For example:
• We know some people who are always getting into a fight or a dispute with someone, no matter where they go. Why? Because they go around looking for trouble and they find it!
• We know some people who go to church, and every time there is a church dispute, you can rest assured they are in the middle of it. Why? Because they are always looking for an opportunity to be involved in such things.
• 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.
Yes, one of the rules in life is that we generally receive what we are looking for.
When many read the Book of Acts, all they see is:
• GREAT MIRACLES PERFORMED
• GREAT HEALINGS
• DEAD RAISED
• SNAKE HANDLING AT ITS BEST
Many see these things as they read the Book of Acts because this what they are looking for, and this is what they find. It is sad that they don’t see the most important thing in the book of Acts, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT LOOKING FOR IT!
What they need to see is the theme behind the book of Acts.
WHAT IS THE THEME FOR THE BOOK OF ACTS? It is THE REACHING OF THE LOST.
The church has been given the mission of reaching the Lost for Christ.
Let’s take a good look at the Book of Acts, that begins after the Great Commission, to see what we must be doing as an INDIVIDUAL and as a CHURCH.
First, let us look at-
I. THE PURPOSE OF MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS
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.”
This is no easy mission that we, as the church, have been given. For example, in the reaching of the Jews, the Lord said they would:
1. Hear, but they would not understand
2. See, but they will not be able to see
• Why will they hear but not understand what they hear?
• Why will they be able to see, but yet spiritually they are blind?
He says because of two things:
1. Their ears are dull of hearing
2. Their eyes are closed because they do not want to be converted
This is what makes evangelism difficult, because we are having to deal with people with ears that are DULL OF HEARING and with EYES THAT ARE CLOSED!
Illus: A salesman comes to your house, and before he opens his mouth, you have already made up your mind that you are not “Buying” what he has to sell.
When this is the case, the salesman’s task become more difficult.
It is even more difficult for a salesman, when he pulls up at the front door and they go out the back door.
The lost world today is not running TO God, they are running FROM God as fast as they can run.
We Christians have been given an awesome responsibility. We must go to a lost world that is DULL OF HEARING AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE TRUTH. This makes our mission almost next to impossible.
A. THERE IS A DEBT TO BE PAID
According to the Word of God, every Christian is a DEBTOR TO THE LOST WORLD. That is, we owe them the gospel.
Look at Rom. 1:14 16, Paul said, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Notice, the apostle Paul recognizes this debt. He said, “I am debtor…”
It is important that we know that we are DEBTORS, but also who we owe this DEBT to!
Paul tells us, he said, “I am a debtor to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.”
Every human on the face of the earth fits into one of these categories. And we owe every one of them the gospel. This is not a annual debt, monthly debt, or weekly debt, this is a DAILY DEBT that we owe to mankind.
But notice something else Paul stated:
B. THERE IS A DUTY TO BE PERFORMED
Paul said, “I am ready”. That is, I recognize that I have a spiritual debt to the lost, and “I am ready”.
• I will not keep finding excuses to keep from paying this debt - “I AM READY!”
• I will not selfishly use all my time on myself, I owe this debt and “I AM READY!”
THERE IS A DUTY TO BE PERFORMED, and we need to quit stalling and perform it. Also, notice-
C. THERE IS A DIRECTION TO BE PURSUED
Notice that Paul, in an effort to reach the lost, said he would pursue this matter in this fashion; to the “Jew first, and also to the Greek”
Christians should want to see the whole lost world saved. But our concern for lost souls should start with our own family and friends.
Illus: One of the problems in Bible colleges is that many who are training to reach the lost in foreign countries, are not properly preparing for that task.
A student might make straight “A’s” on his report card, but while he is training to reach those abroad, and not witnessing to his family and friends here at home, he has flunked out big time!
Paul was a Jew, and he knew that soul winning should start with his own people first.
Notice, he said, “Jew first” and then he will broaden the circle to reach others.
When a person first gets saved, he should draw an imaginary circle around himself:
• He should include every family member in that circle. He should witness to them, and let them know he is praying for their salvation
• Then he should draw another imaginary circle around that circle, and include every friend of his in that circle
• Then he needs to draw another imaginary circle around that circle, and include his neighbors
• Then he should draw another circle around those three circles, for people that he comes into contact with in the normal course of business dealings
• Then he should draw a circle around those four circles, and include those who live in other countries
And while he can not go to these areas personally, he can pray for these people to come to know Christ, and he can send missionaries so they can hear what they must do to be saved from God’s Word.
Charity starts at home, but it does not stay at home. It reaches around the world.
We have looked at THE PURPOSE OF MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS.
But also, let’s look at-
II. THE PLAN FOR MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS
Once we have done everything we know to do to reach a person for Christ, and all of our efforts have been in vain, THEN WHAT DO WE DO?
The Word of God tells us what to do in situations like this.
For example, after Paul started with HIS OWN PEOPLE, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, he then turned to the GENTILES.
Look at Acts 28:28, we read, “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”
Salvation was first brought to the Jews. But the Word of God says these people:
• Did not want to hear about it anymore
• Did not want to see what they must do to be saved
So Paul then directed his attention to the Gentiles.
And notice what he said of them, “…they will hear it.”
Illus: Christians need to learn what every good fisherman already knows. That is, if the fish won’t bite in one place, move on to where they are hungry and will bite.
The devil has been very effective in getting some Christians tied up for years with a lost person that does not want to HEAR or SEE what God has for them.
