Important Preparations Concerning Christian Ministry (Part 1) Series

IMPORTANT PREPARATIONS CONCERNING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY

Part 1

Acts 1:12-14

The preceding verses record the final conversation that Jesus had with His Disciples before His ascension. Jesus had chosen these men for a specific mission, soon that mission would commence. In these verses we find much information that is vital for the mission that Jesus has assigned to us as well. There are certain precautions and preparations that we must consider concerning our future ministry. Today I would like for us to consider “Some Important Preparations for Christian Ministry”. In verses 12-14 we will see that:

1. We Must Be Obedient

2. We Must Be Unified

3. We Must Be Prayerful

4. We Must Be Steadfast

- If we will do these things then we can be successful in our efforts concerning Christian ministry. Let’s begin with the fact that:

I. WE MUST BE OBEDIENT

v12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.

The Disciples had received a clear command from the Savior; there was no doubt as to what He would have them do with the rest of their lives. These men were obedient to His command and the Church has been blessed as a result. Though there must have been sorrow at the departure of Jesus, at the same time the Disciples will filled with awe and joy as they witnessed His ascension. Luke describes this in more detail in the closing verses of his Gospel account:

Luke 24:51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

The Apostles journeyed about 1/2 of a mile from the Mount of Olives, through the Kidron Valley back to Jerusalem. Luke says that this was “a Sabbath day’s journey”. This does not mean that it took the entire Sabbath to make this trip; it refers to the fact that this was the greatest distance a Jew would travel on the Sabbath day.

In verse 4, Jesus commanded the Disciples “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father” . That is exactly what they did; they returned to Jerusalem and remained there until the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost. As they waited, they “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication”

After Jesus’ departure, these men had a decision to make; if they had not obeyed fully then they would not have experienced the great things that God had in store for them. They were not impulsive; they did not go ahead and begin their ministry before the Holy Spirit had come upon them. If they had, they would not have been successful; in fact they would have done more harm than good.

These men did not give in to fear either; there may have been a temptation to return to the old life, to go back to what was easy and to escape the persecution of the Jews. Instead of doing this, they obeyed Jesus’ command to return to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. History would have been much different if these men had scattered and went their own way. Who knows what would have happened if they had not been together in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.

Like those Disciples, Jesus has a plan for us and we must be obedient to Him, we must follow His direction as individuals and as a church. If we are not where God wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do, there will be serious consequences.

There is no way to know how many people have been reached for Christ as a result of the ministry of this church. Have you ever stopped to consider how many people would not have heard the Gospel if those faithful Christians had not planted this church back in 1912? Many of you were led to the Lord by someone in this church. Many of you have grown in your faith because of the ministry of Stockdale Baptist Church. We simply cannot measure the spiritual fruit that has been produced in this place over the years.

It is no secret that this church weathered some severe storms in the mid to late 90s. Have you ever stopped to think about what would have happened if the Devil had succeeded in destroying this ministry? From what I have been told there was a time when more people left this church than stayed. But God had a plan for this church and He put certain people in place to ensure that the ministry would continue. Because of their faithfulness, we are still here almost 30 years later and the work continues.