The First Mission Trip: Five Truths about Going with the Gospel

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 ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV)

Bible Trivia (Acts):

1. Who wrote the book of Acts?
   1. Paul
   2. Peter
   3. Luke
   4. John Mark

2. Who is Acts written to?
   1. Theophilus
   2. The Laodiceans
   3. John Mark
   4. Nero

3. Who is the most prominent figure in Acts?
   1. Paul
   2. Peter
   3. Philip
   4. Barnabas

4. In what chapter does Paul begin following Christ?
   1. Chapter 2
   2. Chapter 9
   3. Chapter 15
   4. Chapter 26

Acts 8:26-40, ESV:

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. ²⁷And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” ³⁰So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³²Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

            “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
                     and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
                    so he opens not his mouth.
            ³³In his humiliation justice was denied him.
                     Who can describe his generation?
            For his life is taken away from the earth.”

³⁴And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ³⁸And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ³⁹And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

1. The Holy Spirit us to go with the gospel.

 Am I listening to the Holy Spirit and am I willing to obey what He asks me to do?

2. Going with the gospel is not an activity for followers of Jesus.

 ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

Who have I shared the gospel with in the last year?

3. All Scripture points to Jesus as Lord and Savior, which is the we proclaim.

 Am I abiding in God’s Word?

4. needs to hear the gospel.

•  We are all sinners by nature and by choice.
• Nobody is innocent before God.
• God has made salvation available for all.
• Nobody can be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ.

⁹if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:9-15, ESV)

Who do I need to share the gospel with right now? 

5. God will fulfill His .

⁹After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9–10, ESV)

Do I believe that God can use me to fulfill His purposes?