The Compass - Global Church Planting
Charting the Course for Church Growth
The Most Important Question for a Christian
Acts 9:1-9
Day 1
Acts 9:1-9 “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Many times when churches talk about missions the immediate thought is something like this: someone is going to go into the deepest recesses of Africa to reach an ancient tribe that still operates their judicial system by the “code of the sword.” However, what about this: 195 million Americans have no faith involvement at all in their lives which makes the U.S. the third largest unchurched nation following China and India. There is not one county in America with a greater church population today than ten years ago. In the last ten years the combined membership of the Protestant denominations has declined 4.5 million while the population of our nation has increase by 24 million. Half of all the 368,000 churches in America did not report one new convert in 1998. In 1900 there were 27 churches for every 10,000 Americans; in 1950, 17 churches per 10,000 Americans; in 1998 there were only 11 churches per 10,000 Americans. The average size of all churches in America is 78.6 people. Only 12% of all churches showed growth over the decade of the 1980s. Approximately 3,750 churches close each year in the USA which is 72 churches per week or 10 churches per day. Approximately 1,350 successful churches are planted each year in the USA giving us a deficit total loss of 2,400 churches per year, 200 churches per month and 6.6 churches per day. The largest Christian church in the world is in Seoul, S Korea (a Buddhist nation) while the largest Buddhist Temple in the world is in Boulder, CO. The second largest Christian church in the world is in Leagers, Nigeria (a Moslem nation) while the largest Moslem training center in the world is in New York City, NY. What does that mean for us? It means quite simply that we are not going to refer to this time as a “Mission Conference”, rather as a “Global Church Planting Conference” because we do not want to ignore the importance of planting churches in the United States while we talk about reaching people worldwide. We want to begin to focusing on the most important question for a Christian: Lord, what do you want me to do?
Day 2
How do we find out what the Lord wants us to do?
We discover what the Lord wants us to do when we understand that God’s will is Individual.
Acts 9:10 “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.’”
Many times our preaching of this passage focuses on Saul’s obedience. We naturally look at how the Lord changed his life, even changing his name from Saul to Paul and turning him from the great persecutor into the great Apostle. However, there seems to be something missing here: Ananias was just as obedient as Saul, even though we never hear about him again. God’s plan was simple: at the same time that Saul was to be in Damascus, Ananias was to go looking for him. Even though this event seems insignificant, it assisted in Saul’s conversion experience.
The Principle: No matter how insignificant your gift, your task or your calling, if you are doing what God wants you to do you are fulfilling God’s will for your life.
Think about the Principle: Read John 21:20-21 and ask yourself this question: what does the Lord’s response to Peter say about His expectation for my life?
Apply the Principle: Think about the community in which you live. How can God use your gifts, great or small, to fulfill his will in that place?
Think about your unique gifts and talents. How are you currently using them for the Lord? What else can you do to help reach your community? Ask the Lord to give you guidance as you seek to serve him individually.
Day 3
We discover what the Lord wants us to do when we understand that God’s plan is Simple.
Acts 9:6-7 “So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’
The simplicity of this command is staggering. Saul, the greatest persecutor of the earliest church, was given a command from the Lord to go into the city. God could have told him to attend hours of therapy to deal with his anger issues; God could have made him send apologies to all the families affected by his brutality, and God could have asked him to pay restitution to churches who had lost leaders due to Saul’s persecution. But the command was simple: “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
The Principle: The most important response to God is for us to be willing to be obedient in the most simple areas of life.
Think about the Principle: Read the following passages and think about the simplicity of the direction from God. Write your thoughts about each. Jonah 1; Acts 10:9-15
Apply the Principle: Read those passages again taking special note to the response by Jonah and Peter. What are your thoughts about their responses?
As difficult as it is for us to imagine having an audible voice from the Lord, and then saying “no” to that voice, we do have the written Word of God, and yet what are our responses to the Lord when he clearly wants us to do something? How, then, are our responses different from Jonah or Peter?
Close out this day asking God to make you more receptive to His simple requests in your life.
Day 4
We discover what the Lord wants us to do when we understand that God’s plan is Available.
Acts 9:4-9 “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
I often try to imagine circumstances from the perspective of those involved. With that said, is it possible even to imagine the anticipation as God the Father waited for exact moment to utter those all important words: Arise, my Son. In this one instant, Jesus Christ demonstrated His power over sin, His power over death, but more importantly His power over man.”
Read Matthew 25:14-29 and think about this parable. The surface discussion always talks about the little that each had. However, there is a deeper meaning. Write your thoughts about what this parable means to you.
The Principle: Your best is always good enough, no matter how small and insignificant it seems; anything less than your best is not good enough, no matter how good it is.
Think about the Principle: Why do you think we feel as though our talents and our availability are inherently linked together; that is, why do some feel as though their gifts are not as important as others?
Apply the Principle: It has been said that God’s only ability that He cares about is availability. Sometimes we are tempted to dismiss that as just a cliché. However, that is a simple fact of the Scriptures. God is willing to use anyone who makes themselves available to be used. Close out this day thinking about how available you have made yourself for God’s use. How can you change that?
Day 5
Acts 9:1-9 “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Global Church Planting: reaching people around the world by understanding that God’s will is individual, God’s plan is simple and God’s Plan is available. What is stopping us from reaching people around the world? Failing to ask that all important question, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” As we close out this week, write some thoughts about what you can do through service, through financial gifts or through prayer time to bring the Gospel around the world. Ask yourself, “What does the Lord want ME to do?”
Lord Jesus, we confess that we are intimidated by the thought of bringing the Gospel around the world. We understand that there are times when we it seems like a daunting task. But, Lord, help us to understand that it is not our job to take the Gospel around the world; it is our job to make ourselves available to you, then trust you to use us and others to take the Gospel around the world. Help us to find out what you want us to do, and then help us to have the courage and the grace to do it.