The High Privilege of Mobilizing for Missions

Hebrews 10:24:And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works

The joy of introducing friends to my Lord Jesus! What can compare?

Well, perhaps this - introducing a friend to the joy of missions and seeing God at work in their growing commitment to follow his calling.

David Livingstone’s proclamation rings true: "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?”　 Our missionary labor is not duty or sacrifice so much as it is God’s gift to us – an invitation into joy.

　

I marvel that God has saved me. Furthermore, He has called me into service and into a hard place among the unreached. His kindness to me overflows. To have the further privilege of introducing others to the joy of missionary service takes my breath away.

　

To not only be caught by the grace of Christ, but also to become a fisher of men is great - but to further become a fisher of fishers of men is an astonishing blessing. Ralph Winter put it well, “If you see a roaring fire, you can grab your bucket, run to the stream, then run to the fire and pour water on it—and you can do that repeatedly. Or you could wake 100 sleeping firemen.

Believers in community bless one another by provoking one another to love and good works by arousing, stirring up, and calling one another to action. Deep Christian fellowship fuses hearts together with a contagious holy ardor that desires to see Christ magnified and which longs for others to desire this as well. One coal alone easily cools; but coals lumped together burn all the hotter. Let us ignite one another to glow brighter and burn hotter for Jesus!

　

Believers are not only blessed to exercise “love and good deeds,” but are further gifted with the privilege of stimulating others to good works. God grants us the gift of not only serving Him but also being fuel and catalysts to help others achieve high and holy ambitions as well.

　

This is multiplication! As we stir up others who in turn do the same, including the invitation and challenge to join us in missionary service, we become multiplicational mobilizers as well as multiplicational church-planters. As we pray for church planting movements to occur among people-groups around the world, we can also work to initiate mobilization movements among our own circles of support as we each fish from the ponds which God has providentially provided for us.

　

Intentionality is commanded. The word “consider” demonstrates thoughtful planning in our quest. We are to conspire and plot to bless others lavishly! We bless others by seeking their good, recruiting them into greater levels of service. We love them by helping them reach their full potential. We have but one arrow of life to shoot, let us charge our friends to aim well! As such, mobilization is an act of love.

　

We pray for what we value. My personal prayer is this: “Lord, every year may you grant me the ongoing privilege of serving on the field. Please also give me the privilege of significantly helping at least one other single person or family move towards the field.”

　

If God has saved a dear soul and is now calling them into missionary service . . . Oh Lord, what a blessed gift to be able to aid them towards the field of their calling! Give us the privilege of helping other brothers and sisters move forward.

Why Christians should do more than others?

EIGHT REASONS WHY A CHRISTIAN SHOULD DO MORE THAN OTHERS:



1. Because more is done FOR him than for others.
2. Because he is more nearly RELATED to God than others.
3. Because he PROFESSES more than others.
4. Because he is inwardly CONFORMED to the Redeemer more than others.
5. Because he is WATCHED more than others.
6. Because if he DOES no more than others - it will appear that he IS no more than others.
7. Because he is appointed to be a JUDGE of others.
8. Because he EXPECTS more than others.

As the disciples of Christ are more than others - so the disciples of Christ do more than others.

Where there is an overabundance of privilege - there should be an overabundance of practice.


To whom much is given - of them much shall be required.

Those should bless most - who are the most blessed.



---From William Secker's Nonsuch Professor

Carrying the Grand Banner of Christ, not just your own little denominational flag

(thanks C. Poe for alerting me to this fine Spurgeon quote)

Here's the nutshell if you've no time to read the full quotation:

‎"We do not regard it to be soul-winning to steal members out of churches already established, and train them to utter our peculiar Shibboleth: we aim rather at bringing souls to Christ.....

..... Our first care must be that the sheep should be gathered to the great Shepherd; there will be time enough afterwards to secure them for our various folds. To make proselytes, is a suitable labour for Pharisees: to beget men unto God, is the honourable aim of ministers of Christ."

WHAT IS IT TO WIN A SOUL?

This may be instructively answered by describing what it is not.

We do not regard it to be soul-winning to steal members out of churches already established, and train them to utter our peculiar Shibboleth: we aim rather at bringing souls to Christ than at making converts to our synagogue.

There are sheep-stealers abroad, concerning whom I will say nothing except that they are not “brethren”, or, at least, they do not act in a brotherly fashion. To their own Master they must stand or fall. We count it utter meanness to build up our own house with the ruins of our neighbours’ mansions; we infinitely prefer to quarry for ourselves. I hope we all sympathize in the largehearted spirit of Dr. Chalmers, who, when it was said that such and such an effort would not be beneficial to the special interests of the Free Church of Scotland, although it might promote the general religion of the land, said, “What is the Free Church compared with the Christian good of the people of Scotland?” What, indeed, is any church, or what are all the churches put together, as mere organizations, if they stand in conflict with the moral and spiritual advantage of the nation, or if they impede the kingdom of Christ? 
 
