Sermon Illustrations on Missions — page 3

Diplomat, A, And Missions

Missionary work requires long, patient toil and mastery of language for effective ministry.

Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, at one time ambassador of Great Britain to the United States, gave the following advice to missionaries before the Fifth International Convention of the Student Volunteer Movement, held at Nashville, in 1906:

I beg you to consider earnestly before you go whether you are really fitted for the task before you. Do not be misled by love of excitement or adventure, or by the glamour of the East. It has a wonderful glamour, and any man of thought and feeling who has been out there will “hear the East a-calling” for many a year. But a great part of a missionary’s work, as indeed a great part of the work of every profession, is hard drudgery. To master an Oriental language, as you must master it if you are to be of any use, is itself a labor of years. Judson used often to sit and study his Burmese for twelve hours out of the twenty-four, and, as I have said, it took him twenty-seven years to complete his translation of the Bible. That is the kind of toil you must be ready to face. I once saw a missionary attempt to convert an Afghan. His manner of doing so was to walk up to the Afghan on the road and say in very bad Persian, which was not really the Afghan’s language, “Christ is the Son of God.” He repeated the remark twice, receiving each time a monosyllabic answer, and then he sheered off, having apparently no more Persian at his command. This is the sort of thing which causes the enemy to blaspheme. And remember Judson’s warning. Do not be tempted to spiritual pride. Do not stand aloof and condemn the diplomatist, or the administrator, or the soldier, because their lives and their views are not what yours are. They, too, know some things--some things which you can not know--and they, too, are trying to do their duty. Above all, never look down on the soldier. He may be rough and reckless at times, but he is always ready to lay down his life for his country, and all good missionaries should honor the soldier’s uniform.

Functions And Gifts In The East

Understanding cultural etiquette is crucial when ministering and giving gifts in non-Christian contexts.

The function in the non-Christian world must be regarded, because there etiquette and propriety are on dress parade. Presents are another difficulty. Be sure to look into this matter, and do not think that you are doing all that is required when you send a present. You have to be very particular about the number of presents, about the manner in which they are wrapt, about their proper delivering, etc. Receiving gifts is quite as serious a problem to the person who desires to rank as polite, as is the making of presents.--H. P. BEACH, “Student Volunteer Movement,” 1906.

God In Missions

Missionary success depends on God's power, not human effort or expectation.

The captain of the _Trident_, the ship on which Morrison, the missionary, sailed, and who knew something of the impenetrable conservatism of the Chinese, said: “And so, Mr. Morrison, you really expect that you will make an impression upon the idolatry of the great Chinese Empire?” “No, sir,” returned Mr. Morrison, severely, “I expect God will.”

Gospel, Sending The

A poem illustrates sending the Bible as the greatest gift to mission fields worldwide.

M. B. Banks writes a missionary lesson after the style of “Mother Goose”:

Little Jack Horner Sat in a corner Eating a very queer pie; He saw in a trice It held everything nice From the lands where the mission fields lie.

From Ceylon came the spice, And from China the rice, And bananas from African highlands; There were nutmegs and cloves Sent from Borneo’s groves, And yams from the South Sea Islands.

There were nuts from Brazil All the corners to fill, And sugar and sago from Siam; And from Turkey a fig That was really so big, Jack’s mouth thought, “It’s larger than I am.”

There were pomegranates fair Grown in Persia’s soft air, And tortillas from Mexico found there; And there did appear Grapes and grains from Korea, And all of the things that abound there.

A Syrian date Did not turn up too late; He need not for tea to Japan go; Tamerinds were not few, There were oranges too, And from India many a mango.

“Now,” thought little Jack, “What shall I send back To these lands for their presents to me? The Bible, indeed, Is what they all need So that shall go over the sea.”

Knowledge, Comparative

Exposure to greater spiritual realities makes lesser worldly things seem insignificant.

A missionary’s son, born on the field, was making his first visit to his parents’ home in a small Ohio town. One day a neighbor burst into the yard with the great news. “The circus is coming!”

“What’s a circus?” innocently inquired the young Korea-American.

“A circus! Don’t you know what a circus is? Haven’t you ever seen a circus?” And scorn passing words filled the Ohio lad’s voice, as he eyed in boundless contempt this queer visitor.

The boy from Korea was stung to the quick, and he retorted: “Well, what of that? Did you ever see the Pacific Ocean? Were you ever on a warship? Did you ever see Hongkong? Did you ever see the diving boys at Colombo? Were you ever in India? Did you ever see the pyramids? What do you know about London?”

Vengeance was complete. The devotee of the circus was silenced. Before these bigger wonders his traveling tent show grew very small indeed. Similarly, the man who follows the trail of the missionary may lose his intimate contact with some of the inconsequentialities of the day’s newspaper, but he will have big and abiding compensations.--WILLIAM T. ELLIS, “Men and Missions.”

Latent Possibilities

Philippine converts sing praises even in jail, showing faithfulness amid persecution.

See POSSIBILITIES, LATENT.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE GOSPEL

There are inhabitants of three hundred towns in the Philippine Islands to-day who are stretching out their hands to America for Christian missionaries, and there is not a single person to go. Do they need us? I reply by telling you an incident. I sent a man named Nicholas Zamora, one of our preachers, out about four or five miles from the city. The man has a good voice; it is like a bell, and you can hear it four or five blocks. They were singing for about ten minutes, when a policeman came along and rushed the whole company off to jail. We have a saying in the Philippines that our converts do not have any backbone until they have been in jail about three times. They did not have any regular jail, using instead the lower floor in the policeman’s house. When they arrived there, Nicholas said: “Well, we are here; I guess we might as well do something”; and they began to sing the first verse of “Nearer, my God, to Thee.” The policeman came down-stairs and said that singing must cease, and went back up-stairs. Nicholas said, “I guess we might as well have the second verse,” and they began to sing it. The policeman came down again in high dudgeon and berated them most vigorously; and having cooled off, he went up-stairs again. Nicholas said, “We will now have the third verse.” The policeman came down again as they were starting in strongly on the third verse. This was too much for the policeman, who said in anger: “Get out of here, and go right back to America. I don’t propose to have any psalm-singing Methodists in my jail.”--J. L. MCLAUGHLIN, “Student Volunteer Movement,” 1906.

