When we bought our house, we were not thinking about the school district as we were homeschooling our older boys.
But then when we decided to send them to public school, we realized that God had placed us in our house in our school district for a reason.
This is where God has planted us.
So we want to be bright and salty for him here.
We are here for such a time as this.
So we strive to be faithful to share Christ.
I've been able to share the gospel with several parents at soccer games,
and I still text with and try and meet with one of the dads from Ethan's football team from back in seventh grade.
My best opportunities to share Christ and continue building relationships come mostly through my kids.
I make gifts, write up the cards with a scripture verse, add invitations to events such as our church Christmas services,
and my boys deliver the gifts to their teachers and their coaches.
The newest opportunity for me to accompany students on their instrumental solos brings me into direct contact with band students and teachers,
but it is only for 10 to 15 minutes of focused practice time.
So in order to share Christ and encourage those students,
I prepare a small package of chocolate chip cookies to give each one after they've performed.
This is a unique connection point for me as I have accompanied some of the same students now for two years.
It's neat to see them in the school hallways or at a concert and have them wave and say,
Hi, Ethan's mom.
This is also how our ministry to Alejandro began.
I have always enjoyed talking about the Bible and everyone I have been friends with has known quickly that I am a Christian.
This has led to many opportunities to talk about spiritual concepts.
One time I specifically remember it was when a friend who did not know much about the Bible
and who I shared a study hall with asked me to tell her all about it one day.
I attempted to tell her about the seven seas of history that answers in Genesis has put together
and was quite thankful for that opportunity to make the truth of God's word clear to someone.
I was somewhat known as the preacher of my friend group and would often be, mostly jokingly,
asked a spiritual question that I would do my best to answer biblically.
I also have consistently put spiritual connections in assignments
and have written papers with a focus on biblical topic many times.
I've been able to invite one of my friends from school to church and other events
and a few other people along the way.
I've also been able to invest in some friends by going to a couple of grad parties and marching band events,
which has allowed for deeper and more real relationships.
In school, I will often sneak Bible passages, biblical principles, or even the gospel into assignments.
And through relationships and a life that strives with the Holy Spirit's help to be like Christ,
I've been able to share Jesus and the Bible with my words.
When we play soccer and baseball, we've been able to invite our teammates to Awana.
We like to talk to our neighbors about knowing God too.
I don't know if any of you feel intimidated about the prospect of sharing the gospel with others.
How do we go about being a witness to the people in our community?
How do we go about sharing Christ and communicating the gospel?
And it can seem a little overwhelming, maybe a little intimidating.
And perhaps you have, like me at some times, thought,
well, I don't have the gift of evangelism, so obviously it's not my job.
It's for the people who God's gifted for that, not for me.
But of course, God has called us all to this mighty work,
the work of sharing Christ with the people that He has placed us in relationship with.
But in order for that to happen, we have to be in relationship.
And we have to be available.
Well, it begins, we kind of walked through this four-stage process.
The Manwellers kind of introduced that to us over the last four weeks or so.
It begins with prayer.
Prayer does a couple of things.
The first thing that prayer does is it helps to change your heart.
The truth is that probably for a lot of us, we just don't care about our neighbors.
We're happy to go right into the scene.
We drive into our garage, the door goes up, the door goes down,
and we don't have any conversations with any of our neighbors.
So we miss opportunities because we're not praying for God to do a work in our life.
Now, fortunately, that's not for all of you.
A lot of you do engage your neighbors, and I'm encouraged and challenged by that.
The second piece is by building relationship.
How do you get to know and build friendship with your neighbors?
Just this past week, what a golden and strategic opportunity
to get out with a shovel or a snowblower and to meet neighbors.
We had the joy as our family for three of our neighbors
to all kind of rally around one little house,
and that person brought out tea for us all to share,
and three different families got to enjoy this relationship
of building and serving, and that's the next component.
Serving your neighbors so you can build those transaction moments,
those relational opportunities that God uses just through simple things
that we can all do like shoveling snowy walkways or even raking leaves,
whatever you can do to make connections with the people that God has put you in contact with.
