Open with Video: From You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYB3vm9u3AQ
Jesus said, “GO!” time: 1:59
Spiritual Mile Marker message for March 2012
Focus Evangelism: 12 ways to invite 12 people to church for Easter or other times of the year.
See the 12 ways to invite someone to church card designed by Scott
Sermon Title: Go means Go!
Thesis: So what part of “Go” do you think we do not understand as the Body of Christ today? Jesus told us to “Go” to be His witnesses to the world around us which means our neighbors and those across the seas. Jesus gave us the green light to be His witness to this world and to GO tell them of Him. We are told to be light in the midst of darkness and to tell people who He was, is and will be.
Let’s listen to Jesus words directing us to “GO”
Scripture Texts:
(NIV) Matthew 28:16-20:
The Great Commission
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(NIV) Mark 16:15-18:
15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
(NIV) Acts 1:8
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Introduction:
Nelson Searcy, “Two ‘pretty good’ definitions of Evangelism:”
"To evangelize is to present Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church." - Archbishop’s Committee on evangelism in 1918
“To evangelize is to invite others through the power of the Holy Spirit to put their trust in God, through Jesus Christ, to accept Jesus as their Savior and follow Him as their leader in everyday life as members of a local church.” – The Journey Church of the City, New York, NY, 2006
The Evangelism System (of a church) begins when an un-churched person is prompted by the Holy Spirit to attend your church and ends when the person follows Jesus Christ and is baptized publicly (from Evangelism Seminar by Searcy).
But for people to come there has to be a person who is willing to “GO” tell them or invite them to church so they can hear the Good News.
The command from Jesus to “Go” is the most widely accepted commission ever spoken of in history. Hundreds of thousands of people for about 2,000 years have followed Jesus directive to “GO” – these were Jesus last words to His disciples, to those who would call themselves Christians. This Commission has not expired and it is still relevant today for us as Christians today!
T.S. - The truth is all Christians are to “GO” and be His witness – it’s not just a commission to missionaries, pastors or evangelists but it’s to all of us Christians. Our mission field is what and who surrounds us each and every day in our normal course of life – those individuals are the ones we need to go to.
I. Command from Jesus - “GO”
a. Definition of “Go:”
i. Webster’s Dictionary: To move on a course : PROCEED; to take a certain course or follow a certain procedure; to proceed without delay.
ii. Bing Dictionary: A basic intransitive verb of motion expressing movement from an unspecified point of departure or from a place that is already known or assumed.
iii. Thesaurus:
1. NOUN “GO”
a. Synonyms: energy, drive, liveliness, enthusiasm, spirit, vigor.
2. VERB “GO”
a. Synonyms: leave, go away, take off, depart, set off, set out, exit, walk off, move out, move,
b. Synonyms: travel, move, move on, proceed, progress, make for
c. Synonyms: reach, extend, stretch, spread
iv. Greek Word: From Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
1. Meaning. The active of poreuomai has such senses as "to set in motion," "to convey," "to lead," "to bring," "to send"; the middle means "to go," "to travel," "to journey"
2. The Mission of Jesus. The Baptist declares to those who go out to him the message of threatening eschatological judgment. Jesus goes to the people, so that poreuomai, while describing his travels, also expresses his mission. At times he goes off to pray or to seek solitude (Lk 4:42). But he also goes ahead under divine compulsion (Mt 19:15) even though this be to rejection (Lk 13:33). His going is a model for his followers (Lk 9:57-58). He goes out to find his sheep (Mt 18:12); he goes before his flock to protect and provide for it (Jn 10:4).
3. The Apostles. As itinerants, the disciples carry Jesus’ message to the lost sheep of Israel (Mt 10:6). Mary Magdalene is sent out by the risen Lord to tell of his resurrection (Jn 20:17). The disciples are then sent out to preach judgment and salvation (Mt 28:19). Philip is sent to a lonely road (Ac 8:26), Ananias to the persecutor (9:15), and Peter to the Gentiles (10:20). Paul is sent as an indefatigable itinerant (Ac 9:3; 19:21; 22:5, 10, 21).
b. Means to Go (it’s a verb which requires action on our part to fulfill) we do this by doing the following:
i. By “Going” and being Jesus witnesses in our actions of everyday life.
1. The idea here is people notice that you are different – your reactions to life are different – your sense of peace is different!
