Christian Living

WHERE IS YOUR MISSION FIELD

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
09/17/14
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Where is your mission field ? And what does the Bible have to say about the subject ? Just before Christ was lifted up in the clouds (Acts 1:9), He gave His all important final commissioning to us all, that of reaching the world with the gospel.

"But you will receive power when 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.”(Acts 1:8)

This verse in the book of Acts explains very simply where our mission field should be. You will be my witnesses in:

JERUSALEM- At the time of this writing, Jerusalem was the "metropolis of the known world. The place where Christ was brought to trail (John 19:7, 13-16), crucified (John 19:18) , and where the first church was established (Acts 2:41-47). However, many who had been concerned with the crucifixion, were later called by grace ( Ephesians 2:8-9) and converted to the gospel.

JUDEA - Judea was that part of Israel, distinct from Samaria and Galilee, and from beyond Jordan, where churches were to be established.

SAMARIA- Samaria was where Christ had forbid His disciples to go, but now the commission was extended, and they were to go there. It was the area where Philip went, due to the Jerusalem church being persecuted, and preached with success. It is there where Peter and John laid hands on the congregation (Acts 8:5).

THE END OF THE EARTH- The whole earth.

But what about today's world ?

JERUSALEM- We should be witnesses at home, and in our community

JUDEA- We should be witnesses in the other communities and cities surrounding our hometown.

SAMARIA- We should be witnesses in the cities of our communities, around our hometown, that are a different culture or who are hostile towards each other. Such as was the bitter hatred between the Jews and Samaritans, yet Jesus instructed His follows to witness, even to their enemies.

TO THE WORLD- This simply means the whole earth.

TO SYMBOLIZE- Jerusalem could represent our city, Judea could signify our state,  and Samaria might stand for the "down-and-out unpopular areas within our surroundings.

In many of our churches we see pictures posted of missionaries, whom we support, which is good in holding to the "Great Commission". However, what about Jerusalem, our home ? How many pictures do we see in our churches, of our families, friends and neighbors, whom we have won to Christ (John 4:35) ? Boy, did I strike a personal nerve, here.

The main crux of this text is our power source, which is God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has promised to give us the power, the strength, the boldness, the ability and the confidence to give witness to the full gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4). You see, beloved, we can never witness on own power (Zechariah 4:6) .

Relying on our own power, aside from that of God's Holy Spirit, will surely foster failure ( Psalm 42:5-8). You see, we may not see the results of our witnessing, this side of heaven (1 Peter1:6-7). However, we are still commanded to go (John 8:31-32). Just don't lose heart (Hebrews 12:3), for God is always with us (Psalm 3:3).

This internet story fits one who had lost faith in the gospel.
"…A friend of mine who "used to be a Christian" once told me of the reasons he had lost faith in Christianity. Recently, he told me of the day he concluded that Christianity wasn't true. He and a friend were riding his bicycles up a mountain road in a heavy downpour. They decided to thumb a ride instead of risking a downhill run on a mountain road in the cold rain. A huge motor home pulled up, and the driver asked them what the problem was. They told him of their situation, and he said he'd  like to help them; but he was going to church and didn't have the time . . . Later, a beat-up old station wagon with a foreign family in it stopped and picked them up.

So let us sum up this charge of witnessing, given by our Heavenly Father.

A “witness” is someone who attests to a fact, so in order to be an effective witness for Christ, one must have firsthand knowledge of Him (1 John 1:1-3). To be effective in our witness, we should remember these three basic points:

1) THEME- The central theme of our witness is the full gospel of Jesus Christ ( 1 Cor 15:1-4) ( 1 Cor 2:2) (Romans 10:9-10). And the most important fact, in today's world, is that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).

2) POWER-The power comes from the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). And we have this same Holy Spirit in helping guide and direct our witness ( 2 Cor 6:16). ( 1 Cor 3:16).

3) VALIDITY- This is demonstrated in how we live our lives, we must be real. (Philippians 2:15) (John 15:1-8) (Galatians 5:22-23). We are the only Bible some people read.

And remember, always be prepared (1 Peter 3:15). Being prepared means diligent Bible study, memorizing Scripture, and praying for God-given opportunities to share with those whose hearts have been prepared by the Lord to hear His message of salvation.

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