Blog 12

 

WHY MISSIONS?

( Ro 11:25-27; Mt 28: 16-20 )

By Ps Nelson Koh

      ( first preached at C.A.C.V. on 30 September 2012 )

 

INTRODUCTION

We often hear of the need either to support or to go on Missions. However, have we asked ourselves why? Why Missions?

Biblically, two main reasons stand out as to why we should be engaged in Missions. The first is known as “The Mystery of Missions” and the other is “The Command of Missions”.

1.    The Mystery of Missions

Paul says in Ro 11:25 that he does not want us to be ignorant of this mystery. Then he reveals to us what the mystery is. Israel has experienced a hardening of heart in part until the full number of the gentiles have come in.

This “hardening of heart” of course refers to the rejection of their Messiah and Lord, Jesus Christ over the past two millenniums. We don’t know for how long more this rejection will continue but what we do know is that it will go on until the full number of the gentiles have come in…meaning us!

As we look at passages in Isaiah 6: 9-10 and similar messages in the 4 gospels, in Acts and Ro 9-11, we understand a little more of what Paul meant when he said Israel has experienced a hardening of heart in part.

The fact is with disobedience, God can actually harden the hearts of his people, as he did to Pharaoh. Up to a point God will say to his people, may you hear but not understand, see but not perceive, may your heart be calloused, ears dulled, eyes closed and may you not turn and be healed!

This is the mystery of missions – the hardness of Israel’s heart and the growth of the seed i.e. through the gospel, the gentiles have become joint heirs together with Israel, members of the one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:3-6).

So we live at a time of the in-coming of the gentiles where we the wild olive branches are being grafted onto the olive tree. Meanwhile, Luke in Lk 21:24 says that Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. When this finally happens, Israel as a remnant will look on Him whom they had pierced and will mourned and grieve bitterly and finally be saved (Zech 12:10). Then the Lord will return and be “King over the whole earth” (Zech 14:7)

So that’s the “Mystery of Missions”.

In the meantime, our life’s goal should be to glorify Him forever by knowing God and making Him known. May it inspire us then to support and be engaged in missions until “the earth shall be filled with the full knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Is 11:9) and the earth be filled with the full number of Gentile believers, till Israel finally relents and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

2.    The Command of Missions

The Command of Missions is the Great Commission in Mt 28. It is often said that the parting words or ‘parting shot’ of a person is vitally important. Jesus left us a vision and a mission.

And this was His vision “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations…” This is an imperative and a command, meaning that having received all power, approval and resources from His Father, Jesus has passed it on or delegated all to His disciples, who then were expected to pass it on to next generation and then to generations after until it reached us! So this command did not just stop at his immediate disciples but the generations of disciples that followed, including us.

So as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to obey His command to go and make disciples of all nations, until the full number of Gentiles have come in, and then, and then only will the end come.

This is our specific call and mandate – To go and make disciples of all nations.

But what is our mission? Our mission is basically about how to go about fulfilling the vision. First, we are called to baptize disciples (or followers) in the name of the Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, v19. This we need to do as a public testimony of an inner conversion experience. Baptism is not restricted to the pastor alone. Technically, as part of the priesthood of believers, all believers may baptize but out of deference, we leave it to the pastors and priests.

Then in v20a, we need to teach them to obey everything that the Lord has commanded. In 1 Tim 2:2, Paul reminds us “And the things you have heard from me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

It is a good ambition to aspire to preach and teach as part of the discipleship process but it is also good to note from Ja 3:1 that “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because we know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Finally, we have a great promise for those who have done well. For v20b says “…and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

What an honour! What a privilege that if we obey his call to missions, his promise to us is that he will be with us forever and ever! If we have God with us, blessing and honour, what else can we ask for?

3.    See sample Mission Slides Presentation

 

4.    Other Reasons to engage in Missions

4.1         To challenge and transform peoples’ views about God – e.g. Jonah. God used Jonah to affirm how compassionate He was to turn the hearts of the Ninevites toward Him

4.2         To challenge our cultural-social biasness – Jesus reached out to the Samaritan woman in Jn 4. In the end, many believed and this also set the stage for many other Samaritans to be called to His Kingdom in Acts 8.

4.3         To transform peoples’ understanding of the Body of Christ. See Peter’s vision in Acts 10, where God said “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”, and subsequently his trip from Joppa to Caesarea where Cornelius the centurion became the first Gentile convert to Christ. God shows no favouritism and accepts men from every tribe and nation who fear Him and does what is right.

