Sermon Tone Analysis

Lance Logan King / General

Culture / Vision / Acts 1–2

Establishing Vision of KNLC-EM

A question must be asked as we begin the message.

Why are we here?

Are we here just to sit in this room every week, talk a little bit and then go home or are we here for something greater?

I believe that we are here for a purpose.

That purpose isn’t for me to bore you every week.

Although, if you come for the wrong reasons, it will seem like that’s my goal.

Our purpose for being here revolves around growth within the EM/Youth ministry.

To see Growth, we must have a vision for what growth looks like.

We must have a vision for how to achieve that growth.

We must take action to achieve the vision for the desired growth.

After discussion with Ray and Dave last week, we have come up with a statement that reveals this vision for Korean New Life Church English Ministry

Our vision from God is prayerfully connect and empower people of every age, culture and nationality in Colorado Springs and around the world, to the power of the one true, Living God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) through Worship, Instruction of the Gospel, and Life Engagement.

Before we look more at the vision statement, I want to look at the foundation of the Church this morning.

If we look at Acts Chapter 1 and 2, you will find the beginning of the church.

How it was formed and how they connected to God.

I believe this is the basis for this vision statement that we have.

Let’s first look at Scripture and then come back to this vision.

Starting in Acts 1:4 this is Jesus’s last moments before he returns to heaven.

Acts 1:4–11 (ESV)

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

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.”

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?

This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus gave two tasks for his disciples to do before he Ascended into heaven.

First, he said that they needed to go to Jerusalem and wait.

They needed to wait on the Holy Spirit.

They needed the Holy Spirit to do the work that he had intended for them.

They could not do this work without the Spirit.

Notice... Jesus never said to do it on your own.

He said to go and wait on the Holy Spirit.

Likewise, God has work for each one of us to do.

He has specific work for each one of us in our lives.

God has a mission and vision for you.

Likewise, God has a collective mission for us as a group.

The vision for your life is His vision for you.

For you to be successful in God’s vision for your life and for us to be successful in God’s vision for the EM/Youth, we must have the Holy Spirit.

We can’t do it on our own ability.

Anything we do of our own ability brings glory to us but anything God does through us brings Glory to God.

Hear the difference in that.

If I do something.

Then I provide the power.

I provide the resources.

I provide the wisdom.

Therefore, I receive the glory.

That is not God’s vision.

The reality is that to accomplish God’s vision, it is only through God’s power, God’s resources and God’s wisdom.

We must consider ourselves no more than a resource, a tool or as Paul says in Romans, a vessel.

We will not achieve God’s vision for us unless we have the Holy Spirit at our backs.

You will not fulfill God’s vision for your life the Spirit is the source of your power.

Notice I keep saying God’s vision.

We could potentially be successful to a degree with our own vision that’s not God’s vision.

Maybe your vision is just to be here on Sunday morning to make mom and dad happy.

You come, they are happy.

vision success.

But is that God’s desire when you come here on Sunday.

To just be here.

There are many people in the world who are successful by worldly standards, but are not successful in God’s vision.

While they live in their glory according to the world, they are miserable and sad.

This is why we see Hollywood stars commit suicide.

Because worldly success does not produce the joy that we receive in Christ.

Jesus said he came so that we can have life more abundantly.

But I have to align My vision with God’s vision.

The first command Jesus has is to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to complete his vision.

What is His vison?

It looks different in how we are uniquely called, but we are to be His witnesses.

As Jesus told the disciples, they are to tell others about Jesus.

They are to tell their friends in Jerusalem.

Their cousins in other parts of Judea.

People they know that live further away in Samaria and people that they have never met around the world.

Jesus gave them a mission.

Jesus gave them purpose.

Likewise, God has given us a mission and a purpose.

Our mission is to be a witness to our friends and family that live here in Colorado Springs.

We are to be witnesses to family and friends that live in other parts of the state.

We are to be witnesses to people in other states that are farther away and to people around the world.

This is a seemingly impossible task at first.

To attempt this of our own accord would be impossible.

To do this, we must do so using the power of the Holy Spirit.

But how do we receive the power of the Holy Spirit?

Let’s look at the disciples for an example.

Acts 1:12–14 ESV

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

The first thing we notice is that they were obedient to Jesus.

They went back to Jerusalem and waited.

Likewise, we must be obedient to God.

We must do as God Commanded.

If we do not obey God’s direction, how can we expect to receive the Holy Spirit.

The second thing to point out is who was obedient.

The lists of people we see were Disciples, family and followers of Jesus.

These were people that believed.

Prior to the resurrection, Jesus’ brothers did not believe.

Yet after seeing Jesus after the Resurrection, they believed.