Final Instructions

Thank you so much for your testimony, is the day and sharing what God is doing in your lives in the lives of those that you minister to grateful that Calvary church can be a part of all your work to share the gospel around the world. Our theme for the week is acts 18 and Dr. Monroe will speak on that passage next Sunday, so please turn in your Bibles to acts 18 sister verse which is Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20. Matthew 28 verses 19 through 20. I will be there for just a moment there were gonna slip over to ask just a moment. Matthew 2819 through 20. Go therefore and make disciples of all the 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 now, in this passage called the great commission and then again in acts one verse a.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he gave that verse and he left his followers at the end of his life an important message he gave his followers his final instructions as to how his mission to redeem the world was to continue when he was gone before the beginning of time, God had planned to redeem those he created in his image from their sin. He works his plan through his chosen people Israel gave us the Messiah the Almighty God becoming flesh are Messiah, Jesus Christ would live a perfect sinless life and would die on the cross, paying our sin that this debt is a debt that we could not pay and paid by Jesus. It is a gift from God. This only requirement is faith in the Savior and his redeeming work God's plan had been accomplished in Jesus Christ. So what was next. The world had to know of the Savior sacrifice.

The world had to know that Jesus, as stated in John 14 six is the way the truth and the life. Let me say the only way the only truth, and the only life and that no one comes to the father except through him God could have sent angels, he could have had all creation. Seeing a redemption song he could've written it in the sky but instead God gave that opportunity to communicate the gospel he gave that opportunity to communicate his redeeming work to you and to me.

I'm not sure if you and I fully understand and have accepted the responsibility that God has given us in the great commission is a command for us to go and to make disciples of all the nation, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit for the world to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It depends upon me, and it depends upon you. It depends upon whether were willing to answer the call know God's command to go and to make disciples.

So how does that happen. Turn, if you would to acts 13 now it will look at verses one through three.

Briefly, acts 13 verses one through three. Now there were in the church in Antioch, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of sorry Monday on a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul and while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them and then after fasting and praying they led lay their hands on them and sent them off.

Now let me give you a little bit of background here. Christianity had now reached Antioch 300 miles north of Jerusalem. It began in Jerusalem and was now moving forward, and from the church in Antioch, the church will launch out to the ends of the earth. Not only that but the church would now begin reaching people of different cultures and of different countries.

It would all launch from this little church in Antioch is another specific first from the church in Antioch that is significant significant for our church this week as we began our missions conference.

Look at verse two. There are four words I'd like to call your attention to it says the holy spirit said those four verses four words at Antioch. The Holy Spirit is about to do a first. The Holy Spirit is about to set apart and send the first missionaries, Saul and Barnabas verse two when they were worshiping and fat worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I've called them. Notice that the Holy Spirit spoke and I believe that Holy Spirit is here today I believe that the Holy Spirit will speak to many of you this week. He is here to call and to set apart. Maybe some of you for the work that God has prepared just for you. What can we learn about this passage briefly. First off I want us to understand that God uses ordinary people. There has never been anything special about the people that God is called throughout the Scripture, God has called people like you and people like me to carry out his plans. Just look at the 12 disciples. They were simple people. Fishermen tax collectors, and Galileans. God used these disciples at least 11 of them to turn the world upside down.

Now let me give you a quote from my favorite Scottish pastor. My second favorite Scottish pastor Robert Murray McShane.

He died when he was just 29 years old but he changed the landscape of Scotland through his preaching and teaching ministry. He said it is not great talents that God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus, let me say that again it is not great talent that God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. God uses ordinary people in his word like you and like me who want to be like Jesus and who want to act like Jesus. I love hearing our missionary stories today. Didn't you and I love our missionaries as are gathered around the room. There are good looking green, but I want to know that there is nothing special about them and in themselves. They are nothing special but just ordinary people like me and like you, but when empowered by the Holy Spirit as they act like Jesus. This group of missionaries become like superheroes, don't they.

When you hear these testimonies and you go. Oh my goodness, look at how God is using the superheroes to change the world. They are planting churches in Muslim countries. They are teaching the Bible in tribal communities. They are providing language development in Bible translation. Unreached people groups.

They fly airplanes, they reach out to college students. They carry the gospel to a lost and dying world. These are ordinary people who are imitating Jesus and because of that they are superheroes. That is what we see at the church. It Antioch. There were ordinary people who wanted to be like Jesus, God called them out through the Holy Spirit and he used Paul and Barnabas to change the world.

Are you an ordinary person you want to be like Jesus. I believe that qualifies you to be a missionary so number one God calls ordinary people number two God calls a commission. All people. Now that's kind of a mission word so what does it mean it means that God calls people from a community of faith, he calls people from a community like the church to carry the message to the world. They are committed to the body of believers and to the great commission. This church and they are challenged to carry the message to the world. Look at this passage again.

It says now there were in the church in Antioch, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of sorry management and a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul, what were they doing first two while they were worshiping together a community of faith, the Lord came the Lord worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart from your congregation paraphrase here for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they the church laid their hands on them and sent them off.

