Missions: A Call to Work

Intro:

I am here for a two-fold purpose: one to share with you the calling that God has placed on our life to the inner-city of Chicago, and two to challenge you about your own involvement in missions.

That challenge of involved can be three-fold:

Pray: Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Ephesians 6:19 “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

Give: 2 Corinthians 9:1–7 “For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Go

Tonight, I want to focus on the going, your actual involvement in the work of the ministry and in this conversation the ministry of missions. Understanding that missions is not someone that always go across the world, the country, but might be someone that simply across the street.

So, tonight I want to as we discuss this reality that missions is a call to work by looking at a passage in Nehemiah and relate it to Missions:

SET THE BACKGROUND: WHAT LEADS UP TO THESE NEEDS?

Israel is taken captive --> Around 606 BC

Deceleration of need to build house of Lord is made by Cyprus --> Around 558 BC

Zerubbabel leads first group back --> Around 536 BC

Zerubbabel & company starts to lay foundation --> Around 538 BC

Temple foundation sits until it starts back some 10 years later --> Around 520 BC Temple is completed --> Around 517 BC

Ezra leads another group back home --> Around 458 BC

Nehemiah leads the third group back home --> Around 445 BC

Nehemiah 1:1–4 “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”

Central Idea: As Nehemiah was given a responsibility to finish the work we are given the responsibility to work that the God given task will be accomplish.

Interrogative Question: Are you willing to work?

1. For the work to be accomplished it begins with understanding the need that needs be accomplished.:

Attitude —> mourned —> sadden

Actions —> wept, fasted, sat down

Appeal —> sought God on their behalf, he did something about it

He understood his people were in need and the only thing could help was rebuild the walls that were there to protect them One writer says with the walls they could live as survivors not thrivers. One writer says also that the walls were a sense of security because without them they were in constant fear of what was to come. They couldn’t build because it could be destroyed, they couldn’t get nice things because it could be stolen, and so on.

So, what is our need?

We have people that are in this same place spiritual. But we lack the laborers to reach them.

John 4:35 “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few”

What is your response to these needs?

Attitude —> mourned —> sadden

Actions —> wept, fasted, sat down

Appeal —> sought God on their behalf, he did something about it

2. For the mission to be accomplished preparation must take place.:

He understood that if this work was going to take place he must get prepared by seeking the help of others:

God —> the author and finisher of our faith

Leader —> our pastor and other spiritual leaders

Others —> the people within the church pew

We cannot do it alone. We cannot reach the world alone. This is not a one man game or a one man show. This is cooperation effort toward a common goal of getting the gospel to every person everywhere. (Mention the other missionaries that are here) We cannot see lives rebuilt with out God because it is work of God. (1 Corinthians 3:6 “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”) We cannot see lives rebuilt without our leaders because they are the ones that God has placed in our lives to encourage and equip according to Ephesians. We cannot see lives rebuilt without each other because we can’t be everywhere at one time and God didn’t intend for us to be alone (Genesis 2 & Luke 10:1 “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” )

3. For the mission to be accomplished the work be started.:

You cannot get something done until you start. He was not the talk it up then leave it type of guy, instead he was the type of guy that stayed and said Let us build then did it. (Nehemiah 6:15) He was not the type of guy either that was about making big of the mission then letting everyone else do it while he sat around and watched he was involved. (Nehemiah 2:17-18)

The work of God which for us reaching the world and helping people find the one that can rebuild their spiritual walls (We are in the rebuilding business). There is a difference between our work and his ours is never over. There is going to be different people born everyday that need the Lord. But even though our work is never over we can be faithful like Nehemiah to do it.

Closing:

Acts 1:6–8 “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 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.”

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

John 9:4 “the night cometh, when no man can work.”

We have no idea of when when our time on this earth is done so we have two choices we seek to accomplish the mission, the call to work. Or we do can choose to let time past and we will soon look back and say who and what I have let go by in this mission, a call to work.

I submit you though your motto for life in this mission, a call to work, should be as the beginning of John 9:4 says “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:”