Acts 1:1-11 “Discover Our Mission
INTRODUCTION
While we are being birthed as a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, during the month of October, I think it is important for us to focus on the reason and purpose for our life. Last Sunday Jose focused on Jesus’ teaching that his disciples—the body of Christ—are both salt and light to the world.
This week we will work with Jesus’ parting words to his disciples that they were to wait for the Holy Spirit and then become Jesus’ witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world. His instructions echo his parting teachings that are found in the gospel of Matthew. In chapter 25, Jesus instructs his disciples to, “Go therefore into the world and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that I have commanded you and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Taking Jesus’ words seriously, the leadership of Desert Streams Church has crafted a Mission Statement that we believe closely follows Jesus’ teaching. As a congregation, we proudly proclaim that our mission is to “Invite everyone to a new life in Christ, a deeper relationship with Christ, and spirit-filled service for Christ.”
EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT
Jesus sent his disciples on trial mission trips, but he did not mention the Holy Spirit at that time. Even in the great commission in Matthew, Jesus does not talk about the Holy Spirit when he tells the disciples to make disciples of all nations—though he does promise to be with them always. It here, in the beginning of the book of Acts, and in the Gospel of John, when Jesus appears to his disciples on Easter evening that we hear of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The task before the disciples is an imposing one, if not impossible. They are called to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and be witnesses to God’s love and grace to the entire world. The commission goes to ordinary men and women, fishermen, tax collectors, merchants and slaves, who are not trained in marketing or persuasive speaking. Certainly, if a mission needed God’s presence and power in the person of the Holy Spirit, is was the mission to which Jesus was calling his disciples. Success in this mission depended both upon the human talents, abilities and commitment of the disciples and the power and presence of God.
Ten days later, the disciples found out what it meant to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and why they needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon them like a mighty wind. The disciples were given the ability to clearly and boldly communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to people from around the world.
We have received the Holy Spirit at our baptism. The Holy Spirit is more than God’s benign presence in our lives, or a healthy conscience that tells us right from wrong. The Holy Spirit gives us a vision of what God wants us to do, anoints our words so they touch the lives of the people around us, and empowers our actions so that they communicate God’s love and grace.
As we step forward in our mission to “Invite everyone to a new life in Christ, a deeper relationship with Christ and spirit-filled service for Christ, we do so with the faith and confidence that the Holy Spirit is present with us and is empowering us.
WE WELCOME
It is important that each and every one of us clearly understands that our mission field is large—everyone in the city of Surprise and surrounding community. The major emphasis is not on the geographical location, but on the “every one.”
One of the first Bible verses I was taught and memorized is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only sons that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” This verse catches us by surprise at the depth and the expanse of God’s love.
It doesn’t take much time in your average congregation to realize that the majority of Christians have forgotten, or have ignored, the expanse of God’s love. The church’s welcome is often limited to those who enjoy the same music, those who look like us, those who have similar incomes, or vote in a similar fashion. If different and diverse people join us, then we expect the Holy Spirit to change them into our image in a short amount of time.
We at Desert Streams Church commit ourselves to welcome all people; to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Why? We welcome all people, because Jesus died for all people, and because every one is a sinner in need of a savior.
WE NURTURE
It is notable that in Matthew, Jesus did not send his disciples to make members of all nations so that after paying their dues they could have all the rights and privileges of being children of God, and build expense clubhouses for themselves. The purpose of sending the disciples out as witnesses, in the beginning of Acts, is not so that people could accept Christ and escape some type of eternal damnation. The disciples’ witness was so that people would respond to God’s overwhelming love and become God’s disciples, servants, and witnesses to the world around them.
At Desert Streams Church we commit to each other to nurture each other in our faith and our relationship with Jesus Christ. Discipleship is more than punching a time clock and showing up on Sunday mornings. Discipleship is encountering a living God in worship, encouraging one another in fellowship, discovering the rich message of Scripture and its application in our lives in class and small groups, and experiencing the joy of using our time, talent and treasures in God’s service and to God’s glory.
Discipleship is involvement.
WE SERVE
Like all of God’s gifts and blessings, the gift of God’s love and God’s salvation was meant to share. We misuse these precious gifts if we keep them to ourselves.
At the core of our faith is the belief that God has created each and every one of us with unique and specific gifts. God has placed us in this place, at this time, with these gifts, for a specific ministry. We believe that God will reveal our ministry to us, if we ask, and that God will empower us for this ministry if we boldly and obediently follow him.
Many of us realize that the average congregation has become similar to watching a football game. During a football game, there are 22 men in desperate need of rest, and 80,000 people in desperate need of exercise. We at Desert Streams Church do not want to be the average congregation. We do not believe that the Holy Spirit is calling only a few to serve. We believe that God is calling everyone to serve.
CONCLUSION
Becoming a congregation is an important milestone, but it is not an end in and of itself. In a similar manner meeting the goal of increasing our weekly offering so that we can be self-sustaining and building a worship and ministry center as soon as possible are important milestones, but are not the central purpose of our existence.
Surprise has just topped to 100,000 mark in population. That means with a 40% rate of people stating that they attend church regularly, that we have a mission field of over 60,000 people who need to hear and experience the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think our mission field is a little larger than that, because I do not think that 40,000 people are in worship in Surprise on any given Sunday.
We have a challenging ministry ahead of us. Still, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will invite everyone to a new life in Christ, a deeper relationship with Christ, and spirit-filled service for Christ.
Amen
