Have you ever wished that you could do something to make changes in the world around you? Have you ever said, "If I had my way… if only I could, if only I could?" Most of us would like to have some kind of positive impact on our surroundings in some way or other, wouldn’t we?
But think for a moment. Given the chance to change things, how would you do it? What would be your criteria for change? Where would you start? On the surface, it would seem impossible for an average person to really make effectual changes, wouldn’t it?
But it has been done many times! Everyday people, just like you and me have taken their ideas and changed the world forever. Just like a young boy in Milan, Ohio. He was a hyperactive kid and suffered from what now call ’Attention Deficit Disorder.’ He was not the type of kid you would really enjoy babysitting.
Yet this boy grew into a man that had such an appetite for knowledge he could do nothing but pursue it. His teachers deemed him mildly retarded, but in 1879, Thomas Alva Edison invented the first light bulb, thereby changing the course of mankind forever.
Another boy was skinny and shy. He seemed like a very poor successor to his overachieving parents. His father was a prominent attorney and his mother served on charitable boards and ran the United Way.
The only thing this boy did well was show an enormous talent for math and logic, but was nobody’s vision of a natural leader. He dropped out of college in his junior year and set out to pursue his heart’s desire. In 1974, young Bill Gates got his big break and Microsoft was born. I don’t think we need to mention the impact he had on the world, do you?
These are just two of thousands of examples of how ordinary men and women came forth with their ideas and dreams and altered the course of events for mankind. They were just average people who had an idea and brought it forth rather than sit on it and forget it.
Now, as much as we think these two men offered the greatest of all changes to our world, there came two men long before them that contributed something even greater for the world.
As humans, don’t we tend to have a standard that people should meet before we will recognize their worth? Sometimes, we need to realize that when we put up a standard for someone to meet before they can be judged ‘acceptable’, the only ones we are deeming ‘unacceptable’ are ourselves.
One man was born out of wedlock to a teen-aged mother. He worked with his father until he was 30 years old. That is when some people think he went off the deep end, because he started talking to others about God, and His love for them.
At the age of 33, he made the most significant impact on the world that has ever been made. He willingly gave up His life simply because He wanted us to live. He died to pay the ransom for our sinful souls.
JOHN 3:16 says,
‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.’
There are more people in the world that do not believe in Jesus than believe in Him, but in January 2000, TIME Magazine named Jesus Christ the most influential person who ever lived.
A few years after Jesus, came another man. For his time, he was considered brilliant and very well educated. He was a very religious man, and he looked upon the new Christians as people who were damaging his religion. Therefore, he helped hunt them down and persecute them. This man was what we call today as a TYPE A PERSONALITY. He was very focused and he was an accomplisher.
He was perhaps the last person you would ever expect to make a total commitment to Jesus Christ. Yet, the man named Paul, who made a living from seeing believers killed, became one of the strongest Christians who ever lived. He is the most widely read author in history, influencing millions upon millions for the glory of Jesus.
My point is this: other than Jesus, all of these men I described were average people who made incredible contributions and huge impacts on our world and were chosen by God to do so.
I want each of you to know today that you can also make an impact in this world, no matter what the circumstances are in your life. No matter what your age, your financial income, your education or anything else, if you have the heart to make an impact, you can. Each one of us can literally change the course of someone’s life, if you have the heart and desire to do so. And when you change someone’s life, there is no greater impact you can have on society.
Change; it’s all about change; nothing else. I live my life for no other hope than to help effect change in one more person’s life for the glory of Jesus. If I have done that, then I am as great a changer of society as Bill Gates or Thomas Edison. And you can be, too. Just have a desire in your heart to see the change.
You have heard me talk frequently about how Christians have settled into a comfort zone and we have become too timid to step out of it, even to pursue the things of our Lord. That is sad, and it is true. And another truth is, we will never be able to change anything as long as we fear change ourselves. What a sadness that puts in my heart, to know that there are many Christians who have decided that they just cannot help anyone else change for God because they are so busy trying their best to keep anything in their lives from changing.
The pity to that is that when we do that, we are actually turning our backs on what the Lord commanded us to do! And how in the world are we ever going to justify that on Judgment Day?
