Are You Living On Mission With God, Part 1

VIDEO

Jonathan Goforth was laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He had been wounded in the head, in the back, and in the neck with a sword held by a Chinese soldier. He was sure he was about to become the next Christian missionary murdered by the Red Army during the Boxer Rebellion. But God had other plans for him.

Jonathan Goforth would later be called “China’s most outstanding evangelist”. Every month, he and his family moved to a different Chinese city where he would preach the gospel to whomever would listen for as much as eight hours every day. Hundreds would receive Christ, and after a month, he would train a new convert to take his place and continue preaching the gospel to the lost and building up the new church there. Then he would move on and do the same thing in another city. In the five years between 1908 and 1913, 13,000 people trusted Christ and became His disciples.

John and Betty Stam also served as missionaries to China. They had been married for just one year when they and their new baby girl were taken into custody by the Communists. John and Betty were stripped to their underwear and paraded to the place where they were beheaded. Two Chinese men - a farmer and a doctor - both stepped up and pleaded for mercy for the young couple. Both were also quickly executed.

They might have been able to flee to safety when they were given warning that the Communists were coming to their city. But believing God had called them to China rather than to safety, they stayed. Their story was published in a biography, and that biography led to hundreds of American students becoming missionaries and taking the gospel to China, where tens of thousands more would be converted to Christ. [https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-52/hudson-taylor-and-missions-to-china-gallery-of-gritty.html, accessed July 30, 2021]

The human heart has been made by God to crave significance. It’s hard-wired into us to do something that matters, to spend our lives doing what will count. But we hear these stories and while they inspire us, they seem unattainable for many of us. Do I have the courage that John and Betty Stam had? Do I have the faith and the willingness to sacrifice that Jonathan Goforth had?

But these questions miss the point. The real question is this: Am I willing to be used by God where he has placed me now, here in Cleveland County?

Here’s a number for you: In 2017, a quarter of a billion people were living outside the country they were born in. Did you catch that? 250,000,000 people just four years ago were living in some other nation than that nation in which they were born. Do you know where a majority of them now live? Here.

The title of the sermon this morning is, Are you living on mission with God? You can, from right here in Shelby. You don’t have to go to China or Vietnam or Africa or Russia. God might call you there and if He does, by all means go.

But in the meantime, God has brought the Chinese and Vietnamese and the Africans here. It’s almost like God is saying, “Okay, you seem to be having a hard time taking Christ to them, so why don’t I just bring them here, to you?”

Are you living on mission with God here? If not, then here’s a follow-up question: Are you willing to give it a shot? If so, then this sermon is for you.

#1: God desires to bless His people

The psalm opens up like this:

The New International Version Psalm 67

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face shine on us— e

If that sounds familiar to you, that’s because it is familiar.

The New International Version Chapter 6

24 “ ‘ “The LORD bless you

and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.” ’

We’ve heard it at weddings and funerals and in songs; it’s on coffee mugs and t-shirts and refrigerator magnets. It’s even found in a Bob Dylan song. But it originally comes from the Bible, the OT, from Numbers 6:24-26. In fact, it’s probably one of the oldest songs or prayers in the OT. It was called the priestly blessing, because the priests under the old covenant in Israel would pronounce this blessing of God over the people.

They would do this as they gathered together at the tabernacle in the early days of the nation of Israel, they would do this at the temple in the later days of the nation of Israel, even later during the age of the synagogue.

It is this blessing, “May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” It’s this blessing that the psalmist is making part of his song here in Psalm 67. It was incredibly familiar to the ancient Israelites. It was part of the air they breathed. If someone around starting saying it, you would join in, from memory. That’s how embedded it was in the life of Israel.

In fact, it was written in such a way to be memorable. In Hebrew, the number of syllables in the first line was 12, the number of syllables in the second line was 14 and in the third there were 16 syllables.

