Call of missionaries

Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

0 ratings

· 5 views

God calls and sends out his people into the world. All believers are called to share the good news of the gospel, though some are specially commissioned by God, confirmed by the church and compelled by the gospel message to missionary service.

Notes

Transcript

The call to all God’s people

Ps 96:2–3; Mt 28:19

Missionaries in the OT

Those sent to their own people

Isaiah 6:8–10 LEB

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “I am here! Send me!” And he said, “Go and say to this people, ‘Keep on listening and do not comprehend! And keep on looking and do not understand!’ Make the heart of this people insensitive, and make its ears unresponsive, and shut its eyes so that it may not look with its eyes and listen with its ears and comprehend with its mind and turn back, and it may be healed for him.”

See also 2 Pe 2:5 Noah; Je 2:1–4 Jeremiah’s ministry extended further but was primarily to his own people, Judah; Eze 2:3 Ezekiel

Those sent to other peoples

2 Ki 17:27–28 A priest from Samaria returns to teach the resettled population about the Lord.

God’s servant is to bring salvation to the whole world:

Is 42:6; Is 49:6; Ac 13:47

Am 7:15 Amos, from Judah, is sent to the northern kingdom of Israel.

Jonah is sent to the city of Nineveh:

Jon 1:1–2; Jon 3:1–2

Missionaries in the NT

John the Baptist

John 1:6–7 LEB

A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. This one came for a witness, in order that he could testify about the light, so that all would believe through him.

See also Mal 4:5–6; Mt 11:10; Mk 1:2–4; Mal 3:1; Is 40:3; Jn 1:33

Jesus Christ’s disciples

Lk 9:1–6 Healing and deliverance accompanies preaching as part of the disciples’ mission.

See also Mt 10:5–16 During Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry the disciples’ mission was limited to Israel; Mk 6:7–11; Lk 10:1

Other believers

Acts 11:19–20 LEB

Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the message to no one except Jews alone. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they came to Antioch, began to speak to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.

See also Ac 8:5 Philip; Ac 18:24 Apollos; Ac 26:15–18 Paul

Receiving the missionary call

The call given by God

Jeremiah 1:4–10 LEB

And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came out from the womb I consecrated you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Look, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth.” But Yahweh said to me, “You must not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for to whomever I send you, you will go, and whatever I command you, you will speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares Yahweh. Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and he touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I appoint you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, and to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant.”

See also Mt 4:19 Peter and Andrew; Ac 8:26 Philip; Ac 22:21 Paul

The call confirmed by the church

Acts 13:2–3 LEB

And while they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, after they had fasted and prayed and placed their hands on them, they sent them away.

See also Ac 14:26–27; Ac 15:40; Ac 22:14–15 Paul’s call to be a missionary to the Gentiles is communicated through Ananias; Ga 2:7–9 Paul’s mission to the Gentiles is recognised by the other apostles.

The call through circumstances

Ac 8:4 Persecution drove the early church to wider mission.

See also Ge 45:4–5 Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt; Da 1:3–6 Daniel among those taken into exile in Babylon; Ac 18:1–2 Priscilla and Aquila left Rome because of persecution.

Missionaries compelled by the message

Acts 4:18–20 LEB

And they called them back and commanded them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you decide! For we are not able to refrain from speaking about the things that we have seen and heard.”