Untitled Sermon (2)

Supporting Missionaries

-Over the last few years, as I have had the chance to preach in this church, there have been a few major subjects that I have really been wanting to teach on. And although I’ve been wanting to address some of these subjects for a long time now, in the last few years I’ve just recognized that it hasn’t been the right time yet. And so for a while I’ve just been waiting. And one of these subjects that I’ve been dying to talk about is, what does it look like to give to missionaries? What is it supposed to look like for the church to support missions? And now, considering that you guys are supporting me I finally feel like this is one of the subjects that I’m at liberty to talk about.

-And one of the other main reasons why I didn’t want to talk about it in the past was because I didn’t want anyone to think that I was doing it just to ask for support. I most definitely have not been serving here in this church just because I wanted everyone’s money. From the very beginning I've said to pastor that the greatest thing that this church can offered me is not finances. It’s just the opportunity for me to preach the gospel. And that might sounds a little cliché, but as a young minister not everyone is willing to give you a chance to do that. I didn’t have this opportunity in many other places. I needed to preach the gospel. God had called me to do it. And you guys were the only church who gave me the opportunity to make that happen. Even in eternity I’ll be looking back and I’ll be thanking God for what you guys did for me in this season of my life. You’re never going to be obligated to pay me for this.

-None the less, the reason I’ve been wanting to talk about this for so long now is because it’s kind of an important subject. What is it biblically supposed to look like for a church to support a missionary? And before I even begin to say anything I first want to read something very specific that Paul said concerning this subject.

-In the first century, the Philippian church had the same relationship to Paul that Bayshore Christian Fellowship has to me right now. It says that they were already supporting Paul as a missionary when he wrote them that famous letter. And in his letter to them he wanted to address the same subject that I’m going to address today, which is giving support to missionaries. But before he said anything about that, he first wanted to make sure that they knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he wasn’t saying all these things just because he wanted their money. And so right before he begins to talk about their finances this is what he says…

Philippians 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, (He prefaces it all by saying, I’m not writing this letter to you because I want more of your money. Then he goes on to say) for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

-A lot of times we Christians love to quote that verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And we use it completely out of the context for how Paul meant to use it. Paul did not write that famous line so that Christians everywhere could use it as a cool slogan on the back of their gym T-shirts. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me is a declaration of contentment from a missionary to a church that was supporting him financially. It’s a missionary saying to a church that whether you guys give me money or whether you guys don’t give me money, I’m going to be content with whatever I have. And with whatever I have it will always be enough to do what God has called me to do. Therefore I can do all things through him who strengthens me. As opposed to, I can do all things through the church who is giving me money.

-Paul says that the secret of contentment is knowing that if God is on your side then you have everything that you will ever need. God plus nothing equals everything. Therefore whether I lack or whether I live in prosperity it is him that I am dependent upon. Not the wellbeing of my financial status. And when a missionary makes that statement he is saying that God is the only supporter that I need. And if at the end of the day every church abandons me and all other support falls through, it’s still going to be okay because I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

-And I say all of that to say this, that even though I’m talking about supporting missionaries today, I’m not doing this as a tactic to ask for more of your money. And if I ever get to a place where the only reason I’m willing to preach anymore is if I get something for it in return, then at that point my motivations are wrong and I should probably stop doing this.

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-One of the greatest tests of a true minister is that when the money is removed they still minister just as passionately as they did when the money was there. Someone who has truly been called by God does not actually need to get paid to fulfill what God has called them to do. Fulfilling their calling in and of itself becomes the most valuable thing which they can obtain. And so they’re always willing to do it for free.

Acts 20:24 “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

-Paul is saying that I don’t care if I’m rich or if I’m poor. If I’m comfortable or if I’m in pain. If I’m hungry or if I’m full. There is one thing alone that single handedly determines the entirety of my life’s value. If I have this one thing then I have everything. And if I don’t have it then I have nothing. And that one thing is simply to finish the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus Christ. My life is worth nothing to me, unless I do that.

-And when someone has been called with that kind of a severity then money no longer becomes a factor of influence. Everything that they do they are willing to do for free as long as it will take them closer to fulfilling the calling that God has put on their life. The calling becomes so sacred between them and God that in comparison money just doesn’t means anything anymore. And even if they could make profit off their calling, that’s never going to be the reason why they’re doing it.

