GOD’S MISSION FOR THE CHURCH

 Part 7

INTRODUCTION

The proclamation of the gospel is God's means of reaching the lost and growing His church (there are no other means).

God has called His church to be fishers of men and builders of His spiritual kingdom. The fields are white unto harvest but the laborers are few.

I. WE CANNOT REMAIN SILENT

Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of Christ Romans 10:17. How shall the lost hear unless someone tells them? We cannot remain silent.

My anguish, my anguish! Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me; I cannot remain silent Jeremiah 4:19.

Even though Jeremiah was ridiculed and persecuted for calling apostate Israel to repentance, he could not remain silent. He would not have their blood on his hands.

God said to Ezekiel: When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself Ezekiel 33:8-9.

The apostle Paul who at the beginning of his ministry said that he was under obligation to proclaim the gospel to all men could say at the end of his ministry on earth: I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God Acts 20:26-27.

We need to get in touch with the very heart of God. If we do, no one will shut us up!

Prayer: Open our mouths, Lord, to speak forth words of life to a lost and dying world. We cannot keep silent!

II. DO WE HEAR THE CRIES OF THE LOST?

Job said: The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help Job 24:12. Can you hear the groans and the cries of this city?

Steve Green: Everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes; empty people filled with care, headed who knows where. On they go through private pain, living fear to fear; laughter hides their silent cries, only Jesus hears.

We need to stay still long enough to hear what God hears. If we do, we will not remain silent.

Prayer: God give us ears to hear the cries of the lost!

III. DO WE SEE WHAT JESUS SEES?

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it (Luke 19:41).

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

Do you see Durham and the world the way Jesus saw Jerusalem? If we saw what Jesus sees we would weep! When is the last time you wept over Durham, America, the world?

Prayer: God give us eyes to see what You see, and may our hearts be so burdened for the lost that we, like Jesus, would weep over them.

IV. WILL WE ANSWER THE CALL?

Steve Green: We are called to take His light to a world where wrong seems right. What could be too great a cost for sharing life with one who’s lost? Through His love our hearts can feel all the grief they bear. They must hear the words of life only we can share.

After Jesus rose from the dead He called a meeting, we call it the Great Commission where Jesus said to His disciples: All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. God therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I command you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age Matthew 28:19-20.

We are called to be fishers of men Matthew 4:19. To be a good fisherman takes patience and persistence. The pole and line is us, the bait is the Gospel, the reel and the hook is the Holy Spirit.

We are called to be salt and light in the world Matthew 5:13-14. Salt that has lost its flavor, and light that is hidden under a basket is not fulfilling its purpose.

We are called by Christ to go into all the world and make disciples of the nations, starting where we live Matthew 28:19. Jesus said: if you love Me, you will keep my commandments John 14:15.

An evidence of being indwelt and filled with the Holy Spirit is putting your life on the line to see others come to Christ. Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses (martyrs), both in Jerusalem (at home), and in all Judea (neighbors) and Samaria (strangers), even to the remotest part of the earth (foreign lands).

We are called to be ambassadors for Christ 2 Corinthians 5:20. We represent Christ to a lost and dying world.

Prayer: Lord, the fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few; raise up and send out laborers from this place, from Durham to the ends of the earth.  

TEN PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS IN BEING A WITNESS FOR CHRIST:

1. Pray every day for God to make opportunities for you to talk to someone about the gospel.

2. Pray for boldness for God to open the hearts of those you will be talking to and for His love to be expressed through you.

3. Be sure that all sin is confessed in your life and that you are filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Un-confessed sin grieves the Holy Spirit and quenches His work.

4. Keep Christ central in your presentation of the gospel. Don’t get off on other things. There will be time to answer questions later.

5. Be in a constant attitude of prayer to determine when the Spirit is leading you to talk to someone about Christ.

6. Carry a pocket New Testament or a Gospel booklet so you can clearly and plainly present the Gospel to the person whom you are talking to.

7. Always remember that God’s Word never returns void but always accomplishes His purposes. He causes the increase.

8. Don’t try to pressure, manipulate, or argue someone into believing the Gospel. Just present the truth of the gospel gently and plainly, leaving the results up to God.

9. Rest in God’s sovereign purposes, and be faithful and obedient in spite of opposition.

10. Be prepared to disciple those who put their trust in Christ.