Sermon Notes
Message Notes
Pastor John Blue
NEXT Series – Part 6
Acts 1:8-9; Matthew 28:18-20
In the final message of the NEXT series, Pastor John brought us back to the last words Jesus gave His disciples before the ascension.
Jesus gave two clear directives: receive power from the Holy Spirit and go.
Jesus' Final Word Before the Ascension
Acts 1:8-9 records Jesus telling His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Matthew 28:18-20 records the same mission from another angle: all authority belongs to Jesus, so His people are sent to make disciples of all nations.
Put together, the message is clear: When you receive the power of the Holy Spirit, go be My witness.
God Has Always Said "Go"
The command to go is not new. It is the heartbeat of God throughout Scripture.
Abraham: Go from everything familiar to a place he had not yet seen.
Moses: Go to Pharaoh with nothing but a staff.
Joshua: Step forward after Moses died.
Gideon: Go even while hiding in fear.
Isaiah: "Here am I. Send me."
Jeremiah: Go even though he felt too young.
Jonah: Go to Nineveh, even after running.
The disciples: Go and make disciples.
The Problem With the "Go"
Pastor John named four barriers that often keep the church from obeying Jesus' command:
Paralysis
Laziness
Fear
Ignorance
The uncomfortable reality is that many people love Jesus privately but never tell anyone about Him publicly.
Teaching can help address fear and ignorance. But paralysis and laziness require obedience. At some point, every believer has to decide whether they will take the step Jesus has already commanded.
Where Do I Go?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus names four circles: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Jerusalem: Your immediate family. The mission starts at your own dinner table.
Judea: Your neighborhood. It may be the most overlooked mission field in America.
Samaria: Where you work and play: your office, your gym, your kids' sports teams, the places you eat, and the spaces where people watch whether your faith is real Monday through Saturday.
The ends of the earth: The global mission of the church. For PPC, that includes places like Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and wherever else God sends us next.
My Circle
Your circle is the place where you live, play, work, eat, and go to church. It is where God gives you repeated opportunities to let people see, hear, and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Every believer already has a circle. Nobody needs permission to start.
How Do I Go?
The answer begins with the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not simply say, "Try harder." He said His disciples would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Surrender yourself to the Lord daily as a living sacrifice.
Open your mouth and trust that God can give you words you did not plan.
Live in a way that becomes a sermon before you ever say a word.
Show up in someone's worst moment with the presence, care, and truth they need.
The Holy Spirit empowers both our words and our actions. Our lives become a witness when we are willing to step into the moment instead of staying silent.
Why Do I Go?
The reason is the heart of God. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that the Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
Pastor John pressed the church to remember the reality of eternity. Hebrews 9:27 says every person has an appointment with death and judgment. John 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is not one way among many, but the way to the Father.
The people in our circles who do not know Jesus do not have an alternative route. But they may have a neighbor, coworker, parent, friend, teammate, or classmate who knows Him.
They may have you.
Peter Refused to Be Silent
In Acts 2, Peter stood in his own circle of influence and refused to be silent.
This was the same Peter who had denied Jesus. But after being restored by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit, he stood up and proclaimed that God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ.
About three thousand people responded and were baptized.
No social media.
No marketing budget.
No church building.
No sound system.
No strategy team.
One man. One circle. One message. One moment of refusing to be silent. And the Christian church was born.
I Refuse to Be Silent
The final call of the message was simple: go be the church.
Every follower of Jesus has a circle. Every circle has people who need to see, hear, and respond to the gospel. Every believer has been given the Holy Spirit's power to witness.
The question is not whether Jesus has sent us. The question is whether we will go.
I refuse to be silent.
Go be the church.