Getting Off Our Island
E.A. Johnston challenges the church to abandon complacency and actively engage in the Great Commission by going out to evangelize and disciple, rather than waiting passively within church walls.
In this powerful sermon, E.A. Johnston exhorts the church to break free from isolation and complacency by embracing the active evangelistic mandate of the Great Commission. He contrasts the vibrant, outward-focused early church with today's often inward-looking congregations, urging believers to return to a lifestyle of passionate prayer, holy living, and bold gospel proclamation. Johnston challenges listeners to rekindle their zeal for reaching the lost and making disciples in their communities.
Full Transcript
Whenever the church fails to carry out the mandate of the Great Commission and proactively storm the gates of hell, then a vacuum is created. A healthy church advances the gospel to the ends of the earth and makes disciples. Its members exude vital Christianity through lives of surrender and holiness and passionate, prevailing prayer is the heartbeat of a healthy church.
However, when the church becomes like the world and begins to build upon its own foundations to further its own agenda, it becomes an island unto itself, interested in preservation of self rather than surrendering to the clear commands of Christ to bring the gospel to the nations and to make disciples. In many cities around the world today, the churches within their communities are visible in name only. There is little influence made upon the society in which they live.
We have shifted from the standard of the early church, which was a go-and-tell street gospel proclaimed on street corners and from house to house to a come-and-hear version stagnated inside our beautiful buildings. But if you'll break out your Bible, friends, and look in Mark's gospel in chapter 16 and verse 20, you will see that after the disciples walked in awe as Jesus ascended back into heaven, the text reads in Mark, I don't believe, friends, that God is vindicating his preached word like he once did because, number one, we preach a different gospel today, and, secondly, we expect folks just to wander into our church on Sunday rather than going out into the community after them. I witnessed a man in a fast-food drive-thru yesterday, and I saw interest in the gospel.
There would be more interest in the gospel if we would do like the early church and go forth and preach everywhere. If we could go back to the go-and-tell gospel instead of a come-and-hear one, maybe, just maybe, some old sinners in our town would get saved if we'd go out to the lost within our community and warn men and women and boys and girls of a future judgment that awaits all mankind and inform them of their duty of repentance. Maybe God would be pleased to vindicate his word amongst us once again, and we'd have somebody tugging on our shirt sleeve with a tear in their eye and a broken voice saying, Oh, what must I do to be saved?
Sermon Outline
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I
- The church's failure to fulfill the Great Commission creates a spiritual vacuum
- Healthy churches advance the gospel and make disciples
- Passionate prayer and holy living are essential to church health
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II
- The church risks becoming an isolated island focused on self-preservation
- Many churches are visible but lack societal influence
- Shift from early church's active evangelism to passive invitation
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III
- God's word was once powerfully vindicated through active preaching
- Modern churches preach a different gospel and expect people to come to them
- Returning to 'go-and-tell' evangelism can revive the church and save souls
Key Quotes
“Whenever the church fails to carry out the mandate of the Great Commission and proactively storm the gates of hell, then a vacuum is created.” — E.A. Johnston
“We have shifted from the standard of the early church, which was a go-and-tell street gospel proclaimed on street corners and from house to house to a come-and-hear version stagnated inside our beautiful buildings.” — E.A. Johnston
“Maybe God would be pleased to vindicate his word amongst us once again, and we'd have somebody tugging on our shirt sleeve with a tear in their eye and a broken voice saying, Oh, what must I do to be saved?” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Commit to actively sharing the gospel beyond church walls in your community.
- Cultivate a lifestyle of passionate prayer and holy living to support the church's mission.
- Encourage your church to shift from a passive 'come-and-hear' model to an active 'go-and-tell' approach.