TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT
I left heaven to introduce Myself to you. Will you leave your comfort and your fear to introduce Me to others? It is your calling. Go and make disciples.
THE CHURCH HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
You know I’m an outreach fanatic because we have to extend a hand outside of our comfort zone to bring Jesus to the lost and hurting. “But Pastor Troy, I invite people to church.”
My friend, I’m glad for that, but have you noticed Jesus preached at the synagogue a lot? As a matter of fact, it was the perfect place to reach the Jews because they were religious.
And he taught in their synagogue, being glorified by all. – Luke 4:15
Just like that, brother Paul went to Mars Hill in Acts 17. That was a place in Athens dedicated to the god Mars where there was a statue to an “unknown God.” What does that mean?
Well, the Greeks and the Romans were very religious. They worshipped hundreds of gods. Afraid they would be punished for forgetting one of these false deities, they covered their backsides by building a statue to the “unknown god.”
Little did they know, that unknown God was the only real God they worshipped.
Paul went to that place and introduced them to a very real God they had not known before. Aren’t you glad he didn’t demand all those heathens and idolaters come to church to hear about Jesus? He went into their ungodly culture and used something in their ungodly culture to point to Jesus.
I like how Paul does things. We need to go where the people are worshipping the gods of alcohol, drugs, porn, entertainment, anger, and self. We need to reach out to the hungry, homeless and hopeless and tell them about a God they’ve never known. He will meet them just as they are.
So reach out. Go where the people are and extend a helping hand in Jesus’ name. The Church has left the building.
FROM MY SERMON SERIES TIMELINES