The Gift – 2025 – 3

The Gift – 2025 – 3

 Subject – The Gift of Missions – 1

By Rick Welborne

Romans 10:13-17 (NLT2)
¹³  For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”
¹⁴  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
¹⁵  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
¹⁶  But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD, who has believed our message?”
¹⁷  So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 

--I actually believe that having preached about the gift of Holy Spirit is a perfect lead into talking about the gift of missions. We need Holy Spirit to reach the world. 

Acts 1:8 (NLT2)
⁸  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

--Many of you may not know this fact but, the AOG was started at the beginning of the 20^th Century. Listen to this, it was created to be a missionary sending organization.

Video – AOG

--Every missionary not only goes and preaches the gospel in some foreign land or here at home, but they also raise up missionaries (nationals) within the ministries they start. They send out missionaries. 

Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV)
³⁷  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
³⁸  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

--There are countries who are raising up missionaries and sending them to the United States. We need them. Our text is pretty clear about us sending missionaries to the lost. 

Romans 10:14-15 (NLT2)
¹⁴  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
¹⁵  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?

--Most of you know, that missions is one of the passions of my heart. I knew before I became lead pastor of Life Church that God’s mission for me was to make this a great mission’s church. How?

--For you new folks. As a YP in Covington, La., we were on a mission’s trip to Mexico and we were in a remote village in the mountains sharing Jesus with everyone we could.

--There was a beautiful church on the side of the mountain but there was no pastor…no missionary. I was preaching that night so I was praying behind the church.

--I was begging God to let me be a missionary to Mexico and to be the pastor of that church. I was even willing to stay there without going back with my youth group.

--I was broken and weeping before God believing that He was going to grant me the desire of my heart.

--All of a sudden God’s presence, His tangible presence was so real and I knew He was about to speak to me about His plan for my life. I was excited and terrified at the same time.

--God spoke, “You will go back to the US and continue what you are doing. Eventually you will become the lead pastor of a church and your job will be to make that church a great mission’s church.”

--Of course I said, yes, Lord, because He was and is my Lord and Master. At that point I couldn’t imagine any church asking me to be their lead pastor but I knew I had heard from God.

--That was 1983…fast forward to 1991. I was the youth pastor here at Life Church and Milton Dykes resigned to become the Decade of Harvest Director for the PFDC.

--Long story short…Life Church voted us in to be the Lead Pastors. First thing on my radar was to have a mission’s convention. I met with Margaret Belew and we started planning.

--Again, there is so much that I could share but at that time we had somewhere between 10-15 missionaries. Now we have 230. To God be the glory but we are not done.

--Today I start a two-part message which will help us to see what is meant by the Gift of Missions. Please pray with me that we will understand what God is saying to His church.

1. The Gift of Missions – Obedience

--I have heard people say, God has not laid missions on my heart or spoken to me about supporting it financially or otherwise. It’s just not my thing. 

--Question: if something is already in the Word of God, does God have to give you a special invitation to be obedient? Jesus said it this way:

John 14:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

--So what does God say about the Great Commission? What does He say in His Word is our responsibility about reaching the lost all around the world and here at home?

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT2)
¹⁸  Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
¹⁹  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
²⁰  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

--I believe Forest Gump would say this about Jesus’s Words…I’m not a very smart man but even I understand what He is saying to me.

--Jesus is saying, I am Lord and I am the Master and ruler of your life (12) and because I am you should go to all nations, share Jesus, and teach them to obey My commands. And baptize them.

--But I am not called to go to some foreign field and to share Jesus with people I don’t even know. Maybe you have never prayed about it or asked Jesus what He wanted you to do.

Matthew 9:36-38 (NLT2)
³⁶  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
³⁷  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
³⁸  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

--Jesus had compassion on the lost because they are confused, helpless, and lost. Maybe that is what is missing in our lives, compassion. Some of us can’t see beyond our own little world.

2. The Gift of Sending.

--The video we showed a few minutes ago shared with us how the AOG was created to be a mission’s organization and a sending organization.

--Just because you don’t feel that God is calling you to some foreign land, doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of the Great Commission. 

Romans 10:14-15 (NLT2)
¹⁴  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
¹⁵  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” 

--Our missionaries have to go thru rigorous training and testing to be approved by the AOGWM. Once approved, they have to start raising their funds to be able to go.

--They contact churches, like ours, and try to set up a service so they can come share their vision for whatever country they feel called to. The AOGWM gives direction with that.

--Your pastor and mission’s board then prayerfully considers taking them on and supporting them thru finances and prayers. Again, we have grown from 12 to 230.

--We do not support these missionaries fully but as they travel from church to church they eventually get the support they need. All of us play such an important part in sending them out.

--This little church on Picciola Road in FP supports all these missionaries by giving approximately $30,000 a month. One of the reasons we can do that is because we are debt free. 

--Every year we ask you if you are willing to help us help them. You receive a FP card and you are asked to prayerfully fill it out of what you can do to send missionaries. We do this every year.

--Some churches just give 10% of their income to missions and that’s ok but we do both. We give 10% of the tithe plus do FP cards. Instead of giving 10% we give approximately 33%.

--Remember, your tithe to the church has to be first, and then, your mission’s giving. Again, it’s obedience to God’s Word. Bring the whole tithe, and then, offerings.

--The more FPs the more missionaries we can add and send. This is the kind of giving that lays up treasures in Heaven instead of here on earth.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹  "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, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
²¹  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

--So where is your heart?