You see this powerful picture God uses ordinary people that are God centered, seeking his will as a community of faith there praying in their fasting. The committed to the great commission to reach a lost world, and when a church like the church in Antioch is committed to all those themes people are called out to present the gospel around the world.

The church in Antioch was not satisfied with other people doing missions they were committed to going and doing missions themselves. They have locked arms together as a church for the purpose of sharing the gospel around the world. So number one God calls ordinary people number two God calls commissionable people out of a community of faith. Number three God calls people who purpose and embrace diversity. Look at the church of Antioch and their leadership. In verse one. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and and teachers Barnabas and Ann Simeon. It was called Niger, Lucius of sorry Monday and a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul now look at the ethnic diversity there was a part of that church. Barnabas and Saul were Jewish.

I Simeon Niger.

We get to have two countries in Africa is year end and Nigeria is from the Latin word black so there were Jews there were Blacks Lucius Lucius of submarine North Africa, which means there were Arab people, and then he was Roman.

These are the same church. Different people but united together to reach the nations that is being God's design. Since the very beginning is for all the nations to be blessed all the nations your love was taken place a Calvary church. We have over 70 nations together here for worship nations and and people groups. God is gathering the nations right here at Calvary church and it's exciting know the reason he is gathering the nations here is not for our own edification, but I believe that God is bringing the nations to Calvary church to reach the nation starting right here in Charlotte where the nations are gathering and then moving out from this place around the world to reach the world for Christ. The bride of Christ is going to be international and multicultural from all the nations of the world. The church in Antioch you that we they needed to love others, no matter what their color, nationality or culture in the same way. Once we as Calvary church as we continue to grow and we love people of of different colors of different nationalities of different cultures, we began to see the world in a different light and our passion for a lost and dying world and of different cultures and different people begins to grow.

Once we appreciate one of not one another than we see the all the world is the Savior, and we want to go out and reach every tribe and every nation, and not rest until that's done. So God calls and ordinary people from the church at Antioch.

He calls out of the community of faith commissionable people. God calls people who pursue and embrace racial or diversity, cultural diversity, one more thing that we can learn from this passage, God calls people who are passionate worshiping the Lord.

Verse two while they were worshiping the Lord. They were called out. I know that there are some textual issues here when I apply that the church was worshiping the Lord the text really appears to say that the leaders were worshiping the Lord. But if it is a priority for the leadership to worship than is the priority for the church to worship and leaders.

I want you know that the church follows you and they will only be engaged in the disciplines of the faith to the level of the leadership and the enthusiasm of the leadership. If you are excited and worship and to worship than the people here will be excited to worship as well.

Who are they worshiping with the church at Antioch worshiping there were worshiping the Lord and the Lord of course is Jesus Christ. Did you know that Jesus was a missionary God sent his son and that would what missionaries are sent. God sent his son to give his life so that we might know God and be restored in our relationship with the God Almighty. This Lord that we are worshiping is our example of a missionary. He went to the hedges and the highways to call all to a great banquet that his father is providing he gave his life that we might enter into the father's presence and he is our example in the church in Antioch was excited enthusiastic about worshiping the Lord in its out of that worship experience that God called them out to a lost and dying world. What if each one of us who calls ourselves a believer would engage a lost and dying world as an act of worship with the same passion that Jesus approached a lost and dying world. When we worship the Lord our heartbeat becomes his heartbeat and his love for others, including the nations becomes our love for the nations worship is where it all begins. God calls the people who are passionate about worshiping the Lord because when we worship we want others to experience the same intimacy with God that we have through worship so we know the God calls ordinary people like me and like you, we know that God calls commissionable people he calls in the missions out of community of faith we know the God calls people who pursue and embrace diversity and have has a love for the nations allow for different people. We know that God calls people who are passionate about worshiping the Lord. So what happens next.

Remember the four words that were focusing on today.

The Holy Spirit said the Holy Spirit begins to move. We do these things just as the church in Antioch. The Holy Spirit begins to speak to people and move people like he did. The church in Antioch to embrace the world and to reach out to a lost and dying world. This small spirit filled church in Antioch became the Kabbalist for sending missionaries Paul and Barnabas to reach a lost and dying world with the gospel. I wonder if we were committed to these things. How the spirit might move among us.

If we open ourselves up this week. You and me to the endless possibilities that the Lord has for us. I wonder how the spirit might speak. We do that this week will you open yourselves up to maybe doing something for him. Would you open yourselves to the spirit moving you into missions this week Weathers local or Weathers international because I believe the spirit wants to speak this week. Join me as we pray together following. Thank you for your presence in this place today, we thank you father for the power of your word for how it moves us father how it convicts us father how it transforms us and father today. I pray that it might open hearts to considering the call for missions and father I pray that your spirit my move this week among our people among God's calling us to be used as your servants posed here and around the world until all the nations know you forts in Jesus name we pray.

Amen