First Baptist Church accepts the:
Before He ascended to the right hand of the Father, Jesus explained that just as He had suffered and risen from the dead on the 3rd day, so also repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name by His followers to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:46-49). Then Jesus promised the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit for His followers so that they would be empowered for this task that would reach the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The people of God today continue this task that the early church pursued with all of their might. As part of God's people today, First Baptist Church has accepted the Acts 1:8 Challenge.
The goal of the Acts 1:8 Challenge is to use the divinely-guided spread of the early church as a guideline for reaching our world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The early church began to faithfully proclaim the Gospel where they were and proclaimed that same Gospel when they went somewhere else by the hand of God. First Baptist Church has accepted the challenge to proclaim the Gospel here in Mt. Vernon, while progressively seeking ways that God will lead us to proclaim the Gospel in Indiana, North America, and to the ends of the earth.
This bulletin board is First Baptist Church's reminder that the Gospel commission given to the church by Jesus Christ is not over until Christ returns and calls home His church from "every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9).
The ability of First Baptist Church to remain faithful to our mission to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth begins with our attentiveness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our own lives. The importance of the preaching of the Gospel during out gathering is the primary gauge of how attentive we are to the Gospel...and the primary gauge of how faithful we will be in spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Additional articles relating to the Acts 1:8 Challenge:
For further information on the Acts 1:8 Challenge, which is sponsored by the mission agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention, go to its website at:
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