September 8, 2019 Message: RECAP

CATALYST + COMMISSION RECAP

SCRIPTURE VERSES

Luke wrote the book of Luke as a historically accurate witness to the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Luke also included the Commission of Jesus for his disciples to spread the Good News. Acts is the continuation of the story.

The book of Acts describes the rapid expansion of the Gospel and the early church. “It’s like Jesus is patient zero” for the gospel contagion that gets transmitted to His followers and eventually spreads throughout the entire GLOBE as a worldwide MOVEMENT!!”

As we study the book of Acts this Fall, let us pay attention to the ingredients that catalyzed this wildfire. Are there TOOLS that were used by the early church that made it an UNSTOPPABLE FORCE as it spread across: borders, generations, cultures, languages, and socioeconomic barriers?

In Luke, Jesus did and taught many amazing things, but the disciples were not sent out immediately. They were told to wait for one more ingredient - the Holy Spirit. Once they were empowered witnesses, proclaiming the teachings of Jesus and following Jesus’ actions, the Gospel spread in a strategic manner that Jesus prophesied about.

…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth…

This was not a generic statement about random places but about specific missional outposts. This caused the Gospel to be carried from the Jews to the Gentiles and then to the Gentiles everywhere. Acts shows us exactly how strategic this whole plan was and how it could only be implemented through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Acts describes men like Paul who were shaped into vessels and used to expand God’s Kingdom in God’s perfect timing but the details are not about the figures and their lives. If we follow through the book of Acts, the common denominator is the working and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3 SPECIFIC WAYS WE CAN FOLLOW UP FROM THIS MESSAGE:

  1. Follow along with the Reading Plan

  2. Support something

  3. Pray that the Holy Spirit guide, open our hearts, and reveal what we are doing well and where we are lacking as a church

The Holy Spirit is NOT content to allow those of us who follow Christ to sit back and read about this MVMNT!! Eventually, the Holy Spirit come up behind you, tap you shoulder, and say: “that’s THEIR move…what’s yours??”

Katie Erickson