“Going Beyond Ourselves”

Church Life

FCC – January 29, 2017

Text: Acts 1:8

Introduction: Turn in your Bibles to Acts 1: 8. We are continuing to talk about the basics of “Church Life.” So far, we have preached on worship, Bible study, and serving. This morning we are going to focus on ‘missions’ with a message entitled, “Going Beyond Ourselves.” Jesus modeled missions for us and commanded us to go beyond ourselves. The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28: 18-20, where we are clearly commanded to go. Jesus came and said to them,“All authorityin heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go therefore andmake disciples ofall nations,baptizing theminthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20teaching themto observe all thatI have commanded you. And behold,I am with you always, tothe end of the age.”

The last words of famous people are usually taken seriously. You can find several websites that list the last words of famous people. Oscar Wilde’s final words in 1900 were “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” Actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr.’s last words in 1939 were “I’ve never felt better.” And in 1864 General John Sedgwick, a Union commander during the Civil War, was reported to have been killed immediately after saying, “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist…” Pancho Villa, who just before His death in 1923 said, “Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something.” Unlike these men, who couldn’t predict the times of their deaths or predict which words would be their last, Jesus very purposefully chose His final words on earth. His last words are His first priority. Listen to Jesus last words before His ascension.

Acts 1: 7-8 “It is not for you to knowtimes or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.But you will receivepowerwhen the Holy Spirit has come upon you, andyou will bemy witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea andSamaria, andto the end of the earth.”

Jesus last words are His first priority. His words demonstrate God’s heart for the world and give our church, a powerful purpose in extending the Kingdom of God. The disciples were easily distracted and often focused on the wrong things. In verse 6 the disciples ask this: Acts 1:6 (NIV) So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" This was in response to Jesus talking about the Kingdom. But Jesus answered in v. 7: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. We don’t know when He’s coming back, so we get busy doing what He has called us to do. In other words, our mission is to be on God’s and purpose, not ours.

Jesus answers several questions about “Going Beyond Ourselves.” To go beyond ourselves we must receive God’s…

  1. Power–Jesus answers the ‘how?’ question. How are we to do this incredible task of reaching the world for Christ? How do we fulfill the Great Commission? In verse 8, Jesus says: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. If we accept the challenge of “participating in the Great Commission, we can only do it by God’s power.

The Gospel of Luke records the same idea: Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sendingthe promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until youare clothed withpowerfrom on high.

Throughout the Bible, those called by God often made excuses. Moses claimed he was inadequate in speaking and therefore God sent Aaron speak for him. Jeremiah protested when he was called in Jeremiah 1: 6, “Ah, LordGod! Behold,I do not know how to speak,for I am only a youth.”How did God answer Jeremiah (Jer. 1: 7-8)? “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,andwhatever I command you, you shall speak.Do not be afraid of them,for I am with you to deliver you,declares theLord.” God would be with Jeremiah and give him the words to say.

Eugene Peterson – “There’s an enormous gap between what we think we can do and what God calls us to do. Our ideas of what we can do or want to do are trivial; God’s ideas for us are grand.” When we “Go Beyond Ourselves” we go in the power of God. Zech. 4:6 (NIV) “So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty.”

To go beyond ourselves, we need to focus on God and not ourselves. We desperately need His power. John Piper says that this power produces four things:

1)Deep conviction – 1 Thessalonians 1: 5 says, becauseour gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power andin the Holy Spirit and with fullconviction. We need this power and deep conviction when we speak for Christ.

2)Self-denying courage and boldness – Acts 4: 31 says, And when they had prayed,the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, andthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit andcontinued to speak the word of God with boldness.

3)Convincing wisdom – Acts 6: 10 speaks of Stephen’s witness this way: Butthey could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

4)Converting effectiveness – Acts 11: 24 speaks of Barnabas this way: for he was a good man,full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many peoplewere added to the Lord.

1 Cor. 2:1-5 (NIV) When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

To go beyond ourselves we must receive God’s power, and secondly, His…

  1. Purpose–Jesus answers the ‘what?’ question. What are we to do in “Going Beyond Ourselves? Jesus says we are to be His witnesses. That’s it. It’s not complicated. It’s not rocket science. We are to be His witnesses. The concept of being ‘His witnesses’ is so prevalent in the book of Acts, that the word ‘witnesses’ in its various forms appears 39 times. When we are “Going Beyond Ourselves,” we are not just social workers or do-gooders. We are not economic developers or political reformers. We aren’t philosophers, per se. We are witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ. We do feed people and care for people in practical ways. We do listen, and we are neighborly, always looking for opportunities to ‘be His witnesses.’

A witness is not necessarily a great orator. A witness is just someone who tells what they have seen and heard and experienced. We are witnesses to the truth of God’s Word and the reality of His historical death, burial and resurrection. We testify not to religious practices or ideas. We are witnesses of His Word that points to Jesus who really lived among us, died for our sins, and rose again. We proclaim the Good News of the historical risen Jesus!

