A Call to Missions

I heard a great sermon Sunday from a missionary to Turkey - Ryan Shaw:

Biblical reasons why the church can be activated into God's global purpose:

1. The Lamb is worthy of the reward of His glorious sacrifice.
Rev. 5:12. Col. 1:15 - 5 realities about Jesus
If Jesus the lamb is slain He is worthy of our efforts.

2. The Spirit is moving. Revival in Algeria - 100,000 underground believers in Iran and that is under the Sharia law. - 175,000 people come to Christ each day. 3,500 new churches planted every week (mostly small groups).

3. The lost are dying. Every day 66,000 die with no Gospel witness.
Why do we refrain from talking about a Christless eternity?

4. The poor are suffering. 37% of global population is children who live in poverty. Be moved with Godly compassion. Pity is not compassion. Will we become advacates for the poor?

5. The church is commissioned. Matthew 28:18-20. Go = as you are going make disciples of all peoples. Vital Christianity is not a spectator sport, it is an active thing.

6. If we don't become activated we die ourselves. Preservation mentality causes death to come. When we give ourselves, the Lord gives us more spiritual vitality.

7, The Father is waiting. God's most important attribute - patience. God wants for us to become activated.

4 practical ways to implement these things in our lives:

1. Extravagant giving - our use of money shows the most about our love of God. Are we pouring more into the temporal or eternal? Abraham covenant - We're blessed to bless others. 5.4% of all giving in the world of Christ's church goes to some kind of outreach in which the Gospel is already planted. 1% of the 4.5% or 0.045% actually goes to mission activities among unreached.

2. Extraordinary praying that perseveres and prevails. Sin of prayerlessness. Intercession is the most important of all ministries.

3. Surrendered going - long term ministry

4. Impassioned mobilizing - Every believer should be a mission mobilizer.