We have the pleasure this week of Pastor Mike Gantt coming
to share with us in worship, as well discussing his work in missionary
projects, most recently as an advocate for the Immanuel Christian School for
the Deaf. I am excited to hear what he has to say to us today. Ever since Ben’s trip to Zimbabwe I have been
thinking about missions and today’s visit has piqued my interest even more.
So let us look at what the Bible has to say about
missionaries and the work Jesus calls us to do, we see for instance in Luke 9
where Jesus sends out the Twelve, verses 2 and 6 “and he sent them out to
preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick” “So they set out from village
to village, preaching the Gospel and healing people everywhere.” Later in Luke
10 Jesus sends out the 72 who we see in verse 17 when “the 72 returned with joy
and said “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” This filled Jesus
with joy through the Holy Spirit and he prays to the Father in verse23 “I praise you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the
learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your
good pleasure” In short He is telling us go out, preach the Gospel, heal
the sick, it is for His good pleasure!
While studying and doing research on missions and how it
relates to prayer I recently picked up a book I left off reading a few months
ago. I opened the bookmark I had left in E.M. Bounds “On Prayer” to chapter 13
titled “Prayer and Missions”. While we
don’t have time to read the whole chapter, I would like to read a paragraph
that really impacted me. Please keep in mind this was written well prior to
1900, and while some of the language may not be “P.C.” the ideas I think still
stand.
“It is praying missionaries who are needed for the work, and
it is a praying church who sends them out, (and it is these) which are
prophecies of the success which is promised. The sort of religion to be
exported by missionaries is of the praying sort. The religion to which the
heathen world is to be converted is a religion of prayer, and a religion of
prayer to the true God. The heathen world already prays to its idols and false
gods. But they are to be taught by praying missionaries, sent out by a praying
church, to cast away their idols and to begin to call upon the Lord Jesus
Christ. No prayerless church can transport to heathen lands a praying religion.
No prayerless missionary can bring heathen idolaters who know not our God to
their knees, to true prayer, until he becomes preeminently a man of prayer. As
it takes praying men a home to do God’s work, none the less does it take
praying missionaries to bring those who sit in darkness to the light.”
We as a church need to be praying for missionaries, pray
that we send out missionaries who pray, and ultimately pray that those who are
impacted by the missionaries sent out by God will hear and accept the Word by
faith and pray, by the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name to God.
Let me close up with Paul’s request to the Thessalonians for
prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3 1:5 “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the
message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.
And pray the we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has
faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from
the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will
continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into
God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”
