A Spirit-Filled Passion for a Passion-Filled Mission / Message 2

March 3, 2013
A Spirit-Filled Passion for a Passion-Filled Mission / Message 2
Acts 7:54 - 8:4
Scott Howard

One Truth: God desires for SRWC to have a Spirit-filled passion that moves Hickory and all nations for Christ.

Four Questions: the church (particularly in America) should ask itself

1.  Will we choose Mission over maintenance in the church?  (not just maintaining our routines)

2.  Is our worship driven by a God-centered passion or a man-centered production?  (we tend to think that worship happens at our place on our terms for our glory). 

     *See the sermon post from Feb 27, 2013 for more detail into these first two questions.

3. Will we embrace Suffering as the primary means for the spread of the Gospel on Earth?

• God ordains for our lives to mirror the sufferings of Christ.  Stephen's death, in our text, mirrors the death of Christ.  As a result many people came to know Christ, even Saul (Paul) who was there approving of the persecution of the church.  How will we show the love of Christ if everything always goes right for us?  We need to show our dependence on Him.  Not that we actively pursue persecution or hardship, but that when it happens, we trust in Christ so that others will see the power and grace of God.
• God's strategy for redeeming the world to Himself:  A suffering servant.  He showed His grace to the world through the sacrifice of Jesus.
• God's strategy has NOT changed. *See Philippians 1:27-29 and Colossians 1:24-27

4.  Is this mission unstoppable enough to die for?

• Death is peaceful for the believer who is on mission with Christ.
• Satan's strategy to stop the church actually serves to advance the church.  In our text the people of the new church were scattered after Stephen's death and the persecution of the church. *See also Acts 11:19-21
• Nothing will stop this mission!

Four Challenges:

1. Get involved and participate in the mission of the church.
2. Repent of self-centered worship that never leads to the proclamation of the Gospel.
3. Embrace suffering as a means for accomplishing the Great Commission in your life.
4. Die daily to your self and to this world so that you might gain Christ and make His glory known.