Vineyard Church of Knox County
Believe It or Not, Every Christian is a Missionary-Evangelist
Sermon Audio from Sunday, January 30, 2005 — We're in the middle of a series of Kingdom-centered New Year's resolutions. It's that time of year to evaluate who we are and make necessary changes to our lives. And it is appropriate at this time each year to do the same in our lives of faith, to ask how it's going and to make any necessary changes of direction. Certainly, though, this isn't the only time of the year when we seek to change for the better in our faith.
We've talked about worship, that God seeks a certain kind of worshiper and that is someone who worships from his heart, who isn't satisfied with going through the motions. He desires a heart-to-heart connection. So, we resolved to invite God to turn us into spirit-and-truth worshipers. We've talked about relationships, fellowship in the body of Christ. We said that together is better, that our shared identity in Christ opens the door for us to pursue deep, meaningful friendships, the kind that are sacrificial and committed. So, we resolved to invite God to build us up in Christian friendships. We want to cross over our diagram to consider outreach. Now, I have a feeling that even right now - immediately - some of you are thinking, "Well, that's not me. I'm not a missionary. I'm not an evangelist. God hasn't called me to do outreach. I will support others as they do their thing, but I'm simply not gifted in evangelism, I'm not called to be a missionary." My response to these claims is that though they may represent partial truth, that your gifts and your calling may be focused elsewhere, the whole truth is that every Christian has been gifted and called to missions and evangelism, to reach out. Every single Christian. Yes, some will focus moreso than others, but there is not a Christian on this planet whom God has excluded from His mission of evangelizing the world.