The typical Christian church in America is filled with people who will never go forth to make any kind of a change in the world. They have such a spirit of timidity that they cannot get out of their comfort zones, and if asked, they have will give you as many reasons to justify themselves as you want to hear.
But, there is some very good news, too. In this church, we have been blessed by having some missionaries. Our missionaries have gone to Russia, the Philippines, and Mexico and have had a bold impact on the world for the glory of our Lord.
Tomorrow, these missionaries will be leaving again. This time, they will not be going to build churches, though. They will be going to Mexico to help build a church camp for our Mexican brothers and sisters. And while they are down there, they will once again be making an impact for the Lord as they work.
What is involved in sending missionaries to the mission field? There are three major areas to any successful missions trip. And, for us to understand the mission’s field a bit better, we must understand each of these areas a little better.
1. WE MUST HAVE FAITHFULNESS OF HEART
DEUTERONOMY 11:13-15 says,
‘So, if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your god and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on the land in its season both autumn and springs rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.’
God is telling us that if we are faithful to His commands, he will bless us abundantly. What has He commanded us in regards to missions?
In MATTHEW 28:19,20 we are told,
‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
Let me repeat what I just said a moment ago. God said that if we are faithful to follow what He has commanded us to do, He will reward us greatly with many blessings.
One of the things He has commanded us to do is to go into the world and make disciples. That would include the mission’s field. Our missionaries have proven over and over again that they are faithful in their desire to do God’s work, and they are now reaping the rewards of their faithfulness.
This church has proven over and over again that we are faithful in heart, and we are now reaping the rewards of our faithfulness. And because of our faithfulness of heart, we are seeing our missionaries go out once again to impact lives for Christ Jesus.
2. WE MUST HAVE MONEY
Whether we like to hear this or not, money is a necessary part of a mission ministry. This Youth Ministry was asked to create funds for this ministry by paying for dinners, supporting yard sales, and doing many other things. And this money will be used for our missionaries’ airfare, supplies while they are in Mexico, and for anything else that comes up in the way of a need for them.
In MALACHI 3:10, God promises us that if we give our portion to Him, He will in turn, bless us with so many blessings we will not be able to hold them all. God is not one to go back on His word, and someday, you can sit down with Diana and I and we will tell you first hand how much God will bless you when you are fair with Him.
But even then, when we start talking about giving our money to the church, we are touching on a very sensitive subject. The one thing that most people hold very close to their hearts is their money. People just hate to part with their money.
But think of it this way. If only one or two people were giving to the church, the amount we need to operate would be an impossible figure for them to give. But, if everyone does their part by giving just a part of their money, then the load becomes very manageable for all the people to handle.
Scripture tells us that we are to give 10% of our income. This is called our tithe. An offering is a gift given that is over and above the tithe. Many people refer to these offerings as “love offerings” because they are given out of the love of one’s heart to God.
I know that right now, there are some who are starting to feel very uncomfortable. You may be thinking, “How greedy can this preacher be?” Remember everything you have is from God. God wants you to give, but he wants you to give with a cheerful heart. For those of you that God has richly blessed financially, He wants you to use that blessing to bless others.
Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. Danny, do you have a dime on you? Since I picked on Bill the last time, I am going to pick on you today. I am going to hand you one dollar. That makes you feel good to get a gift like that, doesn’t it? Now, there are no strings at all attached to the dollar. It is yours, no matter what you choose to do. And, no, I will not give you another one!
However, in return for giving you that dollar, I would like for you to care enough about me to help me out by giving me a dime back. Can you do that? Will giving that dime back to me hurt you in any way? No, it won’t, will it. And by giving that dime back to me, you are showing you care about me and that dime will enable me to do other things that might help you, too.
God gives you all your money. See, up until now, some of you thought you actually were responsible for your income, didn’t you? Well, you aren’t. God is. And, since he is the one who gave it to you, like I gave that dollar away, He wants you to give Him back ten cents for every dollar he gives you. Can you do that? Sure, you can – if you choose to.
