-Fulfilling God’s Mission for Your Life-
Acts 1:8 “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The story is told about God in heaven and an angel comes up and God says: “My plan is to give the Good News to My children on earth and ask them to share it.” And the angel says, “What if they don’t? What is plan B?” And God says,, “There is no plan B.”
God the Father sent His Son, Jesus on a mission to our world. Jesus called 12 men to follow Him. For three plus years Jesus poured his life into his disciples and then he was arrested, crucified, rose again and then ascended into heaven. Prior to his ascension into heaven he gave his followers a promise and a command.
Luke 24:46-49 “He told hem, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Jesus said he would send the promise of the Father, but they were to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power.
Acts 1:4-5, 8 “On one occasion, while he (Jesus) was
eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not
leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit….But 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.”
Jesus gave the disciples their life purpose. He gave them their mission. They were to carry on the work Jesus started. Jesus started with 12 disciple leaders. The 12 plus their families and other believers met in Jerusalem in the upper room. A small congregation of 120 believers. That small congregation was made up of men and women, young people. They waited in Jerusalem for the promise Jesus had given. “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…”
Jesus said wait. They waited for ten days from the ascension to the celebration of the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22) called Pentecost by the Jews became it came on the fifth day from the feast of First Fruits (Lev. 23:16).
Jesus said wait until you are clothed or filled with the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
It means to be willed with the person and character of Jesus.
It means being delivered from fear – both the fear of living and the fear of dying safe in the arms of Jesus.
It means being emptied of self and cleansed of self seeking ambitions and felled with Godly goals and ambitions.
It means having sense of mission to carry on the work
started by Jesus with the assurance Jesus gave, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Jesus said “Wait.” One thing we detest is waiting. Whether its waiting at the doctor’s office, waiting in line shopping, or waiting at a stop light. Waiting seems a waste of time. But it is often through waiting that we get our priorities straight. It is through waiting that we hear the voice of God.
# A story is about a young boy who was hired to do odd jobs and help with the cleanup around an ice-packing plant. As they were working one day, the plant foreman lost his watch in the piles of sawdust in which they packed the dry ice. He had his entire crew stop their work to help him find his watch. The watch was valuable and it also had sentimental attachments for the foreman. He desperately wanted to find it. Eventually the men gave up looking and went to lunch.
When the crew and their foreman returned from lunch, they encountered the boy standing in front of the plant. He had been waiting for them to return and he was holding the foreman’s watch.
"How did you find my watch?" the foreman asked excitedly. "We had a whole crew looking for it for several hours. We couldn’t find it anywhere. How could you, one young boy, possibly have found it?"
The boy simply said, "I just lay down real quietly in the sawdust and I listened for the sound of the watch ticking."
In this age, we are not very good at doing that, are we? How often do we lie still and quiet and listen for the sound of God’s voice? How consistently do we pause amidst our busyness and seek God’s message?
A secret of the early Church’s phenomenal growth is that they began by waiting. They paused to allow God’s Spirit to empower them and to lead them. Their effectiveness in carrying out their mission was ensured by their willingness to rely on God. God’s Purpose.
Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost the 120 were gathered together waiting in prayer and they heard the sound of a mighty rushing wind. The sound might has been like a tornado or Jet engine warming up. The sound was loud enough to draw a great crowd. Then flames like tongues of fire appeared on the heads of the 120 believers and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in other languages so that everyone in the crowd heard the message in their own language and dialect. Over three thousand men plus women and young people repented and confessed Jesus as Lord.
Here was the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise given by Jesus in Acts 1:8 – witnessing in Jerusalem Acts 3:1-8:3. Witnessing in Judea and Samaria Acts 8:4-12:25. Witnessing to the ends of the earth, Acts 13-28.
The command of Jesus to the early Christians is our command today. We are to witness first in our Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria and unto the ends of the earth.
I. We are To share good News at Home
Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem.” The primary witness of the disciples was to tell about Jesus, his life, his death and resurrection. They were telling good news.
As Christians our first mission, our Jerusalem is to share good news at home. Our home is our first mission field. God gives clear command that parents are responsible to communicate God’s good news in the home. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 The Message) “Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got! Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.”
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 8 Jesus healed a demon-possessed man. After the man was healed he begged Jesus to let him go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you. So the man want away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” (Luke 8:38-39)
How do parents share good news in the home – their Jerusalem?
#Through the quiet streets of a fishing village that lay at the mouth of a turbulent river, a cry rant out, “Boy overboard!” Quickly a crowd gathered and anxious eyes looked out over the rushing water to the figure of the drowning boy. Each anxious mother’s heart was asking, “Is he my boy?” A rope was brought and the strongest swimmer in the village volunteered to rescue the drowning boy. Tying one end of the rope to his waist, the swimmer threw the other end among the crowd and plunged in. Anxiously, they watched him swim against the tide with strong, sure strokes, and a cheer when up when he reached the boy and grasped him safely in his powerful arms. “Pull in the rope!” he shouted over the swirling waters. The villagers looked from one to another, “Who is holding the rope?” they asked. But no one was holding the rope! In the excitement of watching the rescue, the end of the rope had slipped into the water. Powerless to help, they watched two precious lives go down because no one had make it his/her business to hold the rope.
Who is holding out the rope of good news of Jesus in your family?
