Time To Launch

“ Lamak”* was born into a wealthy, powerful Muslim family in South Asia. His family’s reputation put pressure on him to live like a Muslim. Everything changed when Lamak turned his life over to Jesus Christ while working in Singapore.

When he returned home four years later, he accepted the risks of living out his faith. Despite the danger, Lamak shared Jesus with his family.

His father-in-law reacted violently. He strapped Lamak to a chair and pumped volts of electricity into his arms. He tried to force Lamak to denounce his faith in Christ. Lamak refused.

Though scars remain on Lamak’s arms as a result of this torture, he uses his wounds to share his testimony with others. He now works with a short-term missions worker and has helped plant 32 churches and has baptized 500 Muslim believers.

“The Lord continues to work in mysterious ways through those who are willing to serve Him,” a Southern Baptist mission worker says. *Names changed for security reasons.

But Lamak would never have had the opportunity to do so much for Christ Had he never Heard, the Gospel and Believed on Jesus Christ.

This morning, I want to preach a message that I have entitled, Time to Launch. And I want to base this message on missions on a passage from the letter that Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome.

READ: Romans 10:13-17

Our church for years has not only supported missionary’s but also created and established opportunities here to reach out to the lost in darkness and help them to see the light. Many of the ministry’s that we have here at Calais are designed to provide us the opportunity to share the gospel with people in our own area. Whether it be our “Live Nativity” in December, or by providing you tracts there in the foyer, we want to see people come to Christ.

And we do it because “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

But I want us to focus this morning on one question that Paul asks, that is found in verse 15: “… how shall they preach, except they be sent?”

From this question, I want you to see a picture of what God had in mind when He sent His Son to this earth to die for your sins and mine and what He expected of us as a result.

#1. The Foundation Laid

In Matthew 10:1-7 we find a time in the life of Jesus Christ here on earth that gives us clearly a picture of missions and the reality that in order to be one of those “sent” we first must be chosen.

READ: Matt. 10:1-7

Could Jesus have worked it some way that He would have been the one to share the gospel with every creature? Yes. Could He have come up with some other way for people to be saved? Yes. However, God chose to use man for this purpose and Jesus Christ got it started with the disciples.

You and I have been chosen to “preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and “preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2). We are the ones that God has commissioned to continue this on. We will talk more about this in just a moment.

I want you to notice that not only did Jesus call men but He also sent them. (READ: Mark 6:7-13)

Jesus clearly laid the foundation for missions by calling and them sending them.

#2. The Foundation Launched

After Jesus laid the foundation in regards to missions, it was dependent upon the church to see it launch out into the world. Let just share with you 3 different passages in Acts that give us a clear picture of this happening.

> Acts 2:21,32,36, 38-41 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. [32] This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

[36] Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. [38]Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [40] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

> Acts 5:12-14 “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. [13] And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. [14] And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)”