2. You have that glow in the eyes – that divine anointing of the presence of the Holy Spirit on your life.
ii. By “Going” and telling people His story!
1. His Birth
2. His Baptism
3. His Ministry
4. His Death
5. His Resurrection
6. His Ascension
7. His personal connection with you
iii. By “Going” and telling people your story!
1. Here is a simple way to tell your testimony:
a. What you were like before you received Christ?
b. How you received Christ?
c. What happened to you after you received Christ?
d. What it means to you today to be saved?
2. Here are some more detailed thoughts on how to tell your personal story from http://www.missionresources.com/testimony.html:
a. You should share what Christ and salvation means to you personally and remember you represent Him.
b. Pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom and guidance in preparing and presenting your testimony.
c. Begin with an interesting, attention-getting sentence and close with a good conclusion. Include relevant, thought provoking facts and experiences.
d. Give enough details to arouse a person’s interest.
e. You should always have a general outline already in your mind. By this, we mean that you can give your testimony in two or three minutes to an hour or more.
i. You never know when or for how long you may be called on to give a testimony.
f. Be sure your experiences are Scriptural before you share them with others. Interpret your experiences by the Word of God and not vise-versa. Remember the Bible is our authority.
g. Be lovingly yet enthusiastic. Let them know you really believe in what you are saying.
i. Don’t bore people with the greatest thing in the world.
h. Feature Christ, and not yourself.
i. Make sure you make it clear what salvation means in your testimony -Tell the circumstances involved in your salvation.
i. Spell out exactly what salvation is. Be clear and simple. Think: Could a person be saved by hearing that testimony alone?
j. As a general rule, it is good to quote at least one clear salvation verse, and no more than two. Eph.2:8-9; John 3:16; I John 5:13.
k. Always distinguish between faith and works, between salvation and service, Christ and religion.
l. Remember the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Rom. 1:16. Rely on His Word and the Holy Spirit.
i. Go –spe – means “Go” spell it out for those who don’t know Jesus!
3. Don’ts in giving your testimony:
a. Don’t use Christian jargon. Words such as "born again,""convicted,""converted," these do not communicate truth because they do not have an understanding of these terms – this applies to the average non-Christian.
b. Don’t preach-- Do talk, share something of value.
c. Don’t tear down. Be positive!
d. Don’t let your testimony drag on. When you have finished, you can stop. Don’t keep talking just to talk.
e. Don’t apologize. This gives the person or audience lack of confidence.
f. Don’t mention church denominations, especially in a derogatory way.
g. Don’t speak critically or negatively about any other individual or group. You are here to talk about Christ and try to lead a person to a saving knowledge of Christ.
h. Don’t give the impression that the Christian life is a "bed of roses."
i. Some people are told that when they give their life to Christ, that all of their problems will be solved and life will be a complete joy for the rest of their lives. If you have been a Christian for very long, you know that you will still have problems.
i. Don’t give a bragamony on how bad you were.
iv. The last way we are witnesses is by encouraging people to “Go” be baptized as Jesus instructed us too!
1. Salvation is more than just a onetime prayer formula it does require a action step on the part of the new believer – we need to make sure we follow the instructions of Jesus: “Repent and be baptized!”
T.S. – We need to “Go” to the ones who cross our paths each day and be a living witness of the power of Jesus to transform a life. Once we have led someone to Jesus we then need to disciple them. Many people fail at this crucial step of our spiritual growth.
II. Command from Jesus – “Go disciple them”
a. Disciple definition:
i. From Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
1. The Greeks. 1. Ordinary Use. a. From the basic sense "to direct one’s mind to something," manthano comes to be used for (1) "to accustom oneself to something," (2) "to experience," (3) "to learn to know," (4) "to understand," (5) "to learn under instruction," and (6) "to receive direction from a deity by oracle." In the phrase ti mathon (7) it means "why?" (often with an ironical note). b. The use consistently implies an intellectual process that always has external effects and involves a conscious or unconscious intellectual initiative.
