Dose 9
Outward Focus
Rev. R.W. Townsend, Senior Pastor
Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church
Fall 2010 – Summer 2011
Bible Study Series
[GOD: THE PERFECT PRESCRIPTION FOR A HEALTHY CHURCH] Fall 2010 – Summer 2011
INTRODUCTION
After a refreshing break we continue
our study of the characteristics of a
healthy church. Our lesson will focus on
the characteristic of being an
“Outwardly Focused” church. As I
prepared for this series of lessons on
the healthy church characteristic of
being “Outwardly Focused” I came
across the following story by Pastor
Steve Bowen. Pastor Bowen tells the
story of how on one ordinary day his life
was forever changed. Steve says he
went to his favorite restaurant, to pick
up dinner for he and his wife and he
writes:
~Notes~
“While waiting I noticed a young
mother with her child. The mother
was dressed in typical alternative
dress, appropriately ripped jeans, Tshirt and Doc Martin sandals. She was wearing more than one earring and
looked like the typical postmodern. While she was digging in to her purse to find
the correct change to purchase her food, her baby sat in his stroller and stared
into space. He did not look well. I then noticed a tube running to his nose. I
thought, ‘I need to pray for the child.’ It was a crowded night so I waited for my
order and observed that the mother had moved to the sidewalk tables. I paid for
my burrito and nachos and strolled outside. I introduced myself and asked the
mom about her child mentioning that I had noticed the tube. She explained that
the baby had been born premature and had some major health problems since
the birth and that the tube was a feeding tube. Interestingly she also informed
me she had named the child a biblical name. At some point in the conversation I
asked if I could pray for her and the baby. Unsurprisingly she affirmed by saying
something like, ‘That would be nice. Thank you very much’. Before I prayed I
asked permission to place my hand on the child’s head and then prayed a please
give health to baby and grant wisdom and strength to mom type of prayer. I did
notice the mother had tears rolling down her face. At the end of the
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~Notes~
prayer, I said, ‘Thanks for letting me
pray.’ She responded tearfully by
saying, ‘No, thank you for praying.’
Her next response ripped my heart
she said, ‘I didn’t think anybody
cared.’ Stunned, I affirmed God’s care
and love for her and her child and told
her about a great outward focused
church where I knew she could find
acceptance. The only problem, it was
miles away.”
Steve goes on to write “as I walked
away I pondered the situation. I was
living in Pensacola, host of a revival
that had been going on for over two
years, and here was a person who
never knew somebody cared for her
life. I thought about Jesus and the
many times compassion moved Him
to action.” (Matthew 9:36; Matthew
15:32; Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 1:40-
45; Luke 7:11-13)
What we find when we investigate the above passages is that Jesus was graceful
and caring toward the people who needed health and healing. Steven Brown
walked away from his encounter with this thought, “When will the church ever be
a go church instead of a come to church? When will the church ever become
outward focused instead of inward focused?” He says something happened in his
life that day and he came away with the following conviction: “He wanted to be
part of a church that cared and welcomed people; a church where an alternative
young mother and child could find refuge.”
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WHY DOES THE CHURCH
EXIST?
~Notes~
(Matthew 28:16-20 Acts 1:6-11)
The Church is God’s great idea. It is a
place where people can discover a new
life living a new way. The people of the
early church were “the called out ones”,
“disciples”, and followers of the “Way”.
In the early church there was an
atmosphere which included a sense of
awe, togetherness, unselfishness, unity,
power, community, and a strong sense
of mission. The resulting fruit?… The
Lord added to the church day by day
those being saved…and the church found
favor with all the people.
Our mission and focus are important.
They define why we exist and why we
are here. Emil Bruner in his book God’s
Forgetful Pilgrims, Recalling the Church
To Its Reason For Being states, “The Church exists by mission as fire exists by
burning”. Terry Virgo, leader of New Frontiers Ministry in the U.K. once said,
“When we lose sight of the great commission we lose sight of our great prophetic
purpose in life.” Both statements are extremely important. When any church
focuses upon anything less than the Great Commission as its primary purpose for
existence, it will eventually lose its purposeful mission. That church will quickly
forget why it is blessed in the first place.