Many think that money is the root of all evil. It is not. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Let me rephrase that. It is our refusal to let go of our money, even to give back to God that is the root of all the evil in our lives
But as the Youth Ministry held their fundraisers, this church has stepped up to the plate and supported them. This shows that the Youth Ministry has the heart to step out of their comfort zones to be of use to the Lord, and this church has the heart to support them. What a praise to each of you. Thank you so much!
God has blessed us abundantly. We have our parking lot; we have seen a steady rise in church attendance in all services; and we always have enough money in the bank to take care of every need. God has blessed us because we have blessed Him with our faithfulness to His commands.
3. FINALLY, THE FRUIT OF THE MISSION FIELD
Once we have the faithfulness to want to do God’s work, and after we have earned the money to finance our mission trip, then we have the fruits of the mission trip itself.
This team is going out this time to help build a church camp in the countryside outside Mexico City. As a human, any time we “make” something with our own two hands, we have a tendency to stand back and look at the finished job with a certain amount of pride, don’t we?
I am sure that as the land is cleared, the foundations are set and the walls begin to rise, the workers will probably have moments when they stand back and look at their work and feel a certain amount of pride, but I also think there is something else they are going to feel.
When they get to see the love of Christ in those underprivileged Mexican Christians who are finally seeing their dream come true, our missionaries are going to have their hearts touched by God, and it will be then that they will feel the fruit of their labors. They will feel that special feeling that can only be felt when you reach out in faith and make it possible for someone else to be touched by Jesus.
People are either pulled towards Christ or pushed away from Him by what they see in Christians. In the 1950’s, India had a ruler by the name of Mahatmas Ghandi. In an interview once, he said that the main reason he could never be a Christian was because of what he saw in Christians. What a sad commentary on what kind of fruits many Christians bear.
We are told in MATTHEW 7:16 that it will be by their fruits that we will recognize other people, both the good and the bad. Our team of missionaries is leaving, not for any personal gain, as some have had to take a huge financial loss; not for any feathers in their caps, because many might be persecuted; but for someone else’s gain in the glory of Christ. And, people will know them by their fruits.
As Christians, we are all called to do the same thing, even in our own cities. You were called to be a missionary here in Catoosa, Inola, Claremore, and Tulsa. You are being called to let others know you are Christian by the fruits you bear for Jesus. And you are being called by the same command that Jesus called our missionaries.
The difference is, unless you have the heart to go to other places, you are supposed to go into your own world. That world might include your job, your grocery store, your friends’ houses, etc. Wherever you go in your daily life, you are to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you.
I can tell you this right now. I do not come from the Bible belt of America. I come from a big city where if you waive to someone you could very seriously get shot; if you dare mention Jesus, you could be taken to court for harassment; and if you hear any pop-pop-pop, you can bet your bottom dollar it will not be from fireworks.
And, if the people in the city can go out and give witness, it will be a snap for you to go do the same.
The other day, brother Charles Pruett and I were having a conversation about this same subject, and he informed me that every person in this church has an area of influence over other people. He went on to say that if every person here just invited one person to church, we could double the size of our congregation in one week.
But the sad truth is, we don’t do that, do we? And the reason we don’t do this has nothing at all to do with money. It has to do with the faithfulness in our hearts to do the Lord’s bidding, and because of that level of faithfulness, we need to be aware of what kind of fruit we are showing to others.
God will only meet the needs of those Christians who are meeting needs. God will only meet the needs of those churches that are meeting needs. In other words God will only give us what he can flow through us.
Will the Victory Singers please come back on stage? And while they are coming, I am going to ask those missionaries that we are sending out tomorrow to come and kneel before the stage.
I am also going to ask the elders and deacons of the church to come and stand behind them. As the missionaries kneel, I want the leaders of this church to lay hands upon them as we pray for the success of their mission.
As you make your way forward, may I close this sermon by saying that it is very easy for individual Christians and churches to find all the reasons we think will justify us not doing something for God. But like the little engine we have read about since childhood, all we have to do is remember, “I think I can, I think I can - I KNOW I can!”
And it is when we think we can - through Jesus Christ, that we see the boldest impact on the world around us.
(prayer for our missionaries)
INVITATION
CLOSING PRAYER
CLOSING SONG
