2023 – Mission’s Convention
Subject – Challenging All of Us to Reach the World
By Rick Welborne
Isaiah 54:1-5 (NKJV)
1 "Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the LORD.
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.
4 "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.
--Our 2023 Mission’s Convention, can you believe it? I would have thought Jesus would have returned by now but it appears He is giving us more time to reach the lost here and around the world.
2 Peter 3:9-10 (NCV)
9 The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
--I preached these verses for La Vida Church’s 10 Year Anniversary, and as I was preparing this, God spoke to me about preaching this for our convention. He is Lord, so I said “Yes”.
--I have been the Lead Pastor here for a little over 32 years and I have challenged you every year to support the Mission of the Church which is the Great Commission.
Mark 16:15 (NCV) 15 Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.
--Go where? Everywhere! Tell who? Everyone! It does not get any simpler than that. It is not a suggestion but it is a command. Do you want a pastor who preaches God’s Word or not?
--God’s mandate for me is to encourage, exhort, and strongly contend for your support of what God’s Word has commanded us to do. To not challenge you would be negligence and disobedience. Paul to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV)
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
--Our text today is:
Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV)
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
1. Enlarge the Place of Your Tent.
--God is saying to you from His Word. Get ready for growth. For souls to be saved here and around the world. Just from one of 220 missionaries that we support…in 17 years – led 110,000 people to Christ.
--Thank God for what we have accomplished but this is only the beginning of what He is wanting to do. There are so many people who need Jesus and our church needs to be a light.
--But, Pastor Rick, we are still small. Don’t forget what the Word of God says when Jesus asked the disciples who people were saying He was.
Matthew 16:15-18 (NLT2) 15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
--Jesus said He will build His Church. Who will build His Church? He will build His Church. He just wants us to work with Him and watch what He does.
--Church, you need to start thinking about how you will react when God begins to send the lost our way and how we can influence people to come to God’s House. Think of how we can change the world.
--When they come, don’t judge them, just love them and show them the way to Jesus. When missionaries come make them feel welcome. Let them see your love for the lost and each other.
John 13:35 (NKJV) 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
--I believe if we will pray and seek God with all our hearts, and reach out to our lost friends, family, and the world, God will send supernatural growth and multiply His Church!
Job 8:7 (NKJV) 7 Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.
--La Vida get ready to outgrow the FLC. Wouldn’t it be awesome to grow so much you have to use the main sanctuary or grow so much you start building your own building? All things are possible!
--Life Church, La Vida Church, and Village Campus, enlarge the place of your tent and lengthen your cords…reach out like you have never done before and watch all the miracles God will do.
2. Do Not Spare.
Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV)
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
Isaiah 54:2 (NLT2) 2 “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense!
--Pastor Rick, what do you believe this is saying to us? Do not spare…spare no expense? One of our Distinctives as a church is “Generosity.”
--We have found, I have found, that when you are generous with God, He is extremely generous with you. This works individually and corporately. Definitely works with missions.
--This will work in your house and this will work in God’s House. Proverbs tells us there is one who scatters (gives) yet increases and there is another who withholds (is stingy) and comes to nothing.
--This is a truth that could revolutionize the church if we ever could grasp the enormity of what God wants to do. Through our generosity and God’s blessings, we could bless others on every occasion. Verse please:
--Please understand that 2 Cor. 8 & 9 are talking about the ministry of giving.
2 Corinthians 9:11-12 (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.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
--The phrase “Generous on every occasion!” has become a major part of my life and even my theology. What do you mean, Pastor, by your theology?
--God was a giver…God gave us the beautiful world we live in, He gave us the Ten Commandments, He gave us the awesome power of Holy Spirit, and…
John 3:16 (NIV)
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
--What am I saying, Church? Be givers! Be faithful in your tithing! Support the Mission’s Program of the church! Be givers every time an opportunity is presented. Do not spare. Spare no expense.
3. Strengthen Your Stakes.
Isaiah 54:2 (NKJV)
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
--When you set up a tent, what holds the tent in place? The stakes. Many are so careless when they do this and they do not drive the stakes deep enough or into the right foundation. Get blown away.
--What am I saying, Church? It is time to go deeper. Some want to shout louder and jump higher and that’s okay as long as you are going deeper.
--There are way too many shallow Christians in the church. The first wind, or storm, or test, they are blown away. We have to go deep into the Rock Christ Jesus so when the storm come, we are still standing.
Matthew 7:24-27 (NKJV)
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
--We should not have to worry if you are going to be here for church or if you are going to fall away. Go deeper my brothers and sisters…strengthen your stakes. Get connected to Jesus like never before.
--Be filled with Holy Spirit so you can be witnesses here and around the world.
--Enlarge the Place of Your Tent. Do Not Spare. Strengthen Your Stakes.
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