jesus last command our priority
Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT)
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
· This is the church on mission
· Not giving a check to a nameless faceless missionary
· We are all missionaries!
· In our communities
· In the lives that God places in our path
· Making a difference where we live!
How were they living out that Mission?
· And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
· And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
· And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
· And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
· And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
· praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
What the church has done terribly wrong!
· After the 10 commandments were written we immediately started adding to it
· Man started adding to God's perfect plan
· Then Jesus came to simplify it again
· And what did we do, start to complicate it again
· With rules and systems to make it so hard for the world to find Jesus
· If you read Acts 2:42-47 there are no rules just a body of believers (disciples) on mission
· with one common goal, to reach a lost world with the love and compassion of our savior, not our rule maker, to show the world a better way, a way that does not need sin to satisfy
· the world needs to see the church and its people as a light
· and we have turned it into a place of Judgement, Ridicule, and Hypocrisy!
What can we do to be on Mission!
· Reach a lost world!
o The methods have changed
o The mission has not
· If we walk into every Team meeting
· If every decision we make in this church revolves around the mission of reaching lost souls
· If we in our daily lives become kingdom-minded we will make an impact!
· If every day you ask yourself how am I living? How am I making a difference, how am I impacting the kingdom?
· We can change the world we live in!
No comments:
Post a Comment