Missionary Adaptation

A missionary preached boldly in a bar, adapting to difficult mission conditions.

In 1881 James Robertson left the pastorate to accept the newly created post of superintendent of home missions for Manitoba and the Northwest. He set off at once on his first missionary tour, driving two thousand miles, at first through heat and dust and rain and then through frosts and blizzards. He preached where he could, and was not to be discouraged by any situation. Once, coming to a settlement late on a Saturday evening, where the largest building was the hotel and the largest room the bar, he inquired of the hotel man:

“Is there any place where I can hold a service to-morrow?” “Service?” “Yes, a preaching service.” “Preaching? Oh, yes, I’ll get you one,” he replied with genial heartiness. Next day Mr. Robertson came into the bar, which was crowded with men. “Well, have you found a room for my service?” he inquired of his genial host. “Here you are, boss, right here. Get in behind that bar and here’s your crowd. Give it to ’em. God knows they need it.”

Mr. Robertson caught the wink intended for the boys only. Behind the bar were bottles and kegs and other implements of the trade; before it men standing up for their drinks, chaffing, laughing, swearing. The atmosphere could hardly be called congenial, but the missionary was “on to his job,” as the boys afterward admiringly said. He gave out a hymn. Some of the men took off their hats and joined in the singing, one or two whistling the accompaniment. As he was getting into his sermon one of the men, evidently the smart one of the company, broke in:

“Say, boss,” he drawled, “I like yer nerve, but I don’t believe yer talk.” “All right,” replied Mr. Robertson, “give me a chance. When I get through you can ask any questions you like. If I can I will answer them; if I can’t I’ll do my best.”

The reply appealed to the sense of fair play in the crowd. They speedily shut up their companion and told the missionary to “fire ahead,” which he did, and to such good purpose that when he had finished there was no one ready to gibe or question. After the service was closed, however, one of them observed earnestly: “I believe every word you said, sir. I haven’t heard anything like that since I was a kid, from my Sunday-school teacher. I guess I gave her a pretty hard time. But look here, can’t you send us a missionary for ourselves? We’ll chip in, won’t we, boys?”--ROBERT E. SPEER, “Servants of the King.”

Missionary Literature

A pastor uses missionary literature and prayer to mobilize his church for missions.

There came into our office the other day a man who had only recently closed a very successful missionary pastorate of several years to become the minister of a large church which was not so strongly missionary. He ignored that fact, however, and began to employ his former methods, which included the observance of the monthly concert of prayer for missions. He made out his program, based on the missionary magazine of his denomination, and as he met one after another of those whom he had assigned to help him, he gave them their parts. One of the prominent members of the church he called to his study and said to him, “I want you to read such and such an article in your magazine and give us the gist of it at the next missionary meeting.” “My magazine,” replied the man. “I haven’t--I don’t take any magazine with that article in it.” “What, don’t you take the missionary magazine? Just look at it,” said he, laying it out before him. “Oh, is that it? Never saw it before. How much is it? Thirty-five cents? I guess if you are going to have this concert business every month, I might as well subscribe for it and have my own copy. Looks pretty good, too, doesn’t it? Didn’t know missions could be drest up so well. Cover looks like one of our regular magazines.” This pastor knows how to do it. Other wise pastors will mention the best missionary books; they will see that their people know of the latest missionary literature.--F. P. HAGGARD, “Student Volunteer Movement,” 1906.

Missionary Results

Missionaries transformed a degraded tribe, impressing even skeptic Charles Darwin.

Charles Darwin, the scientist, described the Terra Del Fuegans as the most degraded specimens of humanity he had ever seen. He considered them beyond the reach of civilization. The missionaries carried the gospel to them, and Darwin, seeing the change wrought, said with great frankness and willing publicity, “Truly the missionary’s message is a magician’s wand.”

Missions Approved

Giving to foreign missions yields abundant spiritual and practical blessings at home.

Jacob A. Riis says that he once “growled against foreign missions, like many others who know no better.” He writes that now he has learned that “for every dollar you give away to convert the heathen abroad, God gives you ten dollars’ worth of purpose to deal with your heathen at home.”

Missions As Social Safeguards

Christian missions help maintain social order and prevent unrest in troubled communities.

The influence of a Christian mission in safeguarding a community is set forth in the following:

“During the great dock strike September, 1889, which shook London to its center, the strikers--gaunt, grim and desperate--were marching _en masse_ past the mission premises, when a socialistic leader, who stood watching, turned to Mr. George Holland (a notable promoter of London missionary work), and said, ‘Do you know what keeps these men from sacking London?’ ‘What do you mean?’ was the reply. ‘Only this, it is the influence of such missions of mercy as yours.’ All thoughtful, observant men know that this witness is true.”

Religious Infractions Of Propriety

Respecting others' sacred beliefs is essential for effective and compassionate missionary work.

There are religious infractions of propriety, and they are serious. The Chinese word for propriety is an ideograph made up of two parts; one means to proclaim, or to reveal; the other means a sacrificial vessel. That is, propriety in the group of countries dominated by Chinese etiquette is a matter of religion and so is not to be lightly regarded. But what does one witness at the temples? Not infrequently one sees a missionary stalk boldly into a temple. He may not take off his shoes in Japan before walking over the polished temple floors. Very possibly he walks up to the idol and familiarly pats him with his ever-present cane. It is to the believer in those faiths like taking hold of the Ark of the Covenant in ancient Jewish times. We should remember that ridiculing the beliefs of people is poor missionary policy. They are usually the best that that country, or people, know. Let us not profane those things which are held most sacred. We may argue against them and reason about the unwisdom of holding them, but let us never laugh at the religious views and practises of the non-Christian world.--H. P. BEACH, “Student Volunteer Movement,” 1906.

Standards

Christian missionaries' faithful work brings great spiritual harvest and global unity.

See EXCELLENCE IS COMPARATIVE.

LACK OF.