The book of Acts records the history of the spread of the Gospel by the Holy Spirit through the witnesses of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They saw Him teach, heal, and love. Most of all, they saw Him die, according to the Scriptures, be buried, and rise again on the third day according to the Scriptures. There is no doubt what the early church focused on in moving beyond themselves. Listen to what the Apostles and early church witnessed to:

Acts 2:32 (NIV) God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

Acts 3:15 (NIV)You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

Acts 5:32 (NIV) We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

In two weeks, we are going to begin a series on the book of Romans. We will spend several months learning about “The Gospel in Romans.” It will be my prayer this year that if we are confused on the message of the Gospel that we are to be communicating, our study in Romans will nail it down for you. We often shy back from being His witnesses from fear or other reasons. The Holy Spirit empowers us to be His witnesses.

Lloyd Ogilvie – “The dynamic power of the Holy Spirit will be given in constant flow as long as we are engaged in communicating. We are to be conduits or channels, not reservoirs or holding tanks. A flowing river purifies itself; a swamp has inlets but no outflow. The Dead Sea is used often as an example. Fish can live only around the closest reaches of the inflow from the Jordan. But since there is no outflow to the sea, they would die a few yards away. Our lives become dull and dreary as Christian if all we do is take in inspiration from study of the Bible, worship and preaching, and an endless round of classes taught by stirring teachers where application is not mandated. The Holy Spirit’s power is given for witness!”

To go beyond ourselves we must receive God’s power, God’s purpose and lastly, His…

  1. Plan–Jesus answers the ‘where?’ question. Our witness has a ripple effect in Jerusalem and in all Judea andSamaria, andto the end of the earth.So we begin in…

1)Jerusalem– Jesus said to start in Jerusalem and for us we start in the Fruitland area. We go beyond ourselves to Monticello Nursing Home and Barnabas Acres; as well as host several Mobile Food Trucks each year for those in need. We will have an Easter Egg Hunt in April sharing the Gospel to families. Last year we had 400 people here. Our Jerusalem extends to the campus at SEMO, and we provide financial support and meals to the Lighthouse to support their efforts to reach the campus for Christ. Next Sunday, we are going to have baby bottles here for you to collect your loose change for “Options for Women,” our local pregnancy resource center. We must be concerned about our Jerusalem. Next, we are to go to…

2)Judea – Jesus said they were to go to their Judea. The ripple effect would go past their city into their region or state. So we support the Missouri Baptist Convention’s effort to reach our state and actively engage our region when opportunities present themselves. Next Saturday, February 4, the youth are going to St. Louis to work with Oasis International Ministries and need some help. They will be delivering furniture to three families as well as putting together welcome packets. They need some muscle to help deliver the furniture. See Kyle Karcher if you are interested. On Saturday, February 11, we are going to take a team to the Amen Center, a homeless shelter in Delta, to split wood for them to heat their facility. We would love to have you join us! I have mentioned a few times, that I chair a new entity in our area called, the “Church Planting Center of Southeast Missouri.” A year ago, we brought EdnorSebag and his family to serve as a Filipino church planting catalyst in the Southeast Missouri Region. Ednor meets with Filipinos in Doniphan, Poplar Bluff, and Sikeston. Last month, he had over 100 total in those four areas. We are supporting this Kingdom effort right in our Judea!

3)Samaria – Jesus said the ripple effect of the Holy Spirit would propel their witness beyond Jerusalem and Judea to even the hated region of Samaria. Some commentaries see this as representing a larger nation, so for us the U.S. Others see this as moving into the frontier of cross-cultural missions. It’s obvious that their witness was to continue to spread beyond their community and region. So, a portion of your offering each week goes to the Cooperative Program, which in turn supports missions in the U.S. and the world. We try to take a domestic trip each year. Typically, we go with the Chilton Baptist Builders on a construction trip. That’s the first group that came to construct our building. A couple of years ago, a group of us went to Roscommon, Michigan to construct a new church building. We are waiting to hear if Chilton will have a trip in early June. If not, I had some initial conversations about taking a group to the Quad Cities in June.

4)To the end of the earth–Our church gives you an opportunity to touch the world with Operation Christmas Child and the world hunger offering. Last year, Naomi Williams went on a mission trip to Africa, and this year Barry Doyle is planning on going on a mission trip to Peru. It’s exciting when our folks go on International trips. I will never forget the day that three El Salvadorians walked in my office and asked if we could help. From that day forward, we’ve had a strong partnership with El Salvador. Pastors from our area have been training pastors and we have been taking evangelistic trips from our church. Lord willing, I will go in November for the last pastoral training and we will take a group from our church after Christmas this year. Would you pray about going to El Salvador? I’ve been feeling that we should get involved with an unreached people group. We’ve been invited to go to Northern Italy, which is consider 0.046% evangelical. Lord willing, I will be going in September to see how we can come alongside others to reach the people of Northern Italy for Christ. Our church is committed to participating in the Great Commission.

To go beyond ourselves we must receive God’s power, purpose and plan.

Conclusion: Jesus has commissioned His church to go beyond themselves.

  • He’s answered the ‘how?’ question: you shall receive power
  • He’s answered the ‘what?’ question: you shall be my witnesses
  • He’s answered the ‘where?’ question: in Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth.

This morning, we still need to answer one more question. We need to answer the ‘who?’ question. In speaking to the disciples Jesus said: You will be my witnesses? The call goes out to all of us who claim the name of Jesus. Will you answer the ‘who?’ question this morning with a resounding: Here am I! Send me!