Outwards - Mission

0:00 Good morning. We're plugging back into our core values series this morning. I'm going to spend some time thinking through what we mean by mission and missionary work and what our role might be in understanding, supporting and engaging with God's great mission. There's a note page in the booklet, if that's helpful for you, and you'll see from it that I've titled this morning, we are not all Paul, which both gives you an indication of the direction of travel, but also perhaps allows us to take a collective sigh of relief as we begin to think through what it means to be a missionary and to engage with mission. But before we start, I want to acknowledge that there's a trap that we could fall into this morning. There's a temptation here that we need to recognize and avoid. I have a hybrid car. A hybrid car can run on the battery alone or on the engine alone, but for the hybrid drive to be working at its most effective, to produce maximum power, both the engine and the battery must be working together in unison.

1:13 I don't know about you, but for me, there can be an inclination on mornings like this to take a spiritual hybrid drive approach to what we hear and see. There is a temptation to engage our brain, but not necessarily engage our hearts. There's a risk that we reduce mornings like this to a transaction of information and not a transformation of our souls. So I want us to be alert to that risk and keep both sides of our spiritual hybrid drive engaged and working together. intellect and heart, spirit and truth. So keep that in mind as we ask three questions that will help us explore this core value. The first question is this, what is a missionary? To answer that, we're going to look at Acts chapter 13, verses one to three.

2:08 This is the account of the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey. I want to say upfront that the term missionary as we know it isn't explicitly stated in the Bible. So it's important for us to exercise a bit of caution as we aim to answer this question. If you look at how other churches and organizations define a missionary, you'll very quickly realize that there isn't a universally accepted definition. With that in mind, the account from Acts 13 is helpful for us in providing some principles as we consider what is a missionary. Now, in the church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manion, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

3:14 so how does this help answer our question what is a missionary well the first thing that i want us to take from this is that a missionary is uniquely called we see that the holy spirit didn't just come to the church and do a spiritual equivalent of eeny meeny miny mo with those who were there god didn't say set aside two people any two of these will do the call was unique to paul and Barnabas. And note that the Holy Spirit speaks of that call in the past tense. Set apart Saul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them. The Holy Spirit had called Paul and Barnabas before this point in their journey. In fact, in Paul's case, it was long before this point in his journey. Immediately after his conversion outside Damascus, Ananias was told by God to go to Saul. And God told Ananias, this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles. Even back then, God had uniquely called Paul to this work of carrying the name of Jesus to those who did not know.

4:24 For Paul, the unique call to go and the actual moment of going had different time frames. This sending out occurs about 10 years after Paul's conversion. That's years of praying into it, Considering, reflecting, years of learning, reading the scripture, being taught, testing the call, years of preparation, obedience for the time where God would direct the church to send him out. A missionary is uniquely called. The second thing that I want us to draw out from this passage is that a missionary is called to specific work. God calls missionaries to specific areas of work. You see, it's really easy to mistakenly fall into the notion that missionaries are just evangelists overseas. But that's a massive oversimplification for how God is advancing his kingdom.

5:27 Well, how do we know that? Well, for Paul, he was called to go and preach the gospel to Gentiles. Paul tells us more about his calling in his letter to the church in Rome. In chapter 15, Paul says this. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. And in verse 23, he says, but now there is no more place for me to work in these regions. From what he tells the believers in Rome in this section of the letter, Paul's missionary calling was to proclaim the gospel where Christ was not known.

6:12 And you're saying, well, Jeff, that sounds a lot like evangelism overseas. But Paul makes a remarkable statement here, namely that from Jerusalem to Illyricum, he had fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. In case we're in any doubt, he goes on to say that he has no longer any room to work in these regions. That is an astonishing statement. For those of you who don't know, Illyricum was a province on the Adriatic Sea opposite Italy. So you've got Jerusalem coming through Judea, Syria, across Turkey, through Greece, into Albania and into Montenegro. In over 1,000 miles of coastline, Paul had completed his missionary journey, his missionary calling. There was no more room for him to work.

7:01 Well, I think it's reasonable to say that there were thousands of people yet to hear and respond to the gospel in those regions. We know this because Paul writes to Timothy at Ephesus in this very region and commands him to do the work of an evangelist, 2 Timothy 4.5. In other words, there are people that need to hear and respond to the gospel, and yet Paul says his work is done in that region. We take that to mean that Paul's calling is not one of a pure evangelist. He's a frontier missionary, a pioneer missionary. That is, his calling and his ambition is not to do evangelism where the church has been planted. The church can do that. Paul's calling and his ambition is to preach the gospel where there is no church, where there are no Christians, where the name of Jesus hasn't even been heard.

