Sent - Global (2)

95-97% of all generation groups among evangelicals believe it is vital to be a witness for Jesus. However, 47% of Millennials believe it is wrong to evangelize.

Thesis: "Once we’ve encountered Jesus, we are sent to share this message of hope to the world."

Next Gen

Local Outreaches

Today - Global Missions

Big Idea of the Message: A missionary is one who heeds the call of God to preach Jesus in their neighborhood or around the world, unhindered by their fears and the culture they live in.

1. What is a missionary?:

We get the word from the Latin word mitto, which means “to send.” Consequently, it is closely affiliated with the Greek New Testament word apostellō, which means “to send.”

From the Old Testament to the New Testament, there are plenty of examples of people who left their comforts to proclaim a message on behalf of Yahweh. In the New Testament, there are certain Greek words that are directly associated with those who did missions work that help us identify exactly who a missionary is supposed to be. Martyreō means “to bear witness, testify, evidence”

These words are even used in the Great Commission passages. It’s safe to assume that a missionary is someone who has a message from God, is given divine authority by the church, and proclaims that message for the purpose of evangelism through to the culture that they are planted in. All Christians are to be missionaries to their corner of the world, but there are people who are specifically called by God to be a missionary full-time—a vocation, if you will. This is where the Greek word apostellō comes in. It carries the idea of an official calling or special commission. In classical Greece, it would have been used to officially send out a fleet or an army—it’s where get our English word apostle (Karl Heinrich Rengstorf, “Apostello,” Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 407).

2. God’s heart for the Harvest:

It isn’t hard to find the heart of God throughout the Bible. From the fall of humankind and the redemptive proclamation to send a Seed to crush the head of Satan (Genesis 3:15) to John 3:16, it is obvious that God loves the world. God is a God of all nations and all people groups, for whom he also died. When the New Testament church was instituted, missions was at the forefront. It wasn’t long before the apostles would go out and spread the news in foreign territories (Mark 16:20). For some, it can be hard to imagine people being called to leave what they know and relocate to an unknown place so they can preach the gospel. If you think about it, Jesus, the very Son of God, was commissioned by his Father:

John 20:21 “Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

And left his heavenly throne to bring glad tidings (euangelion) to a very confused world. All of us are called to spread his good news; there is no getting out of that, but additionally, all of us should at least ask the Lord if we’re called to vocational missions.

3. Vocational Missions:

What motivates a person to leave earthly comforts to attempt to reach a people group that he or she does not know? What motivates a church to actively support missionaries they hardly know and to send them to a people group they’ve never met? Consider the testimony of the apostles. In Acts 5, we’re told in verses 40– 42 that the apostles were beaten for their preaching and were explicitly told to no longer preach their message about Jesus. Acts 5:41–42 says,

“The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

What motivated them? It was the reality that they had seen a risen Savior and this Savior had just paid the penalty of sin for the entire world.

Paul, one of the great missionaries in the first century, put it this way in

2 Corinthians 5:14 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.”

That word compels means to completely dominate (Helmut Köster, “Συνέχω, Συνοχή,” Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964], 883).

In other words, Paul was so overwhelmed by Christ’s love in death and power in resurrection that he couldn’t help but spread the good news.

How about us?

What motivates us?

Is it guilt?

It is not our job as preachers to guilt-trip anyone into being a witness for Christ or becoming a vocational missionary.

Rather, it is our job to help all understand the deep, deep love of Christ and pray that that God’s calling on each life.

Story of missionaries being called

Many Christians have heard of missionary William Carey who served in India and did a great work there. However, few know the name of Lott Carey. John Richards, of Wheaton College, provides some amazing insight into this lesser- known figure. Lott Carey would end up being to West Africa what William Carey was to India.

Lott grew up a slave in Virginia in the late eighteenth century. He was raised by a godly mother and grandmother who influenced his thinking toward telling those in Africa about the great love of Jesus. Years later, Lott would move to Richmond, Virginia, where he would accept the gift of Jesus personally and then take night classes so that he could read the Bible. He would eventually begin to pastor a mega church of eight hundred (mega for the early nineteenth century). Being reminded of his grandmother’s words concerning the great need in Africa, Lott Carey left a good livelihood (declining a top position at a tobacco warehouse) and set sail for West Africa where he faithfully served and witnessed, seeing many come to know Jesus. What a remarkable story of a man who had nothing, earned a name and comfort for himself, then left it all because of God’s calling upon his life. May we not miss the call of God upon our lives.

Generosity in missions

What is the church’s role in missions? Have you ever thought about that?If each person is called to be a small-m missionary while others are called to be large-M Missionaries, how can the missionaries ensure the Missionaries have the resources they need to fulfill their calling—and is it even the church’s responsibility? 2 Corinthians 8–9 lay out a great pattern for the church to follow. Paul used the Macedonian (those in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) churches as an example to teach the Corinthians how to support missions. The churches in Macedonia had very little, yet they gave out of their poverty to help support Paul on his missionary journeys. It was moving and inspiring. Paul had no ill motives. He wasn’t trying to trick them into giving or running a fundraiser. Rather, he was showing them what motivation out of love looks like (

2 Corinthians 8:8–12 “I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.” If we’re not called to vocational missions, it is our job to support those who are. We do that by giving and by praying.

