2024 Feb 11th, Sunday Morning Service

Uropartners is the describes cultural disciple-making arm of the Missionary Church USA and they graciously have welcomed all of us into their Ministry. And so it's been a lot of change for us as missionaries. We're getting used to some different policies and that kind of thing, but for the in terms of the ministry itself that has not changed and both the work in Bolivia and the work in Liberia will continue as it always has they're not shutting us down or something like that the ministry itself continues, but it's been a big change. and as I say is we Get older. We see a lot of changes. Well, I wanted to read just a couple of three verses of scripture this morning just for some brief thoughts and then I'll ask you when I get you up to date a little bit about Liberia. but in Acts chapter 13 A verses 1 2 and 3 say now in the church at Antioch. They were prophets and teachers Barnabas Simeon. It was called Niger Lucius of Cyrene a member of the court of hair of the ruler and soul. Well, they were worshiping the Lord and fasting the holy spirit said set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Let's pray. Just a moment Lord. We do think you the chance to be here this morning. Good news. I always find them fun to be back here in Dallas and as we share a little bit and think about what they're doing in library as well. I pray you won't you speak to us and help us to get something from from your spirit this morning in Jesus name. Amen.

Okay. Couple questions for you. I just read you 33 versus no, I'm not going to ask you to tell me the names of all those as it says prophets and teachers. Okay. I don't have to remember those names, but let me ask you this. This is the story of how the church sent out what we would call their first commissioned missionaries today. We call Missionaries write this in the story that the church's first commissioned missionaries man who were sent out with the specific purpose of taking the Gospel of Jesus to someplace else. I haven't reached yet. Okay in the text, who is it the calls Barnabas and Saul

to that Ministry

Who who called them? Did you catch it when we read it?

Will it rain again part of it? Well, they were worshiping the Lord and fasting the holy spirit said set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them. Who called them? The holy spirit this was not a case of Saul and Barnabas jumping up and down and saying, you know, we want to do this. No, that doesn't mean that it wasn't already in their mind. And and we know about about saw there was actually a number of years when God Was preparing him and actually God's revealed some things through direct Revelation to Paul about about the gospel and so are than what he was going to be doing. But it was the Holy Spirit who called them? and then my second question for you is who is it in the scripture? That discerns that the holy spirit is calling Barnabas and Saul to this ministry. Who discerned that?

The church. Yeah the church was together. And the Holy Spirit through the church.

Discern that it was time for Barnabas and Saul to go to this ministry that got him and calling him. And again, I'm not saying that this was totally new to Saul and Barnabas cuz it wasn't and it's fresh. It wasn't near the salt. God have been preparing him literally a number of years of Peace the whole story together. It's hard to do because actually talks about one part of it and Paul in the book of Galatians talks about a different part of his his calling and it's it's kind of difficult to get all piece together how it all or 5th. I'm sure there's things we don't know but the point is God have been doing that, but it was the church through the church. That the spirit said it's time. And so I want you to keep that in mind and we'll just leave that there for the moment. Let's go ahead and think know a little bit about Liberia. Thank you. I just want to tell you two stories this morning and that illustrate. What is the main scope and focus of the ministry in Liberia that we are involved with that you are involved with through world was ECM and now World partners of the first slide here.

