TITLE:  Our Great Mission
TEXT:  Acts 1:4-8
PROPOSITION:  Like the apostles, we need a passion, the power, and a plan.
QUESTION:  How?
KEY WORD:  Requirements
SCRIPTURE READING:  Same

INTRODUCTION:

1. Recent movie – “The Passion of the Christ”
2. Our text is – “After His Passion”
3. Jesus was killed, buried and raised.
4. He taught his apostles – final instructions
5. His disciples were given a passion, the power, a plan

Passion (Visions / goals / dreams)

1. Be my witnesses – 1:8
2. Proverbs 29:18 – No vision, the people perish
3. Many Christians are bored, depressed
4. Many Christians today have no challenge, no conviction, no commitment
5. There is no passion for the cause of Christ
6. SOLUTION: Challenge yourself with a goal
   1. Faith, deeper study, more knowledge
   2. Share, invite, encourage, support
7. A study asked 50 people over 95 – If you could live your life over again, what you would do differently?
   1. I would reflect more
   2. I would risk more
   3. I would do more things that would live after I am dead
8. Will the church – thrive or survive?

Power (How are we going to do these things?) Acts 1:4

1. They had to wait for it
2. We receive it upon obedience to the gospel – Acts 5:32
3. “Plugged Into Power” – book says – power is available
4. Like electricity – only useful when you plug in, connect

Plans (How are we going to get this done?) Acts 1:8

1. Early church had a plan:
   1. Jerusalem
   2. Judea
   3. Samaria
   4. Ends of the earth
2. Personally
   1. Do you have a plan?
   2. How are you doing at reaching the goal?
3. Church
   1. Where is this church headed? What direction?
   2. Goals – Aims – Purpose – Plans – Direction
   3. Do we have a 10-year plan?
4. Churches must PLAN for growth
   1. Evangelism
   2. Discipleship
   3. Missions
   4. Programs of outreach

Jesus was taken up to heaven (Now we have to do it alone!) Acts 1:9

1. He taught, instructed, charged, and challenged them.
2. Then He left for heaven
3. Now the apostles were all alone – with the job to be done.
4. He will come back – like he left:
   1. In clouds
   2. Quickly, suddenly, without warning or advance notice
5. In High School – mowed lawns – given instructions, he left, I worked hoping I would make some progress before he returned.