Our-Core / Week 2

 Our Core – Mission Driven
Acts 1; Matthew 28   May 1, 2022    

1. Introduction:
   1. Two weeks ago on Easter Sunday, we learned that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Then the Bible tells us that Jesus walked on earth for 40 days before He ascended back into heaven.   What did Jesus do during those 40 days?
      1. Turn to Acts 1 where Luke summarizes for us the three main things Jesus was doing during that time. Read Acts 1:1-3
      2. Three main things:
         1. Giving them orders – commands
         2. Presenting Himself alive to them with many convincing proofs
         3. Talking to them about the kingdom of God – 
            1. Wouldn’t you have loved to be in on those discussions?
            2. I wish the Bible would have recorded those discussions! 
   2. This morning I want to focus upon the orders that Jesus gave them. We do not need to wonder about what those orders were because they are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and right here in Acts.
      1. Yes, Jesus gave them orders, commands, directives, not some ideas or suggestions but some authoritative commands coming from the King Himself!
   3. Today is the second week of 6-week series regarding the core of MVC!   
      1. The purpose of this series is to help us understand who MVC is at our core.  Our unique makeup and personality as a church.
      2. To do that we are looking at our values and mission.
   4. The value I want to address today is this:  mission driven – mission is why we exist!  
      
      
      
      1. Our mission can be taken all the way back to the orders that Jesus gave to His church during those 40 days that He was walking on the earth after His resurrection and before His ascension back into heaven.
      2. We say this mission drives us because that is what motivates us to do what we do.   
         1. We are not driven in the sense of a taskmaster behind us driving us but rather we are internally motivated to do this mission because Jesus gave us orders that this is what we are to be about!  
         2. This is why we exist, this is why we do what we do, and out of our love for Him, this is why we do what we do!

• So now that we know that Jesus gave orders to his followers to do this let’s just take a quick look at this mission we were ordered to carry out.

1.  The mission
   1. Look down a few verses to Acts 1:8 – Jesus summarizes for them something that they had already heard on at least three other occasions before He ascended into heaven at the Mount of Olives.    Read  Acts 1:8
      1. They were going to receive the Holy Spirit to empower them for this mission!
      2. The mission was to be His witnesses – those who can tell others what they have heard, seen and experienced with Jesus
      3. They were to do it where they lived, the surrounding area and even to all the world!
      4. Basically, a worldwide mission telling others about Jesus!
   2. Listen to how Jesus said it to them before.
      1. Mark 16:15  
      2. Luke 24:47-48 
      3. John 20:21
         
         
         
         
   3. Now turn to Matthew 28 where we see what is called the great commission  
      1. Note the context here –on a mountain in Galilee read Matthew 28:16-18
      2. “Therefore” connects v18 to v17.   
         1. Note what follows is built off Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth, in other words Jesus’ right to tell us what to do – to give us orders.
      3. Now listen to the mission that Jesus gave us that is based upon His authority.  It is going to sound a lot, like what we already heard with a worldwide mission but He expands on it and clarifies it more for us here. Read v18
         1. Make disciples
         2. Three ways we do it – 
            1. Going – be intentional to go share the gospel both where you live and around the world
            2. Baptizing – those who respond to the gospel should make a public witness through baptism that they are now followers of Jesus
            3. Teaching us to observe and then spend the rest of our lives learning what Jesus taught us and more importantly obeying it.

• Thus, all of this brings us back to and explains why MVC is mission driven!

1.  Application
   1. Thus, MVC is a church that is driven by the mission Jesus gave to the church!  That is driven, or motivated and shaped by the mission that our King Jesus gave us.   We want to be intentional about making disciples for Jesus.    
      1. The reason we do what we do and pursue what we pursue is because of the mission that Jesus gave to us!
      2. We summarize it like this – following Jesus and impacting others.   
      3. Following – being baptized after believing in Him as a public witness of your faith in Him.  And seeking to obey everything He taught us
      4. Impacting – being intentional to tell people who do not know Jesus about Jesus and teaching those who do know Him what Jesus wants us to obey!
   2. This is the way we try to put it on the lower shelf when it comes to this value of MVC being a mission driven church.
      1. We believe that we carry the hope of Jesus to the world. We have been placed in our church and community for the sake of others. When each of us plays our part families are strengthened, believers grow, the hurting are healed, the lost are found, and our community is blessed. 
      2. This is the difference our lives can make when we follow Jesus in obedience, impacting others by bringing the gospel to the lost and helping others believers grow in their relationship with Jesus!
      3. God has supernaturally and strategically placed each one of us at MVC throughout the southwest area of Chicago in our families, homes, jobs, schools, relationships, to bring the gospel to the lost and help believers grow!
      4. This is why we exist as MVC; this is what shapes what we do!  
   3. As we move to baptisms this morning, we see two people following Jesus mission to be baptized after they believed the gospel!
      1. In both of these baptisms, we see two extra people in the waters with them because they are some of the people who impacted them for Jesus by either telling them about the gospel or helping them grow in obedience to all that Jesus calls us to do!