Expounds on the New Testament ideal of a missionary church, using the early church in Antioch as a primary example from Acts 11-15. It details the church's commencement under persecution, its divine selection of leaders, and its outward-reaching mission to Jews, Greeks, and Africans, emphasizing the importance of preaching Christ. The message highlights the church's conviction, conversion, and cooperation, illustrating how ordinary individuals, when empowered by the Holy Spirit, can effectively spread the gospel. The sermon concludes by stressing the need for believers to cleave to the Lord, to be a giving church, and to embrace the identity of being called Christians, reflecting God's purpose in their lives and ministries.
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seeing something of the message that has been committed to us in relation to missionary enterprise. And now this morning, I would like to take up by the help of God a missionary church. How wonderful it would be to pattern our local church after God's ideal in the New Testament. And so we are reading in the book of the Acts and we're reading at verse nineteen. Acts chapter eleven and verse nineteen through thirty.
Now they who were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were come to Antioch, spoke unto the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church, which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch, who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cling or cleave unto the Lord.
For he was a righteous man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and many people were added unto the Lord. departed Barnabas to Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that for a whole year they assembled themselves with a church and taught many people. And the disciples were called Christians, first in Antioch. And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch, And there stood up one of them named Agabus and signified by the spirit that there should be a great famine throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren who dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. May the Lord bless the readings. of his word now when we want to study Christian life at its brightest and best it's wise to look at Philippians for there we have God's fourfold pattern of a blessed bright fruitful life now when it comes to the church here is God's manual and I've had a good deal of exercise going over this country and especially being in many assemblies.
In various places there are very bright spots and we thank God for the testimony that reaches out. But there are also some of our assemblies that are breathing hard. And as far as the future is concerned, the Lord alone knows. But if we would stick to this book and we would follow the teachings of this book, what a difference it would make in relation to Christian life as well as our own personal life now here in this particular chapter you have the commencement of this church its character and its calling and it's easily set forth so that you can follow it you don't need to be any great student of the word it's there before you and there are various points in relation to this church that you can see at a glance but you don't stop with chapter You go on to chapters thirteen and fourteen, and there you see how this church progresses, how it goes on.
And it gives you a magnificent picture of how under God men are selected, then they are sent, then they are supported, and their service. It's all set forth. Then on the human side, how you return, how you rejoice, how you review. and how God is honored in and through all. Then as you move on, you discover that there are three terrible enemies that faces every missionary of the cross and every Christian at the park of the pond. And by the time you get through the end of chapter fourteen, you say to yourself, well, it's just as though it was written this morning.
It's so fresh and real. And you'll find that whether it's the devil or whether it's your in-laws or outlaws, or whether it's this world in which you live, they all play a tremendous part in the hindrance of the work of God and His gospel. Then when you move on into chapter fifteen, you discover that there are problems in the midst of the work of the Lord. What should we do? To whom shall we turn? In chapter fifteen, chapter four, and in the mouth of two or three witnesses, all is reviewed and discussed and prayed over, and a solution is arrived at, and the devil is hindered, the work of the Lord is prospered, and the people of God are edified, and that's how the whole thing goes.
And my, what a difference if we'd only go back to the Word of God. But arriving home and seeing the way many movements are going, the constant pleading for money, the mass media of bringing fears and facts before God's people, the constant tuning up and pressing and coaxing and coax, as it were, just compelling people. whereas if we go according to the word of god the machinery of the church would be so oiled by the holy spirit that men would take knowledge of us that we have been with jesus we've learned of him this is his way so as we come to chapter eleven may the lord help us in this a brief study i would like to have time uh to be able to go on with these other chapters but at least I tried to give you an outline here is Antioch.
You see, just as there are four prominent men in this book besides about sixty others, just like the book of Samuel is a patchwork quilt for its beauty and variety of character sketches, so on the platform of the book of the Acts, it's literally filled with personalities that God selects, and then he sends forth to be a blessing in relation to the gospel. So there are four cities, begins at Jerusalem, ends at Rome, in between. You have Antioch and you have places like Gerba and Lystra.