2. The NT. Jesus does not seek to impart information but to awaken commitment to himself. That this involves manthanein, too, may be seen in Mt 11:29, but true manthanein means continuing in his word (Jn 8:31). 2. Ordinary Use. a. In the one instance in Acts (23:27) the tribune in his letter says that he had "learned," i.e., "found out," that Paul was a Roman citizen. b. In Rev 14:3 it is possible that the learning of the new song is simply learning in the ordinary sense, but certain passages (cf. 2Co 12:4) suggest that this is learning of a higher kind, especially since none but the 144,000 can learn the song.
b. Don’t just go and leave them after conversion or after a decision to follow Christ – go to them and train them.
i. We must teach the new disciples to follow Jesus teachings
1. Another words - Go AND teach them what Jesus said, did and lived!
2. Teaching is crucial to people learning WHAT IS TRUTH AND WHAT FALSE!
3. We are seeking to have a small group each quarter which offers a new believer’s classes which will teach the foundation of the Christian faith.
a. New believers need foundation Biblical teaching and training.
i. Share your story and how it helped you stay committed to Jesus while others fell away.
ii. Go mentor others!
1. Spend time with them sharing your experiences in Jesus.
2. Do devotions with them
3. Work through Christian books with them
4. Be intentional about teaching others the principles of Jesus!
a. Start with the book of John
5. Encourage people to read the Bible every day.
T.S. – We need to “GO” not “Stay” and we need see people come to know Jesus and then we need to commit to disciple them in the Word and in the Ways of Jesus. We also need to be reminded that through this whole process Jesus promises to be with us!
III. Promise from Jesus – “When you “Go” I will be with you- always!”
a. Jesus says, “I will empower you with the Holy Spirit!” – see Acts 2
i. To empower – The following is from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament:
1. Means the following: As God’s essence is power, endowment with power is linked to the gift of the Spirit, and this gift confers on Christ his authority (exousia ) — an authority which he has the power (dynamis ) to exercise in expelling demons or healing the sick (cf. Lk 5:17; 6:19; 8:46). For this reason the witness of his disciples is that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power (Ac 10:38). The works he does can also be called dynameis (cf. Mt 11:10ff.; Mk 6:2; Lk 19:37; also Ac 2:22).
a. These works differ from similar acts of power in the contemporary world in three ways: a. they have no connection with magic; b. they are done by the word, which is the word of the omnipotent God whose kingdom here enters history and overthrows the rule of hostile forces; c. they presuppose faith both in him who does the work and in those on whose behalf they are done, so that a personal relation is demanded (cf. Mt 13:58; Mk 9:14ff.).
b. In faith, all things are possible; there is power (Mk 9:23). For in faith we share God’s rule. The mighty works evoke astonishment and praise (Mt 13:54; Lk 19:37).
c. Jesus can do them only because God is with him, i.e., he has the power of God in fellowship with the Father. In Jn 9 the blind man, when cured, testifies to the divine dynasthai of Jesus (9:33), and some of the Pharisees agree (9:16).
d. Similarly in Jn 11, when it is asked whether Jesus could not have healed Lazarus (11:37), he shows his unlimited dynasthai by raising him.
e. It is only in fellowship with Jesus that his disciples also can do things (15:5), but he recognizes at the same time that his own dynasthai has its source in God (5:19, 30).
b. Jesus said, “I will guide you through the Holy Spirit!”
i. To guide – John 16:13-15: 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
1. This means to lead us in our everyday lives.
2. This means the Spirit is there to give us wisdom and knowledge on decisions we have to make every day in life.
3. This means the Holy Spirit will check our spirits when we choose a wrong path or make a wrong choice.
c. Jesus said, “I will allow you to use my name, my authority to drive out demons that you may encounter in the ‘Going.’ “
i. The life experience with the cult people at Outreach.
ii. We need to remember that the authority of Jesus is given to us in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18: “18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
1. What is the meant by -“Therefore GO?”
a. Jesus authority will give you new tongues, a heavenly language to use against the evil one.
i. It’s a Heavenly language known to you and God. It’s a conduit of communication between your Spirit and the Holy Spirit.
ii. It’s a direct link to God the Father and His Son.
iii. Paul said that he prayed in tongues more than the Corinthians and it was a source of power and encouragement.
b. Jesus’ authority will protect us from harm – so we need to “Go!”
i. There is protection from snakes – so “GO!”
