Pioneer Missions

Introduction

Have you ever had something really important to say, but were worried about how the other person would take it? We often in moments like that procrastinate it as long as we can. We find other things to do hoping that feeling that we need to say something will go away. Maybe I’ll just forget it. Other times, we say something but we soft-pedal it. We never actually come out and say exactly what we mean. We beat around the bush and couch it in nice terms that don’t hit to hard. But sometimes, it is necessary to say some harsh things, some hard things, to rebuke but to do it in love.

I think Paul is concerned about how the church of Rome might take his letter since he was not the founder of the church and had never been to Rome. If you are reading you bible, it is helpful to put yourself in the authors place. Ask yourself why someone would make the statements Paul is making. Why would Paul all of a sudden make a statement that he is confident in them and then follow it up with an explanation fro why he is writing to them. There must have been some feeling that they might not receive his letter coming from virtually a complete stranger to them. Paul has written some sharp things to them. In vs 15, he says he wrote more boldly. Paul was not beating around the bush, he was not procrastinating telling them what they needed to hear, but I do think he wanted to make sure they received it well.

This morning I want to talk about an issue that Paul is going to bring up that some may at times be hesitant to talk about today. I want to address the need for Pioneer Missions. What is Pioneer Missions? Ethnos 360 which is just the new name for New Tribes Missions defines pioneer missions as the deliberate, multi-phase process of planting mature, self-sustaining indigenous churches among unreached people groups who have zero access to the Gospel. Pioneer Missions is an effort to plant sustainable churches among people groups who have never heard the gospel. The Joshua Project estimates that there are 7000 people groups worldwide today who have not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pioneer Missions is different than traditional missions in that it is focused on places others do not already have an established work.

Preachers have become hesitant to talk about missions any more because their is so much resistance to it. If they won’t even talk about missions, imagine how little they talk about the need for pioneer missions. Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” I think churches should ask themselves why there is this hesitancy to speak about pioneer missions. Why is there this hesitancy to even consider missions today. As a preacher, I could think of six reasons that churches are hesitant to talk about this issue.

our kids are not surrendering to be missionaries anymore- It feels like we are preaching to a brick wall sometimes because no one responds. Our kids are more consumed today with looking like the latest pop star, getting a good job, being entertained. Many aren’t even coming to church any more when they get out of high school and the reason behind that is atleast twofold: either they faith was never their to begin with or they just wanted to be entertained so they look for churches that have games. If we can’t even get kids to desire to be in church; how could we ever think they might become missionaries some day. The type of kid who is willing to be a missionary is one who is in love with Jesus Christ and there is a dearth of those types of kids any more.

parents are resistant to any encouragement for them to do so- I know it isn’t God’s will for everyone, but guess what you can’t tell me it isn’t God’s will for anyone. What does it say when no one is considering missions and ministry any more? That’s not a God problem, thats an us problem. William booth once said:

“Not called! Did you say? Not heard the call, I think you should say. Put down your ear to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin, put your ears down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity and listen to its pitiful wail for help.

Go stand by the gates of hell and hear the damned entreat you to go their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face whose mercy you have professed to obey and tell Him hether you wilt join heart and sould and body and circumstances in the move to publish His mercy to the world.” ~William Booth

most missionaries go to 5 different countries where missions work is established- Surprisingly, America is not only the top missionary sending country but also the largest recipients of those called “missionaries.” I don’t doubt the need, but it is not as if America has no access. After that are Brazil, Russia, the Congo, and South Africa: all countries that have had established missionary work for generations.

current philosophy of missions pushes young missionaries to go and serve with another missionary first- you can’t do that as a pioneer missionary- so many are hesitant to talk about this because it upsets the apple cart. There is a lot of policy and thinking among mission agencies that does not come from the bible, but to be sent out through one of these agencies you have to capitulate to their business models. Paul would never make it with some.

5. Pioneer missions does not resemble American church planting, doesn’t show immediate results or make good prayer letters- It takes a certain type of missionary to do this kinds of work because you can’t just do what you did here and hope you get the same results.

6. Pioneer missions is also harder than traditional missions because you don’t have that support structure and safety net of an already established missions work. You are starting from scratch.

I am grateful for the example of my missions professor at Ambassador Baptist College. He and Dr. Childs were probably the greatest reasons to go to ABC at that time. While he had served in a largely Christian country, S. Korea, he has a passion for unreached people groups. He was always challenging us with New people groups, organizing trips and opening our eyes to the needs. Pastor Johnston died one day before he was to lead a group to Madagascar and largely unreached island off the coast of Africa.

This morning, I am going to preach through vs 14-22 and I plan to go through the verses exegetically, but I am going to focus our application on this theme that Paul addresses in the last couple verses.

Paul’s confidence in them

Romans 15:14 “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.”

I mentioned that Paul here is expressing some hesitancy in sending them this letter. He begins by expressing a positive note about them. In counseling we call this sandwiching constructive criticism. You say something positive, put in the constructive criticism and then close with a positive note. Paul is not smoozing them by saying all of this. Notice his first words:

I am persuaded- Here he is showing his confidence in them.

my brethren- He also shows affection to them.

Paul is not writing to a group of people he thinks are unable to handle their spiritual struggles in the church. He is not writing to baby Christians. The words full, filled, able assume their spiritual maturity- some of the topics of Romans have been difficult topics and difficult for young or new Christians. You could say they are the meat of the word not the milk.