1 Cor 9:14 “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. 15 But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me;… (He says the same things to them as he did to the Philippians. He says I’m not writing these things to you so that you would give me money.) 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”

-Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. In another passage he says, I am obligated to preach to the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the foolish. And if I don’t do that then I have fallen short of the very reason for why I even exist. Therefore, woe, is, me.

-So does Paul have the right to make money off the gospel? Sure. But who cares. That’s just not what he’s after. If God really has called you to do this, then your reward is no longer the money. Your reward is fulfilling your calling. It becomes of such high importance to you that not only do you not require wages for this anymore, but you would even be willing to pay someone else if they would just give you the chance to preach the gospel.

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-So once again, I say all of that to say this. I’m not asking for more money today. And I really mean it when I say that this church has already given me one of the most valuable things that I could have asked for as a young preacher. You gave me the opportunity to fulfill what God has called me to do. That is significantly more value than money will ever be.

-Yet none the less you guys are already supporting me financially. And so at this point I think that it would be super beneficial for me to explain what the scriptures say about all this. According to the Bible what is this relationship supposed to look like between the church and the missionary who they are sending out? How does this machine function? How does it work?

-And lucky for us the bible actually talks about these kinds of things. Most people don’t recognize this, but half of the NT was written by a missionary. And so we have some pretty strait forward information on what he felt the finances in the kingdom should look like.

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-Let’s start off in 2 Cor 11:7

2 Cor 11:7-10 “Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. 9 And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.”

-Paul says something kind of crazy here. He says that he robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to the Corinthians. Has anyone else ever read that before and thought, what the heck does that even mean? Well how this is supposed to work, is the church is supposed to pay the minister with financial wealth and then the minister intern reimburses the church back with some spiritual wealth. And at the end of the day there is an even transaction between the two parties. This is the typical symbiotic relationship that we see between the pastor and the church. But the relationship between the missionary and the church is a bit different.

-The church is now paying the missionary with financial wealth and the spiritual wealth that is supposed to return to the church is now going to someone else. The missionary takes the money from the church and then ministers their gifts to people who didn’t even pay for them. And on this basis Paul says that giving to missions is borderline robbery. Because the church is being "robbed" of what is rightfully theirs. So the relationship between the missionary and the church is no longer an ever relationship anymore. And the missionaries become like these Robbin Hoods characters who are stealing from the rich to give to the poor. And that might sound a little bit crazy but apparently that’s how this thing is supposed to work. That’s what the first century church was doing when everything was running on all cylinders. When the gospel was being spread. When Paul was planting churches with every trip he made. This is how they did it. This is how they made this thing happen.

-And the scriptures seem to imply that God is still looking for these kinds of relationships. These symbiotic, interdependent, relationships between churches (who are financially wealthy) and missionaries (who are wealthy in the word). This means that God is looking for church's who are willing to pay the cost of spiritual blessings and then instead of consuming them for themselves, donating them to people in the world who cannot afford to have them.

-In Luke 14 Jesus gives us a little insight into this. He gives us his advice. He says, when you give a feast don’t invite your friends, because they’ll be able to pay you back. Invite those on the streets so that they cannot pay you back and you’ll have a reward in heaven. And when somebody makes it a point to be giving to missions they are intentionally preparing a feast for those who cannot afford it. The missionary is setting the banquet table with the finances that you’ve supplied. And so without the support of the church this doesn’t happen.

-The next scripture I want to read is…

3 John 6-8 “If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, 7 because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. 8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.”

-I feel like every time I read scriptures about supporting missionaries these same two themes keep coming up again and again.

-1. The first theme is that you do not take money from those whom you are ministering to on the field. John says, “They went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles.” Earlier Paul said, “I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?” The biblical model is that we never let money become any kind of a hindrance to the message of the gospel. I don’t care if you have to rob the church to do it, but never sell the gospel. It is always free to those who are perishing. And because of this John tells the church, we ought to receive such people and send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.