It is because God blesses men through the churches that we desire to see them prosper, and not merely for the sake of the churches themselves. There is such a thing as selfishness in our eagerness for the aggrandisement of our own party; and from this evil spirit may grace deliver us! The increase of the kingdom is more to be desired than the growth of a clan.

We would do a great deal to make a Paedobaptist brother into a Baptist, for we value our Lord’s ordinances; we would labour earnestly to raise a believer in salvation by free-will into a believer in salvation by grace, for we long to see all religious teaching built upon the solid rock of truth, and not upon the sand of imagination; but, at the same time, our grand object is not the revision of opinions, but the regeneration of natures.

We would bring men to Christ and not to our own peculiar views of Christianity. Our first care must be that the sheep should be gathered to the great Shepherd; there will be time enough afterwards to secure them for our various folds. To make proselytes, is a suitable labour for Pharisees: to beget men unto God, is the honourable aim of ministers of Christ.

C.H. Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, p. 11-12, Pilgrim Publications, 2007.

Are we asking?

Regarding new missionaries...perhaps we have not because we ask not.

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The Lord himself commands us to pray the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers, and it appears that God will be pleased to answer prayers that are commanded such as this – if His People actually do pray for such things.

Our Father does, indeed, seem pleased to answer the prayers of his people (Matthew 7:7-11;18:19; 21:22; Luke 11:9; John 14:13; 15:7,16; 16:23-24; Philippians 4:6; Philippians 4:19; James 1:5; 4:2;1 John 3:22;5:14), how much more ready will He be to answer prayers resulting from an explicit request of His Son.

Not merely running; being sent

They were commissioned: 

As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

We witness here a commissioning service in Acts 13, a laying on of hands. This wasn’t ordination, but a formal recognition and separation for a special task.

The Apostle Paul was already a missionary, but now the Antioch church gives him formal recognition and authority unto this new task. Acts 13 wasn‘t Paul‘s ordination service, but a formal declaration that he was to be sent forth with a mission. Such an act confirms the local church‘s commendation of the missionary. It is their seal of approval, a transfer of authority, granting the missionary the right to act in the name of the church for the sake of the Glory of Jesus.

When a church lays on hands this is a testimony that they recognize the fittedness and the preparedness of the missionary to serve in that cross-cultural capacity for which they were commissioned.

It is an affirmation of suitability and, therefore, not a light or casual event. As eager as local churches are to send one of their own to the field, such a serious step should give pause to churches lest they risk turning their ugly ducklings into swans and confirm one who should not be sent. Many commissioning services include a charge both to the missionary and also to the sending church body, reminding them of their mutual obligations.

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Such a laying on of hands is an evidence that the missionary is not merely one who runs forward on his own, but is one who is sent.  He is not laying hands on himself, but the larger body of Christ is testifying that the missionary is truly, indeed, a “sent-out one.”

The Apostle Paul returned to Antioch

Paul went back to his home church and stayed there for a while:

  In Acts 14:26-28 we read the following;

…And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.

Paul returned home to Antioch and resumed a close relationship with his home church, cheering their hearts and encouraging them by reports of the work. His ministry did not cease once he arrived back home. The missionary ought not to seek merely to bless his target people “over there.” He should seek to bless the “home folks” as well.

Some literature speaks of Paul returning to Antioch in order to “report back” to his authority, but I think this misses the point. Paul wasn’t merely dutifully reporting to his boss; instead, he was celebrating with family! He rejoiced with the church, stayed with them for quite some time, resumed his old teaching and leadership duties, and even engaged in deep theological controversy with the Judaizers in the very next chapter.

Paul wanted to celebrate with his Antiochan family because the missionary task is not a “one man show.” This was their mutual work.

Missions is a state of total war; not all go far away to fight, but all labor on behalf of the war effort.

 What a pleasure when beautiful feet which bring glad tidings of good things have their origin in your local churches and are shod by the loving care of your own people!

The local church - hot-house and nursery for the task of planting in the world

 Small tender plants are often raised in a greenhouse, and small trees are often matured first in a nursery. There, tender shoots are strengthened and readied for the world.

The church functions in just such a way.

Believers are matured and readied for service out in the world. Greenhouse buds are not prepped merely for more long-term residence living in the greenhouse; likewise, our goal in church attendance is not merely to attend more church, but to become well-nourished and prepared as one of God’s roses to make the world more beautiful and sweet.

Whether standing tall or crushed underfoot we are to sweeten the world.