You can provide many things for your family, but the foundation of everything is a solid faith in God. Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Good news is shared in the home when parents demonstrate the love of God. When mom and dad show mutual love and respect for God and for one another children learn a valuable lesson. God’s love is demonstrated when parents spend time with their family. You always find time for what you believe is important. You children need to hear you verbalize love. They need to hear your say to your spouse, “I love you.” They need to hear you say to them, “You’re a great kid, God loves you and I love and appreciate you.” Taking time with your children yields great benefits.
Love will break through the barriers put up by your children when given firmly and consistently.
#Once upon a time there was a piece of iron which was very strong. Many attempts had been made to break it, but all had failed. “I’ll master it,” said the ax. His blows fell heavily on the iron, but every blow made his edge blunter until it ceased to strike.
“Leave it to me,” said the saw. It worked backward and forward on the iron’s surface until its jagged teeth were all worn and broken. Then it fell aside.
“Ah!” said the hammer. “I knew you wouldn’t succeed. I’ll show you the way.” But at the first fierce blow, off flew its head and the iron remained as before.
“Shall I try?” asked the small, soft flame. “Forget it,” everyone else said. “What can you do?” But the flame curled around the iron, embraced it, and never left the iron until it melted under the flame’s irresistible influence.
Our mission is not to break our children’s hearts, but to melt them under the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s love.
Our mission is first to our world – our home including our family, relatives, people we work with, our friends, and our neighbors.
II. Share Good News Beyond Our World
We not only share good news in our Jerusalem – Family, we are to share good news beyond our world.
Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria…” Judea and Samaria represent people beyond our world of Friends, Relatives, Work Associates and Neighbors. Jesus said in John 17:18, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” The Apostle Paul stated the clear mission God gave him in Acts 20:24, “…the most important think is that I complete my mission, the work the Lord Jesus gave me – to tell people the good news about God’s grace.”
Your life on purpose is sharing good news. The Greek word for evangelism means “telling good news.” As a witness you are telling what you have seen and heard about Jesus.
The Bible teaching is clear, Jesus reaches out in love to everyone. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “God doesn’t want anyone to be lost, but He wants all people to change their hearts and lives.” God is not willing that any should perish.
Our mission as a church doesn’t say anything about becoming a big church. Our mission is about “bringing people to Jesus, loving, equipping and sending them out to make more and better disciples.” That our mission. Our mission is to keep the “go” in the Gospel. Without “go” all you have is “spel.” Without “go” you have “od news.”
We keep the go in the gospel by reaching out in love to those around us. Galatians 6:2 “Stoop down and reach out to those who were oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law.”
You can get involved in reaching beyond your comfortable world by helping an inner city mission like City Mission or helping Teen challenge or going on the mission trip to Mexico our next door neighbor.
# From time to time we have mission opportunities that come right to our church campus. A couple weeks ago a man hobbled into our church office looking for help. He came into my office and said he had broken his ankle. He told me he fell off his bike and wanted to go visit his mother at the Santa Clara Hospital. She was dying of Cancer. I told him I’d give him a ride. We got in my little car and I reached over and put my hand on him and said, before we go let’s pray. I prayed dear Jesus, and he said, “Yes Jesus I Need Your Help.” I prayed for him and his mother. He was mooning and groaning about his pain. I got to the hospital and dropped him off and wished him well and told him I hoped he found his mother doing better.
When I returned to the church later I was told to check the sanctuary. A large hole was in the back above the kitchen area. Chuck Schultz checked it out and found orange pealing in the attic above the kitchen. Evidently the gentleman I gave a ride to the hospital had spent time in the kitchen attic and found himself locked there and had to kick a hole to get out and when he jumped down hurt his ankle.
I felt sorry for the young man and thought of what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus said, “I as hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into you home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I as sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me. People asked, when did we do that for you? “When you have done it to one of the least of my brothers or sisters, you’ve done it to Me.”
III. Sharing Good News With the World
Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and Samaria and unto the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
This verse doesn’t say you are to witness either in Jerusalem, or Judea or Samaria or unto the ends of the earth. You are to witness both and. It’s not either or, it’s both and.
Our life on purpose fulfilling God’s mission begins at home, and then to our FRAN relationships and then on to the world. We are to love and care for the whole world. Mark 16:15 Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world and tell the Good News to everyone.”
Several Years ago a group from Willow Vale took a trip to Hong Kong and China. We had the opportunity to take Bibles and Discipleship materials into China to help provide training for new Christians in house churches.
As part of our Free Methodist world network we are involved in 161 countries of the world. Through our missionary Blake Woods we are planting new churches in Iraq. Our church is helping provide support to the Nelsons in Cambodia. Last year we provided funds to purchase property to build a new church in Cambodia.
Steve Green sings a song that says, “Across the street or around the world, the mission is still the same, proclaim and live the truth in Jesus’ name.” If you want to live an exciting life of adventure. Get involved in fulfilling your mission – of telling the good news to others. Jesus tells the way, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw their lives away for My sake and the sake of the Good News, will ever know what it means to really live.” Matthew 10:39 (New Living Translation)
What if the Lord Jesus gave us the promise and command of Acts 1:8 – to the 120 plus in the Willow Vale Church and said, “You are my only hope to reach the non believers in San Jose and surrounding area. I have no other plan. We know there are thousands of others who Jesus is also calling to fulfill His promise and command. But if we were His only plan. Will He find us faithful?
Let’s become Acts 1:8 Christians –
I. Sharing good news with our family and FRAN network
II. Sharing good news beyond our world -----other people we meet who have needs
III. Sharing good news with the
World – to the ends of the earth
