Our Mission – Being Witnesses

Subject: How We Become Effective Witnesses as a Church

by Rick Welborne

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 

1. Our Mission should be clear.

--Our mission should impact all that we do as believers. Our mission should be what we are trying to accomplish, our target, what we hope with God’s help to be our goal…our mission given to us by God.

--As Christians our mission should not be that difficult because our Commander in Chief Jesus has already laid out for us what we should be doing.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
¹⁸  Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
¹⁹  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

--Our mission, according to Jesus, is to go everywhere telling people about the good news of salvation and then, teaching them to be His disciples. It is not that complicated.

--Our mission can be accomplished by having an organized missions program where we faithfully support those who are being sent to the ends of the earth.

--With God’s help we are doing everything we can to make sure that happens. We need you to come along side of us to be successful. 100% participation would be awesome. We can do more than we are doing.

--Our mission can be accomplished by organized mission’s trips from Life Church…we have done this for years and have won the hearts of many toward missions…when you see the need you respond. Jamaica!

--Our mission can be accomplished by having strategic church ministries that have outreach written all over them…House of Hope, Street evangelism, going into the schools, HGHF. 

--Reaching the lost and hurting should always be on the forefront of everything we do…every dept. head should prayerfully consider how their ministry can accomplish the mission. How to be inclusive.

--Our special classes for women, our men’s breakfast, our children’s ministry and youth should be opportunities for the lost to find Jesus and the found to be transformed into disciples.

--Sunday school teachers should take advantage of situations when new people come who do not know Christ.

We should never feel we have to wait on the main worship service to be their time.

--The other day I had lunch with a new person in our church who started coming because some Life Church golfers invited him to play with them…He was a Christian but was looking for a church home.

--Dr. Lee, who was the main professor I had when I did my Master’s program said that one of the ways we reach those in our community was by meeting felt needs that they have presently.

--Growing to 1000 plus will not be difficult when we all are filled with God’s power and we figure out ways to help those in our community…who are you helping right now? They become your mission.

--Your pastor is trying to help a family whose daughter just got out of jail and a man who was devastated when his wife had him served with divorce papers. These people are hurting and they need Jesus.

--We never want to just become another organization that is chasing the latest humanitarian cause but as we help people thru their mess we can lead them to the Master.

2. Our local mission can be realized by lifestyle evangelism.

--Wherever we are and whatever we are doing should always be a prospect for leading someone to Christ.

--Obviously we have not all been called to be on a mission’s trip or are we able to easily get people into church.

We must pray and look for and expect opportunities to present themselves every day.

--We are not a church that is always on a mission’s trip but we should always be a church that is on mission.

Henry Blackaby – God is always on mission and He is just looking for those who will join Him to accomplish His will.

--God had in His heart to free the children of Israel from their bondage, so what did He do? He invited Moses to join Him in His endeavor. He always has deliverance on His heart. 

--Who is God inviting you along with Him to reach? Think about that and pray God will direct you to the ones who need Jesus and who need you. Think about Zacchaeus.

Luke 19:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
¹⁰  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

--If your lifestyle is such that you only feel you can lead someone to Christ on a mission’s trip, at church, or a church related event…you need to raise your expectations and faith.

--Lifestyle evangelism is only effective when we are displaying the fruit of Holy Spirit on a regular basis…

That favorite restaurant you go to, you can lose your chance of leading them to Christ with one bad day.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

--How we present this gospel, the attitude and prayer behind our presentation, and even the verbiage we use is so important…listen to this man telling about when he was four and going to church.

Video 

3. My mission cannot just be what I do but it must be who I am. Who I am in Christ.

--Yes, I am a minister and yes my church is a great responsibility to me…but the church is not the whole world Jesus told me to reach in Matthew.

--Tennis or golf or shopping are no longer just activities we are doing but opportunities for our light to so shine before those we are coming into contact with…God wants to be glorified.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)
³¹  Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

--Your job, your recreation, your vacation, your doctor visit, your classroom, your whatever is not just you grinding out your day but you are on your mission field.

--When I realize that my purpose and mission are assigned to me by God and that He has plans for everyone to be saved…He sets me up with divine encounters…my perspective begins to change.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NIV)
¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
¹²  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
¹⁴  I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

--I know we always want to use these verses for ourselves but do we really believe God has plans for the lost to bring them out of their captivity.

--Life Church is here, not just so we can have our needs met…we invite Holy Spirit not just so we can get those goose bumps and go home feeling good.

--We should come to get empowered and so we can realize our mission to be witnesses. The lost need us.

Acts 1:8-11 (NKJV)
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
⁹  Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
¹⁰  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
¹¹  who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." 

--Stop stand around gazing up into heaven for your prayer to be answered or for Jesus to come back…get busy and start fulfilling your mission.