Just yesterday, one of our neighbors came and brought a meal to us.
I don't even know if he's a believer, but just through those relational connections,
it's neat how God uses those to then give us opportunities.
And that last piece is capitalizing on those relational opportunities to share Christ with them.
You're asking questions.
You're building friendships.
And so there are heart connections that are being made,
and then opportunities that God will instrumentally provide for us
as we're willing to step in and to do some of those easy things.
And so being an evangelist doesn't have to be very difficult.
It just means that we're available a lot of times,
and praying that God will change our heart
and provide those opportunities so that we can capitalize on them.
I trust that God will help us throughout the course of this year,
the next several months, as we're working through the book of Acts,
learning about the church, learning about how God is awakening hearts
and calling people to himself, this church age that we can all be a part of
through the power of God working in obedient people.
And I trust that we'll all have the joy of seeing God work instrumentally through us
as there's availability in our hearts to do what God has called us to do.
Well, this morning we find ourselves in Acts chapter 1,
and we're going to be focusing our attention on verses 12 and 13 this morning.
But I'm going to read for us, by way of introduction, verses 12 to 14,
just kind of set the context for our study this morning.
Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 12.
Read along with me as I read.
You can just follow along.
It says,
Then they returned to Jerusalem, speaking about the apostles.
They returned from Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,
which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas the son of James.
All these, with one accord, were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women in Mary,
the mother of Jesus and his brothers.
I want to begin our time together today.
And really, there's only really one main point to the message today.
And that is simply this.
To observe and to evaluate, to appreciate this obedient return to Jerusalem.
Their obedient return to Jerusalem.
It's really easy to read verses 12 to 14 and think,
Well, that's quite unexstordinary.
That's exactly what we would expect.
That's kind of normal, don't you think, Andrew?
That Jesus told them to go back to Jerusalem.
And, well, they go back to Jerusalem.
Duh, of course.
That's what we expect.
But maybe it's because it's something we expect,
because we've read this story so many times.
And because we really haven't taken a pause,
which I really want to do this morning.
Just a pause.
I want us to step back,
and I want us to appreciate the surprising nature of this return.
How essentially it's against all odds
that the work of God in bringing the apostles back,
these 11 apostles,
I want us to see this is a work of God.
Not just obedient apostles.
Not just following a command.
But it's the work of God in the hearts of these 11 apostles
to bring them back to Jerusalem.
It's an astounding, even miraculous work of God.
And because we're so familiar with the story,
we think, well, this is exactly where they should be.
Of course, they're here in Jerusalem,
and they're back in the place where many of the things
that we saw in the gospel of Luke have happened.
In Acts 1, verse 13,
it says they went, they had entered,
they went up to the upper room where they were staying.
And again, the upper room,
this is where we expect them to be.
This is likely the place where they enjoyed together
with Christ this last supper.
It was somewhere in Jerusalem
that they're staying with Jesus before his ascension.
We see that in verse 4 of chapter 1.
While staying with them, speaking of Jesus,
he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem.
And so we have a tendency to hear this information
and say, well, of course,
this is exactly what should happen.
This is exactly what we expect.
And since we know this story,
we anticipate this return.
But when we read these words,
then they returned to Jerusalem.
I want us to appreciate the miraculous work of God.
The spectacular nature.
I want us to marvel at these words.
Then they returned.
How ordinary they may seem,
but how extraordinary they really are.
As we have fresh eyes
and understand the work of God
in the lives of these men
and the lives of the 120
that we're going to see in just a moment.
The lives of this small group of believers.
And here they are,
right back at the beginning.
Marvel at the work of God.
I think we're going to be enriched
to see the mission with fresh eyes.
To see this face of zeal
that comes with these believers.
To approach and to understand
that as we see God's work in their lives,
we can also have confidence
as we join ourselves
to the building work of a building God.
That Jesus has said,
I will build my church
and the gates of hell
will not prevail against it.
