Our Mission For The Master

Our Mission for the Master

Luke 9:1-6

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Sept. 15, 2013

*A big part of Missions Sunday is Louisiana missions. That's because today is the first day in the Week of Prayer for State Missions and the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering. Some of our young people will pass out prayer guides at the end of the service this morning. And I hope you can see a little about day 6 in this video clip. (VIDEO) (1)

*Pastor Jose said, "God put it in my heart: Somebody got to share the gospel with them." Christians: We are those somebodies. One way or another, God wants to reveal Himself through us.

*How does He do it? Let's look into the Word of God and see.

1. First: Jesus sends us.

*We see an example of this truth in vs. 1&2, where the Bible says:

1. Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

2. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

*Jesus sent them. Of course this was true of the Apostles. But believers, we need to see that Jesus has sent us too! In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said this to ALL of His followers:

14. "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

*We could say, "I'm just an ordinary person. There's nothing special about me." But these men were ordinary too. Not one of them was chosen by Jesus because they were rich or highly educated or famous. Most people won to Jesus have been won by ordinary people, who realized they were sent by God.

*King Duncan once said: "There are reasons why God wouldn't want you and me to serve Him, reasons having to do with our various inadequacies. However, we're in good company:

-Abraham was too old.

-David was too young.

-Moses stuttered.

-Hosea's wife was a prostitute.

-Elijah got depressed.

-Jonah ran from God.

-Noah got drunk.

-Jacob was deceitful.

-David was an adulterer and a murderer.

-Naomi was a poor widow.

-Samson had long hair.

-Elisha had none.

-James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven on some Samaritans who would not receive Jesus.

-Peter was afraid of death.

-And Thomas doubted the resurrection.

-But God used every one of them, and He wants to use us. (2)

*King Duncan once pastored a church in the hills of east Tennessee. For 18 months, the average attendance was four. Sometimes there were six. And on Easter, there were seven, because of an old gentleman named Claude, who only came on Easter Sunday.

*But one time Claude came on another Sunday. And about halfway through the sermon Duncan saw a tear running down Claude's face. After church, Duncan went to Claude, and asked if he wanted to talk. Claude looked at his pastor and said, "Preacher, things aren't going to be like this around here anymore."

*Duncan didn't think much about it. But when he drove up the next Sunday, the parking lot was filled with cars, and the church was filled with people! They had 58 people in Sunday School that day!

*Duncan asked Claude where all the people came from. And Claude said, "Preacher, I know these hollers up in here better than you. I went to some families that I knew didn't go to church and I asked, 'If I came up here Sunday morning and picked up your children, -- would you let them go to Sunday School at our church?' And every once in a while, someone would say, 'Claude, you don't have to pick up my children, I could bring them.'

*And then I went to older people that I knew, shut-ins, and I said, 'If I came after you Sunday morning, would you come down to our church?' And every once in a while someone would say, 'Claude, you don't have to come after me, my daughter could bring me down there.' And, preacher, this is what happened." (3)

*That church was totally transformed, because a 78-year-old man realized that we have been sent by God. And all of us need to be more like Claude, because Jesus sends us.

2. But Jesus also supplies us.

*Verse 3 helps us to see this truth, where Jesus said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece."