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The importance of Paul’s Mission
Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians.
Intro: A little boy was asked by his Sunday School teacher why is it important for us to be quiet in church. The little guy answered, “Because people are sleeping.”
I hope our study of the Bible is not putting people to sleep.
Review: God used Israel in the Old Testament to win people back to himself, even though Israel failed in many ways.
In the Gospels we read of God sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to win us back by dying on the cross for us, solving the big problem called sin.
In the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles (or letters), we see God using the church—us—to fin
We are the church—the body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:27.
Text: 1 Cor. 12:12, 26.
Big Pic: Paul’s mission to the Gentiles is important to us today because we were once Gentiles in need of a savior and can only be saved through grace and faith, not by sticking to a set of laws.
The church is the body of Christ in the world. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Assembled together the church is Jesus, and we are to think like Jesus, act like Jesus and love others like Jesus loves them.
WWJD
The church is commissioned to go into all the world as witnesses to Jesus. Acts 1:8
God wants all people in the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:16-17
God raised up a point leader to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth: Paul.
Saul of Tarsus was an unlikely candidate to become the world’s first and most renown missionary.
Susan Boyle
Acts 9:1-9 The Message
Saul hated Jesus and the church an
Even Saul who became Paul was amazed that Jesus chose him as a missionary to the ends of the earth. I Corinthians 15:9
Paul’s three missionary journeys
Paul planted 10 churches and wrote 13 of the 27 New Testament books.
When the NT books were written.
The Book of Galatians was written in correlation with the great Jerusalem Council (Acts 15).
The Jerusalem Council dealt with the question: Do Gentiles have to become Jews (in practice) to be true Christians?
Some Jewish leaders said Gentiles had to do two things to become true Christians: 1) believe in Jesus Christ, and 2) be circumcised (i.e., practice Jewish laws).
The Jerusalem Council reached the conclusion the Gentiles did not to submit to Jewish laws. Acts 15:23-25, 28-34
Paul’s book of Galatians argues for the reasons behind the strategic decision.
Mainly that these Gentiles did not have to become Jews or follow the outward ceremonies of the Mosaic law.
To require these things is to deny the heart of the gospel, which is justification by grace and faith alone, not by obedience to the law.
Oh, I know we’d like to earn it…book pg. 69
Why is Paul’s mission to the ends of the earth important to us?
Because we all start of as Gentiles. It is because of Paul’s mission that we are invited into salvation.
We need to be saved as much as the Gentiles did in the time of Paul.
If you are a follower of Christ, somebody told you about God’s plan, and that took a “missionary.” Think back to the very first missionary who approached you, invited you, and lived out their faith in front of you.
For me it was my Dad and Mom…
The Book of Acts is our story.
The book of Acts is still being written today.
The acts of the apostles are to be the acts of our local church.
The mission of the church is our mission: to be Jesus to our Jerusalem, (Encinitas) to our Judea (San Diego) and Samaria (California) and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
In the power of the Holy Spirit we intend to do that until we breathe our last breath, or until someone chops our head off, which is exactly what happened to Paul.
As we continue to study the Bible, let’s always remember the “upper story” and “lower story” of the Bible.
In the last 29 weeks, instead of diving into the details of the Bible, we have focused on the upper story of God, what God is up to, his story.
Right from the first page you get the idea that God is up to something. We see he has a vision, a passion simply to create us so he can be with us.
Our representatives, Adam and Eve, had a different vision, and their choice injected sin into the human nature and is transmitted to every human being, separating us from God.
That’s just Chapter One. The rest of the Bible tells the story of the extent that God will go to get us back; the relentless pursuit of God.
Now the question is, who is going to take the message of Jesus and what he has done to the world?
Starting in the book of Acts and continuing to the end of the Bible in Revelation, God establishes the church.
God’s primary relationship in the Old Testament is with Israel, but in the New Testament it is with the church.
What is the mission of Pacific View? Love God, Love others and Serve the World.
Barnraising…we all gotta work together to build God’s church.
Paul was God’s original point man.
Tim Tebow’s doing his best…
Now it’s up to us “normal people.”
All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.
He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?"
He said, "Who are you, Master?"
"I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next."
His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.
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