4.4         Missions also gives us the opportunity to give of our time, energy and resources (including our gifts and monies) to do God’s work

4.5         It helps us to see firsthand what God is doing in the field

4.6         Helps us to explore God’s call to be engaged further in the missions field

4.7         Broadens our prospective by opening us up to different cultures and expressions of faith

4.8         Helps us to identify with and look to the varied and dire needs.

4.9         Helps us to be a part of God’s plan in evangelism

4.10      Changes and transforms our lives to see as Jesus sees, feel as Jesus felt and to be more like Jesus – helps us change our stereotypes

CLOSE AND CHALLENGES

I would like to encourage you not only to support but also to engage in Mission work, short or long-term. Out there is where the real action is. Start with your local community, school, neighbour, Uni, then to city, state, country and then to the nations.

All it needs is preparation and a ready, willing and obedient heart. God will provide the finance, time and opportunity. Do not be like Jonah who suffered the consequence of his unwillingness.

Our God is a Missionary God. Missions is in the very heart-beat of God. Jesus was Himself a Missionary. Mt 9:35 says, “He went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them…”

Paul, Silas, Timothy and Barnabas were all missionaries. The word Missions

comes from the Latin word ‘misso’ meaning ‘to be sent’. Are you willing to be

sent?

The church exists for the purpose of Missions. It does not exist as an end in itself

or it doesn’t deserve to exist if its end purpose is not for missions.

 

Will you now respond to the call to Missions? Will you respond to the call to be

Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20)? May your answer be Yes Lord – send

even me!

Amen!

Blog 11

 

OF DREAMS, VISIONS AND CALLING

By Ps Nelson Koh

at Em2 Camp - 14 - 16 Sept. 2012

 

Introduction

I'm glad you have endeavoured to dream dreams. It is so important to be able to dream dreams. Unless one is able to dream, one will never be able to reach beyond oneself.

Look at Steve Jobs - if he had not dreamed big dreams, Apple would never be where it is today and there probably would never have been an iPad or an iPhone etc.

Likewise, someone must have dreamt of man walking on the moon, otherwise it would never have come about. Soon, I believe man will make it to Mars. Beyond that, it appears inconceivable because a return trip to Mars alone, using conventional means will take anything up to a year. How are we then to take man beyond Mars for several years and even up to a lifetime, yet be able to bring him back safely?

Guys, I believe that unless we are able to dream of going to the far reaches of the Universe, we will never go beyond our immediate solar system...At the last camp, I spoke of the possibility of us, in your lifetime, of travelling from Melbourne to London in a couple of hours using scramjets.

I believe that in the distant future, man will be able to travel to the outer reaches of the solar system and return within their lifetime, millions of light years away, by riding on comets. Isn’t that exciting!

So I would encourage you to go on dreaming, especially about how you can be used by God in these end times!

Question is, how does God speak to us? Well, he speaks to us in a variety of ways!

 

1. Through Dreams

The bible does tell us about dreams, in the sense of what we dream about while asleep or in the unconscious state.

Classical cases would be the 2 Josephs

First we have Joseph the Dreamer

He got into trouble only because of his indiscretion

Then, there is the other Joseph, where twice an angel appeared to him in a dream, the first to take Mary home as his wife and the second time to take mother and child and flee to Egypt.

Of course, there was Jacob's dream of a "stairway to heaven", in Gen 28, where God said he will give the land he was lying on to him and his descendants. Though they would be spread out to the north, south, east and west, he would bring them back to the land.

Besides this, there was fleeting mention of a disquieting dream of Eliphaz in Job 12:21 and a dream and it's interpretation overheard by Gideon about a ball of barley loaf crashing against the Midianite camp.

Acts 1:17 quoting from Joel 2:28 however, says:

In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

Your old men will dream dreams

It is interesting to note that actually, old men like me will dream dreams but young men and women like you are more likely to see visions!

However, if dreaming means to aspire to something quite beyond ourselves, then we all need to dream dreams. It is said that one can only achieve what one is able to conceive in one's dreams.

When my future son-in-law spoke to me about how he would like to create an empire, I was not impressed...but the point is unless one is able to dream, one will not be able to achieve things beyond ourselves. Today, he appears to be succeeding in making a mark, at least materially, but one day and more importantly, I hope he will be able make a mark in the Kingdom of God!

So God can speak to us in dreams and he can also speak to us in visions.    

2. Through Visions

A vision does suggest to us a conscious state or a semi-conscious state or a trance state. We don't read of having come out of an unconscious state, like in a dream.

Classical case, we have Paul, who had a vision of the man of Macedonia in Acts 16,  begging him to come and help. With that came his first forage into Europe. It illustrates to us that when God does give us a vision, it is for a purpose, like a ministry call.

