Witnesses: Commissioned, Sent, and Empowered

Witnesses: Commissioned, Sent, and Empowered

Dave Riddle - 4/21/2024

Key Passages: Luke 24:47-48, John 20:21, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8

You will be my witnesses

- Luke 24:47-48

- To all the nations

- Acts 1:8

- To the ends of the earth

Commissioned and Sent

- John 20:21

- As the Father sent me, so I am sending you!

- Matthew 28:18-20

- Go, therefore, and make disciples

Empowered by God

- He provides us with His own power.

- Luke 24:49

- Acts 1:4-5

- John 20:22

Until He Comes Again

- 1 Thessalonians 4:16

He’s Still Here

- Matthew 28:20

- I am with you always, even til the end of the age

Organic Outreach

House Rules - Organic Outreach

Dave Riddle - 11/27/2022

Key Passage: Matthew 9:35-38

Outreach = Sharing and showing the good news of Jesus in everyday life.

He Went

• Matthew 9:35

  • While he was out and about he was purposeful.

…Teaching

• Matthew 9:35

  • Teaching = didaskō (Greek: διδάσκω) - teaching with the purpose of transformation.

…Proclaiming the Good News

• Matthew 9:35

  • kēryssō euaggelion basileia (Greek: κηρύσσω ευαγγελιον βασιλεα) - preaching the good news of the Kingdom.

…Healing

• Matthew 9:35

  • Jesus understood that people needed healing and he provided it.

He Noticed

• Matthew 9:36 - “when he saw the crowds...”

  • He didn’t overlook them or look past them. He saw them.

…Jesus Felt

• Compassion

  • Matthew 9:36

  • splagchnizomai (Greek: σπλαγχνίζομαι) - to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)

He Explained

• Matthew 9:37-38

  • The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few

We Embody

• Luke 6:40

  • We should do what Jesus did.

  • Our ministry should be incarnational.

We Testify

• Acts 1:7-8

  • We are being sent out to share and show the good news of Jesus!

• Ephesians 1:7

  • Good news!

Life in the Spirit

House Rules - Holy Spirit

Dave Riddle - 10/16/2022

Key Passage:  John 14:16-17

Life in the Spirit

• walking in the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit, while bearing spiritual fruit and utilizing spiritual gifts.

A Promise Fulfilled

• John 14:16-17

  • We need help!

• John 16:7

  • Jesus was leaving, but He didn’t leave us without help!

  • Helper = paraklētos - summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid. One who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate. One who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor. In the widest sense, a helper, aider, assistant

Friendship

• Holy Spirit “…is the loving, self-communicating, out-fanning and out-pouring presence of the eternal divine life of the triune God. By the Spirit, God draws near to the creature and mediates a knowledge of divinity in a hundred thousand ways.” - Jürgen Moltmann

Conviction

• John 16:8-9

  • We are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit bearing fruit in our gospel work and in our lives.

New Life

• Acts 2:37-38

• John 3:5-6

• John 6:63a

Empowered Life

• Acts 1:8

• 2 Timothy 1:7

  • Power = dynamis (Greek: δύναμις) strength, ability of power, especially inherent power, residing in something (or someone) by virtue of its (or their) nature.

• Galatians 5:16

Changed (Fruitful) Life

• Galatians 5:22-23

• Galatians 5:25 - If we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit

  • Keep in step = stoicheo (Greek: στοιχέω) -literally, to march in military rank; to proceed in a row as the march of a soldier. Figuratively, to conform (in virtue, piety)

Gifted Life

• 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

  • We are strengthened by each other’s gifts.

• 1 Corinthians 12:12

Directed Life

• John 16:3

• 1 Corinthians 2:14

Eternal Life

• Ephesians 1:13-14

• Ephesians 4:30

United Life

• 1 Corinthians 12:13

• koinōnia (Greek: κοινωνία) - fellowship, association, community, intimacy, joint participation (the share which one has in anything), communion.

Why Did Jesus Leave?

Why Did Jesus Leave?

07/03/2021 - Paul Trulock 

Key Passage: Acts 1:6-11

Jesus has dominion over everything 

• Acts 2:34-35

  • A footstool, a doormat, walked all over…

• Philippians 2:9-11

  • Every knee

The Real Thing - Our King and High Priest

• Hebrews 7:20-25

  • You have a high priest sitting at the right hand of the father who intercedes for you.

• Hebrews 7:26-27

  • Isaiah 53 - the messiah was innocent

  • Daniel - He will die a violent death

  • David - He will not see corruption

  • Romans 8:1 - There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ

• Hebrews 7:28-8:2

  • The work is finished!

  • The work is perfected

  • Matthew 27 - God tore the veil to signify that WE can now enter into the presence of God.

What does it mean for us today?

• Hebrews 10:19-25

  1. Let us draw near to God

     • V. 22 With a sincere heart and full assurance of faith.

