Why We Should Be Involved In Missions

“Why We Should Be Involved In Missions!” is a message that reminds us of some of the reasons we should be involved in supporting missions, daily soul-winning, praying for the lost, etc.! Often, we need reminding of the reasons why we do things. Routine can dull our senses!


Title: “Why We Should Be Involved In Missions!”

Text: Various

Introduction:

• If you are like me, then you find yourself doing things and forgetting why you do them!
• The heartbeat of God is missions, and you cannot be right with God unless you love missions!
• When a church ceases to be in love with what God loves, then they cease to be a New Testament church!
• When we as individuals cease to have a heart for missions, then we fail to function as God’s instruments of salvaging broken vessels in the sea of life.
• By the way… there is no such thing as foreign and home missions; it is world missions!

Proposition: There are four reasons, among many, why we as individuals and as members of the local assembly should be involved in worldwide missions.

I. We Should Be Involved In World Wide Missions Because It Obeys The Command From Above!

A. Consider the following:

(Matthew 28:18-20) “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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.”  (KJV)
(Mark 16:15) “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  (KJV)
(Luke 24:46-49) “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”  (KJV)
(John 21:15-17) “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”  (KJV)
(Acts 1:8) “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  (KJV)

B. We see here that God is interested in us getting the gospel to people!
C. The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion, Idea, Endeavor, or even the Great “Plan B”… Indeed it has become the Great Omission in many churches today.
D. Either we go or send a substitute!
E. The Great Commission is meant to be the priority not the sideline.
F. The trend in most modern church is saved centered (focussing on ourselves not the lost) not lost centered!

II. We Should Be Involved In World Wide Missions Because It Silences The Cry From Beneath!

(Luke 16:19-31)  “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”  (KJV)

A. The rich man was concerned that someone should go and convince his brethren to heed the message of God and not come to Hell!
B. He was pleading with all that was in him for Lazarus to go back and talk to his family!
C. So it is today… people in Hell are pleading for someone to go and tell their Mom or Dad, Son or Daughter, Grandpa or Grandma, Aunt or Uncle, Cousin or grandchild.
D. If we could listen to the conversations of Hell tonight it would change our viewpoint about soul-winning!

III. We Should Be Involved In World Wide Missions Because It Answers The Call from Without!

(Acts 16:9-10) “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.”  (KJV)

A. If we will listen, then we will hear the cry from others to come and help them!
B. We need to see sinners the way God sees them: explain Matthew chapter nine! They are a harvest field
C. Get passed the sight, sounds, and smells of the unregenerate!
D. Paul and his companions heard the call and we should too!
E. Is God calling some person among us to go unto the heathen!

IV. We Should Be Involved In World Wide Missions Because It Fulfills the Constraining From Within!

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15) “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”  (KJV)

A. Just as natural as it is for a young man and woman to come together in the confines of holy matrimony and have a child together, so it is with every child of God who loves the Lord Jesus! We should desire to see someone saved!

(2 Corinthians 5:19-21) “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  (KJV)

B. God left us here to tell others about Him.
C. There is no wrong candidate for our work!
D. We are to plead and beseech others to come and be saved as an Ambassador of Heaven!
E. Nothing will satisfy a believer like sharing the good news of Jesus with others!
F. Even a sourpuss can get excited and smile when they see a baby: so nothing will stir a deadened church like someone getting in the family!

Conclusion:

• Sinner be saved!
• Child of God: are you telling others? Are you burdened for the lost you know and love? Are you willing to be a missionary?

How To Handle Hard Times

In our day, you do not have to look far to find books on hard times and how to handle difficulties. For the most part, you can learn from them. However, I am glad that we have a Bible full of practical examples of how we can deal with these issues of life. This sermon outline takes a look at the man named Stephen. Every time I read about him I get stirred! I hope this outline helps you as well!

Title: “How To Handle Hard Times!”

