Missions

Bible Doctrine Everyone Needs to Know: MISSIONS

A sermon by Keith D. Wallace

Acts 1:1-9

I. INTRODUCTION

- Give brief testimony relating to my history in dealing with missions

A. Acts 1:8 is the last words given by the Lord—the Head of the Church—which give the commission for the Church

B. The job of the church is not to bring in the Kingdom (vs. 6-7)

-- In vs. 7 Jesus is essentially telling them not to concern themselves with the Kingdom because God will take care of that

1. Postmillennialists believe that it is our job to make the world a better place and usher in the Kingdom of God

2. The idea is that by making the world better…

a. cleaning up the environment

b. having a world government to end all wars

c. ending hunger

d. creating total equality with races, sexes and social classes

that we can bring about the 1000 year Kingdom with perfect peace

3. We know better than this!

a. Without the Prince of Peace ruling and reigning there can be no real peace and there can be no Kingdom of God

b. So it is not the job of the Church to bring in the Kingdom

C. In the Book of Acts we see the first generation Church fulfilling verse 8 through their own missions work

1. Witnesses in Jerusalem – Acts 2-7

2. Witnesses in Judea and Samaria – Acts 8

3. Witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth – Acts 9-28

D. Jesus is the One Who founded His Church and he did not just start the Church and leave it to flail about without directions

1. He provided His Church with a purpose, with a plan for that purpose and with the all important power to fulfill that purpose.

II. GOD’S PURPOSE FOR MISSIONS

A. God is interested in the WHOLE WORLD!

1. Seven times the Bible says that God is no respecter of persons

a. In other words He does not withhold His grace and mercy simply because a person is of a certain race or sex or nationality or whatever!

b. These neo-Nazi nutcases have got it all wrong

c. God has always been interested in the whole world

(1) It is true that He has chosen certain groups of people at times to focus on but the reason for this ultimately had to do with His purpose of saving all people of the world

2. In the Old Testament days God created the world and placed man on it

a. Man was to replenish the earth and fill it with people whom God would love just as much as He loved Adam

b. When man fell, God began His plan of dealing with mankind in order to bring salvation to the whole world

(1) He made a prophecy that from Eve would come the One who would put an end to the Devil

(2) The line of Christ began with Adam and then on to Adam’s son, Seth, and the line kept going because of God’s interest in the whole world

c. He later sent Noah to preach to the whole world—giving all the opportunity to be saved from His wrath—“whosoever will”

d. Through Abraham He purposed to bless the whole world—again we see the line of Christ who would be the One to provide salvation for the whole world

e. Abraham’s son Isaac and his son Jacob continued the work of God’s interest in the whole world

(1) The tribes of Israel and the worship that God established with the law of Moses gave the world the ability to come to God and trust Him

f. When God sent Jonah to preach it was to a Gentile nation

(1) God’s primary dealings with man during this time was with the nation of Israel but He still had great concern for the rest of the world as well

3. In the New Testament we have absolutely no question of God’s interest in the world

a. What verse is more clear on this than John 3:16? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

b. John 4:42 is also pretty clear on this in that it ends by saying “…this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

c. The four Gospels after revealing the life, work, death and resurrection of this Saviour of the world all end with direction from God toward His people to take His message to the world

(1) Matt 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

(2) Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

(3) Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem .

d. Then to top it all off we have the command given again in Acts 1:8 for the new Christians of this new Church to go out to the world and take up the responsibilities of missions

4. From God’s dealings with individuals (Adam, Enoch, Noah)

5. To His dealings with families (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob)

6. To His dealings with a nation ( Israel )

7. To His dealings with a supernatural body (The Church) we see that God is interested in the whole world!

III. GOD’S PLAN FOR MISSIONS

A. The plan for reaching the world is through preaching and witnessing—many churches think it’s through music nowadays

1. …and ye shall be witnesses unto me…

2. 1 Cor 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

a. Here’s another one the modern versions mess up

B. The plan for the path of the gospel—the fields for harvesting

1. Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem …

a. Who was Jesus talking to? The disciples.

b. Where were they? Jerusalem .

c. Where was the first local church established? Right there in Jerusalem (Acts 2)

d. So where was the first place they were to carry the gospel message? Their home town

e. So the first part of God’s plan for missions is that a church carry the gospel message to its own city.

