Church Growth Sunday, part 2
Acts 1:8
Intro:
I talked to you this morning about the fact that every person plays a vital role in seeing church growth. No person in this body is an exception. Everybody has a calling to help, and everyone will also reap the rewards. When people start coming in, we’ll all become excited again, as we’ll see our crowds grow, there will be more workers, etc.
It’s simply up to us whether we want things to go or not. God certainly does, but he is looking for some vessels to work through.
READ TEXT
There is a word given for soul winning; it’s called evangelism. Evangelism simply means we are spreading the good news of Jesus to those around us. And evangelism is not merely limited to the lost, but also to those who are hurting/struggling in the body of Christ. It’s feeding the hungry in spirit, and healing the broken.
Any church that is not evangelistic in its efforts is a church that has missed the direction of God. Jesus made it clear that he wanted his message told to the whole world. (1)Mark 16:15 "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature", (2)*one of only prayer requests Jesus gave to man* Matt. 9:38 "Ask the lord of the harvest therefore to send out workers into his harvest field" (3)John 20:21 "Peace be with you. As the father is sending me, so am I sending you" (4)Jesus gave his sign of the end of time by saying this in Matt. 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come". **IT’S PRETTY PLAIN: HE WANTS HIS MESSAGE TO GET OUT!**
There has never been a time when there is a greater need for evangelism. (crime, hatred, violence, school shootings, etc.) But not only that, but there has never been a time when there was a greater opportunity for evangelism either. God is opening doors like never before across the globe for this message to spread. EXP.
But I want you to notice something here in the text: "you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem.." The first place he mentions is Jerusalem- the place where they were. There is a word to be seen in this: I never have and might not ever get to go preach in Africa, Asia, Europe, etc. And you might not either. But our evangelism must start in our Jerusalem- where we are. And we can do it if we’re willing.
But the one thing that must be considered is this: times are changing. And as much as people don’t want to modernize the church/try different things, in order to reach a new, radical generation there has to come a point in time when we’re willing to change some of our methods without ever compromising our message. And it can be done. *The most difficult thing the church world has ever dealt with is change. But at some point in time we need to realize that if what we’re doing ain’t working, let’s try something else that might!
Sometimes it seems like Christians believe their particular methods of doing things are endoctrinated in the Bible as the only way to get it done. But all Jesus said was "go". He didn’t say how we have to do it, just do it. Whatever it takes, we must reach this world!
There is a 3 fold ministry of the church: Empower, Equip, Evangelize. And in order to effectively evangelize, we must be empowered and equipped.
EMPOWER
We have all memorized the text, but let’s take a look at what it’s really saying. You remember Jesus said in Luke 24:49 "Behold I send you the promise of my father. But tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high". He reiterates that statement here in Acts, saying "you’re going to receive power after the HG comes upon you". Power for what? For service. To touch lives for the kingdom. To minister the gospel effectively. And when this power came upon them, they literally turned their world upside down.
I can tell you that we too need that same empowerment from on high. A church without the HG will be ineffective. A ministry..., A Christian... We need the HG power moving inside us. We need him actively at work in our services. We need him empowering us to teach our classes, sing our songs, preach our sermons, etc. And we need him to empower us while evangelizing this world! *That’s why Jesus said to wait on it, because if the HG was not poured out (and continually being poured out) on them, they would not be able to accomplish what they did.
The HG will give us what it takes to be effective. He’ll give us leadership, give us the words to say, give us a demonstration of his power, and fruit for our labor.
I am not one bit ashamed of our doctrine concerning tongues, gifts of the spirit, demonstrations, etc. But the whole goal is not just so we can speak in unknown tongues, but the power is mainly designed to help us win souls! And in all honesty, if we never spoke in tongues, danced in the spirit, or had an expression of charisma, if it helped us win souls it would be worth it all!
Here’s the tragedy: I have been in service in multiple amounts of churches where there was messages being given out, folks shouting, etc. but the church never grew. My concern is, are we taking that same HG out with us into the world so we can win the world to Jesus?
EQUIP
Beyond the scope of visiting the sick, counseling, etc. My main task as a pastor is to equip you with the things you need in order to be successful in your Christian walk and also in your service for God. Eph. 4:11-13 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of God" Every time you leave here, you ought to feel like you’ve learned something new from the Lord, been blessed, edified, etc. Through the preaching of the word, and personal instruction, my obligation to you is, that you can receive everything you need to be effective in the kingdom service.
Here at Deerwood, I not only want you to be mentally/spiritually equipped, but I also want you to be equipped with tools for service. That’s the idea behind the invitation CD’s and cards. Inviting folks has never been easier than it is for you now. Because all you have to do is give it out. The talking is already done.
**bottom line is: I don’t want anyone to say that Pastor didn’t give us what we needed in order to be a successful, thriving congregation.**
EVANGELIZE
This is the implementation part. This is where you practice what you’ve learned. You see, you can get filled w/ the HG, you can receive the word, etc. But if you don’t run with it/do something with it, it will all be in vain. There has to be a commitment to ministry. There has to be a time when you and I figure out that the only way to get things moving is to step into it and take part. Let’s take this message to our Jerusalem.
Inside our church, there has to also be a commitment to ministry. We need to become involved in our church. If you’re a leader (teacher, worship, etc.) be committed, faithful, dedicated. Make sure you keep in mind that you are not only doing these things before man, but also before God. Think of it this way: if you knew JC himself was going to be in your class, in your service, etc. for the next 6 weeks, would you be prepared, ready, and faithful? You see, because he is there, you just don’t see him with the human eye.
When folks walk in here, let’s minister effectively to them. Let’s reach them for Jesus!
Tonight, I’m asking you to commit yourself to evangelism and church growth!
