Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
October is “missions month” here at ABC. While we strive to live on mission all year long, we are taking some extra time this specific month to bring a special spotlight to this important topic. All our BFG classes from preschool to the adult ministry are pausing their current studies to focus on the Biblical theology that drives missions. Additionally, this month you will be educated on some of the great missions partnerships that we have here at ABC. Most importantly, you will learn a few ways that you can join that mission effort with the ABC family.
I believe it is essential that our church continues to expand its missions’ footprint. This is not a matter of strategic planning, but rather a matter Biblical obedience. Jesus Christ entrusted His church with the Gospel, and He has commanded His church to take it to the ends of the earth. While not all of us can travel to every nation, we can all do our part to live on mission every day. Jesus told his disciples, “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). If you are a born-again believer, you have received the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. And likewise, you now have an opportunity to be a witness for Jesus in your own Jerusalem (Austin), Judea (Texas), Samaria (USA), and the ends of the earth.
I encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can make a difference in missions. God wants you to be a difference maker for His glory, so He equipped you to walk in every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This weekend we will be praying for some of our own difference makers during church. We are sending a team to Greece to partner with God’s work through refugee ministry. They will be taking off on an airplane early Sunday morning, so we will lift this group up in prayer during both of our services. I hope you plan to be there for part two of our Difference Maker series. We will study how Nehemiah stepped up into kingdom service, and my prayer is that you and I will also become active in the good works that God is calling each of us to walk in. Have a great week, and I’ll see you in worship.
Onward and upward,
Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 