This World Needs You – WHY MISSIONS?
I make no apology for sharing with you the need of missions
Missions was Jesus Life - a mission to earth
Matt 4.23-25 Teaching - Preaching - Healing every disease
23Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. 24The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 25Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
Jesus Taught
Matt 5.13 You are the salt of the earth
Matt 5.14 You are the light of the world
We are supposed to affect the earth
Teaching educates, He taught the word of God, not religiously like the scribes and Pharisees, but as God intended for it to be understood. People need to KNOW what they are putting there in faith in.
They BELIEVE
Jesus preached
Lk 4.42/4 I must preach in other towns also, ...that is why I was sent.
Preaching lifts faith to personally believe that God can do for YOU what He said He could and would do. Preaching personalises the gospel message to receive.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1John 3.8
He came to destroy the works of the devil
LIFTS FAITH
Jesus Healed
Mark 5.21-24 and 35-43 Jairus Daughter
35While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 37And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.
Jesus healed the sick, He raised the dead. Many other examples in the gospels.
Gospel DEMONSTRATED
He sent the disciples to do the same
Lk 9.1/6 They went from village to village preaching the gospel and healing the sick.
They followed Jesus example.
EMPOWERED DISCIPLES WITH THE SAME AUTHORITY.
I heard Ps Thampy from India speak in 1978 in Australia
Cliff Beard, an Australian apostle, missionary and church planter, announced he was taking a team there, he said, "who wants to come," I put my hand up.
I went in 1979 & 1980 and we held crusades, we saw hundreds of healings and salvations, it infected me for taking the gospel to ALL the world.
I've been going ever since to India, & then Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, then many other Asian, Paciific Islands, European, American and now over 12 African countries preaching the gospel.
He commanded the disciples at the time of His ascension;
15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17“These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16.15-18
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matt 28.18-20
Go into all the world and make disciples.
Don't leave anyone out.
This gospel must be preached to all nations (ethnos – every ethnic group) and then will the end come.
It is common for us to witness healings, miracles, releases from demonic possession, oppression and affliction, release from pain and sickness just as Jesus promised, authorised and empowered wherever in the world we go. It's not an Asian thing, it's not an African thing, it's a God thing.
They did it
Mark 16.20 The disciples went everywhere, the Lord working with them confirming the word with signs following.
Acts 5.42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
In 1993 we held a large crusade in Kattakada, Sth India, Over 300 salvations, many healings,
In 2001 we were conducting ministers trainings in Sth India, my team and I stayed one location (Kovalam Beach) and went to various places,
One day I recognised the town I was in, I told Ps Thampy, he said, the 70 Pastors & leaders you taught today weren't even saved when you had that crusade here in 1993, they had planted over 50 churches in this region out of that crusade.
Through the centuries
Great men & women have risen up with a passion to preach Christ to their own countrymen and others.
But Smith Wigglesworth has gone, Oral Roberts has gone, TL Osborn has gone, Billy Graham has gone, Benson Idahosa has gone, Reinhard Bonnke has gone, you and I the ones that are still here. We cannot rely on some great name from the past to fulfil the great commission. It is our commission.
What is the force that moved the greats of old?
- The command to GO
- The need of salvation (Hell is real) - Without Christ all men are eternally lost.
- The Knowledge, it is possible to reach our generation - They volunteered and were sent.
- They believed God could save anybody.
TODAY
World Population is over 8 Billion (as at Nov 2022).
Population net growth 184,000 people a day.
One third of the world has some form of Christian religion.
Still 2/3 of the world has not embraced Christianity in any form.
One third of the world has access to the gospel through people in their culture and proximity.
One third of the world has no chance to hear the gospel.
No Bible in their language - No church in their culture
97% of the unevangelised live in the "10-40 Window”
Map: https://blog.eastwest.org/the-10/40-window-and-the-great-commission
96% of all worldwide church income is consumed on 4% of the population.
Leaves 4% of the income for 96% of the population.
World harvest is about getting our priorities right
Doing what Jesus commanded
NOT SIT, NOT THINK, NOT TALK ABOUT IT,
BUT PRAY GIVE GO
Do it all
Are you spiritually maladjusted
What is the use of personal physical hygiene, if we have filthiness of mind & spirit;
What is the use of religious piety, if we have soul carnality;
What is the use of physical strength, if we have spiritual weakness;
What is the use of worldly wealth, if we have spiritual poverty;
What is the use of social popularity if we are unknown in hell.
PRAYER IS THE REMEDY
World harvest starts where you live and reaches the whole world.
We can achieve our goals together if we all pray, give and go.
What will you do with Jesus command?
