Reboot
50 Days To Upgrade Your Life
(Easter To Pentecost Series)

Live By God's Power

Sunday June 5, 2022 - Pastor Wungreiso Valui

Matthew 28:18-20

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

The power that raised Jesus from the dead lives and works inside of you. You have the same access to God's power as Jesus did.

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. - Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

WHAT IS THE OUTCOME?

The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2)

WHY SHOULD WE LIVE BY GOD'S POWER?

The Presence and the Power of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary to upgrade your spiritual life. You can bring glory to God, bless other people and bear fruit when you have the power of the Holy Spirit.

THE PENTECOST

In the Old Testament, Pentecost, the feast of first-fruits, marks the fifty days Israel was free of Pharaoh and Egypt. The former oppressor and his armies were destroyed. The Jewish Pentecost is a holiday that commemorates the single most important event in Israel's history: the giving of the Torah (the first five books in the Hebrew Bible) to Moses at Mount Sinai.

In the Christian Pentecost, we learn that the first fruit of the great harvest was through the Holy Spirit. Three thousand souls were added to the church on the day of the Pentecost, the festival of the first fruit, the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Let us sow and wait with confidence, for the Holy Spirit will bring fruit unto the Lord.

"Go...and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them..." -Matthew 28:19

Empowered To Be More Like Christ

1. Make disciples: We are designed to be more like Christ.
2. Jesus' primary call was to follow His teachings.
3. Jesus' essential mandate was to build His Church.

Why?

1. To bring glory to God - "...we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." -Acts 2:11
2. You will have the light of life and not walk in darkness. (John 8:12)
3. You will thrive in the light. Light and life go together. (John 10:10)

THE CHALLENGES

1. Common sense can get in the way of the Great Commission. "Let's fill the existing churches before we start any new ones."

Q. How will you respond to the challenge?

"Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." -Matthew 9:17 (NKJV)

Empowered To Grow And Bear Fruit By Helping Others

1. Baptize them: We are designed to grow by helping others.
2. Jesus calls you to make "disciples" NOT to get a "decision" for Him. (Many decisions disappear and never result in changed lives.)
3. Baptism means incorporation into a worshiping community with accountability and boundaries (Acts 2:41-47). (Tim Keller)
4. A person who is discipled in the context of an ongoing worshiping and shepherding community is most likely to become a disciple and go on to make disciples of Jesus.

Why?

1. To fulfill God's promise: "...you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." -Acts 2:38 (NKJV)
2. God wants you and your children to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

THE CHALLENGE

1. Traditions can come in the way of allowing people to use their spiritual gifts.
2. In an older congregation, you can be worried about 'stepping on someone's toes' even when you have the passion to serve.

Q. How will you respond to the challenge?

1. When God gives you spiritual gifts, you can start serving instantly.
2. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. -Acts 2:4 (NKJV)

Empowered To Be A Witness And Influence Others

1. "Witnesses to Me" (Acts 1:8): We are designed to influence others with the power of God.
2. Jesus calls us to the resurrection power of God unto salvation.
3. Jesus calls us to look beyond sad temporal existence to the eternal promises of God.
4. Despair and sad circumstances can be great opportunities to be witness of God's unconditional love.

Why?

1. Many people will gladly receive the good news. "...that day about three thousand souls were added to them." -Acts 2:41 (NKJV)
2. You are blessed when you not only hear the word of God but practice it. (Luke 11:28)
3. You are truly joyful when you influence others: Disciples of Jesus are truly joyful. (Philippians 1:25)

THE CHALLENGE

1. Numerical growth by transfer from other congregations can get in the way of adding new believers to the church.
2. Churches over ten to fifteen years of age gain 80-90 percent of new members by transfer from other congregations.
3. The average new church gains most of its new members (60-80 percent) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshiping body.

Q. How will you respond to the challenge?

1. Paul had a rather simple two-fold strategy: (Tim Keller)
2. First, he went to the largest city in the region of Macedonia. (Acts 16:9, 12)
3. Second, he planted churches in each city, appointing elders in every town. (Titus 1:5).
4. Paul's two controlling assumptions:
5. The way to most permanently influence a country was through its chief cities.
6. The way to most permanently influence a city was to plant churches in it.
7. Once he had accomplished this in a city, he moved on. He knew that the rest that needed to happen would follow.

YOUR DAILY TAKEAWAYS

The Resurrection and Pentecost are the most significant events in the history of Christian faith; they have made you eligible to experience unlimited access to the power of the Holy Spirit.