Missions 101

TITLE: “The Object, Motivation, Product, Engine and Obstacle of Missions: Missiology 101”
THEME: Only a church with a proper understanding of the object, motivation, engine, product, and obstacle of missions can be a missions active church.
INTRODUCTION:

TAMING THE LION:
One of my favorite stories is about an old lion who went walking through the jungle one day and came up to a little rabbit, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And that little rabbit just trembled and said, “You are, O mighty lion.” The lion shook the dust off his mane, and he walked down and found a monkey, and he said, “Rrroar! Who is the king of the jungle?” And the little monkey said, “You are, O mighty lion! You are!” Then he walked up to a big bull elephant. He looked up at that elephant, and he said, “Rrrooar! Who is the king of the jungle?” That elephant looked down at the lion, wrapped his trunk around him a couple of times, slung him over his head, and threw him up against a tree. That lion hit the tree and slid down to the roots, looked up at the big bull elephant and said, “Well, just because you don’t know the answer, you don’t have to get sore about it.”

Let me ask you a question, Why are we so many churches struggling in the area of missions? We are struggling as a convention. Of all churches only about 5 percent will ever start a new church. Of all the members in these churches only a small percent ever commit in any meaningful way to the fulfilling of the commission. Of those who commit to get involved only a sprinkling of them ever go. Those who are excited by the Holy Spirit to get involved are thought to be overboard. Vance Havner said, “Christians today are so subnormal that should they become normal everyone would think of them as abnormal.”

TRANSITION:
How are we going to reach the world if we can’t reach our town? How can we begin a work in another state or country, when we a languishing here at home? The answer is, We cannot. The Word of God instructs how we ought think about missions so that we can live missions. Right thinking leads to right living!
　　
OUTLINE:
I. The Glory of God Is the Object of Missions
A. The words “missions” and “missionary” never appear in the Bible. Both words come from the Latin word mittere which means “to send.” Still, the idea of missions appears on every page of the Bible.
B. The object of missions is to bring glory to God. The two primary words for glory are qadosh and doxa. These terms carry the idea of presence. When the the Lord is experienced in a way that causes people to be aware of His presence this is the “glory of the Lord.”
1. The glory of God was Jesus’ chief concern.
John 12:27-28 (NKJV) 27“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
2. In turn,, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. John 16:14 “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”
C. Everything we do ought to be guided by the golden truth of the glory of God:
1. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Everything, including missions, is primarily and ultimately centered in bringing glory to God.
2. Phil. 2:10-11 states that the confession that Jesus is Lord is to the glory of God the Father. The passage reads, “10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
D. Missions is all about spreading the knowledge of the one true God. But we often misrepresent Him. Think of His creation: Traveling at the speed of light, 186,282 miles per second, we pass the moon in two seconds. 8 ½ minutes later we pass the sun. The earth is 93 millions miles away. 5 hours later we leave our solar system. Light travels 5.87 trillion miles a year. After 4 years we pass the nearest star, Alpha Centuri. For 100,000 years we travel across our galaxy, the Milky Way. We travel another 1,500,000 years before reaching the Great Nebula. At this point, speaking astronomically, we are just traveling across country. At 4,500,000,000 years we travel outside what scientist can see into the vast unknown. God created, ex nihilo (from nothing, all this. It was no strain or fuse. He spoke and there it was!
In our galaxy there are about 100 billion stars. Our galaxy is one of about 1,000,000 within optical range. Isaiah wrote, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number, he calleth then all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong; not one faileth (or is missing)” (40:25-26).
E. Habakkuk saw a time when the mission enterprise would cease, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”(2:14). The reason we continue to push forward is fact that the glory of the Lord does not yet penetrate every particle of His creation!