STATESMAN ON MISSIONS

In visiting India, Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks, former vice-president of the United States, took pains to aline himself with the Christian missionary movement in that country. In a public address he said: “I believe the greatest influence to-day--I speak from the standpoint of a layman but with measured utterance--is the Christian religion. The largest progress made in America has been under the influence of men who have been profound believers in the Bible and its thoughts. And what I say of America may also be said of other Christian nations; the experience of one is the experience of another. I wish to express my profound admiration--it goes beyond mere respect--for the workers in the great missionary field. I have seen many a work; I have seen the rich, abundant harvest they have gathered and are gathering. They are evangels of a new order of things. They are doing much to knit the peoples together, and have earned their right to the gratitude of mankind for their noble self-sacrifice.”

Evangelical Dictator

Comment on Rios Montt, an Evangelical general who came to power in 1982: "Such [local defense] patrols proliferated during the presidency of Efrain Rios Montt, a general with a reputation for rectitude and personal honesty who came to power in the darkest days of 1982; I talked with many Guatemalans who credit him with turning the tide against the insurgents and steering the country toward eventual democratic rule."

In 1982 right wing death squads and leftist terrorists fought heavily even in the capital. Montt began a policy of "bullets and beans" to subdue the Communists. It seems to be working. Army has fought strongly against the guerillas and local villages are getting government support. One leader, devoted to Christ, made a big difference.

[Some groups accuse Montt, who has long been a pastor in the "Church of the Word" in Guatemala, of serious human rights abuses while in power.]

#164

*

Should Christians Grow Cocaine?

Many Christian farmers in Bolivia are tempted to grow coca leaves because it is highly profitable. Pentecostals will not allow it to be grown. The Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) tried to pass a resolution forbidding it, but it was defeated. Some Baptist congregations in the Chapare growing district have voted to dismiss pastors who preach against coca growing.

Observers blame such attitudes on concerted public relations campaigns of drug dealers who are described as "fabulously rich."

#350

*

One of Atlanta's Bravest

Luke 10:25

Louise Adamson works in the slums of Atlanta to bring the gospel to poor

people. When the white congregations died out or moved on, she stayed. She

is eccentric but dedicated.

#1047

*

Four Effects of Prayer In Missions

Prayer is important in missions. Four effects of prayers are given. David Howard was a missionary in Columbia while his brother Phil served among Slavey Indians in Canada. Columbia flourished while Phil went 14 years without a convert. The Indians in Columbia prayed for Phil and his work, and that night he felt a release from discouragement. Shortly after, Slavey Indians began accepting the Lord.

Wimber On "Conversion"

Acts 8:5

Wimber borrows from McGavran on "group conversions." McGavran did not like the "gathered church" concept and saw it as a major defect in modern missions. He focused on "peoples" rather than individuals. This approach was used in the Middle Ages. Four (3?) features:

1. Gathered church ideal, is a reaction to inclusivist state church

practices. (Wrong - reaction to RCC, and goes back to NT.)

2. Group conversions are preferable to individual conversions. Discipling

whole peoples does not involve leading each church member to a

documentable conversion experience. (Very bad doctrine.)

3. The techniques of the Jesuits or Crusaders are most effective.

4. Evangelicals have an "ice-age" view of missions.

Conversion according to McGavran/Wimber:

"All the missionary should require for discipling a people was that they collectively agree to abandon their old religion, to identify with Christ, and to claim the Bible as their authority and the church as their institution."

This view encounters the "Simon Magus" problem. Would he be a Christian by these standards?

[#598 /titles /illust]

Son of A Savage

Acts 1

The first missionary to reach Vella Lavella in the early days of missions was R.C. Nicholson from Australia. He wrote "The Son of a Savage" about the first native convert. The island was brutal (details given). The first white people were slave traders. One boy named Bula grew up in a violent family; Nicholson helped Bula when he had inflamed eyes and Bula was saved around the age of 12. He changed his name to Daniel, became a preacher, and died at the age of 28.

"Your Place In the Harvest"

Mark 4:26

Author sent his son on a short-term mission tour of Africa. What God wants us to do so we will be useable for missions:

1. Open our eyes.

2. Open our heart.

3. Offering our life. (and lives of your family)

There are 66,000 unbelievers for every career missionary.

#621

*

Burma's "Money Tree"

General Khun Sa operates in eastern Burma and runs empire on profits from

drug trade. The people are Shans. Collected $200 million in "taxes" on opium

in 1988, will get more in 1989. He wants to be independent from Rangoon.

#868

*

A Flying Miracle

Missionary Chester "Scotty" Scott built a runway and hanger in Zaire though he had no airplanes. Some mocked him, but he finished it. His first plane was from missionaries fleeing danger. Every plane they have gotten has been free.

You Can't Make God Your Partner!

U.S. Plastics Corp. outside Lima, Ohio, has this large sign: "Christ Is The Answer." Owned by R. Stanley Tam. Tam wanted to make God a co-partner, lawyers said it couldn't be done, but he did. Large percentage of profits goes to missions. He wrote a book about it.

Is God a partner in our affairs?

#889

*

Native Amerians: the Forgotten Unreached Peoples In Our Midst

Acts 3:25

Issue devoted to mission efforts to reach Native Americans. Several

articles deal with the sordid history of whites'dealings with Indians, and how

their culture has faired. Interviews with Indians and missionaries.

#2992

*

Wycliffe: A Mission In Search of a Future

The history and an analysis of Wycliffe Translators, with a special emphasis

on their relationship with foreign governments.

#979

*

Congo Martyrs

Mark 10:30

Missionary Paul Carlson was killed in 1964 when he returned to his hospital in the Belgian Congo after taking his family to safety. Rebels captured 250 and shot at them when government troops attempted a rescue; 30 were killed, including Carlson. TIME magazine put him on its cover on December 4, 1964.

Hostage!

Luke 12:4

Medical missionary Bruce Olson was captured by Columbian communists in October 1988. He endured pain by concentrating on the Spirit and doing God's will in his current situation. He was tortured but able to influence the guerrillas by teaching and healing them. He was able to lead some of them to the Lord. While very ill a bird sang outside, reminding him of how the Motilone Indians sang the Scriptures. When they could not break him they apologized and released him. [1102]

Version in sermon:

Medical missionary Bruce Olson was captured by Columbian communists in October 1988. He was beaten and kept bound most of the time. The soldiers were waiting for a ransom, but the mission wouldn't pay. Olson endured pain by concentrating on the spirit and doing God's will in his current situation. He was tortured but able to influence the guerrillas by teaching and healing them.

