Key points
- 1
1The Holy Spirit moves in so believers can move out on God's mission — this is the animating theme of the entire book of Acts.
“When the Holy Spirit moves into your life, it's so you can move out on mission with him. That's actually the big idea we're gonna talk about today for a few minutes with some of my friends. The Holy Spirit moves in so we can move out”
- 2
2Acts 1:8 is not an inspirational speech with flowery words; it is literally the outline and fulfillment of the whole book of Acts, showing the gospel spreading from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth in 25 years.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
“He says, you will. You will. He's like, you will. You will. The question we always have to ask yourself is, will I”
- 3
3The church is meant to grow large and move outward because when the Holy Spirit is trusted, His people expand the gospel rather than circle the wagons trying to survive.
A story from life
Simon Medcroft describes coming to faith at a boarding school mission week in 1986 after two friends became Christians and eventually brought him along
A story from life
Matt Palmer describes growing up in a Christian home without believing, living as a chameleon between church and school friends, until a sports camp illustration about being in or out of the race led him to follow Jesus at age 17
Illustration
A speaker at a Christian sports camp used the image of a race — either you are in it or watching from the stands — to describe what it means to be a Christian
- 4
4People need to recognize they need a rescuer, not just a rule-giver — genuine faith in Jesus, not church attendance or moral performance, is what makes someone a Christian.
“I want you to sit there and go what am I gonna do with the truth of who Jesus is and realize I need a rescuer, not just a rule giver”
- 5
5Essex, England — once the gospel hub that sent Puritan missionaries and resourced the Mayflower — is now less than 1% evangelical, an unreached people group that presents a wide-open gospel opportunity.
“God has always let us be the tip of the spear. He's always invited us into something that is beyond us, but he just says, hey, go”
A story from life
Simon recounts Steve Packham, Chelmsford city manager and church elder, who championed a church plant into the city before dying of cancer, urging Simon to the end not to give up on the project
A story from life
Matt Palmer describes a young Chinese woman who arrived in Colchester with her family, heard the gospel, became a Christian, was baptized the Sunday before he flew to the US, and will soon return to China
- 6
6God calls His people to something bigger than themselves; Rock Point's partnership with Mission Essex reflects the same Spirit-driven impulse that brought the gospel from England to America, now returning the favor.
“we are sitting here in our culture and having the gospel because they were moved by the spirit and they took their people and their resources and they came here. And it's so cool to me that God's called us to return the favor”
Application
Pastor Bill's call to action is personal and communal at once. First, if you have never truly surrendered to Jesus — if you have been going through the motions like Matt, showing up but never really believing — the most important thing you can do right now is recognize your need for a rescuer, not just a rule-giver, and put your faith in Him. Second, for those already walking with Jesus, the Spirit's presence in you is an invitation to move outward. Practically, that means praying about the Mission Essex partnership, considering a financial gift toward furnishing the Chelmsford building or funding a pastor in Colchester, and asking God whether you might be someone He is calling to go. Rock Point's 23-year story is evidence that trusting God with something bigger than yourself is always worth it.
