Fellowship With the Holy Spirit – Missions
What is missions?
- The question, “What is missions?”, was posed on Sunday and a couple of the answers that were given were: to be a representative of Jesus and to reflect God’s love to the world.
- Certainly there are numerous ways we could attempt to define Christian missions and many more ways to try and describe what it looks like.
- The word mission is the idea of movement with a purpose, being sent from one place to another for a purpose.
- So for followers of Jesus what we need to know is what is our purpose for going.
- John Piper has said, “Missions exists because worship of God doesn’t.”
- I believe that is a true statement, so our purpose is ultimately to go and make worshippers of God.
- Twice in Psalm 67 we read, “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” Psalm 67:3 ESV
- So the next question I would pose is, “How do we as followers of Jesus get all the peoples (people groups) to praise God?
- Is it not by GOING and displaying or reflecting the beauty of Jesus, the love of the Father, and manifesting the Spirit?
- How else would you get someone to praise something other than showing them the greatness of it?
Fellowship with the Spirit and Missions
- Is fellowship with the Holy Spirit the same as missions?
- I think there is an argument that they are the same. (I’m sure I may be trying hard to make them come together but I would encourage you to think about it.)
- What is the primary desire or role of the Holy Spirit? Answer: To glorify Jesus (John 16:13-15). To be a channel of God’s love, grace, mercy, kindness, wisdom, comfort into people’s lives. To manifest Himself to people for building up of the body of Christ.
- Why would the building up of the body of Christ be important? My answer: Because the body of Christ (the local church) is God’s means of doing missions.
- If you truly desire fellowship with the Holy Spirit then you had best desire missions.
- Several places in the book of Acts we see very clearly the Holy Spirit guiding and directing people into missions.
- Partnering with or participating with the Holy Spirit is missions.
Who is called to missions?
- Charles Spurgeon said this, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.”
- Each and every believer has been commanded to, “Go and make disciples.” No exceptions.
- The question is not if you are called to missions but, “How will you reflect God’s love to the world?”
- Many are called to be missional right here in Lewis County. But never forget ALL of us are called to be on mission.
- I also believe that there are some who are called by God to go away from Lewis County to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
- If during Collins and Jessica’s talk you felt something stir in you don’t ignore it. Ask questions, talk to people, get more information, and most importantly pray and obey.
- Also this coming Sunday we will hear from Patrick Harney and his family who live in Uganda and then in the evening at 6PM we will hear from the men who went to Alaska in June.
- Along with listening to their stories lets also listen to hear what God may be saying to us.
Where is He calling you to go?
- I would encourage each of us to listen to the Holy Spirit to see where He is calling us to go or who He is calling us to love.
- Maybe He will say you’re doing well, keep it up.
- Maybe you’re already there and you just need to be more intentional to be on mission.
- Maybe He will call you to go or focus your time and resources differently in this community.
- Maybe He will direct you to function differently in the local church, or maybe to start functioning in the local church with a missional mindset.
- Maybe He will bring to mind one person He desires you to go and reflect the love of God to.
- Maybe He will call you to fly a WW2 airplane in Uganda and South Sudan (That’s a little teaser for you all to come Sunday).
“How do we serve in a way that breaks the chains of bondage?” – Only by serving by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Living Hope Ministries 