After a while they even let him conduct worship services. They couldn't understand how he could pay back evil with good. Olson was able to lead some of them to the Lord. While very ill a bird sang outside, reminding him of how the Motilone Indians sang the Scriptures. When the soldiers could not break him they apologized and released him.

[see also HolwickID #27962]

Why I Believe In Heaven

Luke 12:20

Over 1300 years ago in the portion of pagan England called Northumbria, the first Christian missionaries arrived. They came to the courts of King Edwin of Northumbria, and in his great hall ablaze with the light of many torches these Christian missionaries gave their first sermon on the Christian faith.

When they had finished, one old chieftain asked -

"Can this new religion tell us anything of what happens after death?

The soul of man is like a sparrow flying through this lighted hall.

It enters at one door from the darkness outside, flits through the

light and warmth, and passes out into the dark again.

Can your new religion solve for us the mystery?"

Dying For Jesus

Mark 10:30

The current status of persecution against Christians, which is high. David Barrett estimates 300,000 Christians are being killed every year.

Reasons to keep the suffering in view:

1. Martyrs remind us of God's triumphal power.

2. Support the persecuted with prayer.

[see also #219]

=======================

MARTYRS FOR THE FAITH

• Since the death of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, 43 million Christians have become martyrs

• Over 50% of these were in the last century alone

• More than 200 million Christians face persecution each day, 60% of whom are children

• Every day over 300 people are killed for their faith in Jesus Christ.

________

World Evangelical Encyclopedia; contributed by Micah Fries to www.sermoncentral.com, July 5, 2004.

[see also #25164 for more insight on the number of martyrs]

The Newspaper Editor's Promise

Acts 16:30

Mr. Theh ("tay") Chongkhadikij was a founder and editor of the main English newspaper in Thailand, the Bangkok Post. His youngest daughter, Anchalee, is known as the Queen of Rock in Thailand. She had a close friend become a Christian, went to Dick Worley, read Psalm 139 and accepted Christ. The others in the family had Bible studies with him and also accepted Christ. When Worley talked with Theh, a strong Buddhist, Theh accepted the gospel with child-like faith. Later at a church service he raised his hand at the invitation. A few weeks later at a Luis Palau rally his daughter gave her testimony and Theh himself came forward. He did not do it so much to accept Christ (he had already done that) but to bear witness to his faith in front of others. On July 1, 1990, Worley baptized 36 people at the Maitrichit Church, and Theh and his wife were the first two. Theh wrote a book on his experiences in Thailand and included his testimony at the end.

From Foot To Faith

Luke 14:13

Mission message from Rev. Shawyer, Board of International Missions of American Baptist Churches, serving in Mexico:

A peasant named Hueleo in Elsareo, Mexico, had a serious foot injury and was taken to the hospital. The doctors told him that it looked bad and they would give it a few days but expected to have to amputate it. This would mean he would have no way to farm, and thus no way to support his family except by begging. He became very despondent.

His father-in-law gave him a Bible to read for encouragement. They were Catholic but there was no priest in their small town. Hueleo read the Bible and was moved by the miracles and teachings of Jesus. He prayed to Jesus for salvation and in a few days was able to walk out of the hospital. He visited a local Baptist church (in the hospital town?) and made a public profession of faith and was baptized. His whole family soon came to know the Lord and their neighbors made threats against him. They persevered and in the next decade more than 70 converts from their witness gathered into a congregation.

A Thrown-out Magazine Changed His Life

Job 10:12

Late one evening a professor sat at his desk working on the next day's lectures. He shuffled through the papers and mail placed there by his housekeeper. He began to throw them in the wastebasket when one magazine -- not even addressed to him but delivered to his office by mistake -- caught his attention. It fell open to an article titled "The Needs of the Congo Mission."

The professor began reading it idly, but then he was consumed by these words: "The need is great here. We have no one to work in the northern province of Gabon in the central Congo. And it is my prayer as I write this article that God will lay His hand on one -- one on whom already, the Master's eyes have been cast that he or she shall be called to this place to help us."

The professor closed the magazine and wrote in his diary: "My search is over." He gave himself to go to the Congo. The professor's name was Albert Schweitzer.

That little article, hidden in a periodical intended for someone else, was placed by accident in Schweitzer's mailbox. By chance his housekeeper put the magazine on the professor's desk. By chance he noticed the title, which seemed to leap out at him.

Dr. Schweitzer became one of the great figures in this century in a humanitarian work nearly unmatched in human history. Chance? No. Providence.

[1695]

*

A Harvest of Abundant Life

Missionary "Dick" in Thailand has been successful in getting the Hmong,

Karen and other tribes in northern Thailand to switch from growing opium to

grow cash vegetables. Vegetables yield more and can provide two crops a year,

or $5,000 which is a lot of money to these people. As a result of Dick's

persistence, opium cultivation has been virtually eliminated in some 48

villages and a new economy has emerged in northern Thailand.

Jesus told a parable about planting seeds. In the hills of Thailand, that

parable has taken on new meaning. Turning the land into 'good soil' by

producing substitute crops has brought forth a harvest of 'abundant life' -

because one zealous missionary continues to care enough to make a difference.

#1799

*

What In the World Is God Doing

* "A global glimpse of God's Harvest today" * "Ignorance about our mission

to the world is one thing; fiddling while Rome burns is quite another."

A. The Harvest Force

1. Two-thirds world missions

2. Short-term missions

3. Non-traditional missionaries

4. New training models

5. Functional unity

6. Technology

7. It's a mobile mission field

8. It's a world of cities

9. We're clarifying the task

B. Your World View

1. Some of us are waiting nervously for Heaven

2. Some of us are confused

3. Some of us are trying to live Sunday school as usual lives

C. The Church with no Vision

#3860

*

Not Your Typical Missionary

YOUR PROFESSION MAY ALLOW YOU TO INFLUENCE LIVES IN A COUNTRY CLOSED TO

TRADITIONAL EVANGELISM.

