Important Precautions Concerning Christian Ministry (Part 1) Series

IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS CONCERNING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

Part 1

Acts 1:6-11

Just before He ascended, Jesus had one final conversation with His Disciples. The intent of this conversation was to prepare them for the future. He told them about the upcoming arrival of the Holy Spirit and He explained to them that they would be empowered to be His witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria” and even to “the uttermost parts of the earth”.

Jesus had chosen these men for a specific mission, soon that mission would commence. By this time these men have already been empowered and sent out on a few different short term missions, but now it was time for them to go out and reach the world in Jesus’ name. They have been involved in the ministry for some time, but there was no way that they could know what the future held for them.

Our church has been in existence for 110 years; and God has used this ministry for His glory during that time; but God is not finished with us yet! There is a future ministry for Stockdale Baptist Church and I pray that our best days are ahead of us. For us to be the Church that God would have us to be, we must operate in a way that pleases Him. Fortunately for us, we have the Book of Acts as an instruction manual for how Christ’s Church should operate. In the first few verses of the first chapter of Acts we find much information that is vital for our success. In Jesus’ final conversation with the Apostles we find certain precautions and certain preparations that we must consider concerning our future ministry. I invite you to join me in Acts 1:6-11 as we examine some “Important Precautions Concerning Christian Ministry”.

As we consider our selected text, we find certain things that we must not allow to deter us from our God given mission in this world. We will see that:

i. We Must Not Be Distracted By The Unknown

ii. We Must Not Forget The Source Of Our Power

iii. We Must Not Neglect Our Responsibility

iv. We Must Not Lose Our Focus

- Let’s begin with the fact that:

I. WE MUST NOT BE DISTRACTED BY THE UNKNOWN

v6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

The Disciples were clearly interested in the establishment of the Lord’s Kingdom. Added to this is the fact that Jesus has referenced the arrival of the Holy Spirit; Certainly they remembered that Joel had prophesied about of the outpouring of the Spirit in connection with the Messiah’s glorious reign (Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.)

These men must have thought that Jesus would soon set up His Kingdom; especially since He had said that the Spirit would be given “not many days from now.” With all these things in mind, the Disciples said "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" These men were not wrong in their anticipation concerning the establishment of God’s Kingdom. In fact, we should also long for the day when our King rules and reigns over all the earth. Jesus did not answer their question the way they wanted Him to. He did not give them a specific timeline, rather He said: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”

Rather than focusing on the future, Jesus turned their attention to what they should do in the present. He simply declared that God had a plan for the Kingdom and there will come a day when it is established, but those details are under God’s control and He has not chosen to reveal it.

Like the Disciples, there are times when we get distracted by the future. The Bible has much to say about the end times, God’s Kingdom and eternity. These truths are fascinating and they are important, if they weren’t God would not have told us about them. There is nothing wrong with studying prophecy and anticipating the return of Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom. However, we cannot spend our days gazing into the clouds and looking for the signs of Christ’s return. We cannot neglect our calling.

Before He ascended, Jesus instructed His followers as to what to do until He returns. God has a perfect plan for the establishment of His Kingdom; He is in control and that is all we need to know. If we are to be the church that God would have us to be, it is important for us to believe in the things that the Bible says about the future, but not to the point of getting distracted in the present. We can trust that God’s divine timeline is far greater than anything we could ever think or imagine.