Many churches and Christians alike need to recover their sense of mission.
Disillusioned charismatic Christians, in particular, who were seeking the great
dream of a painless, prosperous Christianity have realized the dream was merely
a vapor without substance. In their pursuit to find fulfillment through the
accumulation of things, and seeking to become successful they have become
inward and blessing focused.
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~Notes~
It is interesting to view church
movements from a distance. While
some seek Him for personal
blessing, others seek Him for the
lost. They are mission/valuedriven. Some of the fastest
growing churches in the USA are in
this category. They are doing all
they can to reach everyone they
can. They are focused upon the
main thing. (1 Kings 20:40)
Motivational
speaker
and
renowned author Steven Covey
said: “The main thing is to keep the
main thing the main thing”. If we as
a church do that then everything
else follows.
For example, Pastor Rick Warren,
with
the
15,000
member
Saddleback Church, and author of
the best-seller The Purpose Driven
Church encourages leaders to recapture their purpose by defining their
mission…”A church committed to the great commandment and to the great
commission will grow a great church.”
80% of his church growth is by first-time believers. As one man stated, “We
cannot continue to be a traditional church and expect non-believers to want to be a
part of it. They won’t. They don’t want our religion. They want to experience the
reality of life-changing answers for life’s problems and the God of that reality.”
The questions Warren asks in his book provoke thought…”What drives your
church? What is its purpose in life? What is its mission? Does your church have a
sense of mission? Or is it a church adrift?”
Let’s get personal for a minute and ask…What drives our church? What is its
purpose for existing? What is its mission? Do we have a have a sense of mission?
Or is “The Rock” simply adrift?
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Sometimes getting back to our
foundation defines our business. As
Christians and church leaders we need
to continually ask ourselves, what
business are we in? and how is business?
Sometimes it is facing the hard
questions. We need to discover our
present reality in order to move
forward.
~Notes~
One year during a losing season Green
Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi
gathered the team together and said,
“Gentlemen, this is a football.” This is
getting back to basics. I think our great
“Coach” would like to gather His team
together, point to our world and say,
“Church this is your mission.” It really
does matter where you focus your aim.
It will set the course of your life.
Where are you aiming? Inward or
outward? What is your purpose? Why
do you exist? May I suggest that answering these questions will help you discover
what really matters to you and to your church.
Discussion Time
Fill in the blanks:
Our church exists to __________________________________________________
We are a church that __________________________________________________
Our purpose in this town or city is to _____________________________________
Our main focus is to ___________________________________________________
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~Notes~
May I also suggest that if you
answer anything less than the
Great Commission, you are falling
far short of your destiny. Secondly,
check and see if your practice
equals what you believe or value.
Christians often define themselves
by what they believe. Our
communities define us by what we
do.
AN OUTWARD FOCUS IS
OUR CALLING
The healthy church places high
priority on communicating the
truth of Jesus and demonstrating
the love of Jesus to those outside
the faith (Luke 19:10, "For the Son
of Man came to seek and to save
what was lost").
The Church is not to be a haven
until heaven, nor a refuge until the rapture. It's an army whose focus is outward,
whose soldiers are deployed in the malls, businesses, and neighborhoods where the
lost live, play, and work.
The sad but true reality is that there are too many stagnant and dying churches in
America. There are too many churches with little or no impact on the
communities around them. There are too many churches who cannot report
even one new believer within the past year because of the efforts and influence
of that congregation. It is both a tragedy and a travesty.
"If you are leading a hospital and your mission is primarily designed around
keeping your nurses happy, your patients are going to die." - John Pearson
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The primary reason why churches fail in
their mission is that they have confused
their mission. Jesus said it very clearly
to his disciples, "The son of man came
not to be served but to serve." (Mark
10:45) John Pearson's comment is a
perfect description of this problem. A
hospital is intended to bring healing to
the patients, not just to give the nurses
an enjoyable way to pass the time until
they retire. If the patients keep dying,
they close the hospital and build a new
one better suited to the task. Churches
have been more concerned with their
personal happiness than the lost and
unchurched people that God has called
them to serve. They no longer serve the
spiritually sick, they serve themselves.