Alex was probably in his early thirties when he was asked to Become the pastor of a new church that was being planted. I'm outside the city of Monrovia buy it by one of the Monrovia churches. And so Alex began to go out there and act as the pastor and you want to go ahead and show the next I have to show this picture as a couple years old, but this is their youngest child. Whose name is Gordy. Now, where did they get that name? So he's my namesake anyway, because he was young. He was new at this and hadn't had very little actual training. I was concerned that maybe he needed some help. In his biblical knowledge and in his understanding of some doctrinal things and so on and so I arranged through the pasture. To meet with Alex and to try to use just the two of us some ongoing study with him and it and the pastor agreed and Alex was right away eager to do this and there were a couple of other guys that wanted in on that and so we began meeting and this was actually the beginning of of what became a Bible study Ministry that was took up a lot of my time in the years after that. They're in Liberia and I like Alex he's open to learning. He's diligent in his studies. He's faithful to his wife. And that's a big deal in Liberia to be able to say that he's faithful to his wife and his children. And he's not afraid afraid to disagree with me and let me know that he disagrees with me and we've had Through The Years a lot of heated discussions and it's been a lot of fun cuz he's about the only one that will do that is brave enough to do that. And I believe we have learned from each other. I really love Alex will have to do to teach him for a number of years do this these Bible studies. We were doing all the Lord open the doors for him to be able to go to Bible College and he's now finishing up his last semester and I should be graduating here before too long. But when I knew that we were leaving Liberia in the sense of living there. I asked Alex if he would take over what I was doing. So let's go to the next slide there. So for the last Couple 3 months. I was in library heat again the team teach with me. And then after doing that he now has full responsibility for these classes and let's go ahead to the next. And I was back in Liberia in January. And while I was there was good to be able to be there and see Alex as he was having a little Graduation, that's the wrong word. But a little time with some of his students giving them certificates for the classes. They had completed went with him. It's a big deal to library is certificates. I mean, I wouldn't do it that way, but they loved it. So every every class they do they get a certificate that they've been through it and it it just is it's a big deal. So so I was there and got to see him giving certificates to some of his students and you know, what has he done this Bible study thing the way I didn't completely know he hasn't should have done it. Like I did and of course you should have right because I was doing it and I had a right and you know, no it's fine. He's doing it according to the gifts in the abilities that he has that God has given him but it's exciting to me to see Alex doing this and making disciples. And that is what? World partners You see em before them. That's the goal to make disciples who will make disciples. And that's the goal in and I thank the Lord for Alex and what he's doing by the way, our name in Liberia is the Liberia Evangelical Mission us the name of our church. There are sister Church LEM and and that's their goal to make disciple. So that's one of the big things we energy went into this kind of thing the training working with our pastors and and other young mostly young men, but also women who hopefully we are going to be provide leadership for l a m in the future. So that's one main area that that were involved in and and therein lies the second one is education. This is korma. I may not have his name right names in Liberia are very difficult sometimes to nail down and get them straight. One thing kids have several names and when their children is hard to understand everything they say and I don't know if I got his name right is something like this anyway, okay, and the other main focus of our work in Liberia is education for children and so are our churches are in Liberia right now. We have five schools that are associated with Lan are we have a sick one? That is just starting and I suspect will in the next year or so ask to be admitted to the Lem school system. and My son Daniel, our oldest son has been involved with the schools there in Liberia particularly helping with their curriculum and providing teacher training opportunities for them. So he has this one year we've been asked to develop curriculum and he developed a preschool curriculum because our school start up preschool. I think it's way too early, but that's what they do in Liberia. So he can have this new curriculum for them for preschool and then he kind of had all of us going to different schools, especially at the beginning of the school year in case the teachers needed help or had questions or whatever, you know, so I'm at was called the Vantage Point Christian Academy first day of school and little Karma arrives. He did not want to be there. I'm in here brand new.

He was crying. He was screaming. He was kicking. And finally, he got down on the floor and was rolling around doing all those things simultaneously, right? And the teacher tried I tried nothing seemed to work. They finally got he has an older sister who also go to the school and they brought her over and I suspect she threatened him with something. I'm not sure but finally were able to get him to settle down enough and get him, you know. So the first day of school the second day he might have done something similar. Although I don't remember him the second day rolling around on the floor, but actually within two or three days he come in and sit down and became a perfectly behaved little guy. Well, one of those first days there was another picture there was another new little boy. Who did not want to be there? I'm also his first day, you know in in class and and I don't if I remember right he wasn't quite as dramatic as though Quorum about his dislike of being in school, but he did not want to be there and he had actually instead of sitting down and keep going over with standing in the doorway looking longingly of Freedom. That was just two steps away right out in the courtyard. No teachers no school freedom. And he was there in probably debating what he was going to do when korma walks over grabs him by the hand marches him gently back over to where he should be in sitting down in a chair by him as if to say, I'm experienced. This isn't so bad after all in a trust me and asked if he came to see me at least there was school good friends. I don't know if you knew him before outside of school. But anyway, well, That just illustrates we are the schools were working with and our schools provide an opportunity for these children not only to learn the basics, you know, the reading of the writing in that stuff but also to learn about Jesus and one of our schools particularly as the amount of Zion Christian Academy is located in one of the larger Slow Blues in the city of Monrovia, and it's a mix slum in that it is both Christian and Muslim and have we have had some moves them children coming to the school and it's an opportunity to teach them and expose them to Jesus and end with the Bible says about him as opposed to what Islam says about him. So it's an important. It's an important Ministry. Let's go one more slide. Let's see. What's up there. Oh, yeah, these are just more kids doing their thing. You know, one of the biggest challenges our schools face. Is that parents do not want to pay school fees? These schools are not free. And parent they don't charge very much but parents are expected to help provide education for their children. Some parents won't do it. They don't want to pay because they don't believe in education, especially for girls and if it's there they can go fine. But why would I pay and and in some cases specially? Why would I pay for a girl to go to school that is still the problem in West Africa other parents? Don't pay because well