But I remember trying to get to this city. It took me quite a while from Jerusalem, but I finally made it in Turkey. And as I walked around the streets of this particular place, the Schenderm in Turkey, And I couldn't even find a Christian. It was so discouraging. But there's a reason why there are very, very few Christians today in Antioch. But I was able to go on and get to Aleppo. And we have a very happy group of Christians meeting in Aleppo, Syria. But of course, way over here in Antioch, right at the border, as we go on into Turkey.
And from there I had to go on to the seven cities of Asia Minor. I was with another young fellow from Chicago, and by the time we got back from that trip, I was brought to realize, well, what happened that there isn't a vital growing testimony for God in some of these places? The same thing happens there as what happens here when we do not keep before us God's design. If the Lord has blessed you and enriched your life, it's not for you to hide it under a bushel laziness or under a bed, laziness or under a bushel business.
But it's up to you, you're in your small corner, I am mine to get it out. And there are various ways of getting it out. But some sister says to me, but Mr. Rainey, you realize that I am over seventy-five and that it's impossible for me to get out of the gospel. Ah, no. The Spirit of God doesn't change. Jesus Christ doesn't change. The Word of God doesn't change. The Word of God says that day after day I'm to come to Him. And what am I to do? I am to present my body. And that doesn't matter whether you're ten or eighty.
And as we present our bodies a living sacrifice unto Him, God is honored and glorified. And little do we realize the effect and the influence of one little life for Jesus Christ. So if you've got one lung, or you've got just one kidney, or if you are a crystal, And you feel you're not able to do very much. Let me remind you that this assembly at Antioch teaches me how to serve God. And there's a threefold way in serving God today. My ministry is to the Lord. My ministry is to the Christians.
And my ministry is to the world. And teaches us all that. As we come to chapter... And then we find out how people are sent out to the mission field. But today it's a different way. Get on the bandwagon. I'm in it. I want you in it. God doesn't work that way. I'd love to see my children grow up to follow the Lord. And it's the Lord's selection. I would worship at his feet, but I like my Father, his godly counsel that reams in my ear and comes to my heart again and again. The last thing in the world for me as a youth or a young man or as one of his family to be in the Lord's work, if the Lord isn't in it.
And that's why here in this particular church he shows how he selects instruments. They weren't of the schools. They didn't have some boards. They weren't great and noted preachers. But he selected them. And it's the risen head of the church that chooses men. He does the choosing. The Holy Spirit does the compelling. And it's the brethren that do the commenders. And it's all laid out there. And it's part and parcel. The responsibility of the older brethren, if they see a youth or an individual who is exercising certain things pertaining to the spiritual and to the spirit of the gospel, they should do all they can to encourage them.
And you won't have this fuss and you won't have the problems that have come upon us because certain young people go off to a Bible school or certain young people are on some trip abroad and to get their little eyes open to see certain things. And then the first thing they want to do is jump into the Lord's work. I had to make a trip over seven hundred miles when I was preaching in New Zealand to sit with some of the brethren to try and explain that the only reason why these two young people broke down and came home is not because of their testimony or morals. It's because of the way they were handled on the field. And I had a letter from our brethren commending these young couples, this young couple.
But I found them at our gate one Sunday morning in tears and broken to this. And three days later they were on a plane and they felt so ashamed they refused to even contact anyone in Johannesburg. They got all the way back to the to the assemblies in Upland, one of the most assembly-minded countries in the world, the last and the loveliest of all the dominions in New Zealand. And here we have in this wonderful book how God selects men and how He appoints them and how He looks after them. And as we come to a city like this, the first thing I want you to notice, how did this assembly commence, its commencement?
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. And that goes not only for Christians, but for churches. And you don't have to lift your eyes very far before you see certain things. Well, how did this begin? Some assemblies are born out of a vision. Born out of a prayer meeting. A sense of need. A sense of urgency. And the spirit of God brings certain hearts. together they pray and the first thing they know there's a little nucleus and they become a little testimony for God in the midst of this world's darkness but then there's others they begin because they can't hit it off with this one and then there's a matter of great diversity of opinions and sometimes certain men have queer ideas in relation to the word of God And they just can't go along with it until they start something on their own.