-2. And the second theme that we see time and again is that when a church does this, and they receive such a person, they themselves become partakers in the spread of the gospel. John says that they “become fellow workers for the truth”. Earlier Paul said that they become co-laborers in the word of God. And even though they themselves might never preach the gospel a day in their lives or win a single person to Christ, they still become co-laborers in the good news because now they are the ones who are financing it.

-And when this happens the church becomes just as much of a partaker in the gospel as the missionary who is actually preaching the word. Both parties are making sacrifices. The missionary is sacrificing time and energy. And the church is sacrificing their spiritual wealth to people who didn’t even pay for it.

-And this kind of financial offering is very different than just giving to a church. When you give to a church or when you tithe you’re really just paying for yourself to hear the word of God. In reality you are just reimbursing a pastor who has already been investing in your spiritual well-being. That’s your responsibility. You’re supposed to be doing that. But when you give to a missionary you are now paying for someone else to hear the word of God. You’re setting the banquet table for someone else. And that’s not necessarily something that you’re obligated to do. Therefore when you do it, it is a sacrifice, and therefore there is a reward.

-But what we cannot guarantee is that there’s going to be this great eternal reward waiting for you in heaven just because we tithe. When you tithe you are giving an even exchange. You’re reward for tithing is that you now have a place where you can go to church. Congratulations, you’ve just invested in yourself. But when you give to missions it is no longer about you. You’re no longer getting anything in return and so now it becomes a sacrifice which is worthy of a reward in eternity. And at this point is when you can officially call yourself a co-laborer in the gospel.

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-So what sort of things do the scriptures say about the churches and the people who are making these kinds of sacrifices? Let’s start in Heb 6:10…

Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints.”

-Basically it says that God will not overlook the things that you do for other people. We pretty much know that already. But in Matthew 10 Jesus decides to take this to a bit of an extreme. He says…

Matt 10:42 “And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, (Not one of the apostles. Not one of the prophets. Give a cup of water to the least of my followers and) you will surely be rewarded.”

-And if you will be reward for something as small as giving someone a single cup of water, do you really think that you won’t be rewarded for doing something a great as financing of the spread of the gospel? Is the church really ever being robbed? Is God so unjust as to overlook your works towards the saints? And here in Matthew 10 Jesus is just talking about a normal cup of water. But in John 4 he begins to talk about a different cup of water. A living cup of water. An eternal cup of water. And if he promised that we would be rewarded for giving someone the first cup then I’m fairly confident that we will also be rewarded for giving someone the second cup. If he’s willing to reward us for the small things why wouldn’t he be willing to reward us for the large?

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-Paul seemed to understand this better than almost anyone. And he began to teach that any church who was willing to support him financially would in the end receive a reward from God in return.

Phil 4:16 “For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.”

-That more be accredited to your account. That’s like business terminology. Paul makes it seem like supporting missionaries is more like putting your stock in a company. And if the company is profitable there’s gonna be a return on your investment. He says, there will be a deposit, “a credit”, into your account. As if for every soul that Paul wins and for every church that he plants, anyone who supports him will in the end receive the dividends that are due to them. He makes it out to be as if the Philippian church now has a legal right to be rewarded for a portion of the fruit that he’s bearing while he’s on the field.

-Even Jesus talked about eternal rewards like this.

-In Matt 6:19 he says you’d be smart not to store up riches on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves are prone to steal. Rather store up your treasure in eternity.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

In Matt 19:21 he tells the rich man “sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

-This stuff’s all over the Bible. Jesus was very open about this reward system that he was putting in place. But sometimes in the church we get so excited about the rewards that we wind up misquoting what the scriptures actually say. We’re so excited to quote the part that says it will be given to you that we forget to mention that you first have to give something. We’re so excited to quote the part that says store up treasure in heaven that we forget to mention that you first need to sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Love to quote the parts that talk about the return. But were not so fond of quoting the parts that talk about making the investment.

-And the two main prosperity verses which we usually use out of context in this kind of a way are Phil 4:19 and 2 Cor 9:8.

Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

-How many of us have quoted that verse? This actually used to be a bumper sticker on the back of my mom’s car, so I’m not ripping on it. I’m actually a pretty big fan. But if we read the whole thing we find out real quick that the context of this verse is a bit different than what it looks like on the surface. God is not just supplying all their needs according to his riches in glory for absolutely no reason. Verse 16 gives us a little more insight. It says that God is going to supply their needs because they have first been supplying Paul’s needs. The reason that God was going to bless them according to his riches in glory was actually just because they were giving to missions. They had been supporting Paul’s mission’s trips for years at the time he wrote that famous quote to them. Which means that this promise was given to them as a byproduct of what they were already giving. Paul didn’t say that to every church. Which means not every church could claim that promise.

2 Cor 9:8 “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

-This is another one of those verses which make it seem like God is just going to bless everyone. But if we read the two verses before it we find out that God is not just blessing them for no reason. 2 Cor 9:6 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

-Paul gives us a little farming parable. And he basically concludes that you would be an idiot to not plant any seeds and then at the end of the year expect some kind of a harvest. If you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly. You will never have a return on an investment that you don’t make. So let me save you some time. This is biblical. Don’t even bother quoting those verses unless you plan on living a generous life.

-We read these kinds of things and we naturally assume that just because they’re in the bible then they have to apply to everyone who’s in the church. But that’s just not what they say. Every single one of those chapters connect the overwhelming prosperity of God to the person who is either giving in general or is actually just giving directly to missions. Therefore not everyone can name and claim that kind of prosperity. Those blessings are not for everyone. They are conditional promises that are contingent upon the sacrifices that we’re already making.

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-This isn’t a like a condemnation thing whatsoever, but a lot of people in the church have this common mentality where for whatever reason they just assume that God owes them something. And that’s just not the case. Another common mentality in the church is the assumption that if I don’t have a lot to give then I don’t have to give at all. If my sacrifice isn’t going to make that much of a difference then I don’t really even need to do it.

-Let me just try and put some of this in perspective for you. If you make $50,000 a year you’re among the richest 1% of people in the world? You’re one of the richest people who have ever walked the face of the earth. And if you make even just $2,500 a year you are still richer than 85% of the people in the world. Americans are not poor. Our poor people aren’t ever poor. And hypothetically let’s just say that we were. Even if that were the case, where in the bible does it say that if I’m poor then my giving means nothing?

-The two greatest giving stories in the NT have nothing to do with the rich. They did not come from the pockets of the wealthy. It was the gifts from the poor that Jesus said were making the greatest difference in the kingdom.

Luke 21:1-4 “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

-We’ve all heard this story before, but let’s make it a bit more practical. In that time a mite would have been worth about 1/32 of a soldier’s daily wage. A soldier’s daily wage would have been the equivalent to about 44 cents in today’s day and age. And that woman only gave 1/32 of that. Now in America we have this terminology where we say, let me throw in my 2 cents. And when we say that we’re pretty much stating that what I’m adding to the pot is really not worth much of anything. And that day, that widow literally gave 2 pennies. Not much of anything. She gave them her two cents. And after seeing this Jesus calls together his disciples for a little teaching moment. He goes, you see those rich men over there, who are giving their treasures to the church. And do you see that widow, throwing in some coins. I tell you the truth, she’s put in more than them all. Jesus says this as if to say that God would do more with her two pennies than with the accumulated treasures of all the rich in Israel. So whether I have pennies in my bank account or millions, I’ll never have a biblical excuse to not be giving.

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-The second great giving story in the NT is the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000.

John 6:7 “Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

-And we know the rest of the story from there. Jesus winds up feeding the 5,000 people. And were so quick to say that the disciples had no faith in Jesus. Shame on them. But in reality if I was there that day I probably would have said exactly the same thing that they did. “Jesus, I would have to work for the next 6 months just to feed each person here a single bite to eat. Now I’m no mathematician, but I just don’t think this is gonna happen. How far are 5 loaves and 2 fish going to go among so many men?" Anyone who was in their right mind would have said that.

-But we never stop to think that this is a perfect, practical, real life demonstration of what Jesus said he would do with the widow’s mite. Before when he said it, it was just a teaching moment. But now it just got real. This is what it looks like for God to use someone’s 2 cents.