Text: Acts 6:8-15; Acts 7:54-60

(Acts 6:8-15) “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”  (KJV)
(Acts 7:54-60) “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”  (KJV)

Introduction:

•    Between our text verses lay the sermon that Stephen, the deacon preached to his inquirers!
•    We find a few firsts in these two chapters! A “First Deacon”, and a “First Martyr”.
•    We find that Stephen is faced with great opposition and he did not adopt situation ethics to escape it!
•    He eventually died for his faith.
•    We may not have this kind of opposition now, but one day we will!
•    We must understand that any small persecution, now, can quickly lead to great personal harm.
•    We do not know when we may run up on hard times so we need to begin to practice some “Stephen Principles” in order to deal with them.

Proposition: There are five principles that we need to look at so we can see how we can handle hard times!

I.    We Need To Be Full!

(Acts 7:55) “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,”  (KJV)

A.    Full of what?

a.    Holy Ghost (Acts 7:55)
b.    Which produced faith, power,(Acts 6:8) and wisdom (Acts 6:10)!

B.    Instead of being full of self, we need to be full of Bible, Prayer, and Fellowship with God!

(Ephesians 5:18) “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”  (KJV)

II.    We Need To Be Watching!

(Acts 7:55) “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,”  (KJV)

A.    Stephen was not looking in the wrong place during his hard times!

B.    He was watching for reinforcements! This is what faith will do for you!

III.    We Need To Focus!

Acts 7:55) “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,”  (KJV)

A.    Many times we are looking a certain direction, but there is no focus! We become like those that would not watch and be sober minded!

(Mark 14:38) “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”
(1Corinthians 16:13) ¶ “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
(Colossians 4:2) ¶ “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”
(1Thessalonians 5:6) ¶ “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”
(2Timothy 4:5) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
(1Peter 4:7) ¶ “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

B.    We should fix our eyes upon Jesus!

(Hebrews 12:2) “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (KJV)

IV.    We Need To Tell!

Acts 7:1-53

A.    In the face of opposition we need to continue to tell others for there is no argument against this kind of testimony!

B.    He preached this sermon and preached it well!

C.    This sermon did not go unrewarded!

V.    We Need To Influence On Purpose!

(Acts 7:58) “And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.”  (KJV)

A.    Often we do not realize who is watching us, so we do not think about it unless it will possibly cause us adverse circumstances. This is very selfish!

B.    We must embrace the opposition and realize that there may be a Saul around us!

Conclusion:

•    God may want us to be a martyr. We do not go around looking for it, but we should be willing to accept it!
•    God will use His people if we let Him!

To The Sinner:

•    Be saved!

_______________
660762: The Pursuit of God - A 31 Day Experience The Pursuit of God – A 31 Day Experience

By A.W. Tozer / Wingspread Publishers

During a train trip from Chicago in the late 1940s, A.W. Tozer began to work on The Pursuit of God. He wrote all night long, the words coming to him as fast as he could put them down. By the next morning, when the train pulled into McAllen, Texas, the rough draft was done.
Although written in such a remarkably short period of time, the depth, clarity and completeness of Tozer’s message has made The Pursuit of God an enduring favorite—about 1.7 million copies in print in 15 languages.
Prepare yourself for a deeply meaningful and enjoyable experience. The complete text of the classic is divided into 31 daily meditations and other quotations enhance this work.

The Life Of Faith

This outline is borrowed from the thoughts expressed on the back of the cover of a video I watched on the life of Evan Roberts, the Welsh Revivalist. Dr. Ken Connolly shared his thoughts on the life of faith. WOW! is all that I can say. I trust the outline and sub points (which I added) will serve to help you walk with God by FAITH!


Title: “The Life Of Faith!”

Text: Mark 4:35-41

(Mark 4:35-41) “And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”  (KJV)

Introduction:

•    Much can be said about faith.
•    Though much of what is propagated about faith is nothing more than fanciful formulas to promote ourselves, faith is needed in our lives!
•    I want to define faith for us tonight in a way that will help us!
•    I want you to examine your life and see if you are living a life characterized by faith!