And oh, how many churches have been born, have been born out of spews and spit and spat and spite? And how did they end? They end as they begin. They go on that way and they die that way. And that's why one of the most wonderful yet holy undertakings in this world is the gathering together of God's people and establishing a name or a testimony to his name. I just love it. Out in front of the chapel where I am in Augusta, Georgia, a testimony to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if that testimony hadn't been founded the right way, it would never have gone on these past few years because of what has come in.
And here it says that they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen. Because here we have the spirit of the gospel, the fervence of the gospel, and the things that happened, the persecution, the death of Stephen. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. And as persecution took place, these people found themselves way over here at Stephen. These found themselves away over here at Antioch, and they were scattered. What did they do? Did a rocker and kick in the sun? No! Wherever they went, there was either a riot or revival, because God was in it, and they gossiped the gospel.
And the word of the Lord went forth. And who was it? A great band of preachers known throughout the world? No! They were ordinary men and women. But you see, God allowed it, and God proved that in everything, he can make things work together for good in the advance of his kingdom. And so it's commenced under persecution. And I think that if the day would come when we have a little more persecution, like we are finding in Africa now, we're so few. I often, even in my prayers or my preaching or in speaking, I just love to see a brother.
We don't see many preachers or teachers come around. And if they come and they've got a word from God, it's marvelous. But we don't have it. And many of our missions are in dreadful status. That is a certain group where we have what we call a local mission outpost. And they're thrown together all the time and there's personality clashes. And then there's the powers of evil. then there's ordinary everyday living and the heat and burdens of the day and we never see another day and so it's no wonder i almost weep when i sit in the presence of a group of men like this morning and i hear their voices going up to god and the devil has won the day you see in the early days of missionary work there were more graves and there were missionaries And as the missionaries fell and went into their graves, others rose up and followed.
And the work of the Lord was prospered in those pioneer days. And the church of Jesus Christ at home was holding them up. But what happened in my generation? The devil has got in, and he's caused a deep sleep to fall upon the people of God. And if some of us were able to slip in unobserved on a Wednesday night in some of our meetings, Even in some of our home chapels where we're so well known, we'd find we'd go through a whole chapel service and never hear our name. That's absolutely true. Out of sight, out of mind. Because the only way to retain and keep missions before you and a missionary before you is to be walking with the Lord because it's the Lord's work.
And of course we have relatives and friends. And I've learned out of experience a better pray for your kids. Nobody else does. Some do. But I've learned this. And that's why such a wonderful thing, a husband and wife, to put themselves together and get themselves together. And we never go through a day without praying together. Because we've got the responsibility of our children. And I'm sure God will take knowledge of our tears and the exercise of our hearts. Because we're living in an evil day, the minute they step out of our homes, the minute they go on to school or wherever they go, they become charred for the enemy. And think of how many preachers kids have gone to the highs, to the winds. What a need today.
And you'll notice as these men went preaching, they preached the word. And that was in reference to the Jews, because the word here is Logos. Now I'm trying to take up that beautiful word, but if you want to understand it a little better, there's one book in the Bible that's named after it. It's Deuteronomy. And that's why Jesus loved it. And he quoted three times from it. But the emphasis there is on the faithfulness of God. And if we're going to preach to Jews, we need to be saturated with the word of God. Because that's their background. And then when it came to the Greek, they are the intellectual people, and they preached the Lord Jesus. Why? Because the Lord Jesus proved to be the wisdom of God. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God.
In him is the very foolish of God. And when you're dealing with an intellectual, whether he's in the University of Miami, or whether he's in the University of Arizona, bringing before him the Lord Jesus, because there's none like him. And as we present the Lord Jesus, who can gain say this? Because it wasn't done in a corner. It's a historical fact. He lived. He died. He rose again. And I like the way these men did. And then when they preached to the Africans, how did they preach? They preached to Jesus, Yeshua. And the Lord teaches us how to deal with people.
Because he's the best of all teachers. He's the prince of preachers. He's the great expositor. And if we listen to him, our hearts will burn. That's why God gave me the privilege to be among the people of the razor brain, the Jew. And I lived and dwelt among them. But the only way I could get anybody was to go down to the market. And the only way I could hold their attention and have an opportunity to deal with them is give them the word of God in their own tongue. Many, many a day I spent trying to prove to Jews, even to my learned teacher that Yeshua, Hamashiach, Jesus Christ was God's last word to this world.
Because in Him, God has focused. And if you don't listen to Him, What have you? One day I sat with over two thousand at a Bible study. I perhaps was one of the very few in the whole audience who can understand the man that's speaking. And there he is, and he's expositing Isaiah fifty-three. And of course they look upon it as a servant, and he skips certain verses. But he says, the Christians of our generation, they look upon Jesus Christ as a weak ascendant man, because there Jesus is a weak man. He died on a sullen cross.
But he says, we are Jews. We have built this state. We belong to the coming kingdom. Our Messiah is the army. And as far as our Messiah is El-Gibur. That means the mighty God. And I listened to him, and if ever God revealed to me the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, it was there in the midst of them all, because I saw this clear as crystal unto this day a veil remain. Because the whole book is a hodgepodge apart from Jesus Christ. He's the key. And the Jews have missed it.
But the day is coming when as a nation they will beat upon their breath. And they will say, Oh, we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. But the Lord have laid on him. He will look what he has done. And they'll see it. And a nation will be born in a day. And all that's coming. And they'll beat upon their breast and say, He was wounded for my transgression, for our transgression as a nation. And it's all there. And that's why in dealing with people, you have your privilege, I have my privilege.
And so many people will cast us along the way or over the world, wherever we go. And what a lovely thing it is to speak a word for Jesus. So you have its commencement. Then you notice its conviction. The hand of the Lord was with him. The hand of the Lord was with him. And see, you can tell when the hand of the Lord, there's an inner conviction that works together with outward circumstances and experiences. This is God's doing. It's not my doing. This work is of the Lord, except the Lord built it. Why, we labor in vain. But here, with conviction in the assembly, and then it says a great number of beliefs. And here you have conversion because the word here, believe, is the old Hebrew word, amen.
And the first time it's found in the Bible is when Abraham looked up into heaven and God says, he, see all the stars. He says, so shall I see. What did Abraham do? He said, amen. And they believed. And that's the first time. And that's why this word is common over all the universe. Amen. And so many passages, so let it be, and all the rest of it. But the word, believe, simply means to say amen to what God says. And he says, you're a sinner. Just don't believe it. In the Greek language, it means to be persuaded. And the word gathers up your heart, your mind. And everything is committed.
You reckon, you accept, you trust. It's a beautiful word. And they believe. And that's why Daniel, not a hurt. Nothing happened to him. Why? Because he believes God. And without belief, without faith, it's impossible to believe God. He that cometh to God must believe. He must say amen. He is. That is Jesus. And secondly, He's a rewarder of them that's going to teach me. And you show me a man or woman or any of us who go to God and seek His faith and commit everything to Him and walk with Him and keep in touch with Him. You'll prove what God says.
The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and their ears are open unto their prayer. And you can always count, as Hudson Taylor said, you can always count on the faithfulness of God or God's faith toward you. Mine is weak in wishes. Very little to it, but I'm dependent on the faithfulness of God to me. And I reckon on his faithfulness. And so I put my little hand in here and I say, Lord, lead on. And the best is yet to be. And so there you have its commencement. There you have the inner conviction among these people. The convergence that took place. And then what?
Well, there's cooperation. It's not just a one-man. Up there, it's just not a one-way street. Then tidings of these things came into the ears of the church, and I like this. Why? You see, it's not a building. It's a living organ. And as you study the beginning of the church, God had their ears. Now, what does the end of the church age reveal? Well, if you study the writings of Paul, you'll find that when he started out for God, it was the coming. As you move on, it's the cross. As you get into the central part of his life, it's the Christian people.
