The Mission of the Church

The Mission of the Church

Acts 1:8

Introduction

God's mission was the most important topic for our Lord Jesus. The church lives between eschatological tension: now and not yet. The mission is the heart and passion of the Christ's Church. What is the mission of the church today and forever? Acts 1:8 is the key verse in the book of Acts. It is the historic schedule in the development of the church. I find three important questions in this strategic passage of the New Testament:

1. The Request of the Mission (v. 8a)
a. The presence and power (Gr, dunamis) of the Holy Spirit.
b. The mission is the historic project of God. Is not the man. It is not man's doing.
c. What is the nature of the Church? = Sinner's congregation. Martin Luther said: "The face of the church, is the face of the sinners"
d. The agent of the mission of God is the Holy Spirit.
e. The resource of the mission is Christ's Church.
f. The big problem today is the teaching: Holy Spirit is resource of the Church for the mission. This isn't right. The right is vice versa.

2. The Contents of the Mission (v. 8b)
a. To be a witness (Gr, martur). It is imperative, not an option.
b. The believer needs to be prepared to die for Jesus Christ, if necessary.
c. What does it mean to witness for Jesus Christ? To show the Gospel in my flesh and my bone. It is not only words.
d. To be a witness, means to live fallowing Jesus Christ every day, until the end of my life.
e. CrÌstico event: His Person, his job, his Gospel, his Sacrifice at the Cross of Calvary for us, his resurrection and second coming.
f. In other words: His Life in my life, here and now.

3. The Reach of the Mission (v. 8c)
a. The ends of the earth (Gr, eskaton). Starting in my own family, community, town, country, etc.
b. Immanent and transcendent. To begin in my heart, and end in eternity.
c. Today, the one - third of the world doesn't know about Jesus Christ and his Gospel. This is our responsibility.
d. The Islam is growing quickly, more than Christianity. This is very sad.
e. Jesus is waiting for us. He needs us. Latin America is the future of missions. Now, we are the senders of missionaries to the world: Praying, giving, and going.
f. We need to preach the abundant life around the world. No fear (28:31)


Conclusion & Application

We need to recover our responsibility in the mission. We are the people of God (1 Peter, 2:9-10). Who will go? This is the most important question for you and for me, right now. You need to make a decision today. Do you want to walk under the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you want to be a truth witness of Jesus? Do you want to go to the unreached? If you want to make this decision, I want to pray for you. Praise the Lord. Amen.