Empowered for the Great Commission: A Call to Prayer

 

Summary

In this heartfelt message, I reflect on the profound influence of R.C. Sproul on my life and the privilege of speaking at this conference. The central theme revolves around the Great Commission, which I describe as both a monumental task and a spiritual problem that requires a divine solution. The Great Commission, often neglected, demands a renewed passion for evangelism and a spiritual awakening among believers. This awakening is the fuel needed to carry out the task of reaching the ends of the earth with the gospel.

I emphasize the necessity of prayer as the divine strategy for addressing the challenges of the Great Commission. Jesus instructed us to pray earnestly for workers to be sent into the harvest, highlighting the importance of fervent and relentless prayer. Prayer is essential because the task is beyond our human abilities and requires divine assistance. It is through prayer that we seek the Holy Spirit's empowerment, which is indispensable for effective evangelism and discipleship.

The message underscores the role of the Holy Spirit in the early church, as seen in the book of Acts. The Spirit's empowerment was crucial for the apostles' boldness and effectiveness in spreading the gospel. The Spirit's work is woven throughout the narrative of Acts, demonstrating that the Great Commission is highly dependent on His ministry. The Spirit empowers believers to witness, brings conviction through the Word, and incorporates new believers into the church.

I also address the challenges faced by the modern church, such as poor preaching, insufficient prayer, and self-reliance. The solution lies in returning to the foundational practices of prayer, preaching, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. The message concludes with a call to preach a gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent message for the glory of our Redeemer.

Key Takeaways:

- The Great Commission is a monumental task that requires a spiritual awakening among believers. This awakening serves as the fuel for evangelism and discipleship, emphasizing the need for a renewed passion for reaching the lost. [02:18]

- Prayer is the divine strategy for addressing the challenges of the Great Commission. Jesus instructed us to pray earnestly for workers to be sent into the harvest, highlighting the importance of fervent and relentless prayer. [07:26]

- The Holy Spirit's empowerment is indispensable for effective evangelism and discipleship. The Spirit empowers believers to witness, brings conviction through the Word, and incorporates new believers into the church. [16:59]

- The early church's success in spreading the gospel was highly dependent on the Holy Spirit's ministry. The Spirit's work is woven throughout the book of Acts, demonstrating that the Great Commission is reliant on His empowerment. [19:12]

- The modern church faces challenges such as poor preaching, insufficient prayer, and self-reliance. The solution lies in returning to foundational practices of prayer, preaching, and reliance on the Holy Spirit for effective ministry. [36:00]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:33] - Personal Reflections on R.C. Sproul
- [01:10] - Gratitude and Grace
- [02:18] - The Great Commission: Task and Goal
- [03:32] - Evangelism and Discipleship
- [04:07] - The Problem of the Great Commission
- [06:18] - The Harvest and the Workers
- [07:26] - The Power of Earnest Prayer
- [10:35] - Prayer and the Holy Spirit
- [13:05] - The Role of Prayer in Revival
- [16:59] - The Holy Spirit's Empowerment
- [19:12] - The Spirit's Role in the Early Church
- [24:20] - The Beginning of Revival
- [28:42] - Personal Evangelism and Challenges
- [36:00] - Modern Church Challenges
- [42:17] - The Indispensable Role of the Spirit
- [48:24] - Christ's Dependence on the Spirit
- [49:27] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission)
2. Luke 10:2
3. Acts 1:8

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Observation Questions:

1. What does Jesus describe as the "harvest" in Luke 10:2, and what is the problem He identifies with it? [06:18]

2. According to Acts 1:8, what is promised to the disciples before they become witnesses to the ends of the earth? [16:59]

3. How does the sermon describe the role of the Holy Spirit in the early church's success in spreading the gospel? [19:12]

4. What are some of the challenges faced by the modern church as mentioned in the sermon? [36:00]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that prayer is directly related to the fulfillment of the Great Commission? [08:26]

2. How does the sermon illustrate the necessity of the Holy Spirit's empowerment for effective evangelism and discipleship? [21:01]

3. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between personal evangelism and the growth of the early church? [29:06]

4. How does the sermon address the issue of self-reliance in the modern church, and what solution does it propose? [22:09]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your personal prayer life. How can you incorporate more fervent and earnest prayer for the Great Commission into your daily routine? [07:26]

2. Identify a specific area in your life where you rely on your own strength rather than the Holy Spirit. What steps can you take to shift that reliance? [22:09]

3. Think of a time when you felt intimidated to share the gospel. What practical steps can you take to overcome this fear and engage in personal evangelism? [29:41]

4. The sermon mentions the need for a spiritual awakening among believers. What specific actions can you take to contribute to this awakening in your church community? [05:39]

5. Consider the role of the Holy Spirit in your own spiritual growth. How can you be more intentional about seeking His guidance and empowerment in your daily life? [45:29]

6. The sermon highlights the importance of returning to foundational practices like prayer and preaching. How can you support these practices in your local church? [36:00]

7. Reflect on the sermon’s call to preach a gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent message. How can you incorporate this focus into your conversations and interactions with others? [48:56]

Devotional

Day 1: Spiritual Awakening Fuels Evangelism
The Great Commission is a monumental task that requires a spiritual awakening among believers. This awakening serves as the fuel for evangelism and discipleship, emphasizing the need for a renewed passion for reaching the lost. The Great Commission is often neglected, and believers must rekindle their passion for evangelism. This spiritual awakening is not just a personal revival but a collective movement within the church that propels believers to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel. It is a call to action that requires believers to step out of their comfort zones and engage with the world around them, sharing the message of Christ with urgency and love. [02:18]

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:14, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear the gospel? How can you actively engage with them this week to share the love of Christ?


