2016-1 ERMO UTLINE - Home Page - Tennessee Baptist … · 2017-07-18 · chart and demands that we lose weight, exercise, ... We pray that the Lord of the Harvest would call forth

Thank you, Tennessee Baptists, for prayerfully and financially supporting missions and ministries through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

1

2016-17 SERMON OUTLINESeason of Prayer for State Missions & Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions

“An Assignment for You”Romans 10:14-15

Introduction: “I have an assignment for you.” With those words, our thoughts race in a myriad of directions. Some of us see the professor or teacher in front of the class outlining a special project to be completed by a said date. Others hear the voice of our father giving an order to clean out the garage or our mother taking us by the arm to clean our bedroom with the warning, “Clean this room or you’ll never see your friends again.” A few of us picture our physician as he peers over his glasses as he looks at our chart and demands that we lose weight, exercise, eat a low-fat diet, and reduce the stress in our lives. Those words, “I have an assignment for you,” often leave us overwhelmed.

Imagine what Jesus’ disciples must have felt as He gave them His final assignment: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to believe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20, NKJV). Luke records these words of Jesus: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). Jesus promised power for their assignment, but what an assignment for such a small group.

The apostle Paul answered his assignment and set out to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. He understood the challenge of the assignment. He wrote, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” (Rom. 10:14-15, NKJV).

As Tennessee Baptists, what is our assignment? It is the same assignment as given to the disciples—Go into all the world, but as we go to the ends of the earth, let us not neglect the first part of the assignment: Jerusalem and Judea. These are our communities and our state. We alone bear the assignment of reaching Tennessee for Christ. Jesus says to each of us, “I have an assignment for you and it starts right here in Tennessee.” It is a large, perhaps overwhelming assignment. This assignment is at the heart of the 2016 Week of Prayer for the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.


2


Let us consider some aspects of our assignment:

1. First, let us examine our assignment.

A. Our assignment involves sharing the gospel.

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Rom. 10:14). Tennesseans need to hear a verbal witness. They must hear the “glad tidings of good things!”

What does it take to be a good witness of the gospel?• A personal relationship with Christ – We can’t talk about something we have never experienced for ourselves.• A love for others – We must love others as we love ourselves.• A reliance on the Spirit of God – Jesus promised to fill our mouths with His words when we bear witness to His name (Matt. 10:16-20).• A willingness to go – We must go. The lost are not coming to us or our churches. The love of Christ must be shared.

B. Our assignment involves sending others.

“And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (Rom. 10:14b-15a). We cannot individually go to everyone in this state. It is a big state with many people. A trip from Memphis to Mountain City covers 545 miles. Tennessee is a state with a population exceeding 6.6 million. We must join together in this task.

• We can send others with our prayers. – We join together to pray for ministries, churches, and other believers. We pray that the Lord of the Harvest would call forth more laborers.

• We can send others with our resources. Through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, we provide resources that enable the gospel to be shared through Tennessee. Our state needs the Gospel. As evidence, let us…


3


2. Explore Our Assignment

A. Tennessee is a changing state

Look around and you will find this state changing right before your eyes. Consider some of the following:• More than 1 million internationals live in Tennessee.• Tennessee is home to 146 global people groups, 46 of which are among the world’s most spiritually unreached.• Tennessee has the largest Hindi temple in the Southeast.• Tennessee has one of the largest mosques in the United States.• Thirty-six (36) languages are spoken in one Nashville school.• One elementary school in Knoxville has over 30 nationalities represented.• Tennessee’s Hispanic population is growing by 25% every 5 years.

Our state used to be known as the buckle of the Bible belt, but the buckle has broken:• 3.65 million people in Tennessee have no relationship with Jesus Christ.• Approximately 80% of the population of most counties in Tennessee will not worship in any church this Sunday.• If the trend continues, 9 out of 10 children born after 9/11 will reach adulthood without known Christ. 80% of Christians accept Christ by age 18.

B. Tennessee is a challenging state

We have big problems facing us in Tennessee:• Poverty is rampant. • 91 of 95 counties have double-digit poverty rates. • 31 counties have poverty rates at more than 20%.

• 26% of children live in poor families. • Tennessee ranks 50th in the U.S. in terms of “Child Well-Being” according to the

study, “America’s Youngest Outcasts.” • More than 28,500 children in Tennessee are homeless at some point throughout the

year (from the National Center on Family Homelessness).• Crime is widespread.


4


If one were to total all of those incarcerated in Tennessee’s prisons and jails, it would exceed 48,000. Combine that number with those on probation and parole, and those doing community service, the number in Tennessee Correction’s System would exceed 125,000—making it Tennessee’s sixth largest city (from the Tennessee Department of Corrections).

Churches, ministries, and individuals are seeking to make a difference in Tennessee. Many are assisted through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

**If possible, use one of the video segments from the GOTM DVD at this point.

3. Now let us consider who will enlist for our assignment.

Who will accept this assignment?

• Who will pray for Tennessee?• Who will pray for laborers in Tennessee? • Who will pray for the lost by name?• Who will tell others in Tennessee?• Who will go? Who will get involved? • Who will reach out and connect with others and share the tidings of good news?

The lost need to know someone cares. Winning others to Christ requires personal involvement and personal responsibility. It is our assignment.

• Who will give? As you give…• Bibles can be given to those in Tennessee’s prisons and jails.• Food can be shared, paving the way to share the gospel.• New churches can be planted.• Dying churches can be revitalized.• Ethnic groups can be reached.• University students can be exposed to the gospel.• Gen Zers can be engaged with the gospel.

Conclusion:

I was recently awakened from a deep sleep from an unscheduled alarm blaring from my cell phone. I looked at the phone and read the message: AMBER ALERT. A young lady had been abducted and was missing. I laid back down and whispered a prayer for the


5


girl, her family and friends. I prayed that her abductor would be captured. I tossed and turned for several minutes, then the still small voice whispered, “What about all the rest?” “What rest?” I asked. The voice said, “What about all the rest who have been taken captive in Tennessee—those who are lost, those who need someone to find them?” Then I knew God was saying “What about the 9 out of 10 born after 9/11 that will not know, if current trends continue? What about the men and women who reside in our jails and prisons and developmental centers? What about the poor that feel that no one cares? What about those that God has brought to Tennessee from faraway places so they can hear the good news of Jesus? What about the 3.65 million Tennesseans who need to be rescued from the one who has taken them hostage? Isn’t it time we issued an Amber Alert for those?”

Tennessee is our mission field. It is personal. It is our assignment. We must reach, connect and give so that others will come to know Him.

• Will you pray for those searching for hope?• Will you weep for the lost and afraid?• Will you tell the good news?• Will you give so others can go and tell?• Will you accept this assignment?

Written by Joe Sorah, TBC Harvest Team Leader, Compassion Ministries Specialist

Documents

2016-1 ERMO UTLINE - Home Page - Tennessee Baptist … · 2017-07-18 · chart and demands that we lose weight, exercise, ... We pray that the Lord of the Harvest would call forth