May 12, 2024

The Church's Mission Statement

Speaker: Nicholas Melonas Topic: Church Life Scripture: Acts 1:1–11

Please turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter one, Acts chapter one. Today we'll be looking at Acts 1:1-11. And thank you all, again, for welcoming our family to Virginia. And we're excited to be here, we look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do in the coming days. And also, Happy Mother's Day to any mothers, grandmothers; I don't know if we have great grandmother's here today. But thank you for your love and sacrifice. And we will pray for you today. And pray for those to who maybe have lost, or who desire to be with, or long to be a mother. And you're not forgotten today, either. And so, we will be praying for you today as well.

Now, in the past 10 to 11 years here at Grace Bible Church, the Church has been blessed by God's grace through Pastor Dave, and the support of his wife, Ann, and their family. As well as the leadership of men like Adam and Dustin and the support of their families. And with you, the local church and the body of Christ, serving the Lord, and one another. This is a church that I would say is “on mission,” a church that's on mission. And the church mission is clear at Grace Bible Church. That our purpose is to preach Christ and make disciples. We love Christ and the church. We exist, to preach Christ and make disciples. And this is a statement of a church that, if put into practice, will stay on mission.

There is danger in any church, and in the Christian life, to experience what's called, “Mission Drift.” It happens everywhere, in every generation. Back in 1636, the Puritans started a college after their arrival in New England. And six years later, they created a mission statement that reads, “Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life. And therefore, to lay Christ in the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only gives wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him.”

Now, in 1650, the school continued its core commitment that was, “For the glory of Christ.” Then later, in 1692, their motto became: “Truth for Christ and the church.” This same college exists today but has dreadfully drifted away. Harvard University's mission statement now is this: “To educate the citizens and citizen leaders for our society. We do this through our commitment to inspire every member of our community to strive toward a more just, fair, and promising world.”

Harvard went from requiring Scripture reading twice a day of its students to where it is today. Its motto went from “truth for Christ and the church” to just “truth.” Its mission removed Christ. Now that's quite the drift. And unfortunately, not uncommon. This happens to Ivy League schools, yes to governments, yes to Christian schools, seminaries, denominations, and yes, the local church. Now there are the obvious drifts where pastors bring Ferraris on stages and install zip lines to go over the congregation. It’s obvious. Just this week, sadly, the United Methodist Church voted unanimously to repeal their ban on LGBTQ pastors. And they also say you can't use the male pronoun “he” for God. You might expect worship music at a national conference like this, but instead they incorporated the song, “Love Train.” “People all over the world, everybody join hands, start a love train.”

Now see, Mission Drift doesn't always look like diving into the deep end. Okay, like this. But it also happens in small, slow, subtle ways. Churches have programs, much time and effort is put into events that have structures, that have processes. Programs in the name of ministry, sometimes may not minister and serving can become burdening. The same goes for projects. Whether it's a building project or a missions project, or a tech project. Those can all be good things. But when they become the main thing, they no longer are good things.

Many people make church about themselves. And this is when pride comes in and distracts us from mission. Pride shows itself with whatever your particular preoccupation or opinion is. You might want a certain decor of this, a certain style of that, or you have your hobby horse that you want to hear from the pulpit or to talk about with people when we gather together. Churches are distracted when their people are obsessed with politics. And not just, not just, government politics but church politics too. Debate and conflict is often a vie for power. People lust for their own piece of the pie, whether it's serving in their very own ministry, their own seat in the church, or the desire to be noticed by other people.

These are symptoms of a spiritually infected disease that can not only cause spiritual drift, but even death. When, especially, there can be change. And sometimes, holding on to the past can make us lose our grasp of the present, and the future. Because things were done one way, that's hard to let go. You remember the way things used to be. Or try to capture lightning in a bottle. And we grumble when things aren't the way they used to be, trying to reproduce old success. Or simply you just don't like how the way things are and you don't want to change.

Listen, Mission Drift is dangerous. It's dangerous. It's dangerous in the life of the church, and in the Christian life. You may feel you have personally drifted or slipped today. Prayer is stale, Bible reading is infrequent. Or a relationship with the living and true God is in question. If we want to be a disciple of Christ, in a church that stays on mission, we should ask – as part of the church – are we being who Christ wants us to be? The local church is not a pastor's Church. The local church is not an elder’s church. It's not a deacon’s church. It's not a family's church. It is not my church. None of us really bear authority over the church.