(1) How do we do this?

(a) Visitation

(b) Personal witnessing

(d) Inviting folks to church

(e) Maintaining a good testimony

f. If a church isn’t even willing to witness to the people of its own city how can we expect it to carry out the rest of God’s plan for missions?

2. …and in all Judea …

a. Judea was the greater area of which Jerusalem was a part

b. This would be the equivalent of Texas to our church

c. How do we carry out missions to our Judea ?

(1) By helping churches start in places like Mineral Wells, TX

(2) By supporting churches in need

(3) By sending people/resources to help spread the gospel

3. …and in Samaria …

a. Samaria was just to the north of Judea and Jerusalem

b. This would be the equivalent of Oklahoma to our church

c. How do we carry out missions to our Samaria ?

(1) Again by helping churches in that area

(2) By supporting the Bible colleges that are training the men who will lead churches in those areas

(3) By providing resources necessary for the people of that area to carry the gospel

4. …and unto the uttermost part of the earth…

a. Now this is what most of us think of when we say missions

b. Should be pretty obvious that we’re talking about the entire world

c. How can one church such as Harvest Baptist Church of San Angelo, Texas that runs about 100 people on Sunday morning take the gospel to San Angelo , Texas , Oklahoma and the entire world all at the same time?

(1) By doing exactly what we have been doing

(a) Taking on missionaries for financial support

(b) Praying for missionaries

(d) Writing to missionaries letters of encouragement

(e) Making short-term mission trips to help missionaries in the field

(2) All of this is part of getting the gospel message out to the uttermost part of the earth

IV. GOD’S POWER FOR MISSIONS

A. To say that the task of spreading the gospel to the world is a large task is an understatement

1. We are only people and are very limited in our abilities

2. If God had sent us out to the world and had not given us His Great Power then the job would have been absolutely impossible

B. Examples of God’s Power in missions work:

1. Moses in Exodus 4

a. Moses argues that the people will not believe that God sent him

(1) God gave Moses the power to perform two miracles

(a) Turning his rod into a serpent then back

(b) Making his hand leprous then back

(2) This was God’s power through Moses

b. Because of God’s power, Moses was able to do many mighty things

2. Daniel

a. God’s power prevented him from being eaten by the lions

b. God’s power gave him the ability to interpret dreams

c. God’s power through Daniel let him be a mighty witness to a heathen nation

3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

a. God’s power gave them the ability to stand firm against a wicked decree

b. God’s power delivered them from a fiery death

c. God’s power allowed them to be a mighty witness and uphold their pure testimony

4. Peter

a. God’s power gave Peter the ability to stand firm and preach the truth to the Jews on the day of Pentecost and see about three thousand Jews accept their Messiah

b. God’s power through Peter did not stop there either

5. Paul

a. God’s power through Paul allowed him to be probably the single greatest witness for Christ in history

b. Because of God’s power through Paul none of the 276 people on that ship died as a result of the shipwreck in Acts 27

c. Countless souls have been won because of God’s power through Paul

6. D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, George Mueller, C.T. Studd, John Wesley

a. These are only a few of the men who were open to be used by God’s power for the work of missions

b. How many are rejoicing evermore in Heaven right now as a result of God’s power through these men?

7. The King James Bible

a. Because of God’s power we have the perfectly preserved words of God

b. Because of God’s power this book has been responsible for the saving of hundreds of thousands and probably even millions in the last 400 years

8. How many times have we heard stories of missionaries who had troubles?

a. Trouble getting into the country

b. Financial trouble

c. Medical trouble

d. People trouble

e. And then we see God’s power come in and take care of the situation

f. Then to top it all off we see God’s power produce a revival in the area where no more than a faithful Christian who was willing to serve could be found

C. God’s power is available to all who will make themselves available and willing to obey

1. You see it is not the power of man that accomplishes anything in missions

2. Man only needs to be available and willing

3. God’s power will take that man to and through God’s plan

V. CONCLUSION

A. When Christ set up His church, He gave the responsibility for spreading the message of His church to His people

1. He didn’t have to do it this way but He chose to

2. If we will but be willing then He will show us how we may serve

3. God’s purpose for missions is clear – the whole world!

4. God’s plan for missions is clear – preaching and witnessing

5. God’s power for missions is clear – if we will but be willing