Missions – 2023 – Kingdom Builders

Missions – 2023 – Kingdom Builders

Subject – Why We Should Be Kingdom Builders

By Rick Welborne

Matthew 16:13-19 (NLT2)
¹³  When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
¹⁴  “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
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.
¹⁹  And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” 

--We have been sharing with you for the last month (actually the last 32 years) about missions, Faith Promises, and about all of us being involved. 

--This is definitely not an exact figure of what we have done here at Life Church but here is a conservative estimate of what we have done over this period of time. 6 ½ Million Dollars.

--Not bad for a small Assembly of God Church in Fruitland Park, Florida. Top 10 in the state and top 50 in the nation out of over 13,000 churches for several years. I truly commend you.

--I have prayed and prayed and prayed this year that God again will use us to support the 220 missionaries we already have and to enable us to continue adding more and more missionaries.

--By the way, it is not just about adding more missionaries and supporting the 220, it is also being able to respond to needs all over the world like this resent earthquake. So tragic.

--God’s mandate to me on the backside of that mountain in Mexico has never subsided and I don’t believe God has changed His mind about the Great Commission.

--Over the last several weeks I keep challenging myself about this mandate and about our responsibility to do what God has called us to do.

--Just in case you were wondering, every year we increase what we had given the previous year and we give every time we have a guest missionary or a world crisis. This is more than just rhetoric. 

--Whether you believe it or not or receive it or not, you were included in that mandate from God. Listen to the Words God gave me then and see if you guys were included.

--Remember I was begging God to let me be a missionary and to stay in that small Mexican Village and pastor the church that sat up on the side of the mountain. God spoke to me:

“You will go back to the states and you will continue being a youth pastor. Eventually you will become a lead pastor of a church and your job will be to make that church a great missions church.”

--My response of course, because Jesus is Lord, and because He is the Lord of the Harvest, was “Yes, Lord.” I never lost my heart for Missions and I eventually became your lead pastor.

--After being fully installed as lead pastor, I along with Margaret Belew, began immediately planning our first Missions Convention and that has continued to this day. Pastor, we know all that. Yes.

--So back to the mandate and my challenging of myself, I began asking myself “Why are we doing what we are doing?” Why are we pushing so hard for the Great Commission?

--Why do I feel obsessed with this mandate and why is the burden of making sure that it happens so overwhelming? Why Missions and why have we chosen to be Kingdom Builders?

1. Jesus Said “Go” and Paul Said “Send”.

--Why, as a believer in Christ, as His follower, do we do anything? We do it because we want to be obedient to His Word.

Mark 16:15-16 (NCV)
¹⁵  Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.
¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who does not believe will be punished.

--Jesus command could not be much clearer…Go everywhere and tell everyone. If you are truly a follower of Christ and you are truly a bond slave to Jesus, you must be obedient to His Word.

--And then, Saul, who became Paul, transformed by the power of God, made into a brand new creation by Him, and branded for Christ the rest of His life said this:

Romans 10:1&9-15 (NLT2)
¹  Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.
⁹  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
¹⁰  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
¹¹  As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
¹²  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
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!” 

--Why missions? Why be Kingdom Builders? Why support missionaries all over the world? Why do what we do? Because God’s Word says so! Truly, that should be enough!

2. We Must Allow God to Open Our Eyes.

Acts 9:15-18 (NLT2)
¹⁵  But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.
¹⁶  And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
¹⁷  So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
¹⁸  Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 

--Until the scales fell off of Saul’s eyes (Paul) he could not see his need for Jesus and he definitely could not understand what God’s plan for his life was. 

--What was God’s plan…listen to it…my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. God’s plan was for him to be a missionary.

--I believe the same is true for us. Until the scales fall off our eyes, we will not know what God’s plan for us is. We, also, are to be missionaries and we are to send missionaries. 

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ Where there is no vision, the people perish:

Eph. 1:17-19 (Voice)                                                                                                                                           ⁷ God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory: I call out to You on behalf of Your people. Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You.                                                  ¹⁸ Open the eyes of their hearts, and let the light of Your truth flood in. Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance.               ¹⁹ Let them see the full extent of Your power that is at work in those of us who believe, and may it be done according to Your might and power.

3. Why We Should Be Kingdom Builders

--Why missions and why should we be Kingdom Builders? From A to Z:

--Why? In Africa we are Kingdom Builders with Impact Africa, in Zambia, Youth programs, and on the Ivory Coast we are ministering to Children.

--Why? In Belgium we have Kingdom Builders as campus pastors and we have Breaking Chains Network setting people free.

--Why? In Cambodia we have Kingdom Builders reaching the children and in Columbia they are reaching the Columbian National Police.

--Why? In the Dominican Republic we have Kingdom Builders who are church planters and in Eurasia we have Live Dead missionaries.

--Why? In France we have Kingdom Builders using the arts to reach the lost and in Guatemala we have church planters raising up new churches.

--Why? In Hungary and Indonesia, we have Kingdom Builders doing children’s ministries.

--Why? In Japan we have Kingdom Builders going to unreached people groups and in Koror, Palau children’s ministers are changing a culture.

--Why? In Lakeland we have Kingdom Builders using Oral Learners to reach the world and in Mexico we have church planters raising up new works.

--Why? In Nicaragua we have Kingdom Builders doing Kings Castle and in the Ozarks Teen Challenge is going strong. 

--Why? In Panama we have Kingdom Builders planting Churches and in Quito, Ecuador they are there touching the lives of children. 

--Why? In Romania we have Kingdom Builders using a Dream Center to transform lives and in Spain and Switzerland church planters.

--Why? In Thailand we have Kingdom Builders ministering to students and in the U.S. we have Kingdom Builders in High Schools, Universities, Inner Cities, Teen Challenges.

Why? In Vanuatu we have Kingdom Builders planting new churches and in Washington, DC we have urban ministries. 

--Why? In Fort Worth, TeXas we have Kingdom Builders making sure our missionaries are well cared for and in Yunnan evangelistic outreaches are happening.

--Why? In Zambia Kingdom Builders have a youth outreach program to save the kids!

--So why should we support missions and be Kingdom Builders? Jesus said “Go” and Paul said “Send”.

--So why should we support missions and be Kingdom Builders? Because Jesus has opened the eyes of our hearts to see that where there is no vision people perish. 

--So why should we support missions and be Kingdom Builders? Because we are building God’s Kingdom all over the world. I just gave 26 examples. We have almost 200 more.