Supporting Missionaries

Matthew 9:37-38 and Luke 10:2 tell us: The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Acts 1:8 tells us But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The word both  means: 'two at the same time'.  God gives us power to be His witnesses  both, at home and away from home at the same time.  This message is about God's way to do this.  That is: how to partner with missionaries who are doing the 'Great Commission' away from your home while you do it at home.

1. Pray
1. Acts 13:3 says that the sending church is to have a special prayer of dedication when sending out missionaries.  Acts 21:5 says that people continued to pray for the safety and ministry of the missionaries while they were doing the work.
2. Acts 16:6-10 is Paul's Macedonian vision.  Sending churches are to pray for the missionary to receive guidance from God about everything involved in the mission work.
3. Acts 16:25 tells us And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  Pray that the missionary not be delivered from problems but that they rely upon God all through the problems and that the power of God is displayed in their ministry.
4. Romans 10:1 tells us that we should pray for the salvation of others, and these prayers should include the people that the missionary is trying to reach.
5. Romans 12:1 starts with: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  Then Romans 12:12 continues with Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;.  This means that prayer is part of our reasonable service.
6. Romans 15:30-32 says Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.  That is: that we are to pray for God's protection on missionaries especially from governments and hateful religious people. It also says to pray that the missionary is effective.
7. 2Corinthians 1:11 says: Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.  Here we see that the prayers of others helped the missionary when they were in trouble and the answer of those prayers cause much thanksgiving to God.
8. 2Corinthians 8:4 says: Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.  Our supporting mission efforts causes the people who are saved through the mission work to pray for the sending and supporting churches.  We end up with people praying for us.
9. Ephesians 6:18-19 says: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.  We are to pray that our missionaries may open(their) mouths boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.
10. Colossians 4:3 says that they are to pray that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ.
11. 1Thessalonians 5:25 says Brethren, pray for us.
12. 2Thessalonians 3:1 asks pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
13. Philemon 1:22 says that converts are expected to pray for their pastor / missionary.
14. Hebrews 13:18 says Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
15. There are more Bible references on this subject but I will move on.
2. Pay
1. Malachi 3:8 says: Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
• Notice that this says and offerings.  Most people preach this about the tithe but God says that if you're not giving offerings,  in addition to the title (and),  then you rob God.
• That means that God provides enough for you to give beyond the tithe.  If you deny this then you call God a liar.  The main problem is that most people are foolish in handling their money.  The world, in the form of our culture, teaches us to handle money in a foolish way.  American culture does it.  Filipino culture does it differently than American culture but Filipino culture still teaches people to handle money differently that God's word commands with the result that generation after generation live in poverty and believe that they must keep on teaching their children ways that keep them in poverty.
• If people will ask God for His wisdom in handling their money, and then obey what He shows them in the Bible, then they will see that they can pay the tithe, support missions with offerings and still have more to spend than they had when they handled money the way that their culture taught them.
• Philippians 4:15-17 says: Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
• This is the only place that I know of where Paul wrote about people supporting his ministry as a missionary.  Notice that he says that they had fruit that may abound to your account.  This means that financially supporting missionaries, who are actually doing the 'Great Commission', puts fruit  into our Heavenly account.
• 1Timothy 6:7 says: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  As the song says: 'only what's done for Jesus will last'.  What we do to help missionaries do the work of God gets us eternal rewards.  We chose what to do with the money that we get.  If we spend it on things of this world, it makes our flesh feel good but does nothing for our Heavenly account.  If we put the same money into supporting missions, we have less pleasure here but receive eternal rewards which we can not lose.
• As the famous missionary martyr said: 'He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose'.
2. We've all heard about the poor widow who gave two mites.  Different people argue about what that is in today's money but think of it as two pesos.  As little as it was, Jesus said Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.  (Mark 12:43-44; Luke 21:3-4).  People will preach that she had nothing left but that is not true.  She would have her cottage to live in and the vegetables which she grew in her garden.  God looked at her sacrifice.  She could not buy rice nor fish soup but she could grow a garden and raise chickens for eggs so that she could give all that she earned to God's work.
3. Perform
1. Gauis is our example to show us that people who go to the mission field and help do the mission work end up with a heart for missions.  Church members should visit at least near-by mission work and help with soul winning and anything else that they can do to help.
• Acts 19:29 tells us that he was a companion of Paul from Macedonia, which meant his background was like the Filipino dirt farmers.  He went on mission trips to be a servant and to help any way that he could.
• Romans 16:23 tells us that he was host to Paul in Corinth
• 3John 1:1 tells us that he hosted and helped any missionaries who traveled through his area.
2. 1Thessalonians 1:8 says: For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.  Every place that you go you should pass out tracts and try to tell people how to get saved.
3. Some people have special skills that can help a church in need such as people with medical or construction skills.  If someone like thatcan take a short trip to help a mission work, others can partner with them by helping with the cost of their going and with their lost wages for the time they take off work.
4. John Mark was sponsored on a mission trip by his uncle Barnabas.  Later in life he was a blessing to many and wrote the Gospel of Mark.  Sometimes the most important thing you can do is to sponsor a youth to Youth Camp, on a mission trip or even to Bible School.  All of these help develop future preachers, preacher wives and missionaries.

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