Matthew 28:18-20 – Missions

 

The first time I gave a lesson that caused a lot of trouble was in Landmark Baptist Church of O’Fallon, Missouri.  I used this text and taught that God did not necessarily want our money; he wanted us.  He wanted us to talk to people everywhere we go, not just send our money overseas.  Churches in the USA are drying up (Foreign churches do not sent missionaries to all the world, - they stay in their on locality.)

 

Josh Rogers preached on missions: 

  1. Missions in Romans.
  2. Missions equal Jesus.
  3. Prayer – the engine of missions.
  4. Motivation for missions.
  5. The means of missions.

His preaching was not what I expected, but it was indeed the truth. 

 

I do not like it when a missionary comes and tells us what the country produces (sheep, coal, so forth), population of cities, shows pictures of people working, so forth, shows the various kinds of food people eat, and the general economy.  I want him to tell how God has dealt with him about going to that particular place and people. 

Things I do not like about the modern missions movement:

  1. Missionary financial reports.  No church expects their pastor to give account of his money like they expect the missionary to give.
  2. Missionaries who state they want $50,000.00 for projects back on their field, then $4,000.00 a month for themselves.
  3. Missionaries who understate their salary on their financial reports only to include expenses that would normally be taken out of their salary.
  4. Churches that go overboard to help missionaries but do nothing to take care of their pastor or the mission field in their own backyard.
  5. Missionaries who go only to the churches where they can get money.

 

Missions must be personal, not collective.  Individual church members must see lost people going to hell without Christ, and personally go to them, not wait on some missionary or pastor to come along and speak to them about Christ.

 

Paul:  Not a shallow “Come to church services”, but a dedicated instruction of the gospel.

Acts 17:1-3 – reasoned – opening/alleging.

Acts 18:4,5 – reasoned, persuaded, testified.

Acts 18:11 – teaching

Acts 18:19 – Reasoned.

Acts 18:23 – Strengthening

Acts 18:26 – Expounded to Apollos.

Acts 19:26 – persuaded