(Clip) Do You Take the Great Commission Seriously
Tim Conway challenges believers to awaken from spiritual complacency and actively engage in fulfilling the Great Commission by boldly proclaiming the gospel to a lost world.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of staying alert and awake to the spiritual battle we face, urging believers to not rely solely on past revivals but to actively engage in sharing the gospel with those who are lost. It challenges the notion of complacency and highlights the responsibility of believers to take the message of Christ to the world, recognizing the urgency of the Great Commission and the need for active participation in spreading the gospel.
Full Transcript
We have an enemy who has made war against us and we can fall asleep to that reality. That apostle comes along in Ephesians and he says you need to stay alert. You need to stay awake.
And I think about coming here to this part of the country and I recognize this. We can't live on the dust of the first great awakening, the second great awakening. We can't live on the past.
And if you go back and you look at those times in history, do you know what was happening? What was happening? Did everybody just sharpen and hone their theology within their four walls? Is that what happened back then? What was happening in those two great awakenings? I'll tell you what was happening. People were learning good doctrine, but they were going out those doors and they were taking them to these people up and down the streets. And sometimes we can forget.
That guy, I just saw lights go by that window right there. Those people out there, they are going to perish and they are going to die in their sins. And a lot of times it's because we're good hyper-Calvinists and we've got this idea that God is going to save his elect and it doesn't matter what we do.
But I'll tell you, you go to the pages of Scripture and what you found is there was people who took the great commission seriously and they turned the world upside down. And Paul says they will not call on a Christ that they don't believe in. And they will not believe on Him unless what? You know what it says.
What does it say? Unless what? Unless they hear. And they're not going to hear unless somebody goes to preach. Unless somebody takes that message.
And if somebody's going to take that message, somebody needs to be sent. And listen, we have to recognize. We have to come back.
I come back to this reality all the time. I want to emphasize this to my own thoughts and to the church there at home. Listen, we just have to wake up to the reality.
You full well know this. The politicians are not proclaiming Christ. And your school systems are not proclaiming Christ.
It doesn't happen. There is no other institution that is out there, whether it's created by God, specifically in the pages of Scripture or not. There's no other institution out there that's had it entrusted to them to take the gospel out to this world and to seek to turn the world upside down.
It hasn't. And as I thought about coming here, I'll tell you one of the things that I really want to encourage you is you got to look beyond making it to the prayer meeting, making it to the Bible study, making it to Sunday service, and then kind of having your family in order. Because the Scriptures go beyond that.
Sermon Outline
-
I
- Recognize the spiritual enemy and the need to stay alert
- Avoid living on past spiritual awakenings
- Understand the historical context of great awakenings
-
II
- The importance of taking the gospel outside the church walls
- The danger of hyper-Calvinism and passivity
- The biblical mandate to preach so others may hear and believe
-
III
- The failure of other institutions to proclaim Christ
- The unique responsibility of the church to evangelize
- Call to wake up and engage beyond routine religious activities
Key Quotes
“We have an enemy who has made war against us and we can fall asleep to that reality.” — Tim Conway
“They will not call on a Christ that they don't believe in. And they will not believe on Him unless they hear.” — Tim Conway
“You got to look beyond making it to the prayer meeting, making it to the Bible study, making it to Sunday service, and then kind of having your family in order.” — Tim Conway
Application Points
- Stay spiritually alert and aware of the enemy’s schemes to avoid complacency.
- Actively share the gospel beyond church gatherings to fulfill the Great Commission.
- Recognize that the church alone is entrusted to proclaim Christ and take responsibility accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to take the Great Commission seriously?
It means actively sharing the gospel with others and not relying on others or past revivals to do the work of evangelism.
Why is staying alert spiritually important?
Because there is a spiritual enemy waging war against believers, and complacency can lead to spiritual defeat.
What is hyper-Calvinism and why is it a problem?
Hyper-Calvinism is the belief that God will save His elect regardless of human effort, which can lead to passivity in evangelism.
Why can't we rely on institutions like politics or schools to proclaim Christ?
Because only the church has been entrusted by God to take the gospel to the world and fulfill the Great Commission.
What practical steps should believers take according to this sermon?
Believers should move beyond attending services and actively engage in sharing their faith and reaching out to the lost.