Listen, after witnessing to the lost, if they do not receive the witness of God’s Word, there comes a time when you need to move on, and concentrate on someone who has not had a chance to hear the gospel yet.
“But preacher, if I spend years talking to that person I might be able to win them to the Lord.”
I am not saying that you should totally give up on them. What I am saying, is this, why should they be given thousands of opportunities to be saved, when others have never had one opportunity to be saved?
It is true that you might win someone to Christ if you spend years of your resources trying. But if you spent the same resources (time, money, and prayers) dealing with people who want to HEAR and SEE what God has for them, you might have won a dozen or more to Christ.
Illus: When you are driving and you come to a “Dead End”, you do not just stay there, you try and find another road that will lead you to your destination. The same thing is true in witnessing; if you come to a dead end, ask God to show where you can go to find a sinner who is looking for salvation.
The Bible says, “He that winneth souls is wise”. You have to have a PLAN, and if plan “A” falls through, turn to plan “B”.
Look at-
A. THE PERSEVERANCE OF MISSIONS
The mission of the church is no easy task. If it was, there would be more doing it than there are now.
Illus: We sometimes hear of a church moving into a new community. They build a church building for people to worship in, and in no time it is packed to capacity. That is, they are like a fishermen that just found a fishing hole where the fish are biting.
It is always good to hear these things, but listen, for the average church it is a spiritual battle to get people to attend church, and to get people to give their hearts to the Lord Jesus.
Paul said, in verses 30-31, “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
When the opportunity is there, we need to take advantage of it. Paul spent two years, because there was an open door to him. He said in verse 31, “…no man forbidding him.”
He also went to other places where the door was closed, and he would move on to other locations because there was no opportunity there to win anyone to Christ. But while he was there, God opened doors for him to teach and preach the Word and he persevered.
He later wrote to Timothy and said to him, in 2 Timothy 4:17, “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Look at some of the things he acknowledged in this verse of scripture. He said:
• HE HAD THE LORD’S PRESENCE - “The Lord stood with me”
• HE HAD THE LORD’S POWER “and strengthened me”
As we PERSEVERE in the work of God, the Lord is WITH US and he will STRENGTHEN US.
We have looked at THE PERSEVERANCE OF MISSIONS but let’s look also at-
B. THE PEOPLE OF MISSIONS
Look at verse 30 “Received all that came in unto him”
We never know what lost soul the Lord Jesus may put before us, but whoever it may be, we have to open our HEARTS and our CHURCH DOORS to them.
There are churches all over the world that will open their hearts to:
• SOMEONE THAT IS ON THEIR SOCIAL LEVEL
• SOMEONE THAT IS OF THE SAME RACE
But yet there are people they could reach for Christ, but they will not receive them into their churches for various reasons.
Prejudice is shown everywhere in our society, by all races, but it is probably shown in churches more than any place on the face of the earth. Christ died for everyone, and if a church does not love everyone that walks through those doors, God cannot bless that church.
If Christ loved them enough to DIE FOR THEM, we should have enough love in our heart to REACH OUT TO THEM!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells that he visited the First Baptist Church in Hammond Indiana, where the late Dr. Jack Hyles was the pastor. The Sunday that he and his wife visited, they observed:
• 28,000 in attendance that Sunday morning in the worship service
• 705 babies in the nursery.
• Over 300 women nursery workers taking care of those babies
But as Dr. Belger sat in the balcony of the morning worship service, the thing that caught his eye as he looked across the congregation was that you could see:
• A well dressed woman with a nice fur coat, sitting beside some little child in ragged clothes, that rode on one of their buses
• A man that was wearing a $300 to $400 hundred suit, sitting beside a man that did not even have a coat and tie to wear to church
• A graduate from college, sitting beside someone that never made it through high school
• An African American woman, sitting beside a white woman, and sharing a song book together
This is what Paul had in mind. IF GOD SENT THEM, HE RECEIVED THEM.
Shame on these churches where:
• If you do not drive a certain kind of a car, they prefer you not pull up in their parking lot
• If you do not wear a certain name brand of clothes, they prefer you do not come into their church building
These people have forgotten the MISSION OF THE CHURCH. Shame on them!
Illus: A dedicated Christian, Donald Smith, was a construction worker. He is now with the Lord. Often his work required him to go out of town and he would have to spend the night in these towns. He was in Charleston, South Carolina on a Wednesday evening. He had forgotten to pack his dress clothes so he could go to the mid-week service at one of the local churches. But he was a Christian that loved the Lord, and wanted to go to church. So he drove his pickup truck to this large church that was down the road from the motel where he was staying. He got out of his truck and headed for the sanctuary, when an usher stopped him, and told him he did not have the proper clothes to come in. Bro. Don did not argue with him. Naturally his feelings were hurt, but he got in his truck and drove around town until he could find another church that he felt would allow him to come in and sit on the back row to hear the preaching of God’s Word.
Some of these churches have forgotten THE PEOPLE OF MISSIONS.
While people should wear the best they have to the house of God, the mission of the church is not a fashion parade.
Conclusion:
Christians have the AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY to reach the lost for Christ. They are headed for a devil’s hell, and it is our job to try and stop them before they get there.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Remember:
• OUR FRIENDS
• OUR FAMILY
• OUR NEIGHBOR
• THE GROCER
• THE DENTIST
• THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT
…all have an appointed time to die. The mission of the church is to do everything we can possibly do to reach them for Christ before they die.
I. THE PURPOSE OF MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS
II. THE PLAN FOR MISSIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS
