The Importance of Missions
Jeff Hughes – September 28, 2003
Calvary Chapel Aggieland
I. Introduction
a. Over the past few months, we have been looking at the spread of the gospel; and if you’ve been here a couple of weeks, and you’ve been listening, you’ll know that God didn’t just start a big ad campaign to get the message out.
b. He didn’t choose to use billboards or a direct mail campaign. He used people. He used people in a variety of ways, and the methods He used odd methods to send them out to spread His message.
c. I think it is fitting, as we just finished up Acts chapter 15, last week, with Paul and Barnabas returning from their first missionary journey. They returned back to their home church at Antioch, to share what had happened all along the way, and about all the people whose lives were changed through the gospel.
d. This morning, we are blessed to have Ms. Laurah Ward here this morning. Laurah is a missionary we support as a church. Her home church is Calvary Chapel Houston, and just like us, she was sent out by Calvary Houston to spread the gospel.
e. Laurah is a missionary to Russia, and she’s going to share with us just what God is doing there.
f. ***Laurah Shares****
II. PRAYER
III. Illustration
a. As I was looking around for an illustration to use for this message, I realized that I wasn’t finding one because We have one sitting with us here this morning.
IV. Study
a. Intro
i. I found it interesting that the word missionary is not found in scripture. Neither is the word trinity, but we know that God is a triune being from how He is described in several places.
ii. In the same way, we know that God would have the church send out missionaries from the commands and examples set for us in the scriptures, and as a footnote to Laurah coming and sharing with us, I though that I would teach a topical message on missions.
iii. Get your Bibles out, because we are going to hop around a bit this morning. There’s a handout for you to follow along and take notes. We will be looking at the Missions Mandate, The Missions Message, The Missions Method, and the Mission Field this morning, as we look at the importance of missions in the church.
b. The Missions Mandate (Acts 1:8)
i. So, why are missions so important? We find the answer in Acts chapter 1, verse 8 –
ii. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
iii. The setting for this was at Jesus’ Ascension on the Mount of Olives. There’s a few hundred people gathered, and Jesus is giving them one last set of instructions, before heading off up into heaven.
iv. Notice Jesus tells the disciples gathered that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them. The word power there is the Greek word dunamis in the original language. We get our word dynamite from it today.
v. Why does He want us to have that kind of power in our lives? We see the answer in the end of verse 8. We see that the disciples would be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
vi. But I want us to take not of this; it is only after they receive power from the Holy Spirit that they are called to be witnesses. The two go together. God’s plan is that we get the Spirit before we step out into ministry. The two go together. Ministry without the Spirit is a miserable job. I know from previous first hand experience.
vii. Every one of us is called to be a minister. Not just me. I just stand up here and teach a message once a week. The real ministry happens when we leave this place. That’s where the rubber meets the road. A Recent study showed that most people are led to Christ by a friend or family member. You wouldn’t think that, though. Most attention is paid to these large crusades and outreaches by various ministries. But, by en large, people come to a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through a personal relationship with another Christian.
viii. Jesus told His followers in Matthew 28:19 - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
ix. We call that the Great Commission. As Christians, that is our number one job, to replicate our faith by sharing it with others.
x. If you look on the back of your bulletin, you will see a verse at the top, Ephesians 4:12. It is our mission here at Calvary Chapel Aggieland – Equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. That’s our job here, to equip you to minister and witness for Christ...
xi. So, why do I tie in Acts 1:8 with the Great Commission? Because it happened at the same time, when Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure. Acts 1:8 just gives us some additional instructions as to how we accomplish that commission; that mandate from our Lord.
xii. Drawing this point to a close, I’d like for you guys to notice the word witness there in Acts 1:8. It is the Greek word martus. We get our word martyr from it today. We have that word today because many, many people down through the years have died for their faith. They died for their witness, many while away from home, trying to spread the gospel abroad.
xiii. So many Christians had died for their witness that the word had taken on a new meaning – one who gave up their life for their faith.
xiv. How did all of these people have the courage and strength to face death because of their faith? The answer is simple – we have covered it here, at the beginning of verse 8 – The power of the Holy Spirit.
xv. So, we have looked at the mandate, what’s the message?
c. The Missions Message (Acts 20:21 )
i. 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
ii. I’m skipping a bit ahead of where we are at, but the setting for this verse is when Paul was headed back to Jerusalem for Pentecost, he sent for the Ephesian elders, and gave them some more instruction. He was simply recounting what he had done while he was there.
iii. He shared the gospel with them. The good news was a simple message – “Repent from your sins, and put your faith – or follow, Jesus Christ.
iv. The message is still the same today, and keep in mind that Paul was recounting what he was doing in Ephesus. The city of Ephesus was filled with idolatry and brimming with immorality. The culture was decayed, the problems were great.
v. Many times, we see people railing against this sin or that sin. Sin is truly the affliction that besets all of us. Our sins will separate us from God for all eternity if we do not make the choice to follow Jesus as Paul is talking about here. But, if we make that decision, 1st John 1:9 tells us – if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
vi. Guys, we need repentance. Repentance is turning away from our sins. Peter urged Simon the sorcerer to do this in the face of his blasphemy, asking to buy the power of the Holy Spirit, back in Acts chapter 8.
vii. But, if this had happened today, I would guess that Peter would get a “Hey, Pete! Lay off of old Simon there, He’s a new believer you know! Peter had the guts to share the truth in love though, even though it was probably a very tough thing to do.
viii. Sin is an ugly thing, and it takes guts to make a stand against it. Especially in a foreign culture, where you don’t fit in. Repentance is a necessary component in salvation though, along with faith in Jesus.
