Sign up continues for our Personality Profile studies which will help you learn where you you might best use your spiritual gifts to serve on one of the FBC Thomaston Global Focus Mission Teams.  Come learn how you are spiritually gifted and how your personality interacts with those gifts. Round #2 August 31, September 7, 14, 21, 28 5:30-7:00 pm Round #3 November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 5:30-7:00 pm Sign up as well for any of the ministry events in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria & Ends of the Earth areas. There are a lot of great opportunities to serve our Lord through hands-on ministry. Sign up is located on board outside Sanctuary on piano entrance close to the church office.

The "On Mission" Commission Church by Ann McDaniel

It all started over two thousand year ago, with one person and eleven followers, then twelve.  Jesus ministered primarily by his teaching and preaching of the gospel, urging men to repent and come to him to find rest. He commissioned the twelve to "witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Ends of the Earth." The task being so difficult and terrifying, Jesus, as a master strategist, trained them to be with him so that eventually they might be well equipped to go out to preach also.  And, in Acts 4 we are told "that the number of believers now reached a new high of about 5,000 men."

The Great Commission is a personal calling to step out in faith and spread the Gospel.  It is faith in action!  Christians who obey this command enrich their own spiritual lives forever.  It could be spreading the Gospel to a neighbor next door, a friend at work, or moving to another country to reach people who are lost.  It could be sharing with less fortunate people across town or spreading the Word in a town an hour away.  Wherever we go, we are compelled through obedience to share the Gospel.

Our journey with Global Focus will enhance existing programs, create new ministries, utilize the uniqueness of each member's gifts, and coordinate the efforts of each activity to maximize the spreading of the Gospel.  The Southern Baptist Convention has joined in partnership with Global Focus to strengthen and empower its churches in missions.

The Acts 1:8 challenge is an opportunity for First Baptist Church to commit to a comprehensive mission strategy in our community (Jerusalem), State (Judea), Continent (Samaria) and the world (Ends of the Earth).  To  "witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Ends of the Earth" is God's call to each of us.  Revolutionary action is necessary for us to meet this challenge.

Global Focus stresses mobilization as a process of spiritual transformation that ultimately begins with Biblical truths that we accept in our heart as believers, a philosophy of life and ministry that we believe with out intellect and implementation that we accomplish with out actions. 

Global Focus defines personalization as, "The process of helping believers discover their role and fulfill their purpose in God's global kingdom by using their gifts, abilities, and resources to advance God's global cause, which is gathering worshippers unto Himself. 

We look around us and see so many people with various talents and abilities but never really think about how these gifts can be unified for a strategic purpose.  What God makes us to be determines what he intends us to do.  The key to knowing God's will for our lives is to understand the purpose for which we were created.  This is the personalization evaluation that will help us be successful in meshing our many gifts as a congregation to fulfill Acts 8:1, Jesus' last recorded words to the church.  The mission is unique, purposeful, and urgent. 

As a believer in Jesus Christ, where has he called you to go?  Who has God put in your heart to share the gift of salvation?  What small or large steps can you take, with the knowledge that Christ will be by you side, to "witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Ends of the Earth" ?

Note:  Information used to write this article was taken from Global Focus resource manuals and literature with update edits from the original article written by Ann in July of 2007.