FROM WEST END TO WORLD'S END SERMON 3

Title: Only in His Power — The Fuel of Missions
From West End to World’s End Series
Text: Acts 1:8 

Introduction

Over the last two weeks we have been turning our attention toward the great work of missions. We have looked at God’s heart for the world — that He blesses His people so that His name will be known among all nations. But in Acts 1, Jesus does more than just command the disciples to go — He tells them how they will be able to fulfill the mission: Only in His Power.

Before Jesus ascended, He did not hand His disciples a strategy manual, an evangelism method, or a printed Gospel tract — He promised them power. Without the Holy Ghost, they would have been powerless men with a great commission but no ability to carry it out. But once the Spirit came, these ordinary followers of Christ turned the world upside down — and over 6,400 miles later, that same Gospel has reached us here in Social Circle.

If the church in the first century needed the power of God to reach the world, the church in the twenty-first century — including us here at West End Baptist — needs it all the more.

1. — The Preaching of the Gospel

“...and ye shall be witnesses unto me...” (Acts 1:8)

The mission has never changed. We are not called to sell a religious product or improve the world’s moral condition. We are called to preach Jesus. Not self-help, not cultural commentary — Christ crucified, risen, and returning.

• “But we preach Christ crucified...” — 1 Corinthians 1:23

• “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord...” — 2 Corinthians 4:5

• “Neither is there salvation in any other...” — Acts 4:12

The church can have choirs, buildings, programs, structure, and activity — but without Jesus as the message, we have no mission. The early church changed the world with one message: Jesus saves.

2. — The People and the Places

“...both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Jesus maps the mission outward in ever-widening circles:

Notice Jesus used the word “both” — not first here and then later there, but here AND there at the same time.
Missions is not sequential — it is simultaneous.

We must love the people God has placed near us…
…but we must not forget those far from us.

We pray for revival in our church, and also pray for the Gospel across the nations.

3. — The Power of the Holy Ghost

“...but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you...” (Acts 1:8)

The missing ingredient in much of modern ministry is not money, not opportunity, not intelligence — it is power.

Power is what turned timid disciples into fearless preachers.
Power is what translated their words into the languages of every listener.
Power is what caused hearts to break under the conviction of the Gospel.

• “Tarry…until ye be endued with power from on high.” — Luke 24:49

• “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost…” — Acts 4:31

• “Be filled with the Spirit.” — Ephesians 5:18

The old preachers called it unction — the touch of God upon a man.
1 John 2:20 — “But ye have an unction from the Holy One…”

We can preach without the Spirit — but only the Spirit can produce conversion.
We can sing without the Spirit — but only the Spirit breaks up fallow ground.
We can serve without the Spirit — but only the Spirit brings eternal fruit.

The same power that filled Peter on the day of Pentecost is the power we need today at West End Baptist Church.

Conclusion

We are called to reach people — but we cannot reach them without His power.
We are called to go into every place — but we cannot go in our own strength.
We are called to carry the Gospel — but only the Holy Ghost can carry hearts.

Do we want God’s power?
Do we hunger for His touch?
Do we believe the Spirit can still shake a church and stir a city?

If we are to fulfill our mission “From West End to World’s End” — it will only be in His power.