Jesus not only gives us the mission of taking his message to the nations, but he also empowers us to accomplish it.
Acts 1:8 Strategy
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
St. John’s has adopted an Acts 1: 8 Strategy, where we as a church are called to follow Christ by reaching out to the community, the state, the country, and the world. We are dedicated as a church to center our ministry on Global Outreach as we share the Good News, but where does “Global” start?
Driving down the road, one may see famous bumper stickers that states, “Think globally – act locally.” “Local” is “here”, and “global” is “somewhere else.” THAT’S NOT WHAT WE MEAN BY GLOBAL! By looking at a globe, Aiken, South Carolina is part of the globe! So “global” outreach doesn’t begin when you get on a bus or an airplane to engage in a “foreign” missions trip. Global outreach begins when you walk outside the doors of St. John’s!
Following Jesus Christ, St. John’s seeks to serve “Jerusalem”, “Judea and Samaria”, and “the ends of the earth”. As a 21st century Church, we reach out to “Jerusalem” by being a witness for the community of Aiken. Our “Judea” is the state of South Carolina and the rest of the United States. Meanwhile, technology has allowed us to travel to the “ends of the earth” as disciples of Jesus Christ. Currently, we offer local mission projects for our congregation, support missionaries financially and through prayers, while also offering a variety of short-term mission trips that anyone may participate.
Jesus repeatedly told His disciples that they were to continue the mission He had begun. He prepared them on many occasions for their “missionary” calling. When He appeared to His disciples following His resurrection, Jesus declared, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). There was no doubt in the minds of His followers that they, too, were being sent.
In the Gospels, we clearly see that God has given the Church a two-fold mission.
First, the Church is to obey the Great Commandment, which is to, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 37-40).
Second, the Church is to obey the Great Commission, which is to “go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28: 18-20).
It’s only when the people of God are faithful to both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission that we are truly fulfilling our mission. St. John’s strives to include both practical acts of mercy and compassion, and making disciples of all the nations. One without the other is incomplete.
As we’ve seen, mission starts with God. But it doesn’t end with Him. God invites us to join Him in His mission to the world He loves. In fact, He commanded us to do so! May God help us, His people, to embrace God’s mission and to devote our lives to making Him known among all the nations so that all the peoples of the world may come to know Him, love Him and worship Him!
Check out our Jerusalem, Judea, and Ends of the Earth web pages and prayerfully consider our missions so YOU may find a place where God is calling YOU!
…and they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
