Why Should I Care About Foreign Missions? | Ask A Pastor Ep. 22

Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of Ask a Pastor.

I know it's been a couple of weeks.

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me.

So I appreciate your patience.

Uh sometimes pastoring does happen.

So I've been busy, but uh I am going to have this episode and then I'll be gone again for another two weeks, going on a mission trip to Guatemala.

Uh, going to see Kenny and Lacey Horton in Guatemala uh and work with Child Hope uh and and take some teams from Hope Church.

We raised some money this year for Guatemala, and we're gonna go down there uh and get to see that money in action.

So it's gonna be awesome, it's gonna be fun.

And so that kind of necessitated the topic today.

If you uh enjoy this show, if you could hit like, subscribe, uh, and share it wherever you're listening to this.

Uh, it does help the show, it does help what's going on because ultimately the heart of the show is everybody says that pastors are afraid to answer the tough questions.

So here I am, a real life pastor.

Last time I checked, uh, not afraid to answer any questions.

So if you have questions, uh you can drop them in the comments and we'll get to it uh eventually.

So let's get into it.

The topic today is kind of near and dear to my heart because what I'm about to do, uh, and we'll see, we'll see if I can't do we'll see if I can't do an episode on the road.

Obviously, it's hard uh to take so much equipment to do stuff like that, but we'll see if I can't.

So the topic is why should I care about foreign missions?

Now, you know, a lot of well-meaning Christians will ask me this question, and they say, Well, Pastor, there's so much hurt here, there's so much to do here.

Why should we care about and why should we send dollars uh to foreign missions?

And my hope is to answer that question uh as best as I can today.

And the the really the thing is, is there's needs everywhere.

Hungry people in our community, broken families in our neighborhoods, people who need Jesus right down the street.

Why?

So why should we care about Guatemala, Kenya, or somewhere else on the other side of the world?

Why should we give money?

Why should we send missionaries?

Why get in an airplane and go?

Sometimes we treat missions like an extracurricular activity for passionate or like varsity Christians.

But here's the biblical reality: missions isn't a side ministry of Christianity, missions is the part of the identity of who we are as followers of Christ.

And so today I've got several points for you.

Let me scroll down and see how many I have.

I have eight points for you, it looks like.

Yes, eight points.

Uh, and we're gonna work through those and hope you hope to leave you with some good answers and some good practical biblical things uh to take with you.

So, number one, missions starts with the heart of God.

Missions is the heart of God.

So, missions doesn't start with the church, missions started with God.

Our God is the sending God.

The Father sent his son, Jesus sends his followers.

Christianity isn't only about what we receive from God, we receive grace, forgiveness, and salvation.

And then we were sent.

I think the trap in the American church is sometimes we make church about us.

We've made church something that we consume.

We have high levels of content and we've we've become uh we've become obese Christians because all we do is eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, and we never do anything for the Lord.

And we wonder why church is struggling when we're not following what the Bible tells us to do.

John 20, 21 says, Jesus said to them, Again, peace be with you, as the Father who sent me, even so I am sending you.

So Jesus doesn't save us simply for us to sit and receive.

Every Christian is sent somewhere.

Not everyone is called overseas, but every Christian should see themselves as a part of God's mission.

Because saved people become sent people.

So I'm gonna say today, and this is gonna be harsh, if you truly are saved by God, then God is sending you.

And if you only make your Christianity something between you and God personally, and you never get involved with anything outside of yourself, I'm going to say you are probably not saved.

Now, that's between you and the Lord, that's between uh you and God when you get to the pearly gates.

Uh, but the Bible tells us too that we will know them by our fruit.

Uh, and if we're not doing anything, we're not bearing any fruit.

So something just to chew on today.

Number two, Jesus actually told us to go in Matthew 28, 18 through 20.

Uh many of this, many of this know uh this as the Great Commission.

It says, and Jesus said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you, and behold, I am with you to the end of the age.

Notice it says, All nations, all nations, not some, not the ones you like, not the ones that you want to visit, all nations.

The gospel was never intended to stay in one nation.

It doesn't belong to one ethnicity, one culture, one language.

Jesus came for the world.

And aren't you glad?

Christianity didn't start in our nation.

Aren't you glad there were missionaries that brought it to us?