This is Christ's church. And he is the Head of the church. He has the sole authority. And any leadership that is given is designed and delegated by him. And we, as his people, carry out his purposes and his mission. And thankfully, we do not have to wonder what that is. The last thing Jesus did on this planet, before he ascended to heaven, was to remind his followers of their mission. Acts 1:1-11 is a clear mission statement for the church. Now, a mission statement can summarize your core values, your goals, your aims. And I hope that in whatever you do in your life, whether it's work or at home or marriage, family, as an individual – but especially as the church – that we would be intentional, intentional, purposeful, with a Christ-centered mission.

A mission statement typically has four components: 1) the Message, what are you saying? 2) The Meaning, who are you? 3) The Mission, where are you going? And 4) The Motive, why are you doing it? These are important life questions that you need to ask yourself personally, but also that we need to ask ourselves as a church. My desire for this local church, for all local churches, is that we would not get in the way of God's plans for his church. And that everything we do as a church should be filtered, ultimately, through a mission statement like we see here in Acts 1:1-11.

So, let's look at this together. Look, beginning in verses one through three, where we see first The Message, the message, in verses one through three. So, this is answering the question, What are you saying? Okay, and what we see here with the message is that our message is the Word. Verses one through three. Now, as we approach the book of Acts here, remember, Acts is a narrative. And there is danger when people try to apply narratives to our lives today, especially when it comes to Acts. The Mormon Church says we need to have apostles today because it was in the book of Acts. Or charismatics say we should perform miracles and speak in tongues, because it was in the book of Acts. Now, rather than a prescription, this book is really a description of this new era, and God's people called, the Church. And as a narrative, it tells a story. And really, it's Volume Two, part two of a story.

Take a look at Acts 1:1-2.

Acts 1:1–2 (ESV)
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

So, the book of Acts piggybacks off of a first account that was given to a man named Theophilus. That name “Theophilus” means God's love. We don't know much about him. But he may have been a Roman governor or official. The only other time he's mentioned is in Luke 1:3-4. So, both the Gospel of Luke and Acts were written to this man, Theophilus. Luke and Acts are two volumes of the same story. One book, Luke-Acts. And theologically the purpose in the message of Luke's Gospel is to show that Jesus is the Second Adam and the Savior of the whole world.

The end of Luke's Gospel is going to be pretty important and something we look back to a few times today. So, I invite you to put your hand here, and then we're going to put a marker in Luke chapter 24. So why don't you turn there for a moment? Luke 24:45-47, now look here for a moment where in verse 45, it reads,

Luke 24:45–47 (ESV)
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Okay, let's pause there for a second. So Jesus Christ, suffered, died, rose again on the third day. And he came that repentance for the forgiveness of sins, be proclaimed to all. Now go back to Acts 1:1, go back to Acts 1:1. Look again now in this verse, in verse one, where Luke writes, how with his first writing, he “dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” What does that imply? Well, as Harvard put it in their old mission statement, Jesus is the bottom, the foundation. Christ is made the sure foundation, “the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord.” Jesus cried out on the cross, what? “It is finished!” So, salvation is completely and totally finished, in Christ alone. And if you repent of your sins and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins, you will be saved. For that is the foundation, the beginning. From Christ's birth to his ascension to heaven, Christ's message did not end with his time on Earth. The task was not yet finished. Christ chose to continue his work by now spreading his Word through his chosen people.

If Luke's Gospel is the beginning, Acts is the continuing of Christ's Work and Word. And I wonder today, if that is our mission and message? When you are with God's people, like this morning, are you just talking about the weather? Although last night was unique a little bit. When you're at work, do you just talk about politics? With friends do you just make TikTok’s? When you're by yourself, do you just binge on you know, whatever? God came to earth, lived a perfect life, suffered, bled, died, rose again, ascended back to heaven! What else are we preoccupied with today? The church has been given a mission to continue the message of Jesus Christ. And Acts 1:2 says, he commanded this “through the Holy Spirit” to his chosen apostles. In many Bibles, the title of Acts, appears as “The Acts of the Apostles.” As you read through the narrative, you'll see that these verses are the foundation for what's to come. More than the apostles, Acts is the story of, and the work of, the Holy Spirit through the apostles.

Look in Acts 1:3, how Christ validates this message and mission. Look at verse three, “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Now what is the most convincing proof that Jesus is the Second Adam and the Savior of the whole world? It is that Christ is alive. That Jesus is alive, and he saves, and he is our King. And several weeks ago now, when we looked at 1 Corinthians 15 together, the Resurrection remember, is the heartbeat of the Gospel. It is a reality. It's true, that through many proofs, Jesus suffered, died and rose again. And he appeared to the apostles for 40 days! By the way, the Orthodox Church has celebrated the Resurrection just this last Sunday. But according to our Western calendar, Ascension Day, was remembered this past week, this past Thursday. Did we put any thought to that this week? That Jesus not only died and rose again, but he ascended back into heaven?