A. Overseas at last.

B. Shoulder-to-shoulder Evangelism.

C. The challenges of Nontraditional Missions.

D. Opportunities for Nontraditional Missions.

E. Fulfilling God's Purposes.

F. Exploring Nontraditional Missions.

#3862

*

Rethinking the Missionary Call

Acts 1:8

Don't wait for special revelation to get involved in missions! God can call people in dramatic ways, but nowhere in the Bible do we find that a dramatic "call" into ministry is a doctrine or a requirement to move out in ministry. Most uses of the word "call" in the New Testament refer to our calling to become believers.

It is important to do missions whether you sense a specific call or not, since the four individuals in Acts who are said to be called were already on the field ministering when God gave them a clearer sense of direction. The late Keith Green said, "The call is already there; the problem is that our phones have been off the hook." We should make an uncomfortable assumption: "Where I am right now is not where God will have me the rest of my life."

1. What about all those missionaries in Acts?

2. The called few.

3. A mandate for missions.

4. Finding your fit.

5. The danger of default.

The Tour Operator's Sermon

Mark 1

Cecil Carder is a retired missionary of the American Baptist Convention. In 1983 he went on a tour of China and saw many indications that the Church is alive and strong. [This was back when many feared Communism had annihilated the Church.] In many towns the old church buildings had reopened. The police even returned the Bibles they had confiscated years ago. Many of the churches are having three or more services on Sunday. But not everything is rosy. Cecil met one pastor who was discouraged because his Wednesday prayer meeting had dropped to 450 people. But there are many positive signs of revival.

One positive sign to Cecil was the tour director on their bus. He wanted to preach a sermon to the Americans. They wouldn't let him because they thought it might be a trap. One night Cecil was walking back to his hotel when he sensed he was being followed. He got to his room and left the door cracked. Soon the tour director knocked on it and entered. He wanted a Bible. Cecil hesitated, because he knew it could be a trap, and he could be kicked out as a spy. But the young man insisted on a Bible. Cecil told him he only had one English Bible left and he couldn't give it up. But the young man wouldn't leave. He said he knew English well, which was true. Finally Cecil gave in and let him have the Bible.

The next day on the bus the tour director again asked if he could preach a sermon. He began to speak from a psalm, about how God protects those who trust in him. By the end of the sermon, all the retired missionaries and pastors on the bus were crying. Cecil said it was one of the best sermons he had ever heard.

The Spirit of God cannot be shackled. He is alive and well in China.

'Simple Faith' Transformed His Life Into 'A Miracle'

Conrad Manalansan still remembers the first time his mother met Southern Baptist missionary Jack Branan. Conrad was 7 years old. Life could not have been worse. His father had broken off contact with his mother. As a “second wife,” she was left with nothing. She moved her son, his sister and herself to a cheap, one-room basement apartment. His sister got out: she eloped.

Conrad and his mother tried to make ends meet by selling tomatoes or garlic or whatever they could get from a wagon outside the market. In a short time they were two months behind on their rent, their rice was gone and they were about to be forced onto the street.

“It's all right. God will provide,” the young boy told his mother, repeating the lesson he had heard from Rosanne Branan, Jack's wife, the times he wandered into her Sunday school room. The suggestion enraged her. “There is no God,” she screamed. “For others there may be God, but there is no God for us.” A few minutes later Branan, from Culloden, Ga., knocked on the door. He had visited Conrad before, but each time the boy's mother had hidden. This time she faced him. He explained quietly, “God has been speaking to me and told me to give you this.” He handed her a 100 peso bill.

That was 25 years ago. Life did get better, but by no means did it ever get easy. Every day they struggled to pay for food and rent. One low point came after they had been living with his uncle; he kicked them out because they wouldn't attend services of a Christian sect he became involved with. Conrad continued to help his mother as well as complete high school. Through it all he kept what he refers to today as his “simple faith,” trusting that God would provide. Each time, he says, God came through.

Today he's among the “heroes of the faith” in the Philippines, according to Branan, a career church planter in Manila. Their families remained close as Conrad and one of Branan's sons grew up as friends. His mother eventually got a job as a Tagalog-language teacher and began attending a small Baptist church. When that job ended, she became a day care director as well as a key leader in the congregation. In 1979 that church started a mission. Manalansan and his mother found themselves leading weekly prayer meetings.

The mission enjoyed a series of strong pastors. When the last left and the church was having difficulty attracting a replacement, Manalansan was confronted with a decision. By that time he had been graduated with honors from high school and was well into college. He knew the Bible. He felt prepared to assume the pastoral role. His mother encouraged him to do so. But he kept backing off. A lifetime in the midst of poverty made him yearn for something different. “I was reluctant to be a pastor. I wanted to serve the Lord, but I wanted to make money. Pastors here don't make a lot of money,” he says.

Reluctantly he agreed to lead the church on a temporary, volunteer basis. His stint went on for two years. Meanwhile he finished school and was working as a public school teacher, a job he found satisfying except for the low pay. He considered giving up preaching to make some extra money, but he had discovered “God gave him blessings” through his work with the church. “Personally I entered a covenant with God,” he explains. “I told God that if he gave me a job sufficient for my everyday needs, I would continue to serve him without salary.”

On his 22nd birthday in 1987 he resigned his teaching post, sifted through the help wanted section of the Sunday newspaper and applied for a sales job with an international pharmaceutical company. The advertisement attracted 800 applicants. Many had medical experience. Most had sales experience. Manalansan had neither, but after eight interviews and two tests, he was one of the men offered the relatively high-paying position. “That was when God lifted me up,” he says. “I knew I didn't get the job on my own, but through prayers.”

Manalansan has enjoyed his success. For the first time in his life he has insurance to take care of himself and his mother, now 72, who continues to live with him. They both live in a house he bought next door to the one his uncle kicked him out of years before. He has a car. But despite the pressures of maintaining his business, he has kept his word. Every week he leads the service at Lord Side Baptist Church. Looking back over the 30 years of his life thus far he's still somewhat incredulous. “My whole life is a miracle,” he says. “After all, most of the kids I was selling tomatoes with are still selling tomatoes. The Lord has been good.”