Then there is Ananias in Acts 9, who received a vision instructing him to lay his hands on Paul, so that he might see, receive the Holy Spirit, and be baptized. Hence it signalled the start of Paul's ministry.

And of course, in Acts 10, Peter had that famous rooftop vision of a large sheet lowered from heaven containing all kinds of four footed animals, reptiles and birds of the air. Then he was told to kill them and eat. But he said "Surely not, Lord!" But the Lord said, "do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Meaning of course, that God has opened the door for the gospel to be made available to the Gentiles.

John was considered to have seen a vision or visions during his exile on the island of Patmos, as he wrote the Book of Revelation.

So God can also speak to us in visions. The calling of God can come to us in a vision or visions.   

3. Through an Audible Voice

God can also speak to us through an audible voice.  Classical examples? Moses of course, God spoke from the burning bush. Gideon through an angel at the wine press. Then there was Paul, "Saul, Saul, Why are you persecuting me?"

My wife Kim, on the night that I was taken by 12 men to be incarcerated, would vouch that she heard God’s audible voice “Kim! Kim!”, as if as a warning.

So far, all three ways of how God can speak to us have been pretty dramatic. In most cases however, I believe God is more likely to speak to us in one or more of the following ways:

4. Through an Inner witness and perception

The good news is that God desires to speak to us. He does that through our thoughts, an inner witness and perception. The question inevitably arises as to how...how can we tell if it's God's thoughts and not ours or the devil's? How can we tell if it's God's voice and not any other?

Well, the bible says in Jn 11:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." So the key to knowing if it's God's voice or another is by entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ. There are no short cuts. It is only through spending regular time and intimate moments with the person can one tell if it’s the person or not.

I have 3 daughters who over the phone sound pretty similar - they all have very similar tones and inflections in their voices - often it’s difficult to tell who’s who - especially since they all have a similar Aussie accent. After a few moments however, I can usually tell, because I know their peculiarities and favourite phrases and choice of words and inclinations or preferences.

So, it is with God, it’s got to do with building a relationship and spending time with him, even intimate moments through prayer, intercession and knowing the inclinations of his heart through his word. That way, one is usually able to tell if it's God's voice or not.

5. Through circumstances and divine appointments

God knows the intents and inclinations of our hearts e.g. how sincere we are, whether we are truly desirous of him, honest and serious about loving him and serving him.

Then he places circumstances or situations and opportunities or divine moments in our path, such that we may develop and grow further in him, so that we would enjoy the privilege of joining him in the work he is already doing...as in the case of Paul, in the saving of souls.

A classical case would be Philip the Evangelist. Through a divine appointment that God had arranged, he meets up with the Ethiopian Eunuch and then assumes the honour of bringing him to the Lord and through the waters of baptism.

Then there was Esther who was called my Mordecai to speak to the King and plead for mercy for her people which she did after Mordecai’s famous words to her in Esther 4:14 " ...And who knows but you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Circumstances led to Paul entering Europe and earlier, for Peter in meeting his first Gentile convert, Cornelius.

So God does speak to us through circumstances and divine appointments.

Finally, God speaks to us through his Word and through the transforming of our minds.

6. Through his Word and the transforming of our minds

In Ro 12:2 we have "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

The written Word of God is His revealed Word to us and contains a full measure of God's general and specific call to us. For instance we are called firstly, not to conform to the pattern of this world...then and only then can our minds be renewed.

If our minds are filled with garbage that this world can afford, there is no way that our minds can be renewed. And if there is no way that our minds can be renewed, how can we tell what God's perfect will is for us, individually and corporately as a church?

We are called primarily to be his disciples (or followers). If we do not obey this general call to us, how can we honestly expect God to call us more specifically and to share in a greater measure, his ministry...unless we are someone special, like Paul, who was miraculously converted and called to be an apostle to the Gentiles or Jonah, called to be a prophet to preach against Nineveh.

Then we are called to the Great Commandments. And finally, we are called specifically to the Great Commission, that is, to make disciples of all nations... How can we make disciples, teaching them to obey everything he has commanded unless we are disciples ourselves...availing ourselves to be thoroughly equipped for every good work?

Close

In closing, I would like to re-iterate that God has spoken to us all at many times and in various ways, as the writer of Hebrews puts it. But these days he has spoken to us by his Son i.e. through his revealed Word...time and again, in countless measure.

Will we then accept the challenge to first read and to obey his Word and to abide in him? Then surely, we’ll be positioning ourselves to grow and understand more clearly, what his will and calling is for us - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Amen.