Listen, Jesus lives. And even now he sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for you, in glory! And before Christ took this glorious position in the throne room, he spoke to the apostles, about the Kingdom of God. Jesus continually reminded his followers of the kingdom while he was on earth, didn’t he? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33? You don't need to be anxious about your life, and what you will eat, or what you will drink, what you will wear, “But seek first…” what? The Kingdom. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Friends, you are saved for so much more than this world has to offer. Paul writes in Colossians 1:13-14, that God the Father has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” Isn't that a glorious truth today? Jesus spoke so much about the kingdom. And this is the reality of the Christian life is that he has transferred us from darkness to glorious light and life, in Christ, for the redemption of sins. Whatever is flooding through your mind or going on in your life, seeking the things above is going to change your perspective on everything. When we look God-ward, instead of inward, your life is going to stay on message and mission. We got to cling on to that message for dear life! Because everything is working against us to drift.

Youth groups can care more about entertainment than exposition and ministries can care more about events than evangelism. Christians can care more about being edgy than being edifying. And churches care more about being busy than being biblical. Are you drifting? If we want to be a church and a Christian, that carries out the King's orders, we're going to take in and deliver out the message of the King. And we will preach God's Word and the good news of his Gospel, we're going to continue the Mission by spreading the Message.

A church on mission knows what it says and knows who it is. And we see this in Acts 1:4-5 with number two. Number two: The Meaning. Number two, The Meaning. So, this is answering the question: Who are we? Who are you? The meaning is that: We Are Washed, we are washed. Look at Acts 1:4, “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me;’” Now let's stop there for a second. Now I don't know about you, but this this message that we're talking about today, it's exciting, it is convicting. And I mean, I hope that was the apostles experience as well. They received 40 more days, with a risen Jesus Christ, to hear about God's kingdom. Now it seems like the logical next step is to now tell the apostles, “Go preach the Word, right now, to everybody!” What is Jesus commanded in verse four? Wait. Wait, don't leave! They need to wait for the promise of the Father that they heard from him. Now what is that promise? What is so important that they need to wait to continue the mission?

Well, if you still have a marker in Luke 24, I want you to go back there for a moment. Look back at Luke 24. Looking at the end of Luke 24:47-48, where it says, “to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until what you are clothed with power from on high.” Okay, so Jesus wants them to wait and stay in Jerusalem for two reasons. One, the mission needed to begin from Jerusalem. Why is that? Because that's where Jesus left off. You see, they aren't starting their own mission. They're continuing Jesus's mission, picking up exactly where Christ left off. This is Christ's mission, not our own.

Second, they were about to receive incredible power from on high. Incredible power, go back to Acts 1:5. What is this power? Acts 1:5 talks about how not many days from then they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist baptized with water, but they are to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now, this is a different baptism than what we practice in the local church. One of the church ordinances is to baptize believers through water immersion. And as many of you know – from me sharing my testimony – when I was a child, I was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church. And most of the time in the Greek Orthodox Church, or a Roman Catholic Church, your baptized as an infant. And somehow, I missed the boat on that, missed the boat. So, I was baptized in the Greek church around seven or eight. And boy, let me tell you, that was an unforgettable experience. Because my entire family was sitting on the first couple rows, and the priest walked me out in my whitey tidies into a giant golden cup. And I squeezed in and sat crisscross in a bowl of water while the priest just dumped water on me. That was not a fun or enjoyable experience.

After I came to saving faith, what I realized is that that childhood baptism was illegitimate. As are all infant baptisms, or sprinklings, or pourings on the head. Water baptism is an outward display of what has already happened to you inwardly. Before they approach the waters of baptism, believers already have an inward spiritual baptism, a baptism of the Holy Spirit. And there's a lot of confusion about what that means. Some believe it's an experience the Spirit gives you to make you speak in tongues and babble or roll on the ground. The Bible teaches that this baptism is the moment the Spirit awakens you to new life in Christ, and you're born again, and you are baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. First Corinthians 12.