Day 2: Prayer as Divine Strategy
Prayer is the divine strategy for addressing the challenges of the Great Commission. Jesus instructed us to pray earnestly for workers to be sent into the harvest, highlighting the importance of fervent and relentless prayer. The task of the Great Commission is beyond human abilities and requires divine assistance. Through prayer, believers seek the Holy Spirit's empowerment, which is indispensable for effective evangelism and discipleship. Prayer aligns the hearts of believers with God's will and opens doors for the gospel to be shared in powerful ways. [07:26]

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ." (Colossians 4:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Set aside a specific time each day this week to pray for God to send workers into His harvest. How can you be part of the answer to this prayer?


Day 3: The Holy Spirit's Empowerment
The Holy Spirit's empowerment is indispensable for effective evangelism and discipleship. The Spirit empowers believers to witness, brings conviction through the Word, and incorporates new believers into the church. The early church's success in spreading the gospel was highly dependent on the Holy Spirit's ministry. The Spirit's work is woven throughout the book of Acts, demonstrating that the Great Commission is reliant on His empowerment. Believers today must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower their efforts in sharing the gospel. [16:59]

"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." (Acts 1:8, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you invite the Holy Spirit to empower your daily interactions and conversations about faith?


Day 4: The Spirit's Role in the Early Church
The early church's success in spreading the gospel was highly dependent on the Holy Spirit's ministry. The Spirit's work is woven throughout the book of Acts, demonstrating that the Great Commission is reliant on His empowerment. The Spirit empowered the apostles with boldness and effectiveness in spreading the gospel. This same Spirit is available to believers today, providing the courage and wisdom needed to share the message of Christ. The narrative of Acts serves as a reminder of the vital role the Holy Spirit plays in the mission of the church. [19:12]

"And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:31, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt the Holy Spirit's guidance in your life. How can you seek His presence more intentionally in your daily walk?


Day 5: Returning to Foundational Practices
The modern church faces challenges such as poor preaching, insufficient prayer, and self-reliance. The solution lies in returning to foundational practices of prayer, preaching, and reliance on the Holy Spirit for effective ministry. By focusing on these core elements, the church can overcome its current struggles and fulfill the Great Commission. A gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, Spirit-dependent message is essential for the glory of our Redeemer. Believers are called to return to these foundational practices to see a revival in their communities and beyond. [36:00]

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42, ESV)

Reflection: What foundational practice do you need to prioritize in your spiritual life? How can you incorporate it into your daily routine starting today?

Quotes

The Great Commission, which at this point I think looks more like the great omission in need of a great awakening to be fulfilled. And as soon as you read that passage about the Great Commission and some others, you realize that there is a task to be accomplished that Christ called "the harvest." [00:02:55]

Now, it is hard to believe that people who serve and worship an extraordinary God can live an ordinary life and be happy with their salvation, and at the same time be thoroughly unconcerned with the lost of the world. And yet, that is the way it looks in the lives of many. [00:05:09]

Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest." So, Jesus presented the problem. The harvest is monumental at every level. The earthly solution are the workers, but they are very few. The divine solution is that we pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest so that He may send the workers out into the mission field. [00:06:31]

We need to pray because the harvest is beyond our wisdom and is beyond our abilities. We need to pray also for divine assistance. We need that at every level of this enterprise. We need to pray because going out into the mission field is going to present to us all kinds of challenges and risk, and we need the courage to face them. [00:07:41]

Believers and unbelievers need the Holy Spirit for different reasons. The unbelievers, they need the Holy Spirit because without Him no one can be born again. Now we, the believers, we need the Holy Spirit, because without Him, without His filling, there wouldn't be any passion for mission, there wouldn't be any passion for evangelism, there wouldn't be any passion for discipleship. [00:10:50]

The Great, or the entire Great Commission is anchored on the character of God, so missionaries before they go out, they need to make sure that they have learned to wait upon the character of God, they have learned to trust in the character of God. So Christ said, "Don't go out, you wait," they waited, the Spirit came. [00:18:43]

No one, as we heard Dr. Derek Thomas explain, can be born again without intervention of the third Person of the Trinity. If the Spirit of the Lord does not open the person's eyes and understanding and the heart of that person, like He did in the case of Lydia, no one will understand the message of the gospel. [00:19:56]

The reality is that we tend to preach in a God-centered way, but quite frequently, we work in a self-sufficient way. That is our tendency. And you see that better, if you will, in the North, in the West, as compared to Latin America, the Global South. [00:21:41]

The work of the Holy Spirit is woven through the entire book of Acts, the word "Spirit" appears seventy-five times in that book, and fifty-five of those occurrences refers to the third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit of the Lord appears in the first chapter of the book, in the last chapter of the book, and fifteen of the rest of the chapters of that book of Acts. [00:42:35]

The Spirit comes and quickens and illumines the mind, the heart then is changed, and is made of flesh. The will is set free. He creates in us the will and to do, faith is even given as a gift from God, and the Spirit is working all of that in us and through us. [00:45:38]

Remember, we have a task to accomplish which we call the Great Commission. We need the Holy Spirit to do that. We have to achieve a goal, which is the ends of the world. We need a fuel for the movement, and that is awakening, and that is the work of the Spirit. [00:46:30]

Even Jesus carried out His mission depending on the Spirit of God. I don't know if you pay attention to this, but Christ was born, was conceived of the Spirit of God, and then He is anointed at the Jordan River by the Spirit of God. Mark tells us in chapter 1 that He was pushed into the desert by the Spirit of God. [00:47:27]

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Transcript
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