RNbp5526mrwB5526e5530

Version for sermons:

Conrad Manalansan lived in the Philippines. He was 7 years old. And very poor. His father had broken off contact with his mother. As a “second wife,” she was left with nothing. She moved her son, his sister and herself to a cheap, one-room basement apartment. His sister got out: she eloped.

Conrad and his mother tried to make ends meet by selling tomatoes or garlic or whatever they could get from a wagon outside the market. In a short time they were two months behind on their rent, their rice was gone and they were about to be forced onto the street.

“It's all right. God will provide,” the young boy told his mother. Conrad was repeating the lesson he had heard from Baptist missionaries in a Sunday School class. The suggestion enraged his mother. “There is no God,” she screamed. “For others there may be God, but there is no God for us.”

A few minutes later the Baptist missionary knocked on their door. He had visited Conrad before, but each time the boy's mother had hidden. This time she faced him. He explained quietly, “God has been speaking to me and told me to give you this.” He handed her a 100 peso bill.

That was 25 years ago. Both Conrad and his mother became Christians. Their life never got easy, but it did get better. Through it all Conrad kept what he refers to today as his “simple faith,” trusting that God would provide. Each time, he says, God came through.

Today he is a “hero of the faith” is his local church, and his mother leads a prayer meeting.

How To Be A Missionary Without Packing a Barrel

* YOU CAN FULFILL THE GREAT COMMISSION WITHOUT "GOING INTO ALL THE WORLD" *

CARE PACKAGES INCLUDE THINGS LIKE FLAVORED GELATIN AND OTHER MIXES, MAGAZINES,

NEWS CLIPPINGS, AND CLOTHING.

a. Evangelize your corner of the globe.

b. Match your gifts and abilities with local needs.

c. Recognize the foreign missions opportunity at your doorstep.

d. Reach out to neighborhood children.

e. Support missions and ministries at home and abroad.

f. Pray.

g. Give money.

h. Adopt a missionary.

i. Open your home.

j. "Go ye" on vacation.

#3877

*

"I Would Go, But..."

Acts 13:1

I WOULD GO, BUT...

IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU'RE QUALIFIED FOR CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY, READ ON!

a. "I haven't gone to Bible school."

b. "I don't feel "called" to missions."

c. "I've never been out of the United States."

d. "I couldn't live in a mud hut."

e. "I'm not good with languages."

f. "I can't leave my job."

g. "I don't have the gift of evangelism."

h. "I don't have anything to offer."

i. "I'm too old/too young."

j. "Are missionaries really needed?"

k. What about you?

#3882

*

I Expect God Will

Robert Morrison (1782-1834), "Failed" first Protestant missionary to China.

As he sailed into the port of Canton in 1807, 25-year-old Robert Morrison was filled with a driving passion to see the Chinese people come to know Christ. By the time he died in China 27 years later, however, he had baptized only ten Chinese. But if Morrison died discouraged, his pioneering work, which included a six-volume Chinese dictionary and a translation of the Bible, opened the door for other missionaries and thus for the millions of conversions he had only dreamed of.

Morrison was raised in a stern Scotch-Presbyterian home where reading missionary stories in a church magazine whetted his interest in foreign missions. His mother, however, made him promise not to go abroad while she was alive. Only after his mother died, during Morrison's early twenties, did he take up ministerial training in London. After two years of study, he was accepted into the London Missionary Society. While waiting to find a male colleague to go with him to China, he studied language for one year with a Chinese scholar living in England. When no partner was forthcoming, Morrison left for China alone. He was forced to go via the United States, since the East India Company, which owned most of the English ships going to China, refused him passage.

Morrison's lifelong relationship with the East India Company was one of mutual need and mutual distrust. The company guarded its commercial interests in China by strictly refusing to let Westerners such as Morrison evangelize. They feared missionaries would offend their Chinese trade partners. But after Morrison's arrival in China, company officials learned of his language skills and hired him as a translator. They gave Morrison a salary but also attempted to restrict his missions activities. In 1815, for example, the company threatened to deport him when it learned that Morrison had completed, in secret, a translation of the New Testament.

In 1809 Morrison married Mary Morton. After six years and two children, a seriously ill Mary returned to England with their children. It was six years before they returned to Canton to see their father and husband. When Mary died, Morrison sent the children back to England, and three years later traveled there himself for his first and only furlough. When he returned to Canton, he brought with him the children and a new wife, Elizabeth, with whom he had four more children and a happy marriage.

In 1834, two months after pioneer missionary William Carey's death in India, Morrison died. When as a young man Morrison had first sailed to China, he was asked, "Do you really expect to make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese empire?" In reply, Morrison spoke more prophetically than he knew: "No, sir, but I expect God will."

==========================

Version in sermon 4/23/06:

Robert Morrison was born in 1782 to a stern Presbyterian family. As a young man he read missionary stories in a church magazine and it whetted his interest in foreign missions. But his mother was appalled and said it would be over her dead body. A few years later she died, and in his early twenties Morrison began his training to be a missionary.

Morrison was accepted into the London Missionary Society. While he waited to find a male colleague to go with him to China, he studied the Chinese language for one year. When no partner was forthcoming, Morrison left for China alone. He was forced to go through the United States, since the East India Company wouldn't let him take a British ship to China.

The East India Company didn't like missionaries because they thought Christians would upset the Chinese. Nothing would be allowed to get in the way of profits. But they found that Morrison was so good with the language they hired him as a translator. Even so, they forbid him to do Christian work. For example, in 1815 the company threatened to fire him when it learned that he had secretly translated the New Testament.

Robert Morrison worked in China for 27 years. His first wife died. He sent his children to England and saw them once after that. By the time he died, he had baptized 10 Chinese. Only 10.

That's not a lot of fruit. To be honest, many would see him as a total failure. But if Morrison died discouraged, his work of translating the Bible and making dictionaries laid a foundation for others. Christians in China now number in the tens of millions.

When as a young man Morrison had first sailed to China, he was asked, “Do you really expect to make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese empire?” In reply, Morrison spoke more prophetically than he knew: “No, sir, but I expect God will.”