And here’s the thing to understand about this blessing. The thing to understand about this blessing is that it actually conveyed God’s blessing. In fact, if you read down just one more verse after the end of that blessing in Num. 6:27, it says this: “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

“After all, it wasn’t the priest blessing the people. The priest isn’t saying “I bless you, I will keep you, I will cause my face to shine upon you…” No, it says “May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you”. It was God blessing His people through His appointed priest. God Himself is not merely telling them He wants to bless them; He isn’t merely telling

God desires to bless His people. He had told Abraham centuries before that not only would he be the father of a great nation, but that this nation would be blessed by the Lord in a way that no other nation had been, in that God Himself would live in their midst as their God. The God of all creation, the judge of all the earth, the Creator of every nation — He would live in their midst, among them as with no other nation, and He would in turn teach them to live for Him.

And as the church today, the new covenant people of God, we inherit this promise. God will bless His church. He will do this through, yes, protecting us and providing for us and caring for us. But all of this is secondary when compared with how God primarily blesses His church today. He lives in our midst in a way that He never did even with Israel. How? Well, because He isn’t confined to the temple or the tabernacle. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, He now lives with us, among us, and in us by His Holy Spirit.

God desires to bless His people. It is a central aspect of who He is. He is the God of blessing, the God who gives Himself to His people.

#2: God desires that all nations know Him

God desires to bless His people. And — not but — and, God has an equal desire that all nations know Him.

Now you might hear that and ask, Wait, Dustin, you said God desires that all nations know Him, but doesn’t God desire that all people know Him?

And of course, the answer is, yes God does. 2 Peter.

The New International Version (Chapter 3)

Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God does want each person to know Him, for each person to come to repentance. But in the Bible the emphasis is on every person coming to know God, and a people from every nation coming to know God.

People or nations?

God wants each person to know Him

And, God wants a people from every nation to know Him

So for example in Revelation 7:9-10 we read this:

The New International Version Chapter 7

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.”

In these verses the apostle John pulls back the curtain on heaven and gives a glimpse into the worship taking place there, and what we see is not a multitude of Americans worshiping God, or Canadians worshiping God, or Australians or Russians or Africans alone worshiping God. What we see is a people from every nation, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne of God in heaven and joyfully praising God for saving them out of their sin and changing them and redeeming them. They cry “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

God wants a people to worship Him from every nation for all eternity.

This is why when God calls Abram, He promises Him that the nation that will come from Him will be blessed so that they will be able to be a blessing to all peoples, or all nations. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:2-3 NIV).

God wants a people to worship Him from every nation for all eternity.

This is also why, when Jesus commissions His disciples just before He returns to the Father, He tells them to go to every nation. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20 NIV).

God wants a people to worship Him from every nation for all eternity.

This is why people like Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon poured their lives out for the salvation of the nations. Lottie Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary to China. Interestingly, almost two years ago, in December 2019, the Chinese government officially recognized the church Lottie Moon attended in China. They not only officially recognized that church. They also designated it as a protected historical landmark.

What’s even more interesting about this move by China in 2019 is that they announced this move in December, which of course is when the Southern Baptist Convention in the US is in full swing collecting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. And what’s even more fascinating is that China also did this during a period in which the Chinese government was stepping up religious persecution of Christians in China, and especially in that region of China where Lottie Moon’s church is located. [https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/december/lottie-moon-church-china-historical-site-sbc.html, accessed July 31, 2021]

People who pay attention to China weren’t really sure what to make of this. Is it religious propaganda? Why are they doing this?

But regardless of why China has done this, here’s one thing we know for sure: Lottie Moon had such an impact on China for Christ that even the Chinese government for whatever reason feels compelled to memorialize her, even if for no other reason than to make it seem they’re friendly toward Christians.

While Lottie Moon served in China, wars came and went; lack of food, disease, populist uprisings and government crackdowns were the norm. Through all of that, Lottie Moon built and maintained schools, social service organizations, wrote hundreds of letters home to encourage more to come to China, mentored new missionaries on the field in China. She even sacrificed her own food during times of food scarcity and literally starved herself to death so that when she died she weighed just 50 pounds.

More important than any of that, though, was Lottie Moon’s commitment to introducing ordinary Chinese men and women, particularly, women, to Jesus. Her main mission in China was to see Christ established as Lord and Savior in every Chinese home by investing in relationships with Chinese women and girls.

How did she do it? She tells us: "As you wend your way from village to village, you feel it is no idle fancy that the Master walks beside you and you hear his voice saying gently, 'Lo! I am with you always even unto the end.'"