Acts 1.8 says, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witness in Jerusalem and Judea and in all Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

It's important to note, Jesus didn't say Jerusalem or the end of the earth.

He says Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Uh, when someone asks, why send money overseas when people need help here?

The answer is we should do both.

Feed people here, serve our community, reach our schools, love our neighbors, share Jesus locally, and care about the missions.

It's not a it's not an either or, it's a both and.

And the problem is we make it an either-or, but for God it was a both and.

And so the need across the street aren't an excuse to ignore the needs across the ocean.

But the reverse is also true.

We shouldn't travel across the ocean to love people while ignoring what's going on in our own streets.

And so we have to do both.

We have to do good and be good at both.

And so, number three, people can't believe a gospel they've never heard.

People can't believe a gospel they've never heard.

Romans 10, 13 through 15 says, For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?

And who are they to believe in him whom they've never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those that teach the good who preach the good news.

And so, what is Paul's logic here?

And so, how can they call on Jesus if they don't believe?

How can they believe if they've never heard?

How can they hear if nobody ever tells them?

How can someone tell them if nobody ever goes?

That's missions.

Foreign missions isn't simply humanitarian work.

Uh, feeding people matters, medical care matters, school matters, clean water matters, helping children matters, but uh the ultimate mission is we want people to know Jesus.

All those other things are great, but most of the time, in many mission trips that I've been on, those things are just opening up people up to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acts 4 12 says, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Here's the thing if Jesus is the hope of the world, then taking Jesus to the world matters the most to us.

Number four, God uses people to reach people.

God uses people to reach people.

God could have spread the gospel any way he wanted, from using the angels, riding across the sky, a supernatural announcement, but people telling, but what God chooses ultimately, overwhelmingly, is people telling people about Jesus.

Second Corinthians 5, 18 through 20 says, All this is from God, whom through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

That is, in Christ, God, in Christ, God was reconciling the world of himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, God making his appeal through us.

Notice it says, God making his appeal through us.

Think about that.

God has entrusted us with the greatest message ever known to man.

And we are Christ's ambassadors and we represent Jesus wherever we go.

Even when you go to Walmart and they're driving you crazy.

We are Christ's represent representatives there.

Even when somebody cuts you off in traffic, we are Christ's representatives there.

You don't need we you don't need missionaries on your own, you don't need missionary on your business card to live like a missionary.

You don't need missionary on your business card to live like a missionary.

We are all called to missions.

Number five, foreign missions reminds us that the kingdom is bigger than us.

And so personally, you know, uh I've been to Guatemala and we've I've sent my wife to Kenya, I've been on mission trips to Romania, I've been to uh France, I've I've been to Gabon, Africa.

And here's the thing, you know, I have gotten to see God working in communities that I'm so excited to go.

This is my fourth year uh in Guatemala, and what's amazing to see is how God is doing amazing work.

And I'm argue, I'd almost argue that I see God doing greater works in these areas because people have such a need, uh, they have such a need for the gospel, and they don't have all the moniered conveniences that we have, and ultimately these people are just hungry for Jesus.

Um, you know, I I get to preach in Guatemala while I'm down there, and I'm gonna be in a church, it's not gonna have AC.

Uh, and you know what?

Because I'm there, no one is gonna move.

And I wonder if in America, if I have, I can tell you, I've never preached a sermon in America where people sat through the whole thing.

But when you go to places like I've been to Cuba and you preach, we I preach for I was me and five other pastors preached for five for two hours in Cuba and no one moved, no one got up, no one went to the bathroom, no one uh got anxious.

They are hungry for the gospels.

And so when all we see is our own church, our community, Christianity can become very small.

My church, my problems, my preferences, my needs, my family, my community.

Then you travel somewhere else and discover God was already there before you arrived.

You know, think about what we've seen.

Think about the things that I I've talked about.

You know, I get to go down uh to Guatemala and and take Jesus to these kids.

And what we're doing down in Guatemala is we're going and giving a Christmas program and we give them Christmas gifts.

But before we give them gifts, we give them an opportunity to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

And every time we go down, I get to see kids raising their hands for Jesus.

And they're not just raising their hands for Jesus because after we do an altar time, and I just see kids crying out to God and kids praying for people.

I get the opportunity to pray for people, and it's just so awesome to see God working in the nation.

And we have to understand we're not taking God somewhere he isn't, we're joining God in what he's already doing.

