Do Business Till I Come

DO BUSINESS TILL I COME

SELECTED SCRIPTURE

START: LUKE 1913

A. In the Parable of the Minas we see some very critical points for the Christian

1. First, Our Lord is coming back – “until I come”

a. Jesus is returning

b. We are living in a day and age where most people don’t believe that

 I don’t expect the lost world to

 But I certainly expect the church to

c. But there is great evidence that the church doesn’t Christ is returning:

 NO urgency

 No Passion

 No Purpose

2. Second He expects us to be about His Business until He does return

a. What is the Lord’s Business

 We are to be Busy equipping Believer’s

 First that means we must equip ourselves

+ Know God’s Word

+ Apply God’s Word to their lives

 then We must Equip Others

+ Matt. 28:19-20

- Evangelistic in scope

- But Discipling is the actual command

- Ex. Sasha has this down

 two, we are to be busy Evangelizing the Lost

 Consider the last words of Christ before He ascended – Acts 1:6-9

+ Don’t worry about the “When”

+ Get busy with the Witnessing I have empowered you to do:

 Notice what He doesn’t say:

+ Build buildings

+ Offer more programs

+ pave the parking lot

+ Run the best commercials

 Are those things wrong? NO

 But we better keep our perspective on what the Lord considers MOST IMPORTANT

 Our MAIN EVANGELICAL GOAL FOR THE CHURCH IS TO LEAD AS MANY PEOPLE TO CHRIST AS POSSIBLE

= Go into all the world and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ

+ Every other thing the church does better line up under that

 Three, We are to be Busy Encouraging the Church

 Hebrews 10:24-25

+ This may surprise some people

+ Because honestly some people have committed themselves to the opposite:

- They tear down by gossipping, not coming, not giving of their time, talents, and tithe

+ We need to take seriously the fact that we have a responsibility to one another

+ Hebrews 3:13

- Today encourage

3. Third It matters how we go about the Lord’s Business while we are here

a. Matthew 19:15-27

 All of us are given different gifts and abilities

 Yet our job is the same

= Share the Word of God so that it multiplies and fills the World

 Example

+ Acts 1:15 Day of Pentecost 120 Believers

+ by the end of the Day 3000 – Acts 2:41

+ before long 5000 – Acts 4:4

+ soon later the Jewish leaders accused the disciples of “filling Jerusalem” with the message – Acts 5:28

b. Consider what would happen in Olney if OSBC took personal responsibility for spreading the Gospel

 ex. Church runs commercials = All of us hand out the matching visitor cards

 We go to work/school ready to invite people to church

 We put the coaches on notice that there is church on Sundays and we won’t be allowing our children to miss

 We become so bold we make the Mormons nervous

 It get’s so big that Schools start planning around Christian events

 The City takes notice of the fact policies and procedures need changed

 Instead of winning people to morality, we win them to Christ

c. Wouldn’t it be awesome to:

 Not only HEAR the Lord’s Voice

 But to ACT upon it

 Application

B. The Alternative: We do nothing

1. By nothing I mean we:

a. Don’t Seek a Deeper walk with God

b. Don’t seek a Deeper Worship Service

c. Don’t Disciple

d. Don’t Evangelize

e. Don’t Minister

f. Don’t Encourage One another

= In essence we draw the line right where are and say “I am Comfortable here”

2. To do this is to be like the man in v.20-23

a. Notice he didn’t lose what he was given

b. But nor did he obey the Master’s Command in v.13

= He was commanded to DO his Master’s Business while the Master was away

c. He didn’t busy himself with the Master’s Business

 He very well could have been in church every Sunday

 He might have been a deacon or a Sunday school teacher

 He might even have served on a committee and tithed regularly

 But He wasn’t about the Master’s Business, He was about His View of what he decided the Master’s business should be

d. How sad it is for so many people to have a professed faith, but have no fruit to show for it

 Read Matthew 7:16-20

 Fruit trees bear Fruit

+ apple trees = apples

 Christians Bear Fruit

+ Yes Spiritual Fruit – Gal. 5:22-23