"Won By One"

Introduction:

I. This being the second Sunday of the month, and the first second Sunday of the new year, it is only fitting that we talk about missions this morning.

II. It has been said that “Missions” is for those that carry the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to a culture not their own.

A. Certainly, in one aspect that is true; however a definition like that does not carry the full message of what missions is.

B. You see, if we consider missions to be for those that carry the message only to those in a different culture, it becomes all to easy for us to dismiss missions as not being for me.

1. I live in my home culture,

2. God has not called me to MOVE anyplace.

3. My part in missions might be

a. To give some money

b. To ensure that my church gives some money

c. Maybe, Maybe to pray once in a while,

4. But if missions is carrying the message of salvation through faith in Christ to a culture different than my own, then I am not a missionary.

III. I believe a more fitting definition of “missions” might be - “the act of carrying the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to those that have not heard it.”

A. If that is a good definition of what missions is, then Missions includes you and I.

B. Christ said in Matthew 28, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

1. You have probably heard more than once that the “Go” which begins verse 19 means, “As you are going.”

a. As we are going about your life.

b. As we are going about your job.

c. As we are going, doing whatever it is that we are doing, then part of what we should be doing is looking for the opportunity to share Christ.

IV. If we are to be obedient to this command of Christ, then the only question that applies is, “Am I being obedient to His command?”

A. Part of our “Going” includes the fact that we who are here this morning have made a decision to worship God as a part of the fellowship of Newtown Community Church.

B. Part of our going includes the desire to see others come to know Jesus Christ, and take their place worshiping God as a part of the fellowship Christ’s Church.

C. Part of our going includes the desire to see the fellowship of believers, worshiping God at Newtown Community Church increase, and let’s be honest, that means church growth; BUT how.

1. What should I do?

2. What can I do?

3. What is God calling me to do?

V. This morning, I want to share with you a strategy for our reaching out to those that have not yet trusted Jesus Christ for their eternal lives.

A. I admit that although I had been praying about what to introduce as an outreach strategy for us in the coming year, what I am introducing this morning is not original with me.

B. This was actually shared with me by a retired pastor, who heard about it from a pastor friend of his from Texas.

1. This pastor, Steve Riggles introduced it to a new church plant that he began some 10 years ago.

2. Today, that church plant see’s some 6,000 people worship each Sunday morning, with over 90% having come through this ministry.

C. I am not asking us to copy this simply because 5400 people came, but rather because it appears to me to be a sound, biblical model that all of us can participate in together.

VI. Let me begin by asking, “How many of us have someone in our lives that we would love to see come to faith in Christ in the coming year?”

A. I would venture to say all of us.

B. The beauty of what I am presenting this morning is that I am not suggesting that you become involved with people you don’t care about, but rather with people that you DO care about.

C. Christ said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.”

1. If that is true, then as believers in Jesus Christ, we must believe that the only way to eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ.

2. If that is true, then all of us have many people in our lives that we care about, that will spend eternity in hell, unless the come to faith in Jesus Christ.