And so what we see here
at the very start of this story
is what needs to be true
of every heart in life
as we anchor ourselves in confidence
to the work of God
and the work of the Spirit
to carry out this ministry
of church planting
that He's called us to.
So briefly,
I want to take note
of these spectacular words.
Then they returned.
And I want us to understand
the immediate obedience
that we see.
Then they returned.
This word for then
is a word that signifies
immediate action.
It's directly following
this interaction
of the disciples with Jesus
who then ascends
and the angels that come
and say,
well, what are you guys doing
standing around?
He's going to come back
just as He promised you
but He's not here now.
And so what do they do?
They return.
Well, they return
because they're following
a command.
There's no hesitation.
There's no delay.
There's no second guessing.
They know exactly
what they're to do
and they do it.
Acts chapter 1 verse 4,
remember it says,
while they were staying
with them
or while staying with them
and He ordered them
not to depart from Jerusalem
but to wait for the promise
of the Father
which He said,
you heard from Me.
Jesus had told them
to wait in Jerusalem.
And so He ordered them
to do this
and that's exactly
what they do
and they do it
without hesitation.
Marvel at the
immediate obedience
of the disciples.
but also marvel
at the purposefulness
of their obedience.
It was purposeful.
Verses 12 and 13
say this again,
then they returned
to Jerusalem
from the mount
called Olivet
which is near Jerusalem,
a Sabbath day's journey away.
And when they had entered,
they went up
to the upper room
where they were staying.
Now it's difficult
to see this
if you don't have the Greek
but each of those
four verbs
have a directional component.
They all have prepositions
which help you understand
there's movement,
there's purpose,
there's direction
to the words
that Jesus is giving to them.
This word returned
has the preposition upo
which is motion
or direction
meaning to a place.
They were going somewhere.
They were going somewhere specific.
They entered
and this is
the preposition ace
which is into,
toward,
this directional component.
They had purpose
in what they were doing.
They went up
and you can see that
even in the translation
that's there before us.
And that they were staying
and the preposition here
is the word kata
which is the word down
or to remain.
They were fixed.
They were dwelling.
They were put.
They were following directions
but they were following
not randomly,
they were following
purposefully.
There was precision.
There was direction.
There was meaning.
And the reason is
we need to understand
that the powerful work of God
is he's working
in their hearts
to move them in this way.
Yes,
there is obedience
but it's immediate obedience
and it's purposeful obedience.
And it's the same work of God
that every one of us
can enjoy
as we bind ourselves to Christ
and as then we carry out
the instructions
that Christ has given to us.
And we do it immediately.
We do it purposefully.
We do it with hearts
that are ready
and expectant,
waiting for God
to accomplish then
his purposes
through the obedient commands
that he has given to us.
And so the main point
this morning
is essentially
to draw attention
to their obedience.
And I want to spend
the rest of my time
this morning
helping you realize
why that obedience
was so extraordinary.
Why do we need to worship
our God
because of this obedience?
Why do we stand back
and marvel at this return?
It seems so common,
so ordinary,
so uneventful.
And there's four reasons
I want to give you
this morning
as we work through
this passage
and we see
and fill out
the wonder
of this return.
And just briefly,
here are the four main points
I want to give to you
and then we're going to spend
some time
just unpacking them together.
First,
we see
the promise
that kept them.
They were obedient
because of a promise
of Christ
to keep them.
Otherwise,
they would have been
on their own
doing their own thing.
But Christ had made
a promise
that we're going to look at
in just a moment.
And because
of the promise
keeping power
of God,
they returned.
Second,
I want to see
the power
that's set before them.
The work
of God
that was so visible,
so active,
so present
in the life of Christ
and this power
that was put on display
is a power
that's offered.
And we're going to see
through the course
of our time
together this morning,
we're going to see
that the tendency
of the disciples
was that Jesus
had the power
and so Jesus
was the one
that was going
to exercise the power.
But,
it was a power
that Christ
was going to make
available to them
through the Spirit.
