Sermon Tone Analysis

Go Anywhere, Do Anything, & Give Up Everything

Introduction to myself and my wife.

Share about Bowling Green as a place of faith.

Share about the possibility of having one or two One Year Challengers.

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Jimmy: 440-728-7337

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Witness - someone who knows the truth and stands up for the truth even to the point of death

Original greek word could be translated to martyr

“You will be my witnesses, or martyrs, In Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria...”

the apostles and disciples were called to be loyal to Christ and the Holy Spirit that he would send them even if it meant their death.

By calling them to be his witnesses, Jesus is calling these disciples to “GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING, & GIVE UP EVERYTHING”

Note: a witness doesn’t say, “I think so,” but rather “I know so.”

Jesus promises the apostles and his disciples that they will be his witnesses, or martyrs, in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

How does Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit accomplish this promise?

In , through the witness/martyr of Jesus Christ, Stephen; a man of good reputation and full of grace, faith, wisdom and the Holy Spirit.

How did God spread his gospel and send out his disciples to all of Judea and Samaria?

Did he audible speak to someone and say go?

Was something placed on one of the hearts of the disciples?

Background to - Stephen was chosen along with six others to take care of the issue amongst the widows.

After doing great wonders and signs he is captured and question by a group of religious leaders including the high priest, most likely the same people directly responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.

While being questioned, he gives a powerful sermon or dissertation about Christ and these religious leaders responsibility for crucifying the son of God.

Let us read in starting in verse 59 the result of this bold preaching or “witnessing”

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Notice again, we see these two geographical areas again… Judea and Samaria

the disciples of Christ are scattered all over the region

Again, how did this happen?

Through Stephen living as a “witness” and becoming the first martyr for Christ!

Stephen was a man chosen and willing to serve the widows - DO ANYTHING

a man who had a sincere and actionable faith in Jesus who courageously submitted to the Holy Spirit as He went before the Sanhedrin - GO ANYWHERE

Stephen was a man chosen to serve the widows, a man who had a sincere and actionable faith in Jesus who courageously submitted to the Holy Spirit.

How did God want to use him?

To die so that His gospel could spread and His kingdom could come to all people!

Gave up his life for the goodnews as He witnessed about Christ - GIVE UP EVERYTHING

How did God want to use him?

To die so that His gospel could spread and His kingdom could come to all people!

If you knew God’s plan for you was to die so that people might be saved, people you don’t even know or likely very much… would you be willing to? would you say praise God for His divine and perfect plan?

What is Christ calling you to do?

work in the secular world and glorify him by reaching out to the business men and women who are drowning in the empty promises of the American dream - Praise God.

to move to another city and work in the full-time ministry serving a church and a community

love people deeply and genuinely on your college campus and in your home towns no matter their age, ethnicity or economic standing.

Love the lost by serving them, meeting them where they are at and preaching the good news boldly as witnesses and potential martyrs for Him!

Where is Christ calling you to go?

stay in your current town and church to help change the culture and help release the Holy Spirit in the lives of your current hearers

move to Bowling Green and embark on a daring one year challenge

move overseas and use your gifts and talents to preach the word in another language

What is Jesus commanding you to give up?

Or at the very least be willing to give up?

we could go on and on about this question, and it is a great one to contemplate, but for the sake of time and simplicity...

he is calling you and I, not the person back home or to your right or left, but you and I to give up our lives because we are convinced of the love of Jesus and in this beautiful dance of costly grace… Jesus gave up his life, and our only response can be to do the same.

Brothers and sisters, I do not want to be known as the generation that played it safe for the sake of being wise.

Jesus never turned to the crowd in amazement saying I have never found such great wisdom as this… he turned in amazement and said I never found such great faith!

Faith means risk is present and fear is tempting, but our trust in Christ supersedes it all.

It’s an actionable faith and trust that results in a life and mindset which is willing to GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING & GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

There is nothing that is pulling at my heart, from a secular or personal level, which is calling my wife and I to Bowling Green, Kentucky.

I never dreamed in my thousands of prayers that our first chance to work in the full-time ministry would be leading a church planting.

But I am convinced that the gospel needs to be preached, that light needs to be shed on the darkness, and the love of Christ must be shown and given to the religious elite and the nastiest of sinners.

May we, our generations, be known for our actionable faith as we, stand on the generations that preceded us, GO into all nations, DO the good works predestined for us, and GIVE UP our lives for the mission.

Let us GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING & GIVE UP EVERYTHING in the name of Jesus Christ.

This Jesus whom we crucified, your crucified, is the same yesterday, today and forever.

He is the same Jesus who , two thousand years ago, commanded and promised the disciples in that they would be his witnesses in Judea and Samaria.

He is the same Jesus who, yesterday, called the generations that preceded us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...”

He is the same Jesus today who calls us the millennials and the iGens to GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING & GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

Our Jesus whom we crucified, you crucified, is the same yesterday, today and forever.

He is the same Jesus who , two thousand years ago, commanded and promised the disciples in that they would be his witnesses in Judea and Samaria.

He is the same Jesus who, yesterday, called the generations that preceded us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...”

He is the same Jesus today who calls us the millennials and the iGens to GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING & GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

Kathryn: 757-390-5934