Can

The other night I had my earphones in listening to a local radio station for nothing but back ground noise while I was multi-tasking on my laptop.  A new song by Bon Jovi came on titled “Do What You Can.” The chorus had the following line; “When you can’t do what you do, you do what you can.” After hearing the song I switched apps to load up a music service, found the song and listened one more time.  The whole premise of the song is a reflection and/or frustration of our current situation. I’m sure that all of us have been frustrated at the fact that we are not able to do the things we are used to doing, but what we can do is…”do what we can”

This week has been like no other (how many times have we said that in 2020!). Everyone has had technology issues. Parents have been at home doing school with their children or the children have been in care centers doing their class. We have all been asked to “do” this week, but none of us have been able to “do what we do.” For just a bit let’s set aside what we can’t do and focus on what we can do. We can still be a witness for Christ.

Do you consider yourself a missionary? What would it take for you to become one? What, in your opinion, are the main challenges or barriers that keep us from obeying and fulfilling the Great Commission today? What can you do to combat these issues? This Sunday we will again be reminded that we are to be “My witness” (Acts 1:8).  We will look at the book of Acts as a template for a church that desires to be on Mission, no matter the circumstance. As we look at the opening verses of this book, we’ll see that three things are continuing: the message, the ministry, and the witness of Christ’s church. Acts is not merely the history of the early church; it’s the history of the mission of the early church. And we are to continue that mission.

Here are a few things that we need to keep in perspective as we study the mission of the church in the book of Acts;

    • First, we should read Acts in light of the entire Bible, with the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments in mind. 

    • Second, we should read Acts in light of Luke’s Gospel in particular because Luke wrote both books. 

    • Third, as Tony Merida, author for The Gospel Coalition once said, we must read Acts in light of its genre. It is a historical book, which means that while in it Luke describes the events of the early church, he does not always commend its practices to us. For instance, I don’t think we should read of Paul’s “healing handkerchiefs” (Act 19:12) and assume we need to start a handkerchief ministry! Rather, we must allow the whole of the Bible to help us make interpretations and applications for the modern world.”

Friends my goal in this current study is to remind us of our calling to be on a continued mission for God. To do so individually and collectively as the body of believers at UABC. Second our goal is to allow the message of this book to transform our hearts and lead us to a mission even in the midst of a pandemic. Lastly, to approach God’s word as believers that are desperate to see the God of which we serve move in a mighty way in our present day!

I look forward to connecting with you this coming Sunday! See ya in person or online!

Serving Him and Missing You!
Pastor Jeff

Union Avenue