And so their return
is again
in demonstration
of their confidence
in that power
that Christ
was making available
to them
through the Spirit.
Third,
we're going to see
the pattern
to guide them
and especially
the significance
of prayer
that helps
to stabilize them
in moments
of temptation.
That this was
like us,
this was a
kind of a fickle group.
this was a
flighty group.
This was a group
that was really
not very dependable.
And again,
the work of God
and calling them
to the exercise
of prayer
is going to
stabilize this group
and make them
useful for Him.
And fourth,
we're going to see
the people who remained.
The people who remained.
That in spite
of the massive crowds,
the thousands
upon thousands
who came to enjoy
and to take part
in the ministry
of Christ,
the only ones
that remain
are 120.
But Jesus,
God is going to use
this meager group
to accomplish
world-changing things.
And so the return
is really a reminder
to us
of what God
wants to accomplish
through
what we might consider
very meager,
meager
contributions
that God wants
to turn
and essentially
distribute
like He did
with the loaves
and the fish
to exercise
His power
and to demonstrate
that the work
rests in Him
and not in us.
So let's begin.
I want to see
and consider
the promise
that kept them.
The promise
that kept them.
And what I want to
do mostly
through this time
is kind of tell
tell some stories,
okay?
And I'm going to
use some references
that you can,
you're welcome
to turn to,
but I'm going to have
a slide
that just has
a picture
that's kind of
representative
of what I'm
talking about
and there may be
some passages
sprinkled in,
but it's going to be
a little different,
so just bear
with me
as we work
through this
this morning.
The promise
that kept them.
In order to really
appreciate what's going on,
we need to kind of
rewind to the very
beginning of Christ's
ministry.
What did that look like
and what did that entail?
And we can kind of
trace this work
of Christ
and this eventual
promise that he gives
by understanding
how it all began.
You remember
that after 30 years
of obscurity
that Jesus finally
moves out
into the public view
and he would come
to a place
known as
the wilderness
of Judea
to the region
of the Jordan
and it was there
that John the Baptist
would have a ministry,
this prophet-like,
Elijah-like figure
would have this ministry
in preparing
the way
for this future,
this future Savior.
He was preaching
a message of repentance
and baptizing
along the Jordan River
and in Matthew
chapter 3
verse 11
this is what
John the Baptist
will say.
He says,
he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit
and fire.
These are the same words
by the way
that Jesus promises
his disciples
there in Acts chapter 1.
He says,
John baptized with water
but you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit
not so many days
from now.
Remember that anointing
that was present
on Jesus
is now promised
to the disciples.
And following
Jesus' baptism
the Spirit
then drives
him out
into the wilderness
to be tempted
for 40 days.
And he's tempted
there
and when he returns
he returns back
to this region
of Judea.
We find that
in Matthew
chapter 4
verse 12.
That he's healing
there
and this report
is given
in Matthew
chapter 4
verse 12
it says,
when he heard
that John
had been arrested
he withdrew
into Galilee.
Now the significance
of that
may be a little distant
for most of us
in this room
but in reading
through the gospel
account of Luke
it's really easy
for us to think
that as soon
as Jesus
was driven
into the wilderness
to be tempted
that immediately
following that
he would start
his ministry
his public ministry
in Galilee.
When in actuality
what we find
is that he would
spend several months
maybe as much
as a year
ministering
to the crowds
in Jerusalem
and to Judah.
And in Matthew
chapter 4
verse 12
this is kind of
the note
or the key
for us
as we think
about the timeline
of the events
that it wasn't
until his arrest
that John the Baptist
had been arrested
that then Jesus
will actually make
his way
into Galilee.
So what was he doing
in the between time?
Well
he was actually
he and his disciples
were baptizing
and they were
baptizing by the Jordan.
We find that in
John chapter 1
verse 20
or 28
it says
these things
these questions
about John the Baptist
identity
these things
took place
in Bethany
across the Jordan
where John
was baptizing.