God forbid that such is the case here at
Mt. Pisgah. (Mark 6:30-46, 52)
~Notes~
.This issue is of great concern to me
because many in my position, while
having been captured by God's vision, find his greatest roadblock is the people he
or she is called to lead. Enormous pressure is placed upon those leaders to serve
the church people first, if not exclusively. Visit us in the hospital. Pray at our
family events. Be in your office so we can find you when we can't find the Sunday
School curriculum. Socialize with us. Listen to all our troubles. Schedule
services (and design services) to meet our tastes.
Don't change anything that is precious to us ... even if it is not meaningful to
authentic discipleship.
I sat in a workshop once led by Kenneth Haugk, founder of the Stephen
Ministry. It was called "The Alligator Seminar-How to Deal With Antagonists in
the Church."
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~Notes~
He noted that when you have
someone who totally resists vision
and core values and insists things
happen their way, you need to call
a "come to Jesus" meeting. And at
that meeting you tell them, "come
to Jesus or leave.”
A whole lot of churches need to
come to Jesus. And when you come
to Jesus you will hear him say, "The
church exists to give itself
away." Jesus is not concerned with
our comfort or entertainment. He
is deeply concerned about our
obedience, being the Body of
Christ doing the work of Christ.
Too many churches have forgotten
that. To keep a job, too many
church leaders help perpetuate that.
We once again need to become
missionaries and get out to the community and minister to the masses with the
mercy of the Master additionally we need to help the hurting with the heart of
the Holy One…that is our mission!.
The church does not exist for itself. It exists for Jesus and to do the work of
Jesus. And just as the son of Man gave away his life so that we might find ours ...
it is time for us to do the same. Can’t you hear the call……?
A Call from Within
"But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the
sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot
but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20)
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A Call from Without
"And a vision appeared to Paul in the
night; There stood a man of Macedonia,
and prayed him, saying, Come over into
Macedonia, and help us." (Acts 16:9)
~Notes~
A Call From Above
"Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us," (Hebrews
12:1)
A Call from Beneath
"Then he said, I pray thee therefore,
father, that thou wouldest send him to
my father's house: For I have five
brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of
torment." (Luke 16:27-28)
SOUL WINNING 101
JESUS A MODEL SOUL-WINNER
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus gave some fisherman a rather strange
proposition. “Follow me,” He said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” What
could He possibly mean? How can one “catch” men? A simple reading of the book
of Acts will give us the answer. Jesus wanted these men to become soulwinners!
It is the call and duty of every born again believer to share the Gospel of Jesus
Christ with lost sinners.
We read in the book of Romans, chapter 10, “For whosoever shall call upon the
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~Notes~
name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on
him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe
in him of whom they have not
heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher? ... So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.”
Witnessing is not only for
missionaries and pastors. Are you
saved? Then witnessing is YOUR
responsibility too. The world is
dying and going to Hell. Souls are
Dying.
"…he that winneth souls is wise."
Proverbs 11:3
Jesus Our Perfect Example
"He left Judea, and departed again
into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of
Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his
son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his
journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a
woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink" (John 4:37).
The Distinction between Witnessing and Soul-Winning
For the purpose of this lesson, let me define these terms: in witnessing, we
identify ourselves with Jesus, and in soul-winning, we go beyond that
identification, making an effort to actually lead a soul to Christ.
We are encouraged to witness from many passages in the Bible, such as Luke
9:26: "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son
of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of
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the holy angels."
In a practical way, we identify ourselves
with Jesus. For example, we witness
when we meet someone at the gas
station or at a bank. We may say, "The
Lord has blessed us with another
beautiful day" or "I thank God for
blessing me with the loan, the house,
the car etc." These little words and
testimonies help to identify us with
Christ but fall short of actually helping
us win a soul to Christ.
~Notes~
Principles of Soul-Winning
In John 4, we find some basic principles
for soul-winning.
1. We must be led by the Spirit: "…he
must go through Samaria."
The term "being led by the Spirit"
may be new to some of you, and yet
it is scriptural. The apostle Paul said, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). We read in Luke 4:1, "And
Jesus…was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." If the Holy Spirit is leading us,
then the Holy Spirit can work through us in witnessing.