Our church has always been a huge blessing to the missions of Open Bible. Typically, our church is in the top three of the most giving churches of our entire denomination. Thank you for being so generous. It is our desire to continue to fund projects, missionaries, and global initiatives that make a Kingdom impact.

Cuba - church planting

Cambodia - solar panels, ministry and medical

Thailand - water filtration system, construction, ministry and medical

Ukraine - church rebuilding

What can we learn from the Global church?

Recent research has stated some changes in Global Christianity:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/better-samaritan/2023/march/as-american-church-shrinks-global-christianity-can-point-wa.html

Roughly a century ago 82 percent of the world’s Christians lived in Europe and North America, 70 percent now live in the Global South. Today, Africa is home to more Christians than any other continent. Latin America is not far behind, with Spanish now the most common language spoken by Christians globally. If the growth of U.S. Christianity continues slowing and China’s churches keep growing, China could soon become the country with the most Christians in the world.

In fact, we believe the Church in Africa, Latin America, and Asia could actually save the U.S. church, if American Christians are willing to assume a posture of humility and learn from our brothers and sisters from around the world.

If the U.S. is no longer the center of global Christianity, it could actually be good news for the American Church. Why? First, because global Christians are now both partners and leaders in the missionary task formerly thought of as moving one-directionally “from the West to the rest.”

Second, global Christians coming to the U.S. have much to offer our declining (and often distracted) churches to help us refocus on a genuine biblical faith less fettered to purely Western culture.

One of the most opportune ways the American Church can experience this impact is through interacting with immigrant Christians, who often bring a renewed focus on the core, inalienable truths of the Christian faith.

As American Christians wrestle with our waning percentages and influence, we believe the voices and presence of global Christians represent hope for a new, more faithful direction for the American church. This is true both of those who have emigrated to the U.S. and those to whom we can be connected today via virtual spaces, in ways unimaginable decades ago. The question for many of us American-born Christians is: Will we have the humility and openness to receive their influence?

World Relief simulation

What prevents the western church from receiving influence from the Global church?

Creating a filter as a missionary in America:

Pete Scazzero who is a pastor, writer and creator of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship shares that there are four areas that the Americanized Christian has indulged themself with. Drinking from the faucet of culture…unfiltered.

Drinking from culture:

A desire to be popular

Be great

Be successful

Avoid suffering and failure

Water Filtration:

There is something about drinking out of filtered water. You can often taste the difference. I don’t know if you have been in a city and drank out of the tap water and you can almost taste the metal or chlorine.

I believe that the church in America has been drinking water that has not been filtered.

The Americanized Church needs to develop a filter.

I want to share with you four filters that we need to develop in the American Church:

(Pete Scazzero shares) Four ways to filter what we drink:

Filter 1: Reject popularity.

Most of us place a higher premium on what other people think than we realize. Subtle examples include lying in order to be a “good witness,” pretending things are okay when they’re not, saying yes when we would rather say no, remaining silent about preferences out of fear of what others might think, or any other preoccupation with securing the approval or affirmation of others.

John 5:44 “No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”

Social Media

Friendships

Co-workers

Honor God above all else.

Filter 2: Reject greatness-ism.

Greatness-ism is preoccupied with status and privilege. The alternative to greatness-ism is lowliness. Lowliness is a humility that expresses itself in a willingness to be curious, open, flexible, and teachable – regardless of the title or position we hold.

We don’t care about status

Position held

Economic level

Jesus’s beginnings were not great. (Born in a manger)

Jesus’s disciples were not great.

Matthew 25:21 "The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!"

Doing everything unto Him.

Filter 3: Reject success-ism.

According to Jesus, success is becoming the person God calls you to become and doing what God calls you to do – in his way, and according to his timetable. The final temptation Satan posed to Jesus in the desert was to do what God had called him to do but not in God’s way or according to God’s timetable.

Success is not determined by the world’s values

Success is not determined by how much is in your bank account

Success is becoming a follower of Jesus and doing what He called you to do

Matthew 4:8–9“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

Satan offers Jesus immediate success in saving the world. Every person in the world would bow to him as Savior, And this could be accomplished without the agony of the crucifixion. Jesus could negate journey ahead that that: difficulty, shame, and hardship. But He doesn’t.

Check your motives

Filter 4: Embrace suffering and failure.

Jesus had a choice – to leave the cross or stay on it. Out of love, He chose to stay.

Matthew 27:40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

Embracing the cross is possible only when we have a choice to do otherwise – to save ourselves instead. Jesus described taking up one’s cross as a daily choice (Luke 9:23).

What does it look like to save ourselves, to come down from a cross?

In what ways do I try to avoid suffering and failure Jesus might be setting before me?

Don’t miss what God is teaching you when it doesn’t feel good.

The antidote is to drinking in bad water:

Rest in who Jesus. Trusting him everyday with our entire life.

Detach for Jesus. Jesus had to get away from the world to meet with the Father.

Listen to Jesus. Being still before Jesus. Walking in step with the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

We need to grow in our little “m” calling. Being a missionary to the people in our neighborhood, work place, schools, wherever the Lord has you planted. I have a very simple acronym that you can follow:

Application:

B.L.E.S.S.

Begin with prayer

Listen to people

Eat with people

Serve people

Share your story with people