  2. Hold fast to our Hope

     • V. 23 hold onto hope without wavering

     • Our hope is based upon a sure foundation.

  3. Encourage one another

     • V. 24 spur one another on towards love and good deeds

       • 1 Peter 2:9…

  4. Be in community

     • V. 25 - do not neglect meeting together

       • We can’t think ONLY of our own sanctification.

Why did Jesus leave? 

• He entered the Holy of Holies , to be crowned as king and to present Himself as our perfect High Priest

Our Upside Down Mission

Message begins around 35 minutes

Our Upside Down Mission

Dave Riddle • 04/03/2022

Key Passage: Matthew 4:19

Our God is both Sent and Sender

• John 3:16-17

• John 17:1-4, 18

• John 20:21

Jesus followers are “sent ones”

• Matthew 4:19

  • A challenge and a new identity

• Mark 3:14

  • Why? To send them out.

  • Not to continue living their lives the same way they were before.

    • We say we believe… but we live like universalists.

• Do we see ourselves as “sent ones”?

  • To whom are you sent?

What does this calling look like?

• Matthew 28:18-20

  • Salt and light

• Acts 1:18

  • You will receive power…

  • You will be my witnesses…

• Matthew 28:19

  • Therefore go and make disciples…

• 2 Corinthians 5:20

  • We are Christ’s Ambassadors

Our Content and Our Conduct

• both must be in line with God’s calling for our life.

• We can stand for everything that’s true, but does our conduct repel people before they can hear our words?

• Philippians 2:14-16

  • Blameless, pure, faultless…

    • A high calling!

  • Hold firm to the word of life and hold it out to the world.

Hearts for Redemption and Restoration

• We are citizens of God right now… But it’s not yet fully realized

  • An “Already… not yet” reality.

  • Citizen of the Kingdom of God should be our primary identity here on earth.

• Revelation 21:5

Why Family on Mission?

Why Family on Mission?

6/13/21 - Dave Riddle 

Key passages: 1 Timothy 3:15, Matthew 28:18-20

We use the word family because it’s biblical.

Family = oikos (Greek: οἶκος) - an inhabited house, a physical dwelling place. Also, the inhabitants of a house, all the persons forming one family - a household. 

• 1 Timothy 3:15 - we are the household of God.

• The church is called “brother and sisters” over 20 times in the book of Acts alone!

What is our mission?

• Matthew 28:18-20 - The great commission. Go make disciples…

• Disciple = mathetes (Greek: μαθητής) - pupil/learner/student - a disciple. In the New Testament, a disciple is one who not only learns, but accepts and adverse to the instruction given to them, making it their personal everyday way of living .

• Teaching them = didaskō (Greek: διδάσκω) - teaching with the purpose of transformation.

• Acts 1:8

• “The church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that [everything else is] simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose.” CS Lewis

• Luke 6:40

Helping People Follow Jesus Together

1. UP

   • Living in right relationship with the Father.

     • Jesus prioritized his relationship with his Father.

2. IN

   • Living in right relationship with our church family.

     • You can’t walk in obedience with the will of God if you aren’t walking in right relationship with your brothers and sisters.

3. OUT

   • Living on mission to reach the world.

     • We are ambassadors, as if God was making his appeal through us!

Out (Our World)

A Family on Mission - Out (Our World)

Dave Riddle - 06/30/19

Key Passage: Matthew 9:35-38

A Quick Review

1. One Calling

   • Help people follow Jesus together

2. Two Commandments

   • Love God, Love Others

     • Mark 12:28-31

3. Three Dimensions

   • Up, In, Out

Living on Mission like Jesus

He went.

• Matthew 9:35 - “Jesus continued going...”

  • Teaching

    • didaskō (Greek: διδάσκω) - teaching with the purpose of transformation.

  • Gospelling

    • kēryssō euaggelion basileia (Greek: κηρύσσω ευαγγελιον βασιλεα) - preaching the good news of the Kingdom.

  • Healing

    • Jesus understood that people needed healing and he provided it.

He Noticed.

• Matthew 9:36 - “when he saw the crowds...”

  • He didn’t overlook them or look past them. He saw them.

He felt.

• Compassion

  • Matthew 9:36

  • splagchnizomai (Greek: σπλαγχνίζομαι) - to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)

He Explained

• Matthew 9:37

  • The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few

Our Response

We Embody Jesus

• Luke 6:40

• We want to be like Him.

We Proclaim

• Acts 1:8

• Witnesses for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit

Two Outcomes

1. Redemption

   • Ephesians 1:7

2. Restoration

   • We can make a difference in a world of chaos.

The most important thing to remember is how desperately God loves you.

• The world is full of individuals that God loves individually.

• Do we see the world through God’s eyes or do we see faceless/nameless masses?