1. Christa’s Story and her fear of snakes.
c. Jesus authority can and will protect us from the poison of this world – so “Go!”
i. Poison is everywhere in our society it’s not just something you may drink, it is found in porn, it is in found through wrong and evil thoughts. It is found in false teaching and philosophies.
d. Jesus authority will protect us from others who seek to harm us – so “Go!”
i. Example of the “Machine Gun Preacher” Childers in Sudan an how He is continually going against the “Rebels of the Lord’s Army” and God continues to protect him.
ii. Craig Fritzler’s story of God’s protection from the rebels in Liberia.
iii. We have an example in Acts 5: 19-29: Peter and the Apostles
1. Note Acts 5: 20: “20“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
2. Note Acts 5:29: 29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!
d. Jesus says, “I will use you as a vessel of my healing power!”
i. People who I direct you to make sure you pray for them to get well.
1. So “Go” lay hands on people and believe Jesus words.
2. So “Go” pray for those people to be healed.
3. Testimonies from India, Ayden, Moy’s wife and daughter.
4. Jesus has given us authority in His name to pray and believe for miracles.
Conclusion:
The hour for bringing in the Harvest is right now!
Many Mission’s Organizations are predicting that the whole world will be reached with the Good News by 2020. If you don’t realize this – this has not happened since the death of Christ and it most likely will occur in each of our lifetimes.
14 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Mt. 24:14)
Mike Bickle predicts that the time for “Going” is RIGHT now:
The Need of this Great Hour of History from 2009 One Thing Seminar:
THE GREATEST REVIVAL IN ALL HISTORY (IS HERE NOW) BY MIKE BICKLE
A. We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people with power as darkness continues to increase. The light is getting brighter as the darkness is becoming darker. The onslaught of darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. The Spirit is speaking clearly and many are responding with wholeheartedness.
2 Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. (Isa. 60:2)
B. The greatest revival and crisis in history is soon to come. It is darkest before the dawn and so our hearts remain full of faith. We know that a great awakening is soon to sweep across the nations. We look with confidence to God’s promises to pour out His Spirit on all flesh to empower His people to bring the gospel to all nations. What a privilege to live in this awesome hour of history!
17 It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams…18 I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy…
20 before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (Acts 2:17-20)
9 I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne… (Rev. 7:9)
C. The Spirit is speaking about this outpouring and crisis. We are already in the early days of the great end-time outpouring of the Spirit. In this great revival the Spirit will release the miracles seen in the book of Acts and the book of Exodus combined and multiplied on a global scale.
D. Consider the crisis that is at hand. The nations are living under the threat of natural disasters, terrorism, lawlessness, and war (Mt. 24:4-12). Radical Islam is growing more intolerant as they seek global domination while Western governments are growing more tolerant as they legalize perversion and darkness. The result is that fear is quickly becoming more and more prevalent.
26 Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things… (Lk. 21:26)
Abortion continues to kill 4,000 babies each day in America. The sanctity of marriage has come under siege, threatening to destroy the moral foundations of our nation. Sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, is reaching epic heights of depravity, with easy access to pornography via the Internet and the hyper-sexualization of our culture promoted by the media. Entire school systems are giving way to this darkness. The number of women and children being trafficked in the sex industry is growing at an alarming rate. The list could go on and on.
E. The greatest revival in America’s history is coming even as our nation stands on such precarious footing. The onslaught of darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. Confusion is pouring forth from many pulpits and from the halls of Washington. It is time for the uncompromising voice of forerunners to speak clearly in the midst of so much confusion. Yes, it is time to draw a line in the sand and to take a bold stand for truth.
F. We live in a very significant hour of history. I believe we are in the time described in the Scripture as the “beginning of sorrows,” or “the beginning of birth pains,” that precedes the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:4-8, 21). The Bible tells us that during the Great Tribulation, sin will become fully ripe with unprecedented and unimaginable levels of sin (Rev. 14:18).
21 They did not repent of their murders, sorceries, sexual immorality or their thefts. (Rev. 9:21)
Many prophecies have aligned with our times and they reveal that we are in the end times - so the time is now to share with those around us the Gospel.
The harvest is ready and we need to “Go” bring it in to the Kingdom.
Here is a resource you can use.
Video of 12 ways to invite someone to church see card and video gives an explanation of how to use the card.
Reference the pens out in the foyer to give away as another outreach tool they can also use.
When races are started there is the familiar phrase “Get ready, set, Go!” Then the horn sounds we are to do the same so “Get Ready” prepare your testimony and Jesus – Get set look for who you can “Go” too – then “Go!” Blow the horn!