This is not
the same Bethany
by the way
that we'll find
later
near Jerusalem
but this is a Bethany
on the other side
of the Jordan
on the eastern
side of the Jordan
and it was here
in that region
that John would say
of Christ
behold
the Lamb of God
who takes away
the sin of the world
and in this sequence
of events
John
and Andrew
will go
and they'll meet Jesus
and you remember
Andrew brings
Peter
to Christ
and then Jesus
meets Nathaniel
and Nathaniel
brings Philip
and the whole
interaction
of the disciples
meeting Christ
takes place there
but Jesus
Jesus is there
he's baptizing
we find in John
chapter 3
verse 22
that after this
Jesus and his disciples
went into the Judean
countryside
and he remained there
with them
and was baptizing
he'd already gone
to be baptized
by John
he'd gone
into the wilderness
to be tempted
now he comes back
to the Jordan River
he makes a quick
exodus
to the wedding
of Cana
he comes back
you remember
in John chapter 3
and he has this
interaction with Nicodemus
and here he is
in John chapter 3
22
he's baptizing
for as much as a year
there in
the Judean countryside
and then in John
chapter 4
we find
when Jesus learned
that the Pharisees
had heard that Jesus
was making and baptizing
more disciples than John
although Jesus himself
did not baptize
but only his disciples
he left Judea
and departed again
for Galilee
and now the ministry
of Jesus
would really take off
and this is where
we find Jesus
he's teaching
in the synagogue
there in Luke chapter 4
we find
that his ministry
that's there
and he's teaching
all of those
who come to gather
but in this
ministry of Christ
there's an opportunity
for Jesus
and his disciples
to get away
the ministry
had been so
overwhelming
and the interactions
that he had
with the people
were so difficult
and so taxing
that Jesus
encourages
his disciples
to get away
for a mini vacation
Matthew chapter 14
verses 13
to 14
says this
now when Jesus
heard this
speaking about
John the Baptist
being imprisoned
and then
being killed
he withdrew
from there
in a boat
to a desolate place
by himself
but when the crowds
heard it
they followed him
on foot
from the towns
when he went ashore
he saw a great crowd
and he had compassion
on them
and healed their sick
now understand
Jesus had sent
his disciples
on a mini
missions trip
they were
supposed to come back
and enjoy some
time of rest
so they get on a boat
and they make their way
to the other side
of the
of the sea of Galilee
and they're supposed
to have some time
of rest
but instead
all the crowds
come again
to press in on Jesus
to demand
miracles
to have him
serve them
and what does
Jesus do
Jesus
graciously
serves them
he serves them
by healing
their sick
and then we'll see
that Jesus
will then turn
to his disciples
and say
hey
it's beginning
it's getting
very late
in the day
so
how are we
going to feed
these people
Jesus is concerned
not just about
their physical needs
but this is meant
to help
direct attention
to the real
spiritual needs
that they have
these people
are obviously
hungry
they've traveled
all day
to the other side
of the sea of Galilee
they've been there
as Jesus has healed
all their sick
and now Jesus
will take five loaves
and two fish
and he'll distribute
it to the masses
5,000 men
maybe as many
as 15,000
if you include
women
and children
Jesus
has proven
that he can
teach with authority
he can heal
and remove
every disease
and now
here he is
not just
performing miracles
of healing
but now he's
distributing
and meeting
very physical needs
and feeding
their hungry tummies
and so
they come
after this
season
this feeding
of the 5,000
we find in
in John chapter 6
that
that Jesus
will depart
from them
and they'll all
come
kind of
try to find
where Jesus is
and they
and they actually
see him
and meet him
on the other side
the next day
Jesus wants to
test their loyalty
he wants
to
to test
their faith
are
do you believe
