God’s Mission Program

God’s Mission Program

Acts 13:1-5

Theme: God has three elements in sending missionaries.

Welcome to Mountain View Baptist Church! It is wonderful to see you here in God’s house today. God bless you for coming. Sunday is the best day of the week especially when you put God first. If this is your first time with us, please be sure to stop by our welcome center so we can connect with you.

This coming Thursday September 26 will be the start of our annual mission conference. This is a super important time in the life of a church when we set aside a time to think of other people around the world who has never heard of Jesus Christ.

There will be two families who will join us this week. The Lee family will be going to Korea and the Wray family will be going to India. Churches partner with missionaries who go to the different places where we cannot go. We partner by prayer, by giving financially, and by sharing in their ministry. Each week we read a prayer letter to keep our hearts warm towards missions.

The conference is what we call Faith Promise Conference. Faith Promise is a Biblical way of giving financially to support our missionaries. Each year, the church members ask God what amount can we give to the Lord individually. This weekly amount is given above our tithes. As we trust God by faith to provide this amount, we promise to give so we can support our mission program. A Faith Promise Card will be handed out to every family or person who would like to have one This morning let me encourage you to take this card and pray about what God would have you to give. We will collect the cards next Sunday and give you a corporate total amount committed for the 2024-25 Faith Promise Year. The Scriptures teach us we have nothing when we come into this world, God provides it for us to manage, and a part of wise management besides the tithe is to give financially to get the gospel to the world.

In just a few weeks, I am preaching for our missionaries in Germany. He and his wife have been serving there for over 15 years reaching military families. The back end of the story is Rusty and Karen were stationed in Roda, Spain. They were in the military and a friend in Roda Spain invited them to church where they heard the gospel and God saved them. They were transferred to Travis AFB where I met them and they joined our church. Eventually he retired from the military and came on our staff for 10 years. God called him and his wife to the mission field and they are reaching people with the gospel in Germany. Now that is the work of God.

Missions is not a job for a church worker, it is the passion of the God Himself. “The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” ― Henry Martyn

It has been said, “God had only one Son and He made Him to be a missionary.” The church has a message and the message is hope Is found in Jesus Christ.

When we lose the passion of God, men will die without Christ being plunged into a Christless eternity.

Charlie Peace a preacher many years ago preached a message on hell and one of his hearers remarked. “Sir,” addressing the preacher, “if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worth while living, just to save one soul from eternal hell like that!” (Ravenhill, p. 33)

“The call of the Cross, therefore, is to enter into this passion of Christ. We must have upon us the print of the nails.”(Gordon Watt)

The problem with accomplishing the work in missions in 21st century is not God’s plan nor is it difficulties to world evangelism; it is believers who are not claiming a world for Christ. A surrendered, God owned man will yield to God’s will. God does not want partnership, He wants ownership of our lives.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: And he delighteth in his way.” (Psalm 37:23)

We must realize as a church that the world is in great turmoil and its destiny is hell without Christ. David Livingstone “Lord, when will the wounds of this world’s sin be healed?” Our hearts should be in bitterness of soul without Christ.

There are three elements of a sending church.

Element 1 . . .

People of the church vv. 1-2a

God uses people to accomplish His purpose for missions. He will move in the heart of church members and call them. He sends out people who are surrendered and will to serve. This was a diverse group of workers and servants: prophets (we don’t have the office of a prophet today), leaders, teachers, and faithful followers.

Here is a model for missions found here with its diversity. The church should not be one dimensional, like all professional, all poor, all uneducated or all educated. Missions is for everyone. The church stood behind God’s calling on their lives and helped get to the field.

It is people through whom God uses to give their financial resources to support them. Gos sends through Christians the finances for the mission program of our church. Each month our church gives $200 a month to each missionary family. They dedicate their lives to go to the place God has called them. Checks are sent out monthly because they have monthly financial support from churches. We are only one of several churches who support them.