This has been promised by the Father, and proclaimed through Jesus. Jesus promises in John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” Jesus promised the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with and dwell in his followers when he left this world. I mean, think about this, when you come to saving faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit permanently dwells, regenerates, washes you forever. Now different than any other time, in all of history, this is what makes you unique, as a Christian, in the local church. Acts 1 does not just teach the message that we are to deliver, but the church's meaning and who we are. So, for the student struggling in school, or dealing with family drama, or being overcome by the worries of this world. Remember, remember who you are. We, as the church, have our identity in the Spirit of the living and true God. He lives in us, and you are temples of that living and true God. And the New Testament teaches that how those who are washed by the Holy Spirit, they dwell in Christ, they are dominated by Christ. They display Christ and they declare Christ.

Our message is Christ, our meaning is Christ. The church is all about Jesus Christ. He is what we say and who we are, as the church. It's not about you or me. It's about him. And Jesus told the apostles to wait for the Promise not many days from now. “How long, Jesus, how long do we have to wait?” Probably 10 days is what I would estimate. Because Jesus was with them for 40 days after his resurrection. And the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit would come. (The word Pentecost means 50). So, it was 50 days after the Resurrection. So, the apostles probably had to wait about 10 days. To wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit would descend upon them. And Christ would go up. And the Holy Spirit would come down.

Well, this is certainly an act of faith by the apostles to wait. They've been told about the kingdom, they've been told about the Holy Spirit coming. And now they need to wait for the coming mission, which we see in Acts 1:6-8. Number three. Number three, this is “The Mission,” the mission. So, this is asking the question, “Where are you going?” What is the mission? The mission is that we are witnesses, to witness, witness. The mission is to witness. Look at Acts 1:6, “So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’” Okay, pause. I do not blame the apostles for asking that question. Some people will kind of give the apostles a hard time about that. But I don't blame them. Right? They've been hearing, they've been anticipating, and asking – since the beginning of Jesus ministry – about the Kingdom of God. And especially after Jesus has risen. Now, “Well, could this be the time?”

Because the apostles knew that if the Spirit of God is coming then the promises of the Old Testament: like Joel 2, Zechariah 12 through 14, Isaiah 44 – this could be the fulfillment. They knew when the Spirit comes, so too would God's kingdom. But Jesus has a plot twist, Jesus has another plan, in their eyes. Starting in Acts 1:7, “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” Sorry, apostles, you are not in control. As Jesus said, in the gospels, no one knows the day or hour of his return. They weren't in control; we are not in control. God is sovereign over all life and circumstances. And it's not our business to determine the timing of God's planned events. It's not our job to determine the times or the seasons of when Christ will return. Many have tried but have epically failed. God is in control. And he will determine his timetable for his return as he deems fit.

In the meantime, we as the church have a different duty. And unlike some practice today, the church's role is not political. The church's job is not to have government reform. It is not social, it is not racial, it is not financial. The primary mission of the church is spiritual. Look at Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power,” there's that power, “when [what?] the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” That could have been really convicting for the apostles to hear. Not yet. More waiting. And I'm sure all of us can relate to that. Waiting is hard, especially when it's something this important. Remember, though, that even in waiting, that God is in control. And Jesus provides hope, even to the apostles here, that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. The very power of God would be upon them to be witnesses of Jesus, just as he said in Luke 24.

What's a witness? That word “witness” comes from the word “martus,” which is where we get the English word “martyr.’ Witnesses for Christ across the span of church history, we're known as martyrs, that suffered for their Christian testimony. To be a witness or to witness is to testify about something or someone. When you give your salvation testimony, you are sharing how you have experienced Christ. What you've heard, what you've seen, how he's transformed you – from the old life of sin, to a new life of salvation – and a changed life in the Savior. Your life is a living testament to who Jesus is. Believers are empowered by God to tell others about Jesus. And witnessing is not just something you do. But it's something you are. You are a witness of Christ! This is your mission to the entire world, Isaiah 49:6. Given by Jesus as his last words to us, before he returned to heaven. And at his Ascension, the apostles would continue the mission beyond Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and throughout the world. And that's pretty much the outline of the book of Acts.

So consider, how is your life witnessing Christ? Is it? Is it testifying about Christ? Is it showing Christ maybe only sometimes or in some places, or with some people. When people experience you do they experience Christ? At home, at work, at church, at school, shopping? Driving? I'll add that in, that wasn't in my notes. That was for me. Churches and Christians get caught up in a lot of good things, many ways to serve that can be helpful to people. But are we really doing what Christ wants us to be doing? As the church. Are we sharing and showing the good news of Christ to anyone and everyone in our path? You know, it can be really hard to be motivated to do that. Especially when we have enough going on in our life. And if you're feeling that way, I think a simple question you can ask is: why? Why do I need to do this? Why do I need to be this?

