The Modern Missions Movement

The Great Commission and the Modern Missionary Movement

So this is lesson number 12. In the book forerunners of the faith lesson number 12 is covering the modern Missionary movement, so it's titled the gospel goes forth. So let's turn to Matthew chapter 28.

And even with without looking at it. I I knew that Passage or chapter dealing with Missionary work, I knew the key passage would probably be the Great Commission. So there are any other passages that come to mind when you think of?

Missionary work I Think this is the the main one. So Matthew chapter 28 18 through 20 this of course Like I said the the Great Commission Jesus speaking to the disciples. He said starting in verse 18 All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

So go therefore and make disciples of all the nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the end of the age.

Amen, and I don't know about you, but I have a red letter Edition and the Amen is not in red. So I guess John tacked on the Amen. Or excuse me, Matthew tacked it on to end his book. But what's what's Jesus saying saying go out?

Go out where? Go out into yeah start start with Jerusalem and then Samaria all Judea to the uttermost parts of the earth just go out and and preach the gospel and make disciples of all the nations and then the second thing you do once you get somebody to believe in Christ next step is baptism and He says then teach them all that I have commanded and the the teaching happens in a local fellowship.

So when I think of missionary work, I don't know I don't know what you think of or what the average person what comes to mind? But when I think of missionary work, I think of somebody going out preaching and if enough people Come to know Christ.

They set up a church and it's at that church where the people are taught everything and then Once a church is established they'll go somewhere else try to do it again and and hopefully it just multiplies because When you think of someone in the Bible?

Because the Bible doesn't use the word missionary, but who's that man in the Bible that we think of as the like Perfect picture of what a missionary is. Yeah, it would have to be Paul because everyone's Heard and been taught read about Paul in his missionary journeys.

So if Paul is the perfect picture of a missionary. That's that's exactly what he did. He was a an evangelist a church planner and he would go from place to place. And then once he would leave he would come back and check in on how that church was doing.

So ideally in the missionaries we support. I mean, that's that's who I would want to support first and foremost people that are Setting up churches all over the world where there are not Churches, of course now things have sort of flipped where you know.

The United States and England used to be the place where missionaries were sent out into remote You know jungles and tribes and and now it's like we need people setting up churches here because there's a lot of a lot of places that Don't have a church or at least they don't have a church that's preaching the gospel.

The Gospel Goes Forth in the Modern Missions Movement

So So this is the gospel goes forth. Cary Judson in the modern missions movement. So just the timeline. Do you have the chart in your book? 1793 William Cary leaves for India. 1806 Henry Martin arrives in India.

1813 at an I room Judson arrives in Burma. 1854 Hudson Taylor's first trip to China. 1885 CT stud arrives in China and then 1834 CT stud dies in Africa so out of these names who have you heard of? William Cary is probably the most well-known name.

Yes, Mark I. Okay, so I'm gonna assume that the editor or the what do you call them? Yeah, they didn't kick they didn't catch that. So I think he probably died in 1934 so yes, thank you for catching that.

If someone has a phone and they want to check out CT stud and when he passed, what do you find Brad? 1931 okay. So the the year is a little off. So someone didn't catch that. That's all right. So we'll talk about him.

But yeah, William Cary is the the name I think most people have heard of Hudson Taylor's fairly well known as well so let's start with section number one the Great Commission and Modern missions says after his resurrection the Lord Jesus commissioned his followers to be his witnesses Throughout the world that's Matthew 28 18 through 20 in Acts chapter 1 verse 8.

So let's look up Acts 1 8. But what else do missionaries do if they're not? Preaching the gospel and setting up churches. What other things to missionaries do? Okay, so they might open up a clinic they do do a lot of humanitarian work, so yeah with medicine setting up a mission where people are fed and in the process they may Hear the gospel.

So a lot of humanitarian work. This is I mean, obviously Different churches are going to have a different vision of what they're looking to accomplish. A Bible-believing church first and foremost goes places.

They want to see people saved. So we may help people or the missionaries we support may help them and you know with food and medicine. But the goal is to get them to accept Christ and become followers of Christ a lot of the more mainline churches, you know, they're not as You know getting them saved is not the top priority it's it's more helping them come into the 20th century and and Giving them clean water, which is it's which is good work, but Salvation is obviously what Paul was trying to accomplish when he set up churches.

And this is the Great Commission, you know, make make disciples is number one. So it says here in the book in the 16th century the Protestant reformers Courageously committed themselves to translating the Bible and preaching its truth.

That same priority characterized the missions missionary movement of the 19th and 20th centuries. Consider the following examples of faithful believers who took Christ's mandate seriously to go and make disciples of all the nations.

John Eliot and the Native Americans

Okay, so number one is John Elliot. He lived from 1604 to 1690. He was a Puritan settler in New England who began evangelizing the Native Americans. Known as the Apostle to the Indians. He translated the Bible into their native language and he helped to establish churches and sparked a missionary zeal among Christian settlers in the new world.

Of course, you know we live in a day and age where this type of thing is What you call? Politically incorrect. The idea that you a Christian would go to a foreign nation and try to convert them from their way of life to the To the Christian way of life.

I mean, but Does does that matter? Just because the the mainstream culture media Hollywood doesn't like it that I mean, I don't think they would they've ever liked what the Christian Church has been doing so it makes no difference at all so has have Native Americans had more opportunities since since Christianity has come to the Americas.

I Mean they have fall they have amazing opportunities. They have all the same opportunities as anyone else. So Whether people want to admit it or not. The way of life here has been greatly improved and that's always true wherever Christianity goes.

