Acts Finale - What Now?
Looking back on the church's history, from Acts to present day, we see the church multiplying. God calls each of us into his mission, and sometimes that mission is difficult.
In Matthew 28, verse 18, the resurrected Jesus Christ says. "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'"
This was said by a man who had overcome death, a man who had told a storm to stop and it listened, a man who drove out demons without argumentation. Jesus has the authority. "All of it belongs to me."
Look what he says next. "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples…'" Go here encapsulated that desire in us for our lives to matter, to be filled with adventure and excitement, to participate in something greater than ourselves. God is telling us he has a purpose for us. God has designed you for a specific purpose and placed in a specific situation to do what? to make disciples.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
And then Jesus tells us that he isn't sending us out to accomplish this on our own, but he is going with us through the Holy Spirit. As we go, as we live our lives, Jesus is telling us to make disciples. This means we need to invest in each other, to be hospitable, which means more than inviting people to lunch, it means loving people, whether strangers, fellow believers, or unbelievers, and treating them like family. It is an openness and willingness to share our lives with others. And as we bring people in, we tell them about Jesus. We give him credit for the peace and joy in our lives, and we let them see him lived out in us.
I heard a story about a new convert to Christ coming to Martin Luther, who was the father of the Great Reformation. The new convert said, "I have just become a Christian. How am I to faithfully serve the Lord?" Luther asked him, "Well, what do you do?" He said, "I'm a cobbler. I make shoes," to which Luther said, "Then make a great shoe and sell it at a fair price."
If you are a Christian, live now in your current profession as Christ would.
In Him,
Pastor Boyd
In Matthew 28, verse 18, the resurrected Jesus Christ says. "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'"
This was said by a man who had overcome death, a man who had told a storm to stop and it listened, a man who drove out demons without argumentation. Jesus has the authority. "All of it belongs to me."
Look what he says next. "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples…'" Go here encapsulated that desire in us for our lives to matter, to be filled with adventure and excitement, to participate in something greater than ourselves. God is telling us he has a purpose for us. God has designed you for a specific purpose and placed in a specific situation to do what? to make disciples.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
And then Jesus tells us that he isn't sending us out to accomplish this on our own, but he is going with us through the Holy Spirit. As we go, as we live our lives, Jesus is telling us to make disciples. This means we need to invest in each other, to be hospitable, which means more than inviting people to lunch, it means loving people, whether strangers, fellow believers, or unbelievers, and treating them like family. It is an openness and willingness to share our lives with others. And as we bring people in, we tell them about Jesus. We give him credit for the peace and joy in our lives, and we let them see him lived out in us.
I heard a story about a new convert to Christ coming to Martin Luther, who was the father of the Great Reformation. The new convert said, "I have just become a Christian. How am I to faithfully serve the Lord?" Luther asked him, "Well, what do you do?" He said, "I'm a cobbler. I make shoes," to which Luther said, "Then make a great shoe and sell it at a fair price."
If you are a Christian, live now in your current profession as Christ would.
In Him,
Pastor Boyd
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