Don’t Forget To Remember (Sermon On Missions)

Let me illustrate:

• We know some Christians who are always winning people to the Lord. Why? Because they are always looking for an opportunity to win someone to Christ.

• We know some people every time there is a church dispute; you can rest assured they are in the middle of it every time. Why? They are always looking for an opportunity to be involved in such things.

Yes, one of the rules in life is that we generally receive what we are looking for.

In the book of Acts the New Testament church they were always looking for an opportunity to carry out THE GREAT COMMISSION

WHAT IS THE GREAT COMMISSION?

The great commission is in Matthew 28:19–20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We must not forget this is what God has placed the church on earth to do.

In the book of Acts as the New Testament church carried this out; He also told them what they would be facing.

Look at Acts 28: 26-27, we read, “Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

As this New Testament church carried this gospel out they were characterized as a church that turned the world upside down with the gospel.

What a wonderful reputation this church had.

Illus: Just like your face or your thumbprint, your reputation is how people identify you.

This New Testament church had the reputation of spreading the gospel wherever they went.

It is because of this God placed them here in the scripture as example for us to follow.

While many churches have forgotten THEIR MISSISION this New Testament church NEVER FORGOT THEIR MISSION.

It makes me sad to say this but MANY (Not a few) MANY churches today have FORGOTTEN why God placed the church here on planet earth.

Illus: Dr. Odell Belger said one morning he stopped at the Dunkin’s donut shop (I do not need to tell you why I stopped there.)

While eating a couple of donuts at this donut shop I heard two men talking about their churches they attended.

• One was telling the other his church just bought an expensive pipe organ that cost almost a hundred thousand dollars.

• The other man was not going to be out done so he said his church just bought a very large chandelier for the foyer of their church that almost cost seventy-five thousands.

As I set there they continued to talk and brag about their big luxurious church buildings, budgets and the high society people who attended their churches.

But NOT one time did one talk about:

• Missions

• Word of God

• Holy Spirit

• Prayer

• Preaching and teaching of God’s Word

• Evangelism

NOT ONE TIME!!!

WHY WERE THESE THINGS OVERLOOKED IN THEIR CONVERSATION WHEN TALKING ABOUT THEIR CHURCHES?

Because many of the churches today has forgotten THE PURPOSE of the church.

The ULTIMATE PURPOSE of the church is to carry out the GREAT COMMISSION OF REACHING SOULS FOR THE LORD.

In our churches today:

• We have Christians who have been saved for years but they have never personally led anyone to the Lord. NOT ONE!!!

• Even worst then that I know of preachers who have preached for years but they cannot remember the last time they led someone to the Lord if ever.

God placed the church here today to reach every man, woman and boy and girl with the gospel. And those they cannot reach in other countries they send missionaries to reach them.

We here at the First Baptist could have this conversation with other churches and brag about the facilities God has blessed us with.

• But God has not put this church here to BRAG ABOUT FACILITIES but to BRAG ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL SAVIOR!

• God’s purpose for this church is to REACH THE LOST WITH THE GOSPEL.

This New Testament church in the book of Acts never FORGOT why God placed them here.

While we Christians are thrilled about the gospel, ACCORDING TO ACTS 28:26-27 we are dealing with people that are spiritually BLIND AND DEAF TO THE GOSPEL.

This makes our job as soul winning a difficult!