And he presents to them Christ, because what we need as we get on in life is Christ. But what about at the end? As you study the pastoral epistles, you'll understand the whole thing. Because God leads us along various ways. And at the end of the journey, Paul takes a young man, and his name is Timothy, younger men. And so here you have Paul talking to Timothy. And he says, you know, at the end of the age you'll have a certain congregation. And the old kind of congregation we have today in nineteen hundred and seventy two people with diseased ears, twenty ears.
And that's why they can't stand the good word of God. They can't stand a certain line of ministry. Why? Because they've lost hope. Very few have Samuel, dear, Lord, peace. Thank you very much, really. That's what the word Samuel means, heard of God. That's why the English word first, for heed, obey, or listen, all comes from the word shmuel. Because when I say to my child, hear me, what do I mean, obey me? Because to obey is that he's been sacrificed. And that's where you get this word about the ears.
And very few people are in tune with God in this respect. Because Jesus was here and again and again and again. He said, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. How does the Bible end? He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church. Because God can get men's pocketbooks. God can get people to get on the bandwagon here, there, and everywhere. But one of the most difficult things that God has to do with human lives today is get their ears. And the last thing a man ever does is he's a sculptor. Everything is things. And then the last thing is dig out ears. And so it is today in spiritual things.
Because we live in such a modern age with all this clang and jangle, all this... confusion and variety of voices that sometimes you just wonder. And that's why it's so nice to go down by the lake, believe it's me, but it's still water. And it's only in the quiet place that you hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way to walk the enemy. And you see here, tidings of these things came into the ears. What did they do? Well, they sent forth Barnabas that he could go as far as Antioch when he had come he saw the grace of God he wasn't discouraged or or angry because he didn't have a part in it one of the big names and it says when he had come and he had seen the grace of the very manifestation of the word of the Holy Spirit his heart leaped with him and he preached one of the shortest one of the best sermons that you could ever hear this side of heaven because it says He exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would do what?
It's a medical term, cleave unto the Lord, and just like a bone knit, and it grows in just like a couple that can weather the good number of years they grow together in a wonderful, wonderful way. So it's God's design that you and I should cleave to the Lord and grow up into the Lord, into the measure of the stature, the fullness of Christ, that I should be conformed to Him. And the biggest business that God has is not sending me out as a missionary. The biggest business that I can be to the praise of Israel. That's altogether a difference. It's not what we do. It's what God does in us. And in as men, in as much as I enter into it, then God will write across my brain, to every man his work.
And as I come to realize what Jesus said when he was here, to every man is work, because he's like a man going on a long journey and leaves his servant certain things to do. and i begin to discover that work is what gives genuine muscle to my christian life and i want to do a little for the lord jesus and some have some maybe have just a talent others have two talents others have maybe three or four but whatever i have i can use it for god and if you don't want to enter into it my father used to say it if you are ever able to preach They'll certainly be a new day for us.
I used to have a terrible time. So I practiced on the chicken and I practiced on some of the animals and I used to get down and none of those fish ever jumped out of the water. But I used to go down by the water side and try and memorize a few verses and try and get them through because I had one of those things that some people have a little impediment. And it's a marvelous thing when a light is turned over to the Lord. And then just watch how he does it. And here you have cooperation because others work together with you. And I like this man because he's the man who knew how to play second fiddle. There's not many preachers that give the other preacher a boost. And like we do most of our breathing in our own backyard.
And here this man, as soon as he saw with his eye, and he witnessed the grace of God, and he preached his wonderful sermon, then he says, I know. There's somebody better than me. I'm honest. And away he went. And he got Paul, who says, you can handle this situation a lot better than I can. And he says, I'd love you to come. And you'll notice that it's all here barnabas and saul but turn the pages of the bible and begin to go on in this book and you'll find it paul and barnabas and this man knew what it was to take a secondary place and that's why in working together in the things of god there's no place like the mission field but there's so many and on the mission field they're all They want to go to one-way seats.
