The Gift – 4

The Gift – 4

Subject – The Gift of Missions – 2

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. 

Matt. 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."

--Last week we looked at “The Gift of Missions” and we looked at two aspects…The Gift of Obedience and the Gift of Sending.

--Jesus said, “If you love, keep my commandments.” I find it so interesting how we can so vehemently believe and obey some commands, yet, ignore others like God had not even spoken.

--If anywhere in the Bible, it talks about God blessing us, we lose our minds and say that is for me. I take that, Jesus. I am blessed, I’m the head and not the tail, Blessed in the city and in the country.

--But if God tells us to go or to give, it is almost like we totally lost our hearing. If Jesus says go into the world and we won’t even walk across the street to tell them about Jesus. Hmmm.

--I guess we like a Christian buffet with everything laid out before us. I will take some healing, some blessing, some wisdom, some prosperity…that all looks so good to me. Yummy.

--What’s that? Sacrifice? No thanks! Bringing my tithe and giving to missions on top of that! No thank you! Swallowing my pride and sharing Jesus…I don’t eat spinach and collard greens. Nasty.

--I bet those fruits and vegetables haven’t even been washed. Probably has chemicals on them from trying to kill bugs. I can’t touch those sinners (Gentiles) because they are unclean.

  Acts 10:28 (NKJV) ²⁸  Then he said  "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

--We also talked about Paul saying, and how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? I am so thankful to be a part of a church and denomination who believes in sending missionaries.

--I have had pastors and parishioners alike tell me that either they or their church could not afford to give money to send missionaries to reach the lost around the world.

--I almost lose my mind and I say you cannot afford not to give and not to send. The reason Life Church is so blessed is because we have learned the secret of generosity.

--Year after year we have sown seed into the harvest field by sending missionaries all over the world and year after year God has blessed us beyond what we can even imagine.

Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
³⁸  Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Law of the Vacuum – When you give from your resources to God’s Work (Missions), you create a vacuum whereby God has the ability to fill it and even to over fill it! Running over!

--When I became the lead pastor, we started giving and sending. The church was in much debt, we were land locked with 9 acres, and seemed to be stuck.

--But God is faithful. We created a vacuum by giving more and more and sending more and more. Nine acres became 34, the debt was eliminated, and a 2.2-million-dollar sanctuary was paid off in 3 years. 

--Twelve missionaries have become 230 missionaries and we attribute all this to giving and to sending! If we are tight fisted, God will be tight fisted but if we are generous, God will be generous. 

Proverbs 11:24 (NCV)
²⁴  Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor. 

1. Missions – The Gift of Compassion.

Matthew 9:35-38 (NKJV)
³⁵  Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
³⁶  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
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."

--Can you see how Missions and compassion are tied together? Jesus’ heart was moved with compassion and He did something about it. He went, He preached, and He healed. 

--Little compassion produces few laborers but much compassion produces great goers, great givers, and great senders. Our compassion will motivate us to action.

1 John 3:16-18 (NLT2) ¹⁶  We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
¹⁷  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
¹⁸  Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 

--If compassion had a question for us in regard to missions, it would be, “Do you care people are lost and are going into eternity without God?”

--I guess maybe having compassion is showing love with our actions. Jesus’ compassion caused Him to go, to give, and to make a difference in people’s lives. 

--Compassion will make you share Jesus even when it is uncomfortable and compassion will make you give to send missionaries until it is uncomfortable. 

2. Missions – The Gift of Generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (NLT2) ¹ Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
²  They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
³  For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
⁴  They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.
⁵  They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 

--Notice God did it but He did it thru the churches. Their joy became rich generosity. They gave not only what they could afford, they gave far more. Sounds like a FP. It was given without duress. 

--They begged Paul for the privilege to give. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 

--If you decide to give what you can afford, please be generous. Don’t throw a token towards missions and think God is pleased. Exp. $50. One meal out with your spouse. Your cable bill?

--God not only looks to see if you give, but He looks to see how you give. Is God pleased with what you give? You bring your tithe. The minimal. Does your offering look like rich generosity?

Malachi 1:8-10 (NLT2) ⁸  When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
⁹  “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
¹⁰  “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. 

2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV) ¹¹  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 

3. Missions – The Gift of Prayer

--Has it ever even come to your mind to pray for our missionaries? To go into the Mission’s Foyer and just pray as the missionaries scroll by? Or, to take prayer cards and pray over them?

Matt. 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."

Pastor J. John from Kensington Temple Church – Video

Faith Promises – The means whereby local churches (Life Church) participate in the Great Commission. Our generous contributions give us the ability to be “Senders” of missionaries so others can receive a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

--For the Gospel we have the privilege of sharing the gift of compassion, the gift of generosity, and the gift of prayer. 

--Do we even care that people are lost with no hope without a witness of Jesus Christ? 

--A generous Faith Promise Card is more than just a commitment to give a portion of our income, it is a witness to our concern for the lost all around the world.

--Our goal has always been 100% participation because there is power in unity!