I Will Go: The Heart Of Local Missions

Offering

Parents Night Out TONIGHT

Operation Christmas Child Nov 23rd

Friendsgiving Nov 26th

Introduction

As a church (a body of believers), if we don’t get outside these four walls, our church will die.

It will cease to exist. And by getting outside of these walls, what I mean is this, we have to start evangelizing. Too often what we get in Clayton is church to church converts. We get people who were upset at their last church and they start coming here. And guess what usually happens? They get upset at this church next. We are just one more on their list.

And most churches in this area cater to that type of seeker. They make sure they have the best bands, they have cafes, they turn the lights low so you can’t see anyone else, they have smoke machines and advanced lighting, they put on a great show.

What I think God wants for us, is twofold. Over the past several years, I’ve really tried to focus us in one main area which is healing. This is a huge thing for me - Hurt people, hurt people. And healed people, heal people. I want us to be a church full of people who are healed and healing. Who are emotionally healthy, which is why we offer those classes. And we’ve seen so much healing in many of you over the years. This isn’t going to change, this is key. This leads to the second part of this vision, which is that we would be an evangelizing church.

God wants us to go out and be His hands and feet in a lost and dying world. He desires for us to be a church that seeks out the lost. He wants us to bring those who are far from him, close to him. He wants us to run a hospital right at the very gates of hell.

Now, in order for us to pull that off, I need your buy-in. If the message of our last sermon series was Jesus is sending you into this world to seek after those that are lost, to bring light into the darkness, to throw life preservers out to those that are drowning, then you are forced to make a decision.

And that decision is this…will you go?

Today, we are starting a new series as an answer to that last one. This new series is entitled, I WILL GO, which is a series on the importance of local missions.

Today, we are going to kick off this series by talking about The Heart of Local Missions. Let’s look at our text together.

Main Text

Matthew 9:35–38 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

We Go, Because There’s A Need

This passage says that Jesus looked out and saw the crowds and he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Let’s look at our area for a moment. Can we talk about Johnston County/Wake County, Clayton/Garner/Smithfield?

People here are harassed - This is a greek word (skyllo) which literally means to be flayed. To be whipped and beaten so bad, that it removes the skin. To define it more, it means to be troubled, annoyed, bothered. People in our area, feel this way. You even might feel this way today.

Here’s the symptoms of this.

You are riddled with anxiety.

You feel constantly exposed (the skin is off), you don’t feel safe anywhere.

You feel broken in such a way, that no one could put you back together.

You are scared to speak because you are afraid to say the wrong thing and get beaten again.

People here are helpless - This is even more interesting. This greek word (Hripto) means to be thrown down. To be cast off or dispersed. You feel like there’s no hope for you.

First, let me tell you that is a lie. Look in our passage, Jesus healed these people. They were harassed and helpless, but he came and healed them of every disease and affliction.

That word affliction (malakia) could be translated, enervation, which I had to look up. It is a feeling of being drained of energy or vitality; fatigue. So if you feel like that, let me tell you, Jesus heals it! You might have come in tired, worn down, afflicted, drained, but Jesus can heal even that!

So while you may feel like there is no hope, let me reassure you, Jesus is in the hope business!

Jesus is here today to heal you. Will you be made whole? He wants to move in your heart. He wants to change your life. Will you surrender to him today?

Altar Call?

Don’t you agree that this is a big problem in our area? People feeling harassed and helpless? Don’t you see the need?

We go, because there is a need. Jesus saw the need and it propelled him. He went into the cities and villages in that area preaching the gospel, healing them. If we see the need, it should compel us as well. This is at the heart of local missions.

We Go, Because We Have A Mission

With that said, let’s step back define missions and missionaries. because some of you may not know what that means. Often when we think of missionaries, we think of those who go overseas or at the very least, to a foreign land. This is correct, yet, there is more to it. Let’s get down to the root.

A missionary is someone who is on mission for Jesus.

What is the mission? It’s to preach the gospel to all of creation. Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Jesus in our passage did three things: taught in the synagogues, preached the gospel and healed the people.

I want to be like Him! I want my life to come down to preaching the gospel and healing people. I want see broken people who are far from God, come close to Him!

“I am a missionary, heart and soul. God had an only Son, and he was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation I am, or wish to be. In this service, I hope to live; in it I wish to die.” - David Livingstone

That’s exactly what I want US to be known for as a church - people being healed and preaching the gospel.

We Go, Because We Have A Mission . The mission is to preach the gospel to all creation and heal those that are hurting. A local missionary is any person who does that. And guess what, we are all called to be missionaries for Jesus.

We Go, Because We Have Compassion

Jesus Had Compassion. Jesus saw the crowds and he had compassion on them. This is a word often associated with Jesus. He fed the 5000 because he was moved with compassion in Matt 14. He heals because he has compassion. He saves us because he was moved by compassion.

Compassion was the driving force behind Jesus’ ministry. He saw the need and he was moved with compassion. He wasn’t like some of us, when we see the need, we retreat, we watch and wait, we ignore and hope it goes away. That’s not the way it should be.

When we see the needs, compassion should come forth. Just like Jesus, we need to be moved with compassion. When we see the brokenness of our neighbors, the hurting people all around us, we should be moved to do something about it.

Compassion Should Move Us To Action

When we have compassion it should move us to action. As a local missionary, when we see others suffering, others hurting, those that are lost, it should move us with compassion to act. It should cause us to rise up. It should cause us to speak up. It should cause us to GO to them.

A big heart is one of the main essentials to great usefulness. - Charles Spurgeon

Compassion that is deep, that is heartfelt, always results in action. I think its impossible to have compassion.

With that said, let’s move to the application portion of this sermon. And today, we are going to do things differently. This is going to be more interactive and my goal is to get your brains working to see how YOU personally could apply this message.

What I’m going to do is to give you three ways that Local Missionaries impact their communities, and give you practical examples of this that I thought of, but I want you to come up with more and we are going to share those out loud as a group.

Local Missionaries Serve Their Neighbors

Food Ministry

Mechanic’s shop that helps those in need.

A roofing company that gives away a free roof to a family in need.

A Men’s ministry that builds ramps/furniture/cleans gutters, etc.

Offering a resume writing service

Forming a moving service for new residents

Local Missionaries Love Their Neighbors

Children’s Discipleship - VBS, backyard bible clubs

Mom Hugs

Single Mom Ministry

Prison Ministry

Start A Bible Study At Work

Taking your neighbors Christmas cookies

Local Missionaries Preach The Gospel

Three Circles Method

Five Finger Gospel

Decision

I want to give you a moment to think and pray.

Who in your life needs to hear the good news?

Where is God calling you to serve him outside of these walls and bring his message of hope to others?