2. We must realize that we are all called upon to win souls.
John 4 is the model for soul-winning, and it is a model to be imitated by all of
us even though the circumstances may vary widely. When Jesus said "as my
Father hath sent me, even so send I you" (John 20:21), he meant, among other
things, we were to give ourselves to soul-winning, even as he did.
At his ascension, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Lord wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). And Jesus' last words were related to
soul-winning: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons…. But ye shall
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~Notes~
receive power… and ye shall be
witnesses" (vv. 7,8). The disciples
wanted to know about prophecy,
about the whens and hows, but
Jesus said: Forget that, don’t be
concerned about that, but rather
concern yourselves with being
witnesses!
Too many believers are wrapped
up in matters that are either
insignificant, irrelevant or nonconsequential, but they do nothing
toward leading souls to Christ.
Witnessing and soul-winning got
into the hearts of the early
Christians, for when they were
driven out of Jerusalem, all the lay
people "went every where
preaching the word" (8:1,4). May
that fire of the early Christians
once again burn in our hearts.
3. We must press through when we don't feel up to it: "Jesus therefore, being
wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well" (John 4:6).
This passage highlights one of the often used excuses for not witnessing. List
below some other excuses:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
If we allow feelings to govern our soul-winning - we might as well forget it!
Those who only make their beds, clean their houses, take out the garbage,
visit the sick, and pray when they feel like it, are not fit for the kingdom. A
soul-winner goes by three solid facts: he is saved, the poor sinner is lost, and
God has said, "Rescue the perishing." He does not go by feelings. In fact, our
very weaknesses and inadequacies are the qualifications we need to trust the
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Lord with all our heart and to engage
his all-sufficiency.
~Notes~
Soul-winning Means Breaking Down
Barriers.
Let us consider three barriers Jesus had
to break down in his encounter with the
Samaritan woman.
1. Jesus Broke through the Sexual
Barrier: "There cometh a woman…" (v.
7).
If you dream about the ideal soulwinning situation, it will never
happen.
Every
soul-winning
encounter I have had looked
impossible - some more than others.
In many places in the Middle East,
there are barriers between men and
women. Furthermore, a single man
and an adulterous woman alone at a
well was an uncomfortable situation. There were only two options for Jesus:
to leave, or to witness. Jesus chose to abandon accepted, earthly etiquette,
choosing instead to witness. In doing so, he greatly surprised his disciples, for
it says, "And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the
woman…" (v. 27a).
2. Jesus Broke through the Religious Barrier: "Then saith the woman of Samaria
unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a
woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (v. 9)
The Samaritan population arose during the Assyrian occupation, and they
were the children from mixed marriages between Jews and Assyrians. These
people had adopted the five books of Moses, they had a messianic
expectation, and they expected a temple to be rebuilt in Samaria. The Jews
hated these "corrupted competitors." Hence, no dealing with the Samaritans.
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~Notes~
But Jesus broke through this
barrier also. The Holy Spirit led so,
and divine love did so! When you
are walking in the Spirit, you must
not allow any barriers to stop you.
3. Jesus Broke through the Sin
Barrier: "…thou hast had five
husbands…" (v.18).
The Samaritan woman was an
adulteress. She could have been a
prostitute, or the town sinner.
Scholars tell us that it was
uncommon in that day for
someone to go to a well to draw
water in the heat of high noon,
except for the outcasts. This
woman was a woman who had no
morality. To her, there was no sin only
pleasure
and
then
disappointment.
Why witness to the wicked, to
sexual perverts, to the immoral, or to the rebellious? Why witness to a young
man who has tattoos all over his arms and chest, holding a glass of beer in one
hand and holding up his pants with the other, with sexually explicit lyrics
coming through his headphones? Friend, is that a barrier to press through, or
is it a stop sign to give up and back off?
Keep the following words of Jesus in mind while you go witnessing…."Verily I
say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God
before you" (Matt. 21:31b).
Rejecting a religion of escapism, soul-winners see saints in sinners and
encounter them at every level of wickedness. So Jesus said, "Go, call thy
husband…" (v. 16).
Soul-winning Requires Exposing Sin.