But I also believe Lottie Moon did what she did because she wanted the Chinese to know the joy that comes from knowing and trusting in the true God. Notice verse 3. “May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you! May the nations be glad and sing for joy!

Right after the psalmist celebrates God’s desire to to be known among all nations, it’s almost like He envisions those same nations, previously lost, now celebrating the God who has found them, the God they have come to know. Why are they celebrating? Because the God they have come to know is a faithful and good God. “May the nations be glad and sing for joy!” - why? “For you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.”

What does it mean that God rules the peoples with equity and guides the nations of the earth? The human heart cries out for justice and righteousness. We want to know that everything that we see that is wrong with the world, wrong with our families, wrong with ourselves - that there is a God who will one day put all that right. We crave that assurance. And we have come to understand that there is precisely that kind of God who rules over this universe. And in coming to understand that, we have come to know Him personally, and because we have come to know Him personally, we have hope that one day everything that is wrong will be set right.

And there are billions of people in this world who have that same longing and the uncertainty that goes along with it. But what they don’t have is the knowledge that those longings can be fulfilled in the One who created them. What they don’t know is that the One who created them sent His Son to die in their place and pay the price for their sins. What they don’t know is that He is risen; and what that His resurrection guarantees the end of every evil that plagues them and the ones they love.

What they don’t know is that apart from this God and His salvation, they will spend eternity in hell in conscious torment. Knowing that, though, brings joy, and finding joy in God flows over spontaneously into the worship of God. “May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.”

Why did she do it? And because God wants a people to worship Him from every nation for all eternity.

#3: The connection: Our Blessing >> The Nation’s Salvation

Now here’s where I’m going with all of this. Or, rather, where the psalm is going. Here’s what you’ve got to notice. We’ve already seen that God desires to bless His people. We’ve already seen that God desires that all nations come to know Him.

NEXT SLIDE

What I want you to see now, and this is the point of the sermon so if you’ve checked out, check back in. In fact, turn to your buddy with a big smile and say, “If you miss this, you’ve missed the whole sermon.”

God desires to bless His people.

And God desires that all nations know Him.

God desires to bless His people. God desires that all nations come to know Him. This much we know. What we see now is that the psalmist connects those two as cause to result. Look with me at verse 1: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us — so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. We see it again at the end in verses 6-7: “The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.”

God blesses us so that others can come to know Him.

God desires that we take what has God given us, and channel it into the mission of God - the salvation of the nations.

Material blessings are great. God wants you to enjoy them without guilt. Yes and amen.

But, here’s the thing. If you’re only using your material blessings for yourself, you’re misusing them. If it’s true that God blesses us for the sake of the salvation of the nations — and we’ve seen that it is true because it’s what the word of God establishes — if that’s true, then if you’re using them just for yourself, two things are happening.

If you’re using your blessings on yourself alone...

You’re in disobedience

You’re unhappy

What has God given you that you can channel into serving God and others?

To do this required sacrifice on her part: she traveled extensively across an area 10,000 square miles in size, and is probably the first missionary to China who chose to live beyond the reach of US government protection. Even her health she viewed as an asset, as a blessing from God, that was to be channeled into introducing the nations to Jesus. [https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2009/july/little-woman-with-big-legacy.html, accessed July 31, 2021]

And it would seem she inspired others to do the same. This past Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in December 2020 brought the total amount collected to just over $5 billion since the WMU started collecting it in 1888. [https://www.brnow.org/news/lottie-moon-christmas-offering-hits-cumulative-5-billion, accessed July 31, 2021]

#4: How are you involved in the mission of God?

God of truth and love, Father Son and Holy Spirit, Hear our prayer for those who do not know You. We ask that they may come to a saving knowledge of the truth and that Your Name may be praised among all peoples of the world.

Sustain, inspire and enlighten Your servants who bring them the Gospel. Bring fresh vigor to wavering faith; sustain our faith when it is still fragile. Continually renew missionary zeal in ourselves and in the Church; raise up new missionaries who will follow You to the ends of the world.

Make us witnesses to Your goodness; full of love, strength and faith –for Your glory and the salvation of the entire world. [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/a-prayer-for-missions, accessed July 31, 2021]

There’s a line in that prayer that stood out to me. I wonder if it stood out to you. Did you catch that phrase “continually renew missionary zeal in ourselves and in the Church?” raise up new missionaries who will follow You to the ends of the world.”

