Creating a Movement of Joy

This sermon from Sacred Mission Sermon Audio explores the biblical foundation for creating a 'movement of joy' through faithful sending, drawing primarily from Acts 14. The speaker uses the story of Paul and Barnabas returning to strengthen newly planted churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to illustrate that true church growth isn't just about planting but also about establishing and releasing. The central theme is that joy is not found in holding on to what we love—leaders, programs, or comfort—but in releasing it for God’s mission. The church in Antioch experienced profound joy not because they did the work themselves, but because they sent people out and received the report of God’s faithfulness. The sermon challenges the congregation to confront their resistance to sending, revealing that comfort and self-preservation often hinder mission. It calls for a shift from accumulating resources to multiplying them through gospel risk, rooted in the nature of God Himself—Father, Son, and Spirit—all of whom are fundamentally 'sending' beings. The ultimate call is to become a church that embraces loss as the path to eternal gain, where joy is discovered not in permanence but in participation in God’s expanding redemptive work.