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Conviction will not fall until you deal
with the sin of the person you want to
win. It will not do for you to talk about
sin in general. You must talk about, and
deal with, the sin of the person you are
trying to win. It is not the world's sin
that keeps the sinner from God, but his
sin. If you are not dealing with that
individual's sin, leading to a prayer of
confession, you may be doing great
damage. If there is no conviction of sin,
there is no confession. If there is no
confession, there is no forgiveness and
cleansing. In this process of convicting a
sinner, more often than not, the sinner
will become perturbed, offended, or
angry with you. Do not let this deter
you.
~Notes~
Soul-winning Requires Resisting
Diversions.
The woman acknowledged her sin, but
now, as the conversation was getting "too hot" for her, she introduced a
controversial subject to change the conversation: "Our fathers worshipped in this
mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to
worship" (v. 20). When you get to the personal sin issue, the sinner gets nervous,
and the devil gets nervous, and he puts in his last attack: his diversion is to
change the subject. And the soul-winner who wants to be kind, and look good,
and still be liked, will fall for the trap and go along with the diversion. Oh, how
many have abandoned the course to win the lost by giving in to diversions?
Soul-winning Requires the Revelation of Christ.
"Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he" (v. 26). In the whole process
of soul-winning, Christ must shine through you - his love, his compassion, his
holiness, his firmness and kindness -- so that the sinner will be drawn into the
kingdom. Yes, the Samaritan woman became the first Gentile missionary.
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~Notes~
Indeed, Solomon said, "…he that
winneth souls is wise" (Prov. 11:30).
May you be wiser from now on in
this great calling of God.
THE SOUL-WINNER'S SIX
MIGHTY MOTIVATIONS
If you received a thousand dollars
for every soul you led to Christ,
would it make a difference? Would
it increase your motivation? I want
to speak to you about the soul
winner's motivation.
The mightiest soul winner I know
anything about is the Apostle Paul,
and in 2 Corinthians we find out
what motivated him to be the
greatest missionary the world has
ever known. People asked Paul,
“Why do you work so hard?” And
here is his answer:
 The Soul-Winner's Compulsion
Paul had a compelling motive that drove him. He said in 2 Corinthians 5:9:
“Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted
of Him.” He is simply saying, “I want to be acceptable to God. I want Him to be
pleased with me.”
If you're not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, you are not acceptable to
God. I don't care how much money you may give, how faithfully you may
attend church, or how faithfully you may live; if you are not endeavoring to
bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not acceptable or pleasing to Him.
 The Soul-Winner's Compensation
He was also motivated by future rewards. In verse ten he says, “For we
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must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things
done in his body, according to
that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad.”
~Notes~
One of these days, our lives will
be reviewed before the Lord, and
our works will be tested by fire
(see 1 Cor. 3:11-15). It will be a
time of reward for some but a
time of regret for others. If you're
a soul winner, your life will be
gold, silver, and precious stones;
and you will receive a crown. If
you're not, it will be wood, hay,
and stubble; and your works will
be destroyed.
 The Soul-Winner's Conviction
And in verse eleven Paul
continues by saying, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men...” Paul was a soul winner because he knew what it meant
for a soul to die unredeemed and go to hell. He called it “the terror of the
Lord.”
You do know there is a place of everlasting fire that the Bible calls hell, that
awaits those who don’t know Christ. But when you lead a soul to Jesus
Christ, no longer are they facing an eternity in hell or the terror of the Lord.
They can know the grace of the Lord. This is a mighty motivation in
winning souls.
 The Soul-Winner's Compassion
Paul was also motivated by an overwhelming compassion that caused
some to say he was not mentally stable – that he was “beside himself.” He
replied, “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we
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~Notes~
be sober, it is for your cause. For
the love of Christ constraineth
us...” (2 Cor. 5:13-14).
He was driven by the love of Christ
that was shown to him. And that
love caused him to love others.
How can we say we love Jesus and
not be concerned for souls He died
for? Our love for Christ should fill
us with compassion for lost souls.

The Soul-Winner's
Confidence
And in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 we see
another of Paul's motivations:
“Wherefore henceforth know we
no man after the flesh ... Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are
become new.”
Here's his confidence – if I lead a soul to Christ, he will be a new creature.