And most missionaries are of a strong personality, and especially women. And it's absolutely true. Mary and Mark and Lazarus illustrate the whole thing. There's always two women over against every man. And we have to be strong-minded. But it's learning to work with others, and that's not easy. Like the young fellas that I brought out, seven hundred God, and I had to make twenty-six trips to our immigration, and finally to our prejudice. But I got them all to the country and they're doing a good work. But the leader, right off the bat, he says, you know, Les, I never called me his brother. He was always Les. He said, you know, he's coming from a trough.
We don't have too much stock in older missionaries. And you see, I can't consider myself a young missionary, but it hurt me. And this is the kind of generation I'm living among. because very few of them ever go to work for God and are under the counsel and jurisdiction of an older man who walks with God and labors for God. Very few of them know what it is to do as Elijah did to Elijah, get the water for it and do a few menial tasks. And if we never learn to be a doormat in the assembly of God's people, we're not ready for office. Because many a time a man who leaves, he's going around turning out the lights And you'd think there'd be somebody raised up of God to do some of these tasks.
But I've discovered again and again you have to be willing to do anything and become all things to all men. And one of the things that we see among the brethren and God's dear people is the lack of respect for those who are in the work. So it's just like any other joke. And they address them. And there's many a pun made about it. And I believe in the things of God today that just like this generation doesn't give respect to their teachers, we're having such an awful time with our children in schools, the lack of respect and reverence for teachers, for age and so on.
That's the kind of age that we're living in and it's crept into the Church of Jesus Christ. And what a difference this is. when we follow the word of God. And I esteem a man like this. I thank God. And these men came to pass for a whole year. They assembled with the church. Now you can't get meetings for two weeks. It's too much in everybody. Well, I realize the pressure of life. But think of the blessed times you have to have. Here's Barnabas. Here's Paul. They're working together. Keep seeing and preaching. What blessings must have crowned their efforts. And it's still true today. where we're able to work together because we need the evangelist, we need the exhorted, we need the Bible teacher because they are gifts.
And then you'll notice that this church was a giving church. And a little later on it says that they heard that there was a need and they determined, it says they determined every man according to his ability to send relief. And so here you're taught that this church knew what it was to give. They just didn't give in their own environment. It was toward others. And he gave, they determined, and so you must do so much I. Because to each God has given us something and we must stand before the Lord and in our own heart and mind. Well, what can I do? Then he gave discriminantly according to your ability.
It's not what I possess, what I give, and God took knowledge of it with the widows' mice. Some people you could preach and preach, and it's like preaching to rocks. Then others, if they get a nice sob story and a real movie and working, because of some picture they see at all this stuff, That's why it's such a bother to me sometimes going around the country and they want me to show my pictures. And again and again people need the Word of God. It's only the Word of God that will stay in shape. And the pictures pass away. I've got hundreds of them in various ways. It's like the Bible. There's so much I just don't know where to start.
And sometimes I've got some eight pictures that get lost in them. When it comes to giving, I'm to give discriminantly. of this journey. And then I noticed when they gave it, they had two men do it. Why? That in everything it should be on the highest level in no taint of suspicion. And so the two men took it. And everything about God is perfect. Everything about the Bible is perfect. And just the way they handled it. And if we'd give systematically and we'd give according to our ability and so on, what a difference it would be. But you see, Today, the more advertising that is sent out, the more pictures are put together, and the more pleading, and some of God's people fall for it.
And then we come to a country like this, and we're in the assembly, and we find out that they're sending money to other work. and they don't follow their own in the true way. How can God bless? And yes, we have nothing against other nations. Then I am on the platform. And here the brother that's on the platform with me represents a mission. And he has to have three churches support him. And that's the way he went out to Zambia. And so when I come home, he's on the very platform. And he knows when he's out in the field that he's with his mission. The Southern Baptists met with me as a group, and they're one of the wealthiest missions in all of the United States.
Tremendous budget. And they said, we are interested in you. You have your six little paperbacks, and if you'll go home to America and identify yourself with us, we'll see that everything that comes from your pens will be printed. And your six books now, we want. But we can't touch them or we can't print them because they're not one of us. And that's the Southern Baptist. And Mr. Chrysler, the head of the whole thing, was in touch with me in Dallas. And it's tremendous. But I believe this is God's way when it comes to mission. And we go forth depending upon the Lord.
