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TEXT: Acts 2

1. The giving of the Spirit.

2. The preaching of the first Christian sermon.

3. The picture of a Spirt filled church.

Quote: “God doesn’t have a mission for His church; He made a church for His mission.”

I. THE COMING OF THE SPIRIT

*Pentecost did not take place because the people were praying, Pentecost happened because God was fulfilling His promise!

A. The Sound of The Spirits Coming

John 3:4-8
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

B. The Sight of The Spirts Coming

*A sure sign that we are filled with the Spirit is that we are proclaiming the name of Jesus.

Quote: “I set myself on FIRE, they come to watch me burn.” John Wesley

II. THE COMMOTION AND CONFUSION

III. THE CHARGE AND CHALLENGE

*God desires that all of His children declare the life changing Gospel message to those who are in need of the Saviour.

Quote: “If you have no wish to bring others to heaven, you are not going there yourself.” C. H. Spurgeon

Quote: “The church that does not evangelize will fossilize.” Oswald J. Smith

Quote: “It is not our strength we want. It is not our work to make them believe. That is the work of the Spirit. Our work is to give them the Word of God. I cannot convert men; I can only proclaim the Gospel” D. L. Moody

*The persistence of prayer, the power of the Gospel, and the presence of the Spirit is what will bring transformation to people.
Challenge:

*Has the conviction of the Spirit caused me to cry out to God for salvation?

*Am I living under the control of the Spirit sharing and showing the Gospel?

TEXT: Acts 1:14-26

*Waiting is a work of God’s grace in our lives helping us to grow in Him.

1. God’s delays are not always God’s denials.

2. Waiting is never wasted time when you’re resting on a promise.

3. Waiting is not inactivity but it is often preparation.

4. Remain faithful while you are waiting.

I. SUBMIT TO THE WORD

Matthew 24:14
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

*We must go to them because they are not going to come to us!

A. Sharing The Gospel Comes With A Price

*The Gospel spreads through surrender and sacrifice.

*Pick of Adonirham Judson and wife Ann

Quote: “There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after you.” Adonirham Judson

Luke 9:23, 24
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save
it.”

B. Sharing The Gospel Requires Concentrated Prayer

Quote: “If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life. You’ll always be a little too tired, a little too busy to pray. But if your life Jesus, you realize you can’t do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time.” (no pick needed) Paul Miller

II. HEED THE WARNING

*Judas represents the many who are around Jesus and like Jesus but Jesus is not in them and they don’t really love Him.

*People who really love Jesus will love His church and serve others.

Quote: “The motto of every missionary, whether preacher, printer, or schoolmaster, ought to be "Devoted for life." Adoniram Judson

TEXT: Acts 1:1-14

*Our church is a part of Christ’s continuing work here on Earth.

Quote: “God’s mission is what fills the gap between the scattering of the nations in Genesis 12 and the healing of the nations in Revelation 22. God’s worldwide mission defines every believer’s primary responsibility until Jesus returns.” C. Wright

*The church is not some place we attend the church is a movement that we belong to.

*The problem for many churches today is that they have lost a sense of mission or have exchanged the mission for something else.

1. Witness

2. Worship

*Logos-we must have the Word of Christ in us
*Ethos-the inner reality for what we proclaim
*Pathos-a passion for Christ

I. EMBRACE THE COMMANDS OF CHRIST

*The mission of Christ to His church is to make new converts not convince people to our opinions.

I Corinthians 1:21-24
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

II. EMPOWERMENT COMES THROUGH THE SPIRIT

*We must constantly tap into the Spirits power enabling us to continue in the mission.

*Jesus has not called His church into the entertainment or education business but to evangelize!

*The explosive power of the Spirit is never fully experienced until we are witnessing for Christ.

III. ENGAGE IN THE MISSION

*Jesus is not asking us to do the work for Him but rather to join Him in the work!

Challenge: Am I continuing in the work or have I become complacent?

Quote: Complacency in the Christian life always points to being out of touch with the urgency of the message and blind to the glory of Christ. J.D. Greear

*We must continue exalting the name of Christ as we witness and worship.