me because
of the works
or do you
believe me
because
because of
the things
that I'm saying
John chapter 6
verse 41
says
the Jews
grumbled
about him
because he said
I'm the bread
that came
down from heaven
Jesus turns
this into
a teaching
opportunity
he wants
them to know
it's not just
about eating
bread
but recognizing
who he is
fundamentally
as the bread
of life
in verse 51
of chapter 6
he says
I am the
living bread
that came
down from heaven
if anyone
eats of this
bread
he will live
forever
and the bread
that I will
give
for the
is for the
life
of the world
excuse me
and the bread
that I will
give
for the
life
of the
world
is my
flesh
in verse 52
the Jews
then disputing
among themselves
saying
how can
this man
give us
his flesh
to eat
so Jesus
said to them
truly truly
I say to you
unless you
eat the
flesh
of the
son of
man
and drink
his blood
you have
no
life
in you
whoever
feeds
on my
flesh
and drinks
my
blood
has
eternal
life
and I
will
raise
him
up
on
the
last
day
and you
can
imagine
with those
very
pointed
words
and confusing
to the
crowds
we find
what we
read here
next
when many
of his
disciples
heard it
they said
this is a
hard saying
who can
listen to
it
and after
this
many of
his
disciples
turned
back
and no
longer
walked
with
Christ
it was
too
difficult
it was
too hard
the words
that Jesus
was saying
were
causing
conflict
and because
of this
many
disciples
left
and
walked
with
him
no
more
so
then we
turn
to
John
chapter 6
verse 61
Jesus
knowing
in himself
that his
disciples
were grumbling
about this
said to
them
do you
take
offense
at this
but there
are some
of you
who do
not
believe
for
Jesus
knew
from
the
beginning
who
those
were
who
did
not
believe
and
who
it
was
who
would
betray
him
and
he
said
this
is
why
I
told
you
that
no
one
can
come
to
me
unless
it
is
granted
by
the
father
so
Jesus
said
to
the
twelve
do
you
want
to
go
away
as
well
Simon
Peter
answered
him
Lord
to
whom
shall
we
go
you
have
the
words
of
eternal
life
and
we
Jesus
answered
them
did
I
not
choose
you
the
twelve
and
yet
one
of
you
is
a
devil
he
spoke
of
Judas
the
son
of
Simon
Iscariot
for
he
one
of
the
twelve
was
going
to
betray
him
Jesus
knew
before
this
all
went
down
before
the
scene
that
we
find
in
the
crucifixion
would
ever
transpire
Jesus
identified
very
early
on
in
his
Galilean
ministry
who
would
be
the
loyal
disciples
and
who
would
desert
and
he
points
out
Judas
I
know
you're
the
man
and
to
the
rest
of
the
disciples
this
promise
the
promise
of
keeping
them
the
promise
of
stabilizing
them
in
the
very
difficult
work
that
was
coming
Jesus
understands
and
has
identified
here
even
at
the
beginning
of
his
ministry
who
would
be
the
ones
who
would
go
the
distance
he
set
his
mark
on
these
eleven
he
knew
ahead
of
time
he
was
going
to
betray
him
we
find
in
John
chapter
13
this
upper
room
experience
again
Jesus
saying
to
them
the
one
the
one
who
has
bathed
does
not
need
to
wash
except
for
his
feet
but
is
completely
clean
and
you
are
clean
speaking
of
Peter
but
not
every
one
of
you
for
he
knew
who
is
to
betray
him
that
is
why
he
said
not
all
of
you
are
clean
remember
Peter
Jesus
is
washing
the
disciples
feet
and
Peter
protests
you're
not
going to
wash
my
feet
and
Jesus
you're
not
on
their
way
to
Gethsemane
what
Jesus
will
pray
in
John
chapter
17
verses
9
to
12
we
find
this
really
coming
and
crystallizing
again
that
Jesus
is
praying
to
the
father
I'm
praying
for
them
I'm
not
praying
for
the
world
but
for
those
whom
you
have
given
me
for
they
are
yours
all
is
mine
excuse
me
all
mine
are
yours
and
yours
are
mine
and
I'm
glorified
in
them
and
I
am
no
longer
in
the
world
but
they
are
in
the
world
and
I'm
coming
to
you
holy
father
keep
them
in
your
name
which
you
have
given
me
that
they
may
be
one
even
as
we
are
one
while
I
was
with
them
I
kept
them
in
your
name
which
you
have
given
me
and
I
have
guarded
them
and
not
one
of
them
has
been
!
