Acts 1:8 Challenged?

I have a new shirt! It is a beautiful tan color with a terrific logo on the front that says, ACTS 1:8 CHALLENGE - ILLINOIS

It was given to me on Tuesday at the DOM Retreat by the New Work Team at IBSA. Thanks guys!

I wore it this morning when I spoke to the IBSA Staff at Chapel service. Cool.

The more I thought about it today, the more I began to think that if they had added one more letter on the end of the first line it might be more appropriate. It would read, "ACTS 1:8 CHALLENGED"

We often see and hear this word, "challenged" used as a kind way to say that a person is handicapped in some specific way. You know, bald people are "follicly challenged"; short people are "vertically challenged"; old people are "chronologically challenged" etc!

I am afraid that the truth is that many of us - including me - are "Acts 1:8 Challenged!" What I mean by that, of course, is that we do not seem to be capable of fulfilling the Great Commission as given in Acts 1:8. It seems that the majority of Southern Baptists have an insurmountable handicap that keeps us from obeying the clearest purpose of the Church. We do have such a handicap. It is fear-driven disobedience!

Many of us are afraid of what someone will say to us, or that they will ask us a question we cannot answer, or that we will make a mistake that will make things worse.

The unsaved are going to hell; how could we make that worse? The simple truth is that we need to accept the "Acts 1:8 Challenge"! We need to be trained and get busy obeying this command and commission from Jesus Christ.

We know what to do... it is time we do what we know!

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 (ESV)