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Sermon Acts 8:9-25 May 16, 2021
Gospel-Driven Mission
1. The good news about Jesus draws people out of darkness Acts 8:9-13
Before they hear the gospel, the Samaritans of this city are captivated by Simon and his magic. They call him the Great Power of God. But when they see the true power of God and hear the gospel they are turning from darkness to the light. Philip confronts the darkness of that city with the gospel.

1st Main Point: Gospel-Driven Mission confronts the lost world with the good news of Jesus.
This is the mission that Jesus left his disciples and that mission hasn’t changed for the church.
Ref. Acts 1:8
Being a witness for Jesus and what he has done is how we engage with the lost world. We are tempted to look at the darkness in our society and either lose hope or we use things of this world to confront the darkness in this world.

Application: We must share the good news with the lost.
Think of the people in your life who have not trusted in Jesus for salvation. Would you pray this week for an opportunity to share the gospel with them? Tell those people about what Jesus has done in dying for our sins so that we could be forgiven if we would believe in him.

2. The apostles witness outsiders who have come to faith in Jesus. Acts 8:14-17
Samaritans came from Jewish and Gentile descent and they had their own version of the Torah and had set up their own temple for worship. This caused great contempt and they wanted nothing to do with one another. But now we see the Jewish Christians taking the good news of Jesus to the Samaritans. Philip is preaching the good news and people come to faith. The Apostles witness Samaritans receiving the Holy Spirit as confirmation.

2nd Main Point: Gospel-Driven Mission embraces diversity.
This is the church that Christ is building. A diverse group of people who look different, sound different, and have different customs, but who have been redeemed by Jesus.
Ref. Revelation 5:9-10

Application: We must embrace and celebrate God’s good design of creating a diverse church.
We can do that by becoming a church that is intentionally reaching people who are different than us. Different races, backgrounds, socio-economic status. Not thinking they might fit in better somewhere else. We can also do that by learning about ministries that are reaching different people groups around the world and praying about how we can partner with them in spreading the gospel.


3. Even the most wicked of individuals are invited to turn to God. Acts 8:18-24
Here we learn that Simon the Magician either did not have a genuine conversion or he is at least has a grave misunderstanding and sin. Peter’s rebuke seems to indicate that he isn’t really a believer. But look at the invitation to Simon. “Repent and ask for forgiveness.”

3rd Main Point: Gospel-Driven Mission doesn’t view anyone as too far from God’s grace.

We have a temptation to believe some people are beyond God’s reach. We see how hard they are or how entangled in sin they are and think, They are too far from God. They will never believe. Or if we are honest, people who we find extremely wicked, we don’t really want them to come to faith. We would be fine with them getting the punishment they are due. But that is not the way Gospel-driven mission views the lost.

Ref. 1 Timothy 1:15-16. The Worst of sinners can be saved and used so others might believe.

Ref. Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation.” It is the power of God for salvation. That power can break the hardest of hearts.

Application: We must not give up on people who are far from God.
Think of people you know who seem most unlikely to come to faith. Pray for them this week and every opportunity that you can. Ask God to work in their hearts to soften them to the message of salvation that is found in Jesus Christ alone. Keep sharing the good news with them.

4. The Apostles join God’s work to reach the lost. Acts 8:25
The apostles see that God is at work in Samaria and they join in the work by sharing the gospel as they head back to Jerusalem.

4th Main Point: Gospel-Driven Mission participates in the work God is doing to reach the lost. The Apostles see where God is at work and they join in. That opportunity to participate in the work God is doing is still available for the church. That is what our mission is. Listen to how Paul puts it.
Ref. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
Ambassadors for Christ, pleading with others to be reconciled with God by believing in Jesus.

Application: We must commit to joining God in his work to reach the lost with the gospel.
Grace Bible Church is placed in this community and has been given the opportunity to join God in his work to reach the lost here. This needs to be the heart of each individual here and needs to become the passion of our church as a whole!