June 25, 2000, SE: To the ends of the earth

June 25th, 2000, Sunday Evening

"To the ends of the earth"

Church is more than receiving God's Word--its equipping to give it

OPENING: Acts 13:14-15, KJV

Acts 13:44: Read this verse and then consider this: How many times do we try every week to get Americans to go to church every Sunday? Those who choose not to go to church judge themselves unworthy to attend. Just as Paul and Barnabas offered salvation to the Gentiles (the rest of the world) because God's chosen people, the Jews, were not interested, U.S. missionaries are turning to people who are hungry for the Word and will hear it--the Chinese, Mongolians, etc.

Acts 13:47: God isn't just talking to Paul and Barnabas. This is a charge for all man that we should be a light to a dark and lost world.

Isaiah 49:6: Again, the Lord said he will provide the light that we may shine (take the Word of God) "to the ends of the earth."

WHAT DOES CARRYING GOD'S MESSAGE TO THE END OF THE EARTH MEAN?

#1 OF 3: IT'S A UNIVERSAL COMMAND
- The Lord has commanded us to do this
  - 1 Corinthians 11:1
  - Galatians 1:11-12
  - Philippians 4:9
- If you're saved, your body doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Jesus Christ because he paid the price for it.
- We must carrying the light to ends of this world
  - Ephesians 5:8
  - Philippians 2:15
  - 2 Timothy 1:8-9 (imagine this verse saying we were tasked this before the world began!)
- So the question to you is: To which end of the earth does the Lord want you to shine?
  - Romans 15:20: Paul just went where the gospel directed him--to places that have not heard the Lord's name before.
  - 2 Corinthians 10:16: Don't go where the Lord's name has been heard or take credit for another preacher's work--you must transcend "regions."
- We (the people and pastor) don't call you to ministry. God (the church) does that. Where and how you perform this mission is between you and God.
#2 OF 3: UNDENIABLE CONSEQUENCES
- When you speak the Word of God, the listeners will either be glad or mad.
  - Acts 13:48-49: When the Gentiles heard this newfound word, they were happy and glorified the Word of God. They were so happy, they published the Word throughout all the region.
  - Acts 13:50: But this made the Jews jealous and mad and as a result, they stirred up a rebellion that expelled Paul and Barnabas out of the city. This can be compared to Communist China. If whatever you preach dishonors their city or their officials they will stop your work and deport you.
#3 OF 3: PERSECUTION
- Acts 13:51-52: What did Paul and Barnabas do as a result of their expulsion? They did what you should do in that situation: don't look back and keep on truckin' to the next area.

CLOSER

Ask yourself--when's the last time you were persecuted with a rock thrown at you or a stoning? Chances are you've never been persecuted that bad for being a bible-believing Christian.

Ask yourself--when's the last time you felt overwhelmed and filled with the Holy Spirit? Perhaps we don't know such a level of joy because we don't know the suffering. How does that make sense? Recall in Acts 13:52, as a result of being persecuted and expelled from their area, Paul and Barnabas were "filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."

Preaching the Word of God in a nice, plush, air conditioned church building is totally opposite from doing the same in a stank smelling, dirty market place where the fresh meat of the day hangs in the market with flies and foreign speaking natives talk to you.

We enjoy and have become accustomed to the comforts of air conditioning, western flush toilets, respect from peers, television, etc. But can you really experience joy by suffering? The answer is yes. Consider these two examples:

By knowing who suffered so we may have everlasting joy.
After a hard workout at a gym.

Just like Paul and Barnabas who found joy in suffering for Witnessing, the come-down-to-it question is: will you?