A GLOBAL MISSION

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    The smallness of the local congregation.

1.      Christians are an extremely minute percentage of the population of the world.

2.      Most local congregations are not that large.  At one time, the average church of Christ was about 110 members.

3.      When we look at our budget, it, too, is small compared to other budgets found in the world.  The budgets of some corporations are in the millions and billions of dollars.

 

B.      Even though these things are true, the Lord calls upon us to have an impact, an impact on the world. 

 

C.     The truth is that ours is a Global Mission.

1.      Sometimes it is hard for churches to have a global vision because of their small numbers and small contributions.

2.      Fortunately, OceanSide has done well the past couple of years.  Even though our number is small, we have given in such a way that we have been above budget all year.

3.      If this continues, and, we are hopeful that it will, the elders want us to take hold of our global mission in 2022.

4.      NOTE:  This is a lot of the focus of our Catch-A-Vision Day set for next Saturday morning. 

 

D.    To inform us and encourage us as we begin to look to 2022, we want to look at the subject:  “A Global Mission” in this lesson.

 

I.                   THE MISSION

 

A.    The fact that God wanted to reach out to all the world was broadcast early on in the Bible.  When God gave Abram the seed promise, He affirmed that his seed would bless all families of the earth (Gen. 12:3).

 

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:  and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

 

1.      Notice the words “all families of the earth.”

2.      The blessing was never intended for the Jews only.  The blessing of Abraham’s seed was global in nature.

a.      The seed was Christ (Gal. 3:16)

b.      The blessing was also for the Gentile (Gal. 3:14).

 

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles though Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

B.      The prophecy of Isaiah concerning the church indicated the global impact of this institution (Isaiah 2:2).

 

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

 

1.      The mountain of the Lord’s house is the church (I Tim. 3:15).

2.      “…and all nations shall flow unto it.”

3.      NOTE:  We see this happening in Acts 2.  The church began with Jews who lived in at least fourteen nations that are listed in verses 9-11.

 

C.     Jesus’ commission to His apostles was clear about the global nature of the commission.

1.      Mark 16:15

 

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

 

2.      Acts 1:8

 

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

D.    Peter’s preaching on the day of Pentecost also confirmed the global impact of the promise to Abraham (Acts 2:39).

 

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

 

II.                THE MINDSET

 

A.    As Christians who have a global mission, we must develop a certain mindset in order to carry out the commission.

1.      That mindset needs to be:  “I will seek out and serve the needy to the best of my ability.

2.      “The needy” can be used in a general sense.  It can also be used in a specific spiritual sense.

 

B.      The needy in a broad sense involves anyone who stands in need of help.

1.      The sick, the poor, the orphan, the widow, etc.

2.      Jesus is our standard here (Acts 10:38).

 

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power:  who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

 

3.      We need to follow the example of Jesus and seek to alleviate the afflictions of the needy, if we possibly can (Gal. 6:10).

 

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

 

C.     There also needs to be a special focus upon those who are spiritually needy, that is, upon those who are lost in sin.

1.      Again, Jesus sets the standard for us (Luke 19:10).

 

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 

2.      We must follow in His footsteps and seek the lost as well.

a.      In Acts 16:9, Paul saw a vision in the night.

 

There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

b.      The response of Paul and his company (Acts 16:10).

 

And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called for us to preach the gospel unto them.

 

III.             THE METHODS

 

A.    One method that we use involves each person individually striving to accomplish the mission of assisting others.

1.      Visiting others

2.      Getting Bible studies

3.      Setting a Christian example before others

4.      We are reminded of individuals like Dorcas (Acts (Acts 9:36, 39), Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26), and Gaius (III John 5-6).  They each used their individual lives to reach out to assist others.

 

B.      Another method of meeting the needs of others is through the local congregation.

1.      The local church is not a fabrication that was formed in the mind of man.  It is a direct result of the plan of the Almighty God.  In other words, God devised, established, and organized the local church.

2.      He wants the local congregation to labor together to accomplish the mission He has in this world (Eph. 4:11-12).

 

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

 

3.      There are many works in which we are engaged as a congregation of the Lord’s people.

a.      We financially support the mailing of House to House.

b.      We put out another publication once a quarter that goes into all the houses around the church building entitled, “Life Matters.”

c.       We have a clothing closet that reaches out to those in our community once a month.

d.      We have done small evangelistic efforts such as handing out tracts and DVDs, as well as, the Penny Project.

e.       The Bus Stop Kids program is another outreach effort that we have.

f.        This church supports a prison ministry, 2 children’s homes, and a preacher training school. 

g.      We stream our sermons and our Bible classes on Facebook.  They are also downloaded on YouTube.

h.      Next year, we are going to offer a weekly Bible Study for non-Christians by means of Zoom on the computer.

 

C.     A third method we can use to help the needy is by joining with others in various works of the church.

1.      When the churches in Judea were suffering from a famine, other churches such as the church of Antioch sent relief to them (Acts 11:29).

 

Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea.

 

2.      Ways we can fellowship others in various works.

a.      Supporting missionaries in the States and abroad.

b.      Going on campaigns with people from other congregations.

c.       Sending relief when churches have experienced tragedy such as floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

 

D.    An Important Note:

1.      Over the last two years, this congregation has excelled in its giving.

2.      The elders have taken note of this and want to challenge us in 2022 to engage in some new works.

3.      Four works are going to be discussed this upcoming Saturday at our Catch-A-Vision Day.  Four speakers will be here to discuss four different works.

a.      Deland Guthrie will inform us about the Georgia Bible Camp.

b.      Billy Bland will tell us about the work of the Memphis School of Preaching.

c.       A preacher named George Mcnulty will discuss a mission work overseas in Ireland, his home,  in which he is about to engage.

d.      Lastly, Jack Farber will discuss the Latin American Missions, a work of the Forest Park church in Valdosta, GA. 

4.      We are exhorting you, begging you, to set aside 2-1/2 hours next Saturday to hear about these works.  There will be a Q&A session.  Too, we will have a BBQ meal provided afterwards.  It should be a rewarding day for us.

 

IV.             THE MOTIVES

 

A.    One of the reasons we do these things is to bring glory to our God.

1.      God is sovereign above all.

2.      He is worthy of honor and glory and power.

3.      When we do His work in the world, we bring reverence and veneration to His holy name.

4.      Psalm 72:19

 

And blessed be his glorious name for ever:  and let the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen, and Amen.

 

B.      A second motive we have is to reach out to as many lost individuals as we can.

1.      Sometimes we have it in our minds that we must save as many as possible.

2.      But, our mission is simply to sow the seed into the hearts of as many people as we possibly can. 

3.      We must trust God for the increase (I Cor. 3:6).

 

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God giveth the increase.

 

C.     A third motive that drives us is the salvation of our souls.

1.      Christianity is not solely about a profession of faith.

2.      It also involves the practice of faith (Jms. 2:14, 24).

 

What doth is profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?  can faith save him?...Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

 

3.      If we are going to be saved in the last day, we must make our faith perfect by engaging in an abundance of good works.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    The mission of the church is supposed to be global in nature.

 

B.      Sometimes, it is difficult for small churches to have a global outlook.

 

C.     When they can, they need to reach out to the world as far as they possibly can.

 

D.    OceanSide wants to do this in 2022 in as big a way as possible.  Let’s start preparing to Seek and Save the Needy in 2022.