-And when we read this story we never actually stop and considered how risky that was for that kid, or how much of a sacrifice he really made that day. He had every right to take the lunch that his mom packed him, hide himself behind a tree and eat until he was happy. And I’m pretty sure that he wasn’t the only one there that day who packed a lunch. It’s just that everyone else there thought what the disciples thought. What difference is my lunch going to make among so many men. In a scenario where we’d need 6 months’ worth of labor, what is my 2 cents? And out of every person there, there was only a single child who had enough faith in Jesus just to give him what he had.

-And in any given moment we’re that little child. Every day we live we have those same two options. Eat our meal all by ourselves and be satisfied. Or offer up what little we have into the hands of Jesus. And even if in the natural we only have 5 loaves and 2 fish, in the hands of God things just change. He’s is not limited by our resources. He’s is not limited by our finances. If you give him what you have it will always be enough to do what he has called you to do. That’s all he asking for.

-Jesus said that he loves the widow’s mite. He proved that he could move mountains with 5 loaves and 2 fish. And there are times when I personally think, what's the point? I don’t have enough recourses to change the world. What difference is my sacrifice going to make among so much suffering? If I gave everything that I had for a hundred lifetimes in a row I still wouldn’t put a dent into what needs to be done. I’d be better off just keeping my resources to myself. But every time I think these things I wind up reading stories like this. Or I hear what Jesus said about the widow. And I recognize that if my faith was at its fullest I would be willing to just give God my everything, and know that at the end of the day it’s not me who does the work, ultimately it’s him. My responsibility is just to give him what I have. That’s all the widow was doing. That’s what the little boy did. And if that’s what God could do with the sacrifice of just one person how much more could he do with the sacrifice of an entire congregation.

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-And so before I end this I want to take it back into a corporate level. In 2 cor, chapter 8 Paul is talking to the Corinthian church. And he’s talking to them about the Macedonian church. And this is what he says to them…

2 Cor 8:8 “I am not commanding you (to give), but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.”

-Paul’s comparing apples to apples and churches to churches and he says that the Macedonian Church has now become the standard of what every other church in all the world has to meet. And by comparing yourself to them you will be able to accurately test the level of your sincerity as a Christian. So here’s my question. Do we as a church, Bayshore Christian Fellowship, meet the expectations which were set by that congregation 2,000 years ago?

-These are the kinds of things that Paul said about them…

2 Cor 8:2 “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.”

-Out of their extreme poverty flowed a rich generosity where they gave above their ability to give and no one even asked them to. Instead it was they who pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in the service to the Lord’s people.

-I opened this message and I talked about how the missionary should consider it a privilege to preach the gospel. That’s their calling God has given them. No one should have to compel them to do those things. As a missionary, Paul said that whether I’m rich or whether I’m poor nothing will hinder or take away from me the calling that’s on my life. And in just the same way the church has been called as well. Our responsibility is to say what the Macedonians said. That whether I’m rich or whether I’m poor, no man will take from me the privilege and the honor of living a generous life before God in the service of the Lords people.

-And right now it’s not my job to sit here and say whether or not BCF is living up the standards set by the Macedonians. I can’t say whether or not you’re giving above and beyond your ability to give even in the midst of sever trials. That’s really for you guys to determine.

-But in a final word of encouragement, what I can say, is that when it comes to supporting this missionary, technically you already have been giving above and beyond. I’ve never required anything from you guys for allowing me preach here. And therefore haven given me anything you have already given me more than what was required of you. And not only have you been giving to me, but so far you’re the only church who has been giving to me. And so for that reason you guys have become to me exactly what the Philippian church became to Paul.

-This is my last scripture.

Phil 4:15 “Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.”

-Paul says that when he first set out in the beginning to preach the gospel no church shared with him except for one. And that was the Philippian church. And right now that’s what you guys are to me. My Philippian church.

-And I want to end this message, but just saying thank you for everything that you’ve already done for me in the past. Not only giving me the opportunity to preach as a young minister, but also now supporting me financially as a young missionary. And I just want to say that I do expect that this church will see dividends in eternity for the fruits of my labor over the next few years. I appreciate you guys.

-And I just want to pray over you as a church if that’s alright.

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2 Cor 9:8 “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

.. (n.d.). Test sermon.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 7:47 AM January 4, 2021.