Proposition: There are six things I want us to learn about the life of faith that should serve to strengthen us this evening!

Outline taken from Dr. Ken Connolly.

I.    Faith Is A Life Committed Beyond Its Means!

A.    These men were committed to go to the other side as Jesus spake!

B.    They come to the point in their journey that they realized their ship, humanly speaking, was not going to make it.

C.    They went to Jesus and were worried, but they should have understood that everything was going to be fine!

D.    The tendency to worry and wonder comes into play when we see that we are committed beyond our means!

E.    When we find ourselves in this position, pray and tell Jesus about it, but keep on going; many turned back!

II.    Faith Is A Life Expecting What Sense Cannot Certify!

A. If these men had the faith they should have had, they would have taken the position, that as long as Jesus is in the boat everything is going to be all right!

B. Instead they were worried and woke Jesus up and accused Him of not caring for them!

C. They were expecting to drown instead of getting to the other side!

D. Many times we will find ourselves in a position that we simply cannot explain why we are doing what we are doing!

E. We should keep on sailing for the other side!

III. Faith Is A Life Based Upon God’s Promise!

A. Commands are not viewed as promises many times, but we can certainly find that when God commands, He puts His omnipotence behind it!

B. Jesus was going to the other side and he went to sleep while on the journey!

C. This should serve as an example to us! We can rest in God’s commands and promises!

D. God promises, and we can trust Him!

IV. Faith Is A Life That Depends On God Supply!

A. The disciples were depending upon their supply while in the storm, not God!

B. Our lives as Christians should be characterized as ones who depend upon God for everything!

C. They had made it as far as they had because God helped them to get that far!

D. The storm comes and they quit depending upon God!

E. Faith teaches us to trust God no matter the circumstance!

V. Faith Is A Life Motivated For God’s Glory!

A. The disciples may not have realized it, but they were selfish that evening! They were concerned about themselves!

B. “Carest not that we perish” – What if God wanted them to die in the storm? Faith trusts that God knows what is best!

C. Faith does not exalt itself, but God!

D. Faith sees God as the One who deserves all the glory!

E. Faith depends upon God and we just bask in the God of Glory!

VI. Faith Is A Life Confident In God’s Integrity!

A. Faith believes that God will do what needs to be done in a perfect way!

B. It will be done in a way that God will get all of the glory!

C. Faith resides in the fact that we can trust God to perform what He states!

D. God has never lied and will not start now!

E. Jesus said they were going to the other side! They should have trusted!

Conclusion:

To The Sinner:

• Be saved!
• Repent and believe the gospel!

To The Christian:

• Is your life characterized by faith?

Enhanced by Zemanta
543369: The John Phillips New Testament Commentary, 19 Volumes The John Phillips New Testament Commentary, 19 Volumes

By Kregel Publications

Explore the entire New Testament in greater depth. This complete set of New Testament commentaries from the pen of expositor John Phillips will provide pastors, Sunday school teachers, and students of the Bible with doctrinally sound interpretation that emphasizes the practical application of Bible truth. Preachers especially will appreciate these commentaries as they provide a model and resource for sermons and lessons. Working from the familiar King James Version, Dr. Phillips not only provides helpful commentary on the text, but also includes detailed outlines and numerous illustrations and quotations. Anyone wanting to explore the meaning of God’s word in greater detail for personal spiritual growth or as a resource for preaching and teaching will welcome the guidance and insights of this respected series.A frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and workshops across North America, John Phillips served as assistant director of the Moody Correspondence School as well as director of the Emmaus Correspondence School, one of the world’s largest Bible correspondence ministries. He also taught in the Moody Evening School and on the Moody Broadcasting radio network. He and his wife, Betty, live in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

  • join our mailing list
    * indicates required

    Powered by MailChimp