Foreign missions reminds us that the kingdom of God is much bigger than our little corner of you know, Texas or wherever you're listening from.

And Christianity isn't uh American.

Jesus isn't building an American kingdom, he's building his kingdom, which is every tribe, every tongue, and every nation.

Because number six, heaven is going to be international.

Revelation 7, 9 through 10 said, After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, for all the tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb of God.

So look notice every nation, every tongue, every people, every language are representative in heaven.

That's where history is headed.

When we participate in missions, we're participating in something God has already showed us the ending of.

Missions isn't trying to create God's ending.

We're participating in the ending that God has already promised us in His Word.

So, number seven, something a little bit practical.

I always try to leave you with some practical things.

What do I actually do?

What can I practically do?

You don't necessarily need to sell your house, quit your job, you know, move overseas tomorrow, but every Christian can first and foremost pray.

Pray for missionaries, pray for nations, pray for unreached people group.

There's still those out there.

Pray for pastors around the world, pray for opportunities to share Jesus.

Number two, you can give.

Your giving can put Bibles into the hands you'll never shake, feed children you'll never meet, support missionaries you may never personally know, plant churches you'll never sit inside, take the gospel to places you may never physically go.

The awesome thing is the last three years we've covered uh we've covered Christmas, this Christmas program for child hope uh in Guatemala, and there's gonna be many kids in heaven because we gave that we never get to meet.

And that's the amazing part of the God that we serve.

And so your feet may never touch that nation, but your generosity can.

Your feet may never touch a nation, but because you were so blessed, God can.

Go.

When God gives you the opportunity, go take a mission trip, get uncomfortable, serve, listen, learn, share your testimony, pray with people, allow God to expand your view of the kingdom.

And maybe God really is calling some of you to listen because God is calling you to be a missionary.

And so don't automatically demise.

Dismiss and say, Oh, I'm not, I'm not called to be a missionary, I'm not called.

You're called to do something.

All of us are called to pray.

All of us are called to give, but some of us are called to go.

Maybe God is calling you to go.

So, last point today, number eight, missions also starts where you are.

You don't need a passport to participate in the Great Commission.

Your workplace, your neighborhood, your school, the gym you go to, your kids' baseball team, restaurants, the airplane seat with the guy next to you, wherever God places you, have a spiritual conversation.

Tell people what God has done with your life.

You know, you know, a lot of people say, Well, I don't know how to share the gospel with people.

Just say what God's done in your life.

Just say how God's transforming your life.

Nobody can argue with that.

Because, um, and if someone asks something you don't know, just say, that's a great question.

I don't know.

Let's find out together.

You don't have to be an expert theologian and remember, you can't save anybody.

All you can do is be obedient, plant seeds, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform.

Because ultimately, we aren't responsible for someone's response to the gospel.

We're responsible for being obedient to share the gospel.

So, in closing, why should we care?

Why should I care about foreign missions?

Because Jesus does.

People matter, eternity matters.

The gospel is good news to everybody.

Somebody has to pray, somebody has to give, somebody has to go, and somebody has to send people.

Matthew 24, 14 says, and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and the end will come.

And we've already seen the ending.

Every tribe, every tongue, every nation, every people, every language standing before Jesus.

So you may never become a foreign missionary, but if you follow Jesus, you are part of the mission.

You're called to pray, you're called to give, and you're called to go.

And wherever God places you, live a sent life by God.

Because ultimately, following Jesus isn't about where we're going when we die.

It's about who we're taking to heaven when we get there.

Do you want to get to heaven and be alone?

I want to get to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.

I want to personally make heaven crowded.

Hey, thanks for listening to me today.

It's always a pleasure to have you.

Hit that like and subscribe and subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast.

Uh, like I said, next couple weeks, I'll be on a mission trip.

So um I won't necessarily be able to do an episode.

I may try to sneak something in uh here and there, but I'll be back when I come back.

Hey, if you want to pray for a missionary, pray for the teams.

We got two teams coming from Hope Church headed down to Guatemala to do some great mission work uh with an awesome with some awesome people there in the country of Guatemala.

Uh so when you think about it, pray for us.

Uh, and we covet your prayers uh and we're excited to see what the Lord's gonna do.

But hey, thanks for being with me today, and we'll see you next time on Ask a Pastor.