II Love For Jesus Christ is the Motivation for Missions
A. The only legitimate reason for going and making disciples is love for Jesus Christ:
1. John 13: 34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2. 2 Co. 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
B. Jesus Interview with Peter highlights this truth. The third time Jesus appears the disciple. Jesus has not said anything to Peter about his denial three times. After Jesus feeds the weary fishermen He turns to Peter and asks, “Do you love Me” (John 21: 15-17) Three times Jesus asks. Three times Peter tries to answer. Jesus knew that Peter loved Him. He simple wanted Peter to say it.
1. You can plant a church and not love Jesus. You can give to a missions offering and not love Jesus. You can witness and not love Jesus. You can be a preach a message and not love Jesus. You can go on a mission trip and not love Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want to know if we preached for Him today, taught for Him today, sang for Him today, or witnessed for Him today. Jesus is asking “Do you love Me today?”
　
III Kingdom Growth Is the Product of Missions
A. The advance of the kingdom is part and parcel of the mission.
1. Jesus prayed “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is the purest and most sublime of mission prayers.
2. During Jesus earthly ministry it was all about the Kingdom of God. Matthew 12:28 reads, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Mt. 12:28 Jesus is speaking of the power of the kingdom that drives out the powers of darkness. This world is Satan’s abode. He hates the worship of God and desires the glory for himself. Missions goes into the lions den and by the power of God drives Satan out!
3. Luke 17:20-21 (KJV) “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” During Jesus ministry the foreshadowing of the kingdom was present in a special way. Now the kingdom of God is the rule and reign of god in human hearts. It is hidden and grows quietly. Mark 10:15 (KJV) “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” John 3:3 reads, “3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. David Brainerd, missionary to the Indians in New Jersey in the 1740s, died at age 29. In 1747, seven days before his death, he wrote, “Friday, October 2. My soul this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I long to be with Him that I might behold His glory . . . Oh that His kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify Him for what He is in Himself. . . .Oh, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.” Brainerd was possessed by a passion for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God.
5. But at the consummation of the mission enterprise the physical kingdom will be established! We’ll work until Jesus comes and rest afterwards. Why? When Jesus appears the glory of God will be universally acknowledged and the Kingdom will be universally visible.

IV Worship is the Engine of Missions
A. John Piper writes, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is ultimate, because God is ultimate, not man.” I agree. Worship and service are eternal. These two graces will be the chief occupations of heaven. Missions is temporary and will cease when the glory of God covers every part of the world! Worship fuels missions. Worship is more than the position of the body or your location. Worship has everything to do with the condition of you heart. The heart of worship is worship from the heart. Worship may be described as: Kissing toward God; Reverencing God; Extolling the greatness of God; Praising God for His Son; And rejoicing in God’s salvation. This becomes the substance of our message to the nations. Only a worshiping people can truly be a missionary people. We need to understand what we are doing in worship.
B. Worship moves the hand of God. Psalm 67:1-2, the first two verses of the great mission Psalm, reminds us of the importance of worship. Though the word “worship” does not appear in the text, obviously God only blesses those who worship.
1. God blesses those who worship: Abraham and Isaac worshiped of Mt. Moriah and Abraham received Isaac back from the dead in a figure. Three Hebrew children worshiped and God gave them asbestos pajamas. Daniel worshiped and God shut the Lion’s mouth (they lost their appetite for preacher!). Paul and Silas worshiped and God shook the prison and then world. John worshiped and received the Revelation on the isle of Patmos. When we worship we are blessed that we might be a blessing TO ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD(Ps 67:3-6).
2. The world needs the healing touch of God’s grace. We are the salt of the earth. “We need to get the salt out of the shaker.” We are the peace makers. We are the ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. When we are not present then chaos, confusion, hurt and hatred will win the day.
V The Obstacle of Missions Is Disobedience
A. Andrew Murray put his finger on the problem in his day and ours when he wrote, “As we seek to find out why, with such millions of Christians, the real army of God the real army of God that is fighting the hosts of darkness is so small, the only answer is – lack of heart. The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing. And that is because there is not enthusiasm for the King. . . . If there is no desire for soul-winning at home, how can the interest in the distant unevangelized be truly deep or spiritual?”
1. I want to build on this thought. If we don’t have a desire for the glory of God, why go some where else to help others seek it? If we don’t have a longing for true worship, why go some where else to help others worship? Why go around the world to see others fall in love with Jesus when our own love is cool? If we do not have a desire for the King or His kingdom, why go across geographical and social boundaries to cause others to bow before Him? Well, the answer is that we will not go to see in others what is not first of all in ourselves. We will not give to support nor pray for the unfinished task until our lives are consumed by the passion and life of Christ!

CONCLUSION:
God is not short handed. Yet he is always, in ever generation placing his hands on those who will respond to His call to join him in the task of filling the world with His worship and glory. Will you join Him? Will you say yes to the Lord? The needs are great, the laborers few, the time limited, but by God’s grace and power we will do all we can while can for as many as we can.

One of my favorite stories comes from the life of John C. Paton. An older Christian complained about his going as a missionary to the South Sea Islands by saying, “You’ll be eaten by cannibals.”

Paton responded, “Mr. Dickson you’ll soon be laid in the grave and be eaten by worms. If I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference whether I’m eaten by Cannibals or worms; In the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen redeemer.” As I think about Patton’s answer, I pray, Lord, increase his tribe!