And that's what we see in our final verses, in Acts 1:9-11. Number four: The Motive, the motive. This is answering: why we're doing this? And the motive is waiting, waiting. Verses nine through 11. Take a look at those verses. “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?’” I can think of a couple of reasons. “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” When you feel stale and drifting, ask yourself: why Christ saved you to begin with?

What we see happening in these verses here, is in the truest sense of the word: AWESOME. This is not the first time some of these apostles have experienced Christ's glory. And Luke chapter nine, Peter, James and John, you will remember, we're standing on a mountain. And when Christ was transfigured, he began talking, Jesus began talking, with Moses and Elijah, about his departure from Jerusalem. And then a cloud surrounded them there and said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him.” Now here in Acts one, what do we see? Here again, there is a cloud, lifting Christ out of their sight. And there are two men with white robes. And while the apostles are just in awe, staring at just what happened there, these glorious men proclaim how Jesus is going to come back the same way he left, on a cloud of glory.

And Jesus already told them about this in Luke 21:27. “And then they will see,” Jesus says, “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Do you see this progression? The Transfiguration and the Ascension are all a preview of the glorious coming of Christ and his return. And as Zechariah 14:4 promises, not only did Christ leave from the Mount of Olives, but he will return at that spot, when he comes back. The Ascension is not a day to be missed or overlooked. Why should I be motivated to tell others that Jesus is the Savior of the world and is the Second Adam? We have a message of joy! The King is coming back! And Luke 24 concludes how the apostles left worshipping Christ with great joy, blessing God, from this event. Our motive in witnessing Christ is not for our gain. But it is for his glory. The apostles had to wait. Again. And waiting is hard. We have to wait too. But when we're waiting and we're fixing our eyes on Christ's glory and not our own. Yes, it's going to be hard. But waiting on Christ, and his glory will produce in you: worship, joy, and blessing in Christ.

This is the church's mission statement: We preach Christ, his Word and Work. This is our message. We’re washed by the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s witnesses and make disciples. This is our meaning and our mission. We wait for and do this until his glorious return. This is our motive. This has been the commission of the church since her foundation. And the baton has been passed to every generation for this task.

Back in the 1930s, China was a difficult place to live as a Christian and they needed missionaries. And as a call to arms, the missionary Frank Houghton, wrote a hymn called, Facing a Task Unfinished. And the Lord used this hymn to call 200 more missionaries. To preach the gospel in China. Grace Bible Church, the baton is now passed to us. And the task is still not yet finished. And if you've been drifting, today, be renewed to the mission that God has saved you for.

As Frank Houghton wrote:

Facing a task unfinished, that drives us to our knees.
A need that undiminished, rebukes are slothful ease.
We who rejoice to know thee, Renew before thy throne,
The solemn pledge we owe thee, to go and make thee known

We bear the torch that flaming fell from the hands of those
who gave their lives proclaiming that Jesus died and rose.
Ours is the same commission, the same glad message ours,
Fired by the same ambition, to thee we yield our powers.

O Father who sustained them, O Spirit who inspired,
Savior whose love constrained them, to toil with zeal untired.
From cowardice defend us, from lethargy awake.
Forth on thine errands send us, to labor for thy sake.

And then as the Gettys added this chorus:

We go to all the world, with kingdom hope unfurled,
No other name has power to save, but Jesus Christ the Lord.

Let us renew ourselves in this mission, for Christ and his glorious return

Let us pray.

Oh Lord, this is our prayer. And it's so easy, we see it everywhere. Of churches, of denominations, of people, Christians drifting. We get off mission. And Lord, how so easily we can do this in our own lives. You've given us the Helper, your Holy Spirit, to stay on mission. And oh God, we need you to do this task. We can't do this in our own power, our own strength, our own wisdom. We need you. We need the Spirit of Christ. We need your Word. And we thank you for Acts chapter one, we thank you that Christ not only has Christ ascended but he is soon returning.

So Lord, for all of us here today, whether it's us corporately as a church, or us individually leaving this place, will you convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment? Will you convict us of what is true, and that we might leave this place fixed on Christ? Not on ourselves, not on the things around us, on Christ and his glory.

Help us, Lord, to do this. And then let us not leave here, thinking the task is done. But recognizing the task is not yet finished and to go, and to be who you've called us to be as the church. So, we do this all in and for the sake of Christ. In Whose Name we pray. Amen.