And sometimes when June, July, and August comes, we wonder how we'll ever get through. Because the missionary is greatly affected when it comes to June, July, and August. Because that's the month when everybody takes off. There's no missionary conferences. There's very little prayer meetings kept on through the summer. You come out to the mission field, you can tell. And then some great campaign takes place out there. And it has repercussions throughout all the country. And these are the things that are going on. But the God whom we serve. is the God who's able and he still has people who know what it is to give and to give unto the Lord and in the proper way and that's the way the Lord's work is carried on and the last thing is the calling what were these people called called will human names divide but divine names unite they're called believers because they believe they're called disciples because they follow but they were called Christians for the first time and this word here in popular palm has fallen among thieves and has been robbed of all this beauty and lustre.
But it's a word that combines three names, the Latin, the Greek, and the Hebrew. And as far as I'm concerned, I believe that John Wesley, a Christian is one in whom is the life of God. And to me, it's just a lovely thing to be called a Christian. And I've never lost the wonder of being a child of God. It's a divine miracle. They come to refer me as a missionary. Well, it's not found in the New Testament. But we know what it means. It's one who is sent. And you're just as sent as much as I am as far as God is concerned. Because as the Father sends me, so send I you. And it doesn't matter whether you go across the street or across the sea.
What matters is the direction you go, I being in the way. And as you go on in the way, God brings to you and God brings to me certain individuals. And just think when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. And you'll see someone up there because you spoke a word for Jesus. And I'm content to be just called a Christian. I'm quite happy to be called a brother. If they say brother beloved, well that's nice, but I'm so thankful just to be one of the brethren. And if we follow on with God, oh, that we might remember, that little is not.
If God is in it, and the morning is yet to be, when we shall enter into his presence, and with God we could hear, well done, thou good. That's my character and faithful servant. That's my work for him. May the Lord bless you. Shall we sing in closing that lovely hymn, Nothing but Christ. As on we tread the gifts unprice God's living bread, with chaff in hand and keep well shod, nothing but Christ, the Christ of God. Three hundred and twenty-four. Nothing but Christ has gone with grace, The gift and Christ, the blessed be with death in
heaven she dwells young, something for Christ the Christ of God. Everything lost for him below. He keeps the cross wherever we go. He always knew always the one he'd alone. The big but like the Christ of Christ of God.
Nothing's been seen in our way, Dealing the theme for sinless praise. I call for Christ the Lord, the Lord, something but Christ of Christ of all.
We pray. Blessed God, our Father, we thank you for this challenge I have brought before us this morning. We thank you for this picture left for so clearly in thy word the picture of a New Testament church. We thank you for its calling, for men of God who went there and preached to Jews and to Greece and preached to the church and built up a church. We thank you, Lord. for its conviction, the hand of God working with them day by day. And so, Lord, there is a great pattern for us. We thank you for those who, for Barnabas, who went and fetch Saul of Tartarus, now soon to become Paul the Apostle.
And we thank you, Lord, for the missionary outreach of this church. God told them to choose men and to send them. And they sent them out and supported them. Oh God, speak to our hearts. We live in a day when there's so many calls from so many things and so many pieces of paper coming over our desks every day and coming to our doors. Everybody asking for money. We thank you, God, still upon the soul. And we would like, Lord, here at Park of the Town, like thy servants of old, to wait upon thee only and on no man.
Give us more faith, we praise you, and help us to be more missionary-minded and to send more help to those our brethren who are laboring for thee on the foreign field. Help us, Lord, to be more prayerful. Bless this monthly missionary prayer meeting that we have planned for future days, and we ask, Lord, it will help us to keep those who are serving thee before our minds till the Lord Jesus come back. We thank you for this ministry. We thank you for our brother, and we ask our blessing if he goes on on Wednesday for further service with me. So we commit it to be for this day. In the spare hours that we get back tonight, we pray that I'll be with us and guide us, and give us a great evening again tonight.
We ask it in our favor. It's precious and worthy name. Amen.