As a pastor I desire not to feed you with merely milk. Sometimes the topics I address are complicated. I preach them to encourage you to grow. All of us need to grow, but I also preach them because I am convinced that the majority of you are somewhat mature in your faith. The balance is in making hard topics easy to be understood so everyone can glean something.

Paul is convinced of their:

goodness- these aren’t a bunch of carnal Christians who don’t want to do what is right. Goodness here can mean kindness as well. He knows deep in his heart they will receive what he says out of the kindness of their hearts.

knowledge- these are not ignorant Christians either. They know their bibles.

ability to counsel- This one is even more amazing. The word admonish means to counsel each other. How many Christians are competent and confident enough to take the scriptures and help someone through their struggles. What about a struggle over non-essentials like we saw in Romans 14-15?

Paul’s reminder to them

Romans 15:15–16 “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”

as putting you in mind- Paul writes largely to remind them of things they already know:

Reminding people of things was an essential part of the Apostle’s ministries: 1 Corinthians 4:17 “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” 2 Timothy 1:6 “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” Jude 5 “I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.”

Some might complain but I have already heard this. Sometimes we need to be reminded. We might know a truth but not be obeying it. We might know a truth but not be allowing it to change our affections the way we feel about God, life decisions our circumstances. We might know a truth but forget it in the moment we need it. Reminding you of truths you already know is part of renewing your minds.

The reason Paul feels comfortable doing this is because of the race given to me of God- this is Paul’s ministry, you could say it is his spiritual gift. The word grace is related to that word for spiritual gifts. The third point is going to describe the ministry God had given to Paul:

Paul’s ministry Among them

Romans 15:16–17 “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.”

priestly vs 16-17 “All evangelists are priests because they offer their converts to God” John Stott The word minister here is not the same as we saw back in vs 8. Here it refers to a servant in the temple or a public servant. Isaiah 66:20 “And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations Upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, To my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, As the children of Israel bring an offering In a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.” The sacrifice is the living souls of those Gentiles who come to faith. Our sacrifice to the Lord includes those that we bring to faith in Jesus.

Romans 15:18–19 “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”

powerful 18-19- He only wants to talk about what God has done thorugh him because if the work is Christ’s the glory will belong to Christ. word and deed Some in the past have tried to split preaching the gospel as either speaking the gospel to people or lifestyle evangelism- living out your faith in front of them hoping they will notice. It is a false dichotomy. Word and deed go together. Speaking the gospel and living the truth of the gospel go hand in hand.

Romans 15:20–22 “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.”

Pioneer- vs 19-22 This is not saying that Paul had preached in every town to every person in this region; rather it means he had signficantly preached so the gospel was seeded in all these regions. Paul would eslewhere claim that he planted, Apollos water, but God gave the increase. Paul in establishing his role as an apostle of the Gentiles does not want to bind them to himself. Rome was someone else’s foundation. Most believe the church of Rome was started by Jewish Christians who had heard the gospel at Pentecost and returned to their home in Rome.

Jerusalem to Illyricum- (Yugoslavia and Albania) show map of Paul’s ,missionary journeys

This verse was my key missionary verse when we went to work with the Bhutanese people. Paul wanted to preach where Christ had never been preached before. His main reason was so that he wouldn’t lay on someone else’s foundation. Why should we all keep building one beautiful house when there is such a need for more houses. Let’s go lay new foundations. Rome was another man’s foundation to Paul.

Paul’s policy is backed up by OT prophect in Isaiah 52:15 “So shall he sprinkle many nations; The kings shall shut their mouths at him: For that which had not been told them shall they see; And that which they had not heard shall they consider.” Paul considered himself to be joining in Christ’s ministry of proclaiming to those who had not been told and had not heard.

Conclusion

Pioneer missions is a desprate need in our churches today. In some ways, we have funneled so much money inefficiently into getting the gospel out to the world. When there is such a need, maybe we ought to prioritize it.

Around the world, primarily in what we call the 10/40 window which is a narrow band through the center of the world are where the most unreached people groups live:

South Asia: Shaikh, Yadava, Jat, Rajput, various Brahmin communities, Bengali Muslims, Punjabi Muslims, Sindhis, and numerous caste/jati communities in India Bhutanese tribal groups and the Sentenalese islands.

Central/Southwest Asia: Pashtuns, Baloch, Tajiks of Afghanistan, Afghan Uzbeks, Persians, Iranian Azerbaijanis, and Turks.

East/Southeast Asia: Japanese, Hui Muslims, Uyghurs, Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Minangkabau, Central Thai, Burmese/Bamar, and Rohingya.

Middle East/North Africa: Saudi Arabs, Yemeni Arabs, Iraqi Arabs, Syrian Arabs, Moroccan Arabs, Algerian Arabs, Tunisian Arabs, Libyan Arabs, and various Kurdish populations.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Hausa, Fulani/Fulbe, Somali, Afar, Kanuri, and numerous Sahelian Muslim peoples.

I am grateful for a passage in Revelation 7:9 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”

Nations- countries with political borders

Kindreds- family groups

Peoples- ethne- people groups or tribes

tongues- language groups

There will be representatives from all these countries before the throne of God. Paul had his hands full working in this work that God had given him. Not many others were involved in it. It is for that reason Paul had to say in vs 22 that he hadn’t been to Rome yet.

Paul was hindered from visiting them for two reasons:

his current work of pioneer missions

his desire not to build on someone else’s foundation

There is a huge task ahead of us, if only some would hear the call of the Lord to be involved in this work.