Destiny Church
Mission’s
Conference
“Light
Your World”
Monday
Evening
January
22, 2018
The Master Plan
God
has a plan, He will succeed, and we have a chance to participate.
In
a moment we are going to be going to First Corinthians 2 but before that allow
me to share some points to ponder:
· Faith makes things possible; it does not make
things easy.
· Principles before problems.
· Success is in secondary leadership, even if
your name is Jesus.
The
Old Testament is a picture of
approximately 4000 years, give or
take a few, showing what God did to bring Messiah to a lost and hurting world.
The
New Testament is a snapshot of only
about 40 years (AD 27 to AD 67) and
it details what was done by only one generation after God brought Messiah to a
lost and hurting world.
·
The
New Testament is an account of the adventures of one home group of about 120 people who were filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to follow the guidelines of the Great Commission.
·
These
12 boys, minus Judas Iscariot, plus Paul, took the Gospel of Jesus Christ to:
o Jerusalem; Judea;
Samaria; Antioch; Cyprus; Malta; Corinth; Philippi; Laodicea; Thessalonica;
Ephesus; Colosse; Thyratira; Pergamos; Patmos; the region of Galatia; Troas;
Miletus; Athens and Rome, just to name a few, in only one generation.
o This little group of
a few young boys and girls took the Gospel to their whole known world in only
40 years and not one of them even owned a bicycle!
The
New Testament is both a model and a mandate for the work that is incumbent upon
the Church in every generation.
1 Corinthians 2:2 (NKJV) For I determined not to know anything among you
except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
·
God has handled bigger problems and worse people
than we face today.
A brief historical
perspective of the life and times of the Apostle Paul
o
The Apostle Paul was
most likely born around the year AD 5
o
He became a believer in
Jesus as Messiah at about 26 or 27 years old when he had his Damascus Road
conversion experience.
o
Between 30 and 35 years
later, Paul is in his late 50s and early 60s and writes several letters from
Rome where he is imprisoned.
§
Including Philippians,
Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and 2 Timothy, which is believed to be written
by Paul at the age of 62 just before he was martyred
§
Rome burned in AD64 –
Horrific persecutions of Christians
o
About AD 66/67 Paul was
beheaded by order of Nero
§
Nero was one of the
worst and most depraved men who ever lived
§
A brief synopsis of Nero’s reign
o
Today’s bad guys pale in
comparison to Nero and the government of Rome during the time the Apostle Paul
was living there and writing these letters.
§
These things were not
done in secret – Paul was there!
o
The Church has faced
much more horrible governments and political demons throughout history than
those we face today and it has grown under every persecution and each problem
has been but a light affliction which has worked for us a far more and
exceeding and eternal weight of glory … while we look to the unseen!
·
Stay on Point
o
Jesus is the only light of the world
o
If there were no communists,
atheists, Buddhists, or other “ists” this, in itself, would not guarantee
people go to heaven.
o
We must be more for what we are for
than for what we are against
o
Cursing the darkness does not equal lighting a lamp.
o
The Apostle Paul never got
distracted but stayed on point.
Acts 19:37 For you have brought these men here who are neither
robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
o
Now there’s a testimony to have
after 2½ years of living and ministering in what was arguably the most demonic
city in the Roman Empire.
o
Paul kept the focus on Jesus … only
the Light of the World can change the world.
o
We are not attempting to make bad
men better but rather to make dead men live and only Jesus can satisfy the
soul!
·
Preach the Gospel
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek.
In
the year AD100 there were 360
Non-Believers to every 1 Believer. I think if I had lived in the year 100 and
was a Believer in Jesus that I could have witnessed to my 360 people. If every
Christian could have been that faithful witness the fulfillment of the Gospel
would have occurred and it would have been heaven on earth by now. Do you
imagine you could have witnessed to 360 people in your lifetime? The Bible does
not say we have to get them saved only that they have to be told and given a
chance.
In the year AD2018 there are only 7 Non-Believers to every 1 Believer …
· Light your world
· Preach the Gospel
· Stay on Point