#4010

*

Gritty Pioneers: Six Missionaries Whose Tenacity Changed Missions

Acts 1:8

Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936), greatest evangelist to China.

Jonathan Goforth lay bleeding after having been hacked in the back, neck, and head with a sword. He thought surely he would be the next of the dozens of China missionaries to be killed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. But miraculously he survived, and with his wife, Rosalind, fled south to safety - to continue a missionary life that would earn him one historian's accolade as "China's most outstanding evangelist."

His strategy (which Rosalind at first objected to for the sake of their children's health), was to spend one month evangelizing in one region or city, leaving behind a native evangelist to nurture the new believers. Once or twice a year, they returned to these sites to encourage the fledgling congregations.

Jonathan was known for his ceaseless energy. Often he preached eight hours a day, on several occasions to crowds of 25,000 people. The Goforths' itinerant work took them for a time to Manchuria and Korea, but their most lasting impact was in China, where more than 13,000 Chinese became Christians between 1908 and 1913.

In 1918 he led a Pentecostal-type revival attended by a number of Chinese soldiers, including the Christian General Feng Yu-hsiang. After two weeks of preaching, a Communion service was held for nearly 5,000 officers and soldiers.

The Goforths endured their share of controversy and heartache. During the 1920s, when the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy reached a crescendo, Goforth battled younger Presbyterian missionaries whom he said preached a watered-down gospel. They also buried five of their eleven children on Chinese soil.

The Goforths finally retired to Canada in 1934 after 74-year-old Jonathan had already lost his eyesight. Less than two years later, Jonathan died.

Growing Confidence Spurs Latin American Outreach

Pastors, evangelists, and scholars gathered recently in Panama City for Latin America 2000, where delegates from two dozen countries brainstormed fresh ways to evangelize Central and South America’s 450 million people.

A NEW IDENTITY: Latin American Protestantism, which has an estimated 51 million adherents and has been widely hailed as a twentieth-century success story for evangelicals, is developing greater independence and a new resourcefulness.

Ruben Proietti, executive secretary of CONELA, says the next generation has been “born not through the preaching of missionaries but through another Latino.” He believes this trend has led to greater self-confidence among church leaders.

Along with their enhanced confidence, Latin American evangelicals are taking a sober look at future challenges. “Amidst the growth there is much weakness in doctrine,” Proietti says. But he is encouraged that the number of, and enrollment in, seminaries is growing. “Ministers need more education,” González says. “Today it is not sufficient to say, ‘I have a call from God to be a pastor.’ The new generation is university-educated, informed, and cosmopolitan. They don’t want an ignorant pastor.”

EXPANDING POWER: In many Latin American countries, the dramatic growth in the number of evangelicals has led to a greater respect from society at large.

[used 3/23/97] In Colombia, for example, evangelical believers have increased from 27,000 in 1967 to more than 3 million today, according to Hector Pardo, president of CONELA. When Colombian lawmakers created a new constitution, he says, the evangelical influence resulted in greater freedom of religion.

But there are dangers in this newfound strength among evangelicals, according to Luis Bush, director of AD2000. He believes there is a high risk of triumphalism. “The call to the church is to serve the society, not merely in proclamation, but servanthood.”

“We are not talking about triumphalism, but real transformation,” Proietti says. “When salt penetrates, you see changes. When a man stops drinking, stops doing drugs, begins to respect his wife, begins to carry out social responsibilities like paying taxes, this transforms the nation.”

MISSION ADVANCEMENT: One indicator of a church’s level of development is whether it is a receiver or a sender of missionaries. Patricio Paredes, a missions executive, says Latin America has crossed the threshold and today is “a sender of missionaries.”

“Latin America 2000 is clear proof that God has people in Latin America who both want to, and can, pay for the work of missions,” says Rudy Giren, president of COMIBAM (Congreso Misionero Iberoamericano). Also, all delegates and speakers were required for the first time to pay their own way to attend the conference.

David Oltrogge, director of recruiting for Wycliffe Bible Translators in Latin America, has noticed positive changes in attitudes toward missions. “For the first time, I’m hearing that efforts to share Christ have to be done in a culturally relevant way, specifically with respect to the Amerindian groups.”

“There are hundreds of municipalities in Mexico with zero percent evangelicals,” Alvarez says. “Christians were made for battle. If they don’t fight the enemy, they will fight each other. Our goal is to point Christians to the true battle.”

________

Amazon Grace

Acts 28:3

SNAKE STORIES.

Before SIL leaves the jungle, it wants to make sure it has not missed any hidden groups. SIL’s director of jungle programs, David Archibald, who joined our discussion, noted, “We have isolated nine groups that have not had any contact with civilization, to the best of our knowledge. We’re trying to establish peaceful contact with one of these groups.”

Amazon church leaders and missionaries knew about “power encounters” and satanic opposition long before the subject came into vogue in the States. “One thing we’ve noticed here,” Archibald continued, “is that when translations go into final revision, the translators often get sick. Cancer seems to be fairly common. Chronic fatigue syndrome was very prevalent here with linguists going into the final translation revision stage.”

In addition, most native groups have deep roots in spiritism and animism. According to Roger, one of the great temptations for Shipibo believers is going back to the curanderos, or spiritual healers.

Archibald introduced missionary linguist Wes Thiesen, a veteran of 44 years among the Bora people. With a self-conscious chuckle, Thiesen told us his “snake story” from his second year among the Boras. Some children ran excitedly to his house one day, crying, “Do you want to see a big snake?” The young missionary grabbed his camera and followed the boys for nearly an hour down the trail until they encountered a 20-foot-long anaconda sunning itself.

This is a real trophy, Thiesen thought, envisioning the snakeskin on his wall. He asked to borrow a boy’s shotgun, but the boy refused. Thiesen noticed that no one seemed too anxious to shoot the serpent. Finally, one boy offered to get his dad’s old shotgun.

Thiesen shot and then skinned the snake. When the linguist got home, the chief paid him a visit: “What kind of a crazy man are you -- killing that snake?” the Bora chief demanded. The spirit of the snake would surely attack and kill him, he said. Village kids came every day to check Thiesen’s health. Two weeks later he developed a painful case of pleurisy.