ix. Many folks today walk down an aisle, make a verbal commitment to Christ, and then they show up to church whenever it’s convenient. They might even get involved with a ministry, and plug in and serve.
x. To most anyone, even me as a pastor, it appears that this person is saved. 1st Samuel 16:7 tells us that the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
xi. What is important is what’s in here. In your heart. Simon had missed God by twelve inches. Some churches overemphasize the faith part, and lay low on the repentance.
xii. Others hit hard on the repentance, and get into legalism. They put the emphasis on the religion rather than the relationship, the faith part.
xiii. But, as Paul is telling us here in Acts chapter 20, both are important, and I believe that it comes down to a balance, and if we tip the scales too far one way or another, we are in danger of misrepresenting the gospel.
xiv. If you boil it all down, the message of missions is the message of an evangelist – Repent and believe. So, how does this get accomplished? We see this explained by the Apostle Paul himself, in Romans.
d. The Missions Method (Romans 10:13 - 15)
i. 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
ii. In this chapter, Paul is telling the Romans how the Jews rejected God by rejecting Jesus Christ. He then goes on to tell them that salvation is obtained by faith. In verse 14 and 15 here, Paul is telling the Romans simply this – That faith comes about by the preaching of the gospel.
iii. It is not just available to the Jewish nation, as some people would have them believe at that time. It wasn’t a matter of religion and birthright, it was a matter of a relationship.
iv. Conceivably, God could have chosen any means by which the message of salvation might have come (angelic messengers, direct working without a human preacher), but God’s "normal" way of bringing people to Jesus Christ is through the preaching of the gospel
v. God calls and raises up people to do His work on the earth. Alan Redpath once said that God could write the gospel in the stars if He chose to, but instead, He chose to use men, ordinary men, to carry His message to the ends of the earth.
vi. It is little wonder those who preach the gospel of peace have beautiful feet; they are out partnering with God for the salvation of men.
vii. That is the simple method of ministry for the missionary – to go where God has called them to go and carry the gospel message, and just like Laura said, it has dramatic results!
viii. These two verses of scripture are the basis of why we send missionaries, and why we as a church support missionaries, and really, why we are here in College Station in the first place.
ix. Just Like Laura, Stacie and I were sent to start this church in College Station, so that people might hear the gospel and make a decision to follow Jesus Christ.
x. So, let’s take a look at the mission field, in our final point this morning.
e. The Mission Field (Matthew 28:18-20)
i. Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
ii. To finish up, we are going to come back and look at Matthew’s account of the great commission. The first thing I want us to notice is that the commission stems from the authority of Jesus Christ himself. All authority has been given to Him, as He is God.
iii. His commission to the disciples was to go and make more disciples, and as we have seen earlier, that happens by bringing the gospel to the people that need to hear it.
iv. The message is clear – Repent and believe. The commission is clear – GO! Go where? Jesus tells us this in verse 19 – all nations. In Acts 1:8, we get a little clearer view, when He said – in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
v. This is the mission field. This planet that God has given us to spread the gospel in. While Jesus was traveling through Samaria, in the same journey where he confronted the woman at the well, we find Him saying this to His disciples –
vi. 35 Do you not say, ’There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ’One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did.
vii. The fields are white unto harvest. There are people out there literally dying to hear the gospel, and other that are dying to bring it to them, but the number taking the message is not enough. Not too many people want to give up the lavish lifestyle we have here in America to live in poverty on the mission field, but I praise Him that there are some.
viii. To go out to the mission field is a personal sacrifice, but the rewards are great. God blesses us in the local churches by giving us the opportunity to support and help missionaries like Laura while they are on the mission field.
ix. Back in 1837 a Georgia Baptist Church with a membership of about 80 people had a split. They had a vote to determine whether to be a missionary or anti-missionary church. The young pastor lead the church to take a pro-missionary position. The vote was 42 for missions and 37 against missions. But, those who were opposed to missions were not satisfied with the majority vote so they separated and started their own little church.
x. When they left, one of their leaders came up to the young pastor and said, "We shall see who is in the right! For the blessing of God shall follow the right church." One hundred and twenty years latter the church that did not believe in missions had 18 members down from thirty seven. They met for preaching once a month and had singing once a year. The church that had voted for missions had over twelve hundred members and over five hundred in Sunday School every single Sunday. They had also given a million dollars to missions during the previous fifteen years. Whom do you think God had blessed.
xi. Remember last week, in Acts chapter 14, verses 27 and 28, we read this - 27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
xii. Paul and Barnabas returned to the church at Antioch so that the people there that supported them could be encouraged, and that they could be overjoyed at the hands of the men that they supported.
xiii. We had that opportunity this morning, and I know that our little church here was built up and strengthened by Laura’s stories of encouragement.
xiv. I‘d like to close with a short story.
f. Conclusion
i. "WHY DID YOU not come sooner?" The man’s question burned in Hudson Taylor’s soul as he thought of the millions of Chinese who had never heard of Christ. The middle-aged man was one of the leading officers of a sect of reformed Buddhists in China. He had long sought truth by studying Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism; but not until he heard the Gospel of Jesus did he find rest for his soul. He eagerly testified to the Buddhists of the peace he had, and he began preaching Christ to his fellow countrymen. Shortly after his conversion he had asked Taylor how long the gospel had been known in England. When he was told it had been known for hundreds of years, the man was shocked. What! For hundreds of years you have had these glad tidings and only now have come to preach it to us? My father sought after the truth for more than twenty years, and died without finding it. Oh, why did you not come sooner?
ii. It is my prayer, and I hope it would be yours too, that as we grow as a body here in College Station, that we would continue to reach out by supporting missions work, not only for the masses of unbelievers in the world, but for us as well.
g. Let’s Pray.
