Commissioned For Missions

During the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill said of the brave men of the Royal Air Force, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” A similar statement could be made concerning the missionaries from our churches. Compared to the larger body of Christians, who are content to remain at home, our missionary force represents a small, almost insignificant percentage of the whole. Yet, millions around the world have the hope of eternal life because of the sacrificial ministry of these frequently forgotten heroes of the faith.

They leave the comfort of their homes, the companionship of their friends and fellow believers, to preach the gospel to those who might never hear otherwise. These faithful men and women are one of Christ’s greatest gifts to the church. In the New Testament, they are called evangelists. The word literally means “a messenger of the gospel.” The gospel is the primary message of the Bible, and its messengers are of extreme importance.

Historically, the New Testament evangelist is identified with our modern missionary. By definition of the word, their job was to carry the gospel to the un-evangelized lands. Eusebius, who was a fourth century church historian, defined the evangelists and described their ministry. He said,

They performed the office of evangelist, being filled with the desire to preach Christ to those who had not yet heard the word of faith . . . And when they had laid the foundations of the faith in foreign places, they appointed others as pastors . . . while they themselves went on again to other countries and nations.

Every Christian is compelled by the Great Commission to take part in evangelizing the world, including telling those in their own neighborhood about Jesus, but not every Christian is called to leave their own familiar territory and go out as a missionary to another state, or a foreign country.(1)

This evening we are going to take a look at a very special and significant calling that the Lord places upon a few individuals like those being recognized [commissioned] tonight. We will take a look at the importance of the calling of a missionary, and the significance of both God and the church in the missionary’s ministry.

A Missionary is Called by the Lord (vv. 1-2)

1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

A good question to start with this evening is, “What is the call of a missionary?”

From verses 1-2, we see that 1.) the call of a missionary is a singular call. It was not extended to every member of the church, but only to Paul and Barnabas. If you will notice, only a few men and women from our church have been called to participate in the (FILL IN THE BLANK) mission trip. But we can have confidence that they have been called by God and are the very ones whom God can use in His work.

2.) The call of a missionary is a specific call. We see that Paul and Barnabas were to be set apart for “the work” – in other words, a specific task. They were called to leave their ordinary occupations and devote themselves full time to preaching the gospel in the un-evangelized Gentile regions. The task of those from our church going on this (FILL IN THE BLANK) mission trip is to (FILL IN THE BLANK).

3.) The call of a missionary is a sovereign call. The Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas for this work. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to call qualified men and women to the work of missions. It’s not up to us to do the choosing.

The next question we might ask is, “What kind of people does God call?”

He calls 1.) those who are serving. Paul and Barnabas are identified as “prophets and teachers” here. They were busy preaching, teaching, and ministering in the church in a “volunteer” capacity. “Don’t expect to be called to missionary service unless you can serve the Lord right where you are.”(2) God calls workers to His work. He is looking for servants, not spectators.

2.) God calls those who are spiritual – verse 2 says they “fasted.” The word “they” refers to both the missionaries and the church. Ajith Fernando says, “Fasting gives evidence of an ‘atmosphere of urgent desire’ in the church.”(3) The church and all who were there earnestly desired to see God move. The reason why God can use missionaries as He does is because they have learned to seek Christ, to come to Him confessing their emptiness and allowing Him to fill them.