E.X.P.A.N.D. the Kingdom!
Our God is a God of Expansion! From the moment He created Adam and Eve, He told them to be Fruitful AND MULTIPLY! His Vision and plan has always been one of Multiplication. After the Fall of mankind, His plan for Salvation was implemented and yet again it is a plan of Expansion! The plan God has for His church is that it would be ever expanding until it reaches the ends of the Earth! 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that He is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance! To communicate His plan with us He left His disciples with this Great Commission, “GO and make Disciples of ALL Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey Everything I have commanded you.” He told them again in Mark 16:15, “GO into ALL the world and preach the gospel to ALL creation.” In Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “You will receive Power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the Ends of the Earth!” You can see the Expanding growth of the church as Jesus describes the spreading of His Kingdom on Earth! God has a plan to EXPAND! This is His Heart and Vision for His Body, His Church on this Earth. The Question is, “Are WE Joining Him in what HE is DOING?” Are we helping to EXPAND the Kingdom of God? I want to share with you today what God had given me as He began burdening my heart with this mission. It is birthed from Acts chapter 11 and I pray this simple acrostic will help us remember God’s heart to Expand to the ends of the Earth and what it means for us to join Him in This work. How do we help Expand His Kingdom on the Earth?
E – VANGELISM By Everyone! Acts 11:1, 14-15, 19-21, 24,
It Takes each and every one of God’s people Actively involved in Evangelism to Expand the Kingdom of God! We all must be ready and willing to share the truth about who Jesus is and What He has done for us, as well as our own stories of how Jesus has changed our lives!
X – CITEMENT For What God IS Doing! Acts 11:18, 23
We have got to become excited over what God is doing! We can get so bogged down with our own complaints, feelings, and unhappiness that everything becomes negative regarding the Church. In order to be an Expanding Believer we’ve got be a Believer who is Excited over what God is doing! We are called to Rejoice, have Joy, Be Joyful! Are we thrilled when we see the NEW thing God is doing around us, when we see a NEW believer in Christ, when we hear of the marriages that are saved, the families who are restored, and the lives that are changed? Excitement is Contagious and we need it for Expansion!
P – ARTNERSHIP Within The Body! Acts 11:4, 12, 18, 22, 25, 27, 29
This is SO HUGE! In order to Expand we Must have Partnership AND Unity within the Body! It was never right for us to be alone, In fact when Jesus first began sending His disciples out, He sent them out in groups of two! This is also why He Distributed the Gifts to Each one of us. There is not One of us who has ALL the giftings Christ gave. He distributed them so that we would Need each other! He prayed that we would be ONE, So that the World would Believe!! It takes Partnership between us as individuals and between churches and ministries to EXPAND the Kingdom on this Earth!
TAKE A –DVANTAGE OF WHAT God’s given you! Acts 11:11-12, 19-20, 25, 29
This means we Utilize Anything and Everything God has given us for the Expansion of His church! We need to take advantage of the Gifts He’s given, be it skills and talents, or opportunities, or finances, or buildings. We need to USE what He has made available to us IN the Places He has made available to us! If we want to Expand the Kingdom of God we must take advantage of what God has given us!
N – O SELF! Acts 11:2, 17, 25-26
I cannot stress this one enough! In order to Expand the Kingdom of God we cannot be about Ourselves and Our Promotion, but about the Gospel and the Promotion of Jesus Christ! This is crucial! We must have a Team mentality. To Expand the Church it is going to take people not concerned with SELF and SELF Glory, but who are concerned with the Gospel and GLORY OF GOD!! If we truly desire the Expansion of the Gospel and the Glory of God we will be Thrilled with Anyone and Everyone who works to that end!
D – EVOTION! Acts 11:23, 19-20
Finally, Fulfilling God’s Vision and plan to EXPAND His church to the ends of the Earth will take Determined Devotion for each one of us! It will take Devotion to our own personal relationship with the Lord, and it will take Devotion to spreading the good news of the Gospel! This Devotion will be what carries us through the hard times, the pain and the times of persecution. EXPANSION Takes DEVOTION!
I pray that we will be a people of PURPOSE! We have God’s Plan and Purpose right here before us. Let’s Embrace it! Let’s Live today to EXPAND the KINGDOM!
“How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they Believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can hear without Someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? It is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News!’”
WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE SENT! Jesus said, “GO!”
