Sunday, 8/3/2025

The Holy Spirit and Our Empowerment for Evangelism and Missions

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 4:31 (ESV) And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The Holy Spirit Transforms our Lives, The Holy Spirit Convicts Us of Sin, Guides Us to the Truth, Empowers Us to Proclaim Christ, and The Holy Spirit Gives Us Spiritual Gifts. 

The purpose of these gifts is to serve the body and advance the gospel. 

One of the most important roles that the Holy Spirit has in the life of a Christian is related to God’s mission. 

God’s mission of transforming and redeeming the world includes the spreading of the good news about Jesus, including his life, death, and resurrection. 

According to Jesus’ words, the Holy Spirit gives power to the church in order for the Church to spread the message about Jesus all over the world!

There are only two things we can’t do in heaven – we can’t sin and we can’t share the gospel with those who are lost.  

John 17:18 “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”  

We have been saved not only to serve, but also to be sent out.  

We are made to be Good News messengers.  

Acts 20:24: “The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work the Lord Jesus gave me – to tell people the good news about God’s grace.” 

All God wants is for us to be His witnesses.  Witnesses simply report what happened to them or what they saw.  

I must share with those in my world 

I must dare to reach beyond my world 

I must care about the whole world 

We don’t think people are interested.  

We don’t believe they’re lost.  

We don’t want to be rejected. 

We’re not living the good news. 

We don’t know what to say. 

1 Peter 3:15: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.”  

Jeremiah 20:9: “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,’ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.”  

Walked in to church 1%, Outreaches 5%, Church programs 8%, Pastoral staff 10%, Family or friends 76%

Proverbs 11:30: “He who wins souls is wise.”  

2 Peter 3:9: “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”   

1 Corinthians 9:22: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”  

Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  

James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”

Our mission field is the next unsaved person we meet, but we must be willing to go where they are. 

Max Lucado: “The sign of the saved is their love for the least.”  

Chuck Swindoll: “You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat those who can do nothing for them.”

Matthew 25:35-36,40: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

Mark 16:15:“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” 

“God invites you to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse, and most significant cause in history – his kingdom…nothing matters more, and nothing will last as long” 

From self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking.  

Shift from local thinking to global thinking. 

Shift from “here and now” thinking to eternal thinking. 

Philemon 6: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”

Shift from thinking of excuses to thinking of creative ways to fulfill your mission.  

You can be like Moses and say, “Who me?”  You can complain like Jonah, “Not me.”  You can question like Habakkuk, “Why me?”  Or you can respond like Isaiah, “Here am I.  Send me.”  

Is anybody going to be in heaven because of you?  

John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”  

Colossians 4:5 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”                  

The most dangerous prayer you can pray is “God use me.”  

Church, the Great Commission is our calling. It’s grounded in Jesus’ authority, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and fueled by boldness through prayer.