Gaining A Global Focus

God has given us Christians the job of telling the world about him and that job is getting bigger every year:

* Not until 1850 that number of people on this earth reached one billion.

* Eighty years later, in 1930, the number doubled to two billion.

* Thirty years later, in 1960 the number reached four billion.

* In 1985 it reached five billion people

* It soon will pass 7 billion

Simply put, that means there are multiplied billions and billions of people who have never even heard the name Jesus. Only 8% of the world’s population are Christians 92% are not.

We want to inform and inspire our church to hear God calling them to missions because we believe with all of our hearts that people without Jesus Christ are L-O-S-T.

Romans 10:14-15 -- "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent."

When the great missionary Hudson Taylor was on his way to China he was confronted one day by the ship’s captain. He said, "Taylor, do you think the heathen will be lost if you don’t go to China?" Taylor replied, "I think the heathen are lost, that’s why I am going to China." Well, if we really believe that people without Christ are lost, if we really believe that the good news is the gospel of Christ, if we really believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, then we must have a sensitive ear to hear the calling of God for missions.

Now God has not left our mission enterprise to chance or trial and error. God has told us perfectly how we are to carry out the work of missions, and has already given us all the tools we need to do it.

5 Steps to Global Focus

I. Capture God’s Passion

This is the first step and it is the most critical. Before a person gets concerned about reaching others for Christ they must understand how much God cares it.

The verses we have already read are just a few of the windows into God’s heart of concern for the lost.

Peter - God is not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance.

2. Tap Into God’s Power

Here in Acts 1:8 - Jesus leaves us with one of the greatest promises

he ever gave, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." God has given to each one of us supernatural resources to carry out the work of missions.

The foundation of missions is not money, nor manpower, nor methodology. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that gives missions its thrust. That’s why everybody can be a missionary right where they live.

You see, witnessing is not dependent upon your personality. It’s not dependent upon your persuasiveness. It’s not dependent upon your position. It is dependent upon the power of God and every Christian has available to him the power of the Holy Spirit.

And if you have the power of God you don’t need anything else. God will supply the rest.

3. Commit to God’s Plan

Now notice the purpose of this power. Power is given so that "you shall be witnesses to Me." The Holy Spirit is never given for our enjoyment. It is given for His employment. The reason why God gives to each one of us the Person, Presence, and Power of His Holy Spirit is so that we might be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.