54 – 108 Purpose – The Mission! - a podcast by Dr. Vic Torres

Click here for free downloads








I’ve been talking about the discipleship pattern that the Lord Jesus Christ has left for us to follow. As I said in my last message, Jesus tells us what to do, then He shows us what to do, and finally He sends us out to do it. 



First, Jesus tells us in John 3 that we must be Born-again, that is accepting the salvation He offers as a free gift, Ephesians 2:8-9, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” 



Implicit is the Holy Spirit of God coming to live in us. This Jesus did at his water baptism by John the Baptist. The Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove and filled Him. As Believers, we receive the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 



Secondly, Jesus tells us in Acts 1:8 that we shall receive power to be witnesses to Him. To be a witness is to speak and act upon what Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is doing in our lives. A witness can only attest to what he has seen, heard, or knows as fact. 



Jesus experienced this empowering of the Holy Spirit while He was in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. The scriptures say that Jesus came out of the wilderness in power to do ministry. As Believers, we receive that empowerment to do ministry when we surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Gospel writer Luke calls this the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. 



Salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit is about believing in Jesus Christ; empowerment by the Holy Spirit is about believing in the Holy Spirit in you!



The final step in discipleship is to recognize your mission. Then to say or do, in the name of the Lord, which the Holy Spirit shows you.



The mission is the subject of today’s message. Show More




Many Christians go through life wondering what they are called to instead of learning how to fulfill the single mission all believers have in common!



The “what we are called to” is the Universal call to all believers – the Great Commission is that all Disciples of Christ are commanded to make Jesus known.The “how we are to fulfill the call” can happen in several ways.Gifts to the Church – “Five-Fold Ministries” – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher described in Ephesians 4:11.Ambassadors of Christ – The Motivational Gifts – prophecy, ministry, exhortation, giving, leading, and mercy described in Romans 12:4-8.The “fruit of the Holy Spirit,” “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23.The “Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” “Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Gift of Faith, Gift of Healings, Gift of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues” 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.



As we will see, the commission is easy to know when we look at Jesus’ mission statement.  You don’t get to choose your calling; Jesus calls you to partner with Him.



STEP THREE: RECEPTION OF THE MISSION OR PURPOSE JESUS WAS CALLED TO



We find a general statement of Jesus’ purpose or mission in 1 John 3:8, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.



A more detailed statement of purpose is found in the words of Jesus in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”



The first part of the statement is so important to understand, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me.” Any work that you do i

Further episodes of Pastor Vic

Further podcasts by Dr. Vic Torres

Website of Dr. Vic Torres