He will become brand new in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, “I don't
see people ‘after the flesh' – like they're big shots or little shots, rich or
poor, educated or uneducated.” We too should not see people, but souls
that Jesus died for and wants to transform.
 The Soul-Winner's Commission
And finally, Paul was motivated by his calling – his commission. Second
Corinthians 5:18 says: “And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to
Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation.”
We too have been called to the ministry of reconciliation. We have been
reconciled. And now Paul says we are appointed ambassadors. We have
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been appointed; and if we're not
interested in winning souls, we
are guilty of treason against
heaven's King. To refuse is not
only to be ineffective, it is to be in
revolt.
~Notes~
Do you want to win souls for
Christ? What's stopping you?
Would you say, “Lord, with Your
help I will endeavor to win at least
one soul for You this year”?
DON'T GO TO HEAVEN ALONE
In Acts 8, we read about how Philip led
an Ethiopian eunuch to the Lord. There
are three commitments reflected in
Philip’s life that I want to challenge you
to make this week.
Take note of them, rehearse and
remember them and say, “By the grace
of God, I am going to do these three things this week.” Then, over the next few
weeks we will hear the testimonies of what God has done through you.
If you make this commitment anew every morning, God is going to dramatically
change your life.
 Be Inclined to the Call of the Spirit
Philip had ears to hear the word of the Lord. Acts 8:26 says, “And the angel of
the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way
that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.” Acts 8:29 says,
“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”
Philip was in the middle of a revival in Samaria and God called him because
his heart was tender enough to hear God. Now, Philip didn’t know anything
about God’s plan, because God’s ways are often unknown. God just said,
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~Notes~
“Arise and go.” And Philip got up
and went. Would you do that?
Christians do not need an
explanation from God when He
calls. Instead, we need to say,
“God, I’ll do it. Wherever You want
me to go. Whatever You want me
to do. If You explain it, fine. If you
don’t, that’s fine, too. But God I’m
going to do it.”
Now, I want to caution you about
this call. You need to make sure
what you hear isn’t an idea you
have hatched. It is just as bad to
run ahead of God as it is to run
behind God. (Exodus 2:11-25) But
when you are close enough to God
to hear Him speak, you need to
obey.

Be Insistent for the Cause
of the Spirit
Acts 8:35 says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture,
and preached unto him Jesus.”
Did you know that the Holy Spirit is very single-minded? He has but one
cause. John 15:26 tells us what that is. Jesus said, “But when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me: And ye also shall bear
witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning”.
Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose
heart is perfect toward Him.” The Holy Spirit is preparing somebody in your
office, your school, your neighborhood, or your family. Will you be sensitive to
His cause to witness when He calls?
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It is time we got excited about what
excites God and that is bringing
people to Jesus Christ. We need to
be inclined to the call of the Spirit
and insistent for the cause of the
Spirit.
~Notes~
 Be Instant to the Commands of the
Spirit
Acts 8:29 says, “Then the Spirit said
unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself
to this chariot.”
And what happens next?
“And Philip ran thither to him, and
heard him read the prophet Esaias,
and said, Understandest thou what
thou readest?” (Acts 8:30).
Philip did not take a leisurely stroll.
He ran. Why? Because that chariot
was moving on. There was a split second and God wanted instant obedience.
When the spirit said go, he went.
I have a feeling that had Philip been the kind of Christian that some of us are,
he may have said, “I can’t go. He is a rich man. I am a poor preacher man. He is
in a gold chariot. I can’t go up there.” But riches didn’t keep Philip from going.
Or he might have said, “He’s a different race than I am. And I don’t feel
comfortable talking to someone of a different race.” But race didn’t keep him
from going. Or he might have said, “I don’t want to disturb him. He is reading
and he looks so busy.”
How many golden opportunities have we passed by? Three things I want you
to do this week, be inclined to the cause of the Spirit, be insistent to the cause
of the Spirit, be instant to the commands of the Spirit. Don’t go to heaven
alone, take somebody with you.
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~Notes~
FISHERS OF MEN
Now as He walked by the sea of
Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew
his brother casting a net into the
sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus
said unto them, Come ye after Me,
and I will make you to become
fishers of men. And straightway
they forsook their nets, and followed
Him. And when He had gone a little
farther thence, He saw James the
son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, who also were in the ship
mending
their
nets.