We are given the privilege to support them financially through our Faith Promise Giving. It is written on our envelopes in the seat pocket in front of you. The envelope in front seat has three categories to give towards: Tithe (General Fund), Missions (second line), and New Sanctuary. Be sure to mark in the envelope which category you give towards. Remember we give to the tithe first, and then our offering goes to missions or auditorium.

The total at the bottom is the combined total you gave. Also, if you give online, which many do, be sure to give in each of the categories you choose so it will be directed accordingly to appropriate place. By the way, these are what we call restricted accounts meaning, they only go to where you direct them.

God is looking for sold out believers to give out the gospel to the world. It was said of DL Moody when he preached, he made many grammatical errors and had no polish. Yet DL Moody was an evangelist who literally rocked two continents for Christ. Rick Martin, one of our missionaries who has served in the Philippines for 45 years. They have seen thousands of people saved, baptized, and have had hundreds who have gone through their Bible College he started. I am not sure of the exact number of churches they have started through his ministry but the last count I had was over 1300 churches in that needy country. Rick Martin is a quiet man and somewhat reserved, but he is fully surrendered to God.

Notice in verse 2, these men were serving God. It is amazing how God does not call those who are non-serving people. There are those who watch and there are those who serve. Missionaries are serving, surrendered, Godly people whom God chooses to use.

Element 2 . . .

Power in the church v. 2b

The calling of God to go to the mission field is because the gospel changes people’s lives. God tells us that every person on the planet needs to hear the gospel of Christ.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

A man without Jesus Christ as their personal Savior cannot go to heaven. Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and rose again the third day. The gospel is man’s one and only hope to go to heaven. Ignorance is not an excuse to God. Every person needs to hear the gospel. It is the need of the hour.

It will take the power of God to change men’s lives.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, you can accept Him today. The power of this message changes lives and gives us real hope and real meaning in our lives. Will you accept Him today.

“Why is it that some Christians cross land and sea, continents and cultures, as missionaries? What on earth impels them? It is not in order to commend a civilization, an institution or an ideology, but rather a person, Jesus Christ, whom they believe to be unique. ” ― John R.W. Stott

It is the Holy Spirit that works in our hearts, convicts us of our sin, draws us closer to Christ. Here these men were sealed and sent by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of missions for the Lord.

Without the power of God working in the church, in the work of missions, or in our lives, we cannot and will not accomplish God’s calling for us.

Not all believers are called to be full-time missionaries on a foreign field, but all Christians are called to be full-time Christians in their mission field. If we are to reach our work companions, our friends at school, or our neighbors or our friends on our sports teams, it will be the power of God that changes lives.

Element 3 . . .

Provision through the church

Example of giving II Cor. 8:9

1. Jesus exemplifies all that is involved in giving.

2. He not only gave His offering, but He gave His life for us.

3. He gave up the wealth of heaven to come to this sinful earth and give His life as a ransom.

4. This is the very heart of God for missions: God provided the sacrifice of the Lamb

The manner of giving is found in II Cor. 9:6-8. God teaches us we reap after we sow, we reap more than we sow, we will not reap unless we sow, and we reap in proportion to what we sow.

Just as God has sent people out of His church to be missionaries. Just a God has empowered His message and messenger to go. God will also sent the provision for the church to be a part of the mission program to the world.

This is a very significant opportunity for everyone in here to be a part of missions. If you are here without Christ today, you can receive Him as your personal Savior. At the end of the service, we will have people in the back with a red lanyard that you can go to so they can show you what it means to be a Christian. The message of the missionary is the gospel and that starts here in our heart.

Perhaps you are here today and you are a Christian but have never been a part of the mission program. Perhaps you have never been to a mission conference or never prayed for a missionary or have not given anything towards missions. Would you ask God today what He would have you to do? Will you make your plans to join us this Thursday at 7:00 PM this week for the kick off to our conference? Maybe you need to come to ask God today here at the altar, what He would have you to do. Let’s pray.