So marvel
at the
keeping
promises
of
God
the
keeping
promises
of
God
that
preserved
these
eleven
and
so
when
they
return
we
see
the
working
out
of
God's
promises
in
preserving
his
people
his
men
for
his
mission
we
marvel
at
the
precision
of
this
promise
in
the
return
that
we
see
in
Acts
chapter
one
and
so
again
when
we
read
verses
12
and
13
we
see
that
they're
all
accounted
for
there
in
verse
13
Peter
John
James
Andrew
Philip
Thomas
Bartholomew
Matthew
James
the
son
of
Elphius
Simon
the
zealot
Judas
the
son
of
James
everyone
is
accounted
for
Jesus
has
lost
none
!
of
them
we
have
a
keeping
God
Jesus
keeps
his
own
they're
all
here
they're
all
accounted
for
and
we're
struck
with the
significance
of the
return
this promise
of return
and so
they do
they come
back
they return
in fulfillment
of what
God had
promised
very early
on
in his
ministry
and we
remember
and marvel
at the
preserving
power
of our
Lord
we're
going to
pick
the rest
of this
up
next
week
but I
want to
just
pause
for a
moment
and
just
recall
in
this
time
remembering
that we
have a
God
who
answers
his
promise
who
keeps
his
promises
and we
think about
this
mission
that God
has called
us to
Jesus
says
in
Acts
1
8
that you
will be
my
witnesses
beginning
in
Jerusalem
and then
Judea
and Samaria
and to
the uttermost
parts of
the earth
that's a
promise
that God
will fulfill
and we
as God's
people
have the
opportunity
to couple
ourselves
with the
power of
God
and to
work
those
faithful
promises
through
that Jesus
will build
his church
and the
gates of
hell
will not
prevail
against
it
will we
be part
of the
company
that group
even a
meager group
of those
who will
carry out
the promise
that God
has called
us to
fulfill
will we
have the
chance
the joy
of being
able to
see the
work of
the spirit
in working
in our
lives to
accomplish
the purposes
that he's
called us
to
praise the
Lord
that he's
given us
keeping
promises
power
filled
promises
will we
be faithful
to carry
out
the promises
of God
in the
mission
that he's
called
us to
oh may
God help
us
to
couple
ourselves
with
this
promise
keeping
God
let's
pray
father
we
praise
you
for
your
work
in the
disciples
thank you
that you
are a
God
who
knows
the
future
and
thank you
that you
are a
God
who
keeps
your
people
on
mission
father
I
pray
that you
would
help
us
to
surrender
to
the
to
the
promises
that
you've
made
to
the
instructions
that
you've
given
may
we
be
obedient
immediately
and
may
we
be
obedient
purposefully
Lord
it's
so
easy
to
get
lost
and
distracted
in
all
of
the
other
things
the
other
good
things
of
this
life
things
of
family
things
of
work
things
of
leisure
whatever
good
things
that
are
out
there
and
be
lost
to
the
actual
mission
that
you've
called
us
to
Lord
please
forgive
us
forgive
me
for
not
taking
seriously
the
commands
that
you've
given
and
not
taking
seriously
the
promises
that
are
coupled
with
that
command
you
don't
give us
instructions
that you
won't
also
empower
us
to
fulfill
oh
Lord
please
help
us
help
us
to
walk
in
obedience
to
your
commands
but
also
to
walk
with
expectancy
!
to
walk
in
faith
to
walk
knowing
that
you
will
accomplish
your
purposes
whether
we
get
to
see
those
purposes
play
out
or
not
trusting
that
you
are
working
because
you
are
working
God
Lord
humble
us
and
help
us
in
our
desire
to
follow
after
you
we pray
in
Jesus
name
Amen
God
bless
you
have
a
great
week
see
you
again
next
week