7:59 Paul's calling was to reach people who were beyond the reach of the church. We need people like Paul. Pioneer missionaries who set their hearts on reaching unreached people. So, does that type of pioneer mission define the work of a missionary? Well, no, it doesn't. We just have to look at Paul's friend, Timothy. his missionary calling was different he was called to support and build up the fledgling church in Ephesus he left his home in Lystra and went to Ephesus called by God but for different work in proclaiming the gospel and advancing the kingdom of God for Stuart and Anna Claire it's using engineering or medical expertise to proclaim the gospel and advance the kingdom for Mark and Nubian family it's planting a church for claire it's running a school for gisley and nora it's counseling and training for charlie and tanya it's running a ministry center for david and pam it's engaging with student evangelism all uniquely called by god to specific work

9:10 to tell the gospel and advance the kingdom the third thing that i think we need to understand from this passage is that missionaries are sent by the church while they were worshiping the lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. I want us to notice the description of the church at the point where the Holy Spirit spoke to them and prompted them to send Paul and Barnabas out. The church were worshiping and fasting. They weren't just sitting around doing nothing. They were waiting on God, expecting for him to move. Just like our preparing the ground talk in September, they were likely asking, where do we go from here as a church? What are the next steps for your gospel?

10:06 They were fasting to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit. They were hungry enough for God's leading that they wanted to reflect the hunger of their hearts with the hunger of their bodies. What is your direction, God? What is your will for the mission of this church? And into this context, God spoke. The Holy Spirit not only called Paul and Barnabas, but he also spoke to the church. There was a dual process here of call and affirmation of that call. The church recognized the call and sent out Paul and Barnabas to cross culture, to advance the kingdom beyond the natural reach and boundaries and influence of the church that they were connected with.

10:54 Missionary activity is not done in isolation from the church. The church was integral in God's plan to send Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles. Missionary activity was a core value of the first century church and it's a core value for us. It's not an add-on or a top-up. A missionary is uniquely called to specific work and sent out by the church. Moving on to our second question to help us walk through our understanding of mission and missionary activity. Are we all missionaries? Well, there's no doubt that some in the Christian world would make that claim.

11:35 Whether it's different denominations or groups, there are people out there who would say we are all missionaries. But by what the Bible says and the principles that we have drawn from it, it's clear to me that we are not all missionaries. We are not all uniquely called to go, to be sent out by the church, to advance the kingdom beyond our locality. Paul is clear in his letters to the churches that they were not all to pack up and ship out. He wrote to churches encouraging them to support those who are sent. But nowhere, nowhere does he ask the whole church to do likewise. So the call to be a missionary is not a universal call. We are not all called in that way.

12:24 But some of us are. Perhaps there are one or two of you here whose hearts have been burdened by an unreached people group or the call of God to go, to advance his kingdom beyond this locality. You're fired by the good news of Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, by God's grace to sinners, by his call to the lost sheep. Your heart burns with the gospel that you've heard and you've heard the call to go. You've had a man from Macedonia moment where you've heard the cry, come over here, help. And that passion for the gospel and that call to advance the kingdom beyond our locality have fused together in your soul so much so that you're sitting there and you're restless. You know, like Anna Clare said earlier, you can't stay. You have to go.

13:23 If that's you this morning, I encourage you to seek the confirmation and support of the church. Connect with the missions team. There's contact details in the booklet. As a first step this morning, come and chat afterwards or come and pray with your brothers and sisters in Christ up at the front here. Recognize God's call. Explore it. Test it with the church. Act upon it.

13:50 And I don't make that call lightly because, and here's the bit that makes me hesitate. The reality of mission work is that God has not and will not complete his work of mission in this world without asking some to give up their life for the glory of the gospel of God. The advancement of the gospel can come at enormous price to those called to go. So I don't stand here glibly and ask you to consider the calling of God to global mission without having that weighing in my mind. But I do know this, when we get to heaven and we ask those who have gone before us, those who have given their lives for the gospel, was it worth it? Every single one of them will stand before the throne and they will say, yes, it was. I can guarantee it. Not all of us are called to be missionaries, but some are.