And
straightway He called them: and
they left their father Zebedee in the
ship with the hired servants, and
went after Him.
—Mark 1:16-20
In these powerful passages we are
witnessing Jesus’ call of four disciples from their regular occupation as net
fishermen. As we see these men called, I believe you will have a better
understanding of how this account relates to our daily lives.
 Weave the Net
In these verses, James and John, his brother, are weaving their nets with tools
they used daily, tying knots in cord and mending them.
Have you ever thought about what a net is? It’s just a bunch of holes tied
together. Furthermore, do you know what a hole is? It’s a “nothing.” And
that’s exactly what we are— a bunch of “nothings. ”But if you take a bunch of
nothings and tie them together, they become powerful.
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[GOD: THE PERFECT PRESCRIPTION FOR A HEALTHY CHURCH] Fall 2010 – Summer 2011
We are united together in order to
accomplish far more than any one
individual could by themselves.
Together, we are holding hands and
working as one to literally span the
globe.
~Notes~
 Work the Net
A great example of this principle is in
Luke 5:4-5. Jesus spoke to Simon
and advised him, “…Launch out into
the deep, and let down your nets for
a draught. And Simon answering
said unto Him, Master, we have
toiled all the night, and have taken
nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I
will let down the net.”
I don’t think this story is in the Bible
merely as a fish story or just so
Simon could brag of his catch. Jesus
already told the disciples they were
to be fishers of men. He was teaching them as He is teaching us. Although
Simon didn’t understand everything, he cast his net as Jesus commanded.
And seeing that we, too, are woven together, casting our nets, bringing many
souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, we must depend solely upon Jesus. We can’t
just sail through the sea of humanity and keep the net in the boat. No, we
must get out and draw the net for Jesus. You may hear some say, “I just want
people to see my life and then they’ll want to be a Christian.” Listen friend,
people are not saved by your life; they are saved by His death. They don’t
need to say what a wonderful person you are; they need to know how
wonderful Jesus is.
 Wash the Net
Preceding Simon’s instruction to cast his net, it says in verse two, “He…saw
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[GOD: THE PERFECT PRESCRIPTION FOR A HEALTHY CHURCH] Fall 2010 – Summer 2011
~Notes~
two ships standing by the lake: but
the fishermen were gone out of
them, and were washing their
nets.”
Any good net is going to pick up
debris. If you do not wash the net
you’ll find this result.
- It will smell up the boat. The net
catches dead fish, seaweed and
mud off the bottom and
consequently is pulled in your boat.
- It will rot the cord. If you allow
filth to foul the net, your net
eventually will disintegrate and rot.
- It will make the work harder.
That net is meant to be almost
invisible and to just slide through
the sea.
It will frighten the fish. Fish
can see a dirty net even from a long
distance. You will find some who
prefer to think that the things accruing in the net are really just part of the net.
But we must continue to wash our nets, keeping our lives clean and pure— to
wash away the filth of sin and needless activity.
 Worship the Net
It’s a tragedy to reach the place where you worship your net. In Habakkuk
1:13-17, Habakkuk tearfully prays asking how the Lord can allow the
Chaldeans to come and devour His people.
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[GOD: THE PERFECT PRESCRIPTION FOR A HEALTHY CHURCH] Fall 2010 – Summer 2011
In verse 15, Habakkuk depicts the
invading army coming across the
land as a net swallowing up the
people, “They take up all of them
with the angle [hook] they catch
them in their net and they gather
them in their drag and therefore
they rejoice and are glad.” As the
Chaldeans rejoice in their victory,
verse 16 continues, “Therefore they
sacrifice unto their net, and burn
incense unto their drag”; they had
something that worked so well and
was so slick, that tragically they
started to worship it. And to worship
anything other than almighty God is
idolatry.
~Notes~
The most valuable thing is not the
net; it’s the souls. Adopt the
characteristic of a fisherman by
having compassion on the souls that
are lost and by having courage to
step out and cast your net.
A wise man once said when we fish for fish, we take them out of the beautiful
life into death, but when we fish for men we take them out of death into a
beautiful life.
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