“I didn’t know what caused it, but they knew exactly. As I lay in my hammock each night, they would come over and check on me, and I would teach them from the Bible. I had enough Bora vocabulary to tell them Jesus would take care of me and that I would be OK.”

When Thiesen recovered, the Boras were amazed. “We feel this was one of the reasons the first Boras came to the Lord,” he said. “They thought if Jesus could protect me from the spirit of the boa, Christianity was something worthwhile.”

The Christmas Peace Child - of Irian Jaya

Don Richardson, a missionary to the Sawi people of Irian Jaya, sought a culture-appropriate way to tell the Sawi people the story of Jesus. (In his book, PEACE CHILD.) Richardson learned that all demonstrations of kindness among the Sawi were regarded with suspicion--with one notable exception. If a father gave his own son to an enemy, his deed of ultimate sacrifice was deemed proof that he could be trusted completely. Furthermore, anyone who ever touched that child was thereafter held to be at peace with his father. With this knowledge, Richardson and his group proceeded to explain the gospel against that background.

~~~~~~~~~~ expanded article from The Evangelist ~~~~~~~~~~ [see also 12619]

Don and Carol Richardson worked as missionaries among the Sawi people of Indonesia. When they went to these isolated, head-hunting cannibals in the early 1960s, they struggled to learn enough of their language to share the gospel. Finally Don climbed the ladder into a Sawi man-house and, surrounded by the skulls of cannibalized victims, began trying to teach in the terms and categories familiar to him. Richardson told about Abraham and God’s selection of the Jews. He explained about the Messiah and the Lamb of God. The Sawi were bored and unresponsive.

Although fascinated by the foreigners, the Sawi continued to fight each other. Tribal factions battled within sight of the Richardsons’ jungle home. Fear and frustration led the missionaries to make a decision to leave. When tribal leaders learned of their plan, they said, “If you will stay, we promise to make peace in the morning.”

Don and Carol Richardson witnessed an incredible ceremony the very next day. Two hostile groups were positioned opposite their house, on either side of a clear- ing. A tangible suspense wafted in the air between them. Finally, one man picked up his newborn child and dashed across the meadow. His wife ran after him, screaming and begging for her baby to be given back to her. Unable to catch him, she fell to her knees on the ground and sobbed for her infant.

The child’s father presented his baby to the enemy clan. “Plead the peace child for me,” he said. “I give you my son, and I give you my name.” Soon thereafter, someone from the recipient tribe performed the same agonizing ritual in reverse. For as long as those peace children remained alive, the missionary was later told, the two warring factions were bound to each other in peace.

Richardson had his analogy of redemption! He soon climbed into the Sawi manhouse again to tell the story of the ultimate Peace Child given to humankind by the one true God. Chiefs who had been unresponsive to the gospel sat spellbound. Over time, he continued to develop a theology based on Jesus, the Peace Child.

A matchless Christmas for Richardson and the Sawi came as first a few and finally hundreds of the once-warring, once-cannibalistic souls received Christ. A large group of new believers gathered for worship, and a Sawi man stood and read these words in his own language:”For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And He shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

As you read these familiar words this Christmas season, try to hear them with the ears of the Sawi. See Bethlehem’s baby as the Peace Child. And receive the gift.

From Pulpit Helps published by AMG Publishers Chattanooga, TN 37422

#5899

*

Giving your life to bananas

A young man learned from his employer what it means to have Christ dwelling in him. Ray Hoo had just graduated from Iowa State University and returned to his home in Jamaica to try to find a job. His brother had arranged an interview for him with the chairman of the Jamaican banana industry. The interview went well. The chairman was willing to make an opening for Hoo, even though there were no vacancies. But then the candidate ruined his chances. "What do you like to do in your spare time?" the chairman asked. Hoo, who later became a leader in The Navigators fellowship, volunteered the information that he liked reading and sports, particularly soccer and basketball. Then he added, "I also spend a lot of time in Christian activities because I hope to someday give my life to Christian missions." That did it! The chairman could not in good conscience spend the money necessary to train a new man only to have him leave for the mission field. So he said, "Young man, your ambitions are noble; but it we want men who will give their lives to bananas."

Why No Interest In

"I have no interest in missions," exclaimed a petulant young

lady. "No, dear," said her aunt, "you can hardly expect to. "It

is just like getting interest at the bank. You have to put in a

little something first before you get any interest. So it is

with missions, the more you put into it of your time, or money,

or prayer, the more your interest grows. "But something you must

put in, or you will never have any interest." --Spirit of Missions

Carey Stood the Test

William Carey had to overcome great odds to obey the call of

God. In "The Challenge of Life", Oswald J. Smith noted that

"even the Directors of the East India Company opposed [Carey's]

work. Following is the idiotic resolution they presented to

Parliament: 'The sending out of missionaries into one Eastern

possession is the maddest, most extravagant, most costly, most

indefensible project which has ever been suggested by a

moonstruck fanatic.'" Smith added, "In 1796, the General

Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed the following infamous

resolution: 'To spread the knowledge of the gospel amongst

barbarians and heathens seems to be highly preposterous.' One

speaker in the House of Commons said that he would rather see a

band of devils let loose in India than a band of missionaries.

Such was the opposition to missions when Carey set forth. And

yet, he was able to write, 'Why is my soul disquieted within me?

Things may turn out better than I expect. Everything is known

to God, and God cares.'" William Carey stood the test, and

became the father of modern missions.

Definition of A Missionary

"A missionary is one who never gets used to the sound of

heathen footsteps on their way to a Christless eternity" -- Author

Unknown

Population Growth

During the 70's, the world's population growth slowed but it is now

speeding up again, the Population Reference Bureau reports. There is

now a quarter billion more people on the earth than there were in

1987. (We Christians must work harder than ever!) This increase adds

up to about 90 million people a year--equivalent to another Mexico. If

the growth continues as it is, by the year 2000 there will be 6.3

billion people; by 2020, 8.3 billion, and it will be double within 39

years.

207 Sermon Illustrations on Missions