14:45 So if we're not all missionaries, here's our final question. And it's a question for the rest of us. what is our role in God's mission? If we're not missionaries, what do we do? How do we think through this morning? How do we ensure that both parts of our spiritual hybrid drive are engaged in this? When it comes to global mission, we have a responsibility to be senders, not just leaving that to the elders or to the ministry team, the missions team, but to be supporting and praying and fasting and seeking God's will for what he is doing and who he has called and who he is calling for his work in global mission. John picks up this point in his third letter to the churches.

15:29 Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. Who was it that said when it comes to world mission there are three types of Christian, zealous goers, zealous senders, and the disobedient. We need to be zealous senders folks, engaging our hearts and minds as we walk alongside and support and pray for those who are uniquely called. There are details of how we can support our missionary families in the booklet, perhaps the practicalities of that are something that you can talk about over lunch. For those of us who are not called to be missionaries, being zealous senders is perhaps how we can think about world mission. But does that mean that we are excused or disconnected from mission ourselves?

16:28 Because we are not missionaries, have we somehow missed out on God's purposes in advancing his kingdom? Well, the obvious answer to that is no. But what then is our role? Let's turn to Matthew chapter 28 and Acts chapter 1. Matthew 28, the Great Commission. Then Jesus came to them and said, 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 very end of the age.

17:08 In Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Clare read it earlier, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Jesus tells us in the Great Commission that in Matthew to go and make disciples of all nations. In addition, he tells us in Acts 1-8 to be his witnesses. Our role in God's mission locally is to make disciples and be witnesses. That is our mission as we co-mission with Jesus. Make disciples, be witnesses. As we have covered in the 1 Corinthians series, we all have a role to play in being part of the body, In building the church, making disciples, equipping each other to advance the kingdom of God in the everyday, teaching and supporting each other as we seek to understand our gifts and how they can be used to support the church. Practicing those gifts by investing in our young people through children's and youth ministry, serving in tech teams, leading worship, setting out chairs, doing administration, Engaging in home groups, praying, mentoring, encouraging, walking alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ, helping each other to bridge the gap between belief and behavior, making disciples.

18:41 And we're also called to be witnesses. Well, witnesses to what? Witnesses to the good news of Jesus, giving an answer for the hope that we have. This is what Jesus has done for me. let me tell you about it. The church is to be a witness locally and globally, here and there. Global mission, local mission, short-term mission, everyday mission. God's kingdom is as much about Gleandormley as it is about Ghana, as much about Ballyclare as it is about Brazil.

19:16 The work of mission played out in kitchens and classrooms, operating theaters and offices, Telling people about God's glory in schools and workplaces, farmyards and factories. Speaking truth in neighborhoods and homes. Advancing God's kingdom by being ambassadors for Christ. Representing his message. Living aligned to kingdom values. Speaking truth. Sharing hope. And doing it in the everyday, in the ordinary.

19:49 That's our role in God's great mission. making disciples being witnesses. I want to leave you with an encounter I had a few months back. One evening an unknown number rang my phone. I don't normally answer unknown numbers, don't know about you, but I did that night. It was from a man I worked with fleetingly over a couple of summers in my university days. I had a job at a quarry operating machinery and this guy was the foreman. He was quite the character.

20:21 Everyone called him Mad Dog, which maybe gives you an indication of what he was like. But he had been searching for my phone number for a while because he wanted to call and tell me that he had became a Christian a few years ago. But it was a journey that started for him over 20 years ago when he saw something different in me and how I talked and behaved. And I don't tell you that to say something about me because the truth is I don't recall a single thing about anything I said or did. I tell you that to encourage you to keep going, to remind you that most of the time, as Anna Clare said, you don't know the impact of your witness. I didn't. Very often we don't know what God is doing with our life and witness in the mission space, as we get on with the everyday normal things, as you're obedient to God, as you live your life with integrity, as you follow Jesus quietly without fuss, as you have conversations with friends or colleagues, as you give the reason for the hope that you have, as you walk alongside people in the everyday, advancing the kingdom, as you co-mission with Christ. Folks, we are not all called to be missionaries, but some of us are.

21:39 We are, however, all called to co-mission with Christ, to make disciples, to be witnesses as we seek to advance his kingdom. Be zealous goers, be zealous senders, make disciples, be witnesses. Let's pray. Father, as we think through our place in your plan for local and global mission, help us to see your purposes for our lives. Give us clarity on how we contribute to your great mission of telling the good news, advancing your kingdom in our neighborhoods or our nation or beyond these shores. Guide us as we partake in mission with you to make disciples, to be witnesses and to bring glory to your kingdom and the great name of Jesus. Amen.