Why did that phrase stand out to me? Here’s why: it will always be our tendency to forget that our church does not exist for us alone. We can’t just come gather here Sunday after Sunday and think that in doing that we have done all that God has called us to do as a church. Okay, do you have your buddy? Find your buddy and say, “We do not exist for ourselves alone.”

Our church is not a museum for saints. We’re called to be a hospital for sinners. We get that reversed often. It’s normal. Nothing wrong with us that other churches don’t struggle with. But we have to continually remind ourselves that what God has given us is not for us alone. Remember Psalm 67:7!

The New International Version Psalm 67

May God bless us still,

so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

God didn’t bless Abraham for himself alone. God didn’t bless Israel for himself alone. God doesn’t bless us so we can use what he’s given us solely on ourselves. that this beautiful building and the financial resources God has given this church and all the amazing talent and giftedness we have in this church — God has given us all of that and now He calls us to channel into the mission of God.

We want to welcome the lost into our church. We’re here for them. And we’re not called merely to say “We’re here if you want to join us.” No, we’re called to do more; we’re called to actively go to them and befriend them and love them and share the gospel with them. We’re called to embody the love of Jesus Christ so that when we they encounter us they feel as though we’ve encountered then. And only then will they be receptive to our message.

God desires to bless His people. God desires that all nations come to know Him. And God wants us to take what He’s blessed us with to bring others to Him.

How are you using your blessings?

Your home

Your job

Your finances

Your personal talents

Your spiritual gifts

So here’s how this works. Look at how God has blessed you. Take an inventory. How can you use your home to serve God’s on mission? Maybe it’s inviting over your neighbors who are unchurched and having dinner together. Maybe your home becomes a place in your community where people know they can come if they need help.

Your job - who do you know as a result of your job? Who is there that you work with who is unchurched or possibly unsaved? Who needs you to pray for them and pray with them? Is there someone at work who needs a friend? Needs someone to talk to. Point them to Jesus.

And do the same with your finances and your personal talents and your spiritual gifts. The point is to look at what you have and pray and think about what you can do with them, how you can use them, how you can channel them into living on mission with God. If you need help figuring it out, sit down with me and let’s make a plan.

How are you living on mission with God?

Develop relationships (5)

Share the gospel (5)

Give beyond your tithe (3)

Pray for a missionary (1)

Invite a friend to church (1)

But practically, how can you get started? I’ve put down a list of things you can do on your screen. Each of them has a number beside it. That’s the difficulty level. Some of you are good at relationships and evangelism, and we’re all called to do it. But alot of us aren’t there yet. That’s why those are listed as a level five.

If you don’t feel you’re there yet, don’t worry - you’ll get there. In the meantime, there are three things most of us can do. Most of us can probably give something to missions beyond our tithe. And all of us can pray for a missionary or invite a friend to church.

“Bring A Friend” Sundays

Sunday, August 22

Sunday, August 29

Sunday September 19 (Fill the Thank)

In fact, we’re going to be having two high attendance Sundays. We’re going to call these “Bring A Friend” Sunday. August 22 and August 29. We’re believing that if we invite our lost friends and neighbors, that God will move in their hearts and they will come. And when they come, we’re trusting that God will move in their hearts and they will hear the gospel and trust in Christ and be born again. And having been born again, we’re believing they’ll become disciples of Jesus Christ here at Buffalo. And together we will all learn to live on mission for Jesus and make disciples of Jesus who then make other disciples of Jesus.

Remember, you’re gifted to serve, so you know you can do it. And you’re necessary for our church’s well-being, and so we need you here, active and engaged — beyond Sunday morning. Alot of you have already started. Keep it up. Those of you who haven’t been coming beyond Sunday morning, remember last month’s challenge:

Where to start:

1. Attend beyond Sunday morning twice a month

2. Pray about where God would have you serve

3. Come to business meetings

4. Speak to one person you don’t know very well every Sunday

We need all hands on deck.

If every morning is a brand new start with God, then not only can we admit that we’ve been focused on our own kingdoms rather than God’s. We can be different. We can make different choices with how we spend our time. If we’re going to be what Christ calls us to be, we need all hands on deck.