You know, someone else will pay I don't need to put my money there because these guys are connected with some white people and don't pay. And then others don't pay because they can't and the schools actually been pretty good about helping with with those families that are simply unable to pay and that's a little different because I've been with a big challenges. And without that's why the next picture it's another school picture anyway, but you know without paying school fees, there's no money to pay teachers and our teachers do not receive huge salaries. I'm not sure what it is this year, but I think it was last year. They got about $20 us a month. I don't know of any school teacher in the United States that will battle students every day for $20 a month. But that's about what they were about a year ago what they were getting. What is Paris don't pay you know, there's no money to do that. There's no money to buy school supplies and and so on to it as a challenge. Let's go get our son Daniel by the way, and the school kids love him when he shows up.

Because I don't want to I told you I want to keep you too long. I'm here because I got some things I want from you. Okay? I got three things. I'll do them quickly one is I want you to pray. for Liberia I want you to pray for the ministry pray for the pastor training for Alex pray for the schools like here in the student like korma. and I want you to pray that God will use these things to reach people in Liberia for Jesus and to make disciples because that's the school of what we want to do and I'd ask you to pray for that pray that the finances pray the parents will pay not asked to pay a lot, but they need to pay him. They'll do that. pray for new churches being established for pastors and so on. So that's the first thing I asked you to do.

Give all right. I'm here to rob the coffers of the church. Right? No, but I am here to think this church has given a lot through the years to the ministry and I'm very grateful for that and I think this church I don't need you to consider giving some support to World partner specifically for library in the first thing is if you would is missionary support is really three ways. You can give in terms of how you want to direct giving one is for missionary support. I do get a salary I'll just be honest and and I have to raise a certain amount of money that covers not just salary but covers Ministry expenses in Liberia song that goes to the school somewhat. I raise some goes to Pasco training and so on and so forth. So there's that on the back table. There are some envelopes that look like

this and if you would like to become involved financially just go out and if you'd like to support missionary support filling out and I'll do you give the missionary support but would like to help support the past real training program. And again, you got an envelope back there and you can fill it out and write on their pastor does the word pastor and we'll see that that goes directly to the Past real training program. And also if you'd like to become involved in the schools again, there's the envelope and you can just write on their school. And we'll see the that that goes to the schools. And then one more thing. I'd like to give and the third thing is I got up there to send and the church at Antioch go back now to what we read. The holy spirit said to them. Set aside for me Barnabas and Saul to the work. I've sent you to I'm calling them too and the church responded by sending them.

They were among the chief teachers and Antioch probably in the way there their names are listed and so on but the church sent them.

And I would like to challenge this Church Dallas and I know we're looking here and there not very many of us and I I know that but I would like to challenge you as a church. To pray and ask God who he would use this church to help send.

This church did that for me? And there's none of you here that we here then. But this church sent me. Okay, and the church the recommended me into the to the conference and so on and so forth this church in his past history. This is the church. If you go way back in history that you had the polling family and a guy by the name of Dan polling, which means nothing to most people now, but in his day, he was a very influential man in the American Church came from here was recommended by this church. I do believe those to the church that actually recommended him. If not anyway, he came from here. He lives next door in the house. I lived in for a while and I'm just saying this church has has had a history.

Having a part in sending. Elations Cruise you to pray and and it's a church to listen to the spirit. Who would he have this church helped send now and you've got some kids here. You're the one and you got the little guy here that didn't appreciate his mom talking about him. I guess it's his mom, but you know what, that could be the kids that God wants to send someday. It could be. I don't know. But I want you to is a church. Listen to me who the spirit might say. We want you to.

Send help soon because and by loving these kids and and doing what you can you just never know. You never know what God made they say and do this would encourage you to do that today. Okay, I'm done. I took five minutes more than I intended to I am through we will be downstairs.

And we're going to eat. We like to eat missionaries like to eat, but I'd be glad to talk to you a question about Liberia. I I have a lot of facts about Liberia like to tell people ask this question is fine and we'd be glad to chat with you more about about what's what do pick up one of our prayer cars or on the back table as well a little display there and be reminded to pray for Liberia. Thank you Pastor Dave. Do I need to do anything now? Just turn over to you. Alright. Thanks a lot.

Thank you Garden. Well, I don't know let's stand and pray and then you'll be dismissed. Father we lift up our friends Gordon and Nikki and Daniel and Naomi their kids both in in missions with Liberia. We pray you bless them along the way and bless their Ministry and be with us now as we visit and fellowship and transition to food in Jesus name. Amen. You are dismissed to eat downstairs.