The the standard of living always goes up. It's never not been the case so that missionary spirit number two Inspired men like David Brainerd. He lived from 1718 to 1747 to Similarly devote his life to reaching Native Americans with the good news of the gospel though Brainerd died at only 29 years of age his friend Who you had to fill this in in your book?

Who's this friend? Jonathan Edwards from 1703 to 1853. Edwards was so impressed by the young missionaries passion that he edited Brainerd's diary and published it. Edwards himself would later work as a missionary to the Native Americans of Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

And of course, we I think we touched on this when we looked at the life of Jonathan Edwards over the past Week or two and then you get into William Carey, like I said, he's the most well-known name here.

I think on the list. So number four in 1785 an English Shoe cobbler named William Carey who lived from 1761 to 1834. He read a copy of an account of the life of the late David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards.

The book had a profound impact on Carey's thinking. Igniting a passion to his heart to take the gospel to India. William Carey left for India in 1793 and the modern missions movement was born. Carey's example influenced American missionary at an Iram Judson 1788 to 1850 inspired others also in 1802 a British preacher named Charles Simeon was speaking about that the good that William Carey was doing in India and upon hearing a message a young man in the congregation named Henry Martin Determined that he too would go to India rather than going to law school.

So where are we picking up on as we as we see these different men mentioned? Like one thing is leading to another one. Does the work inspires? Another. He does a work. He inspires that next generation and that Hopefully should be going on up until today.

We should be able to look back at these men or even just people we've known and met maybe a missionary comes to our church and they share and Maybe it's just one person one person in the congregation one person somewhere along the way.

They hear what they say. They're inspired to Enter into the mission field. Have you know anyone who's done that. I mean, I I suspect every single missionary we support was probably Inspired by somebody else.

So just because and of course if somebody in this church Was led to do that. They wouldn't be here anymore. They'd be out on the mission field. So So yeah, I mean this this is the thing about not just missions.

But preaching the gospel when you when you share Christ with someone and they believe. The first thing they should want to do at least early on in their walk with Christ this is common, sometimes it fades away with people, but the thing that every Christian should want to do is they should want to share Christ and get others saved and then those people should share cry and it should spread and the world should be one to Christ by now, but It's it's not a matter of fact, we're going in the other direction.

Why do you suppose that is? Yeah. Following the culture you agree with that. Yeah, I mean, I I think I Don't. I'm sure there's many different reasons but if you get indoctrinated into the culture Then you're probably not gonna be all that zealous to give up everything that we have here and go to India or China or wherever so yeah, we get comfortable as Americans or wherever people are they want what they want and yeah, I think we are going in the other direction as I said on I Might have been a Wednesday when studying revelation.

Thing things yeah things seem to be Getting worse and worse, but on the other hand, that's what Paul prophesied. About the as we approach the end of days, of course, we don't know that that's the case, but that's certainly how it appears.

So Martin, this is number six Martin was inspired. Says that Martin died young however yet his memoirs Influenced many in England in particular his biography had a significant impact on Anthony Norris Groves.

Who is considered by some to be the faith or the excuse me the father of faith missions? Groves was a missionary to modern-day Iraq and later to India. In his own memoirs Groves writes this. I Have today finished reading for the second time Henry Martin's memoir How my soul admires and loves his zeal self-denial in devotion.

How brilliant how transient his career? What spiritual and mental power? Admits bodily weakness and disease. Oh may I be encouraged by his example to press on to a higher mark? And then it says in 1825 1825 Groves published a short booklet entitled Christian Devotedness in which he encouraged Christians to live Frugally trust God for their needs and devote the bulk of their income to evangelism efforts around the world.

The book had a major impact on the thinking of men like George Mueller and James Hudson Taylor. So again, you just see that same pattern where they inspire the next generation. Okay, so let me let me Change things up a little bit.

Let me ask you this. Is missionary work necessary? Who says missionary work is necessary? Okay, would anyone say it's not I? Didn't think anyone would say it isn't. Why is it necessary? Okay, so we read in Matthew 28.

This was a command from Christ go out. Of course, he made that to the twelve disciples, but this is really given to the church. So it's given to all of us in general in a general sense. Okay, so Jesus commanded it.

It's necessary for that reason alone. If Jesus says it if God says it that that's reason enough, right? But what are some other reasons like why why is it necessary? What's what's the purpose of modern missions or ancient missions.

Okay. Yep. Okay, can you think of any missionary? Let's turn to Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. Can you think okay, let's say let's just Hypothetically say Paul was the first missionary or people in churches are taught that Paul was the first missionary.

I'm not saying that's true or not true, but Were there missionaries before him in the Old Testament? Can you think of anyone who? Acted as a missionary. Yeah. Abraham, okay. Okay Abraham was sent to a who?

Yeah, well, that's what I was thinking. I was thinking of Jonah. Jonah was sent to Nineveh. I don't know if the church of course, you know wouldn't be a church per se. A community of believers were they established in Nineveh after I'm assuming they must have been.

It didn't last because Nineveh eventually was destroyed a generation or two after that. But at least for a generation it can save that group of people and even their children many of them. Yeah. Well Jonah is a prophet so he was a preacher he went to Nineveh and What was his message?

You know repent because in 40 days, you know, God's gonna destroy the city. Right. Well so if you define a prophet as a preacher. You could say there could be some it's just a it's not the terms we use really the the prophets mainly Spoke to Israel and told them to repent and get right with God or else I mean that was the general message of the prophets the missionary isn't doing that.

They're going to people that have never been reached Before they're going to unbelievers to the heathen. But they both were preachers and the thing about Jonah going to Nineveh, yeah the people in Nineveh were.

Were unbelievers, so what was that a missionary endeavor? I mean not really but I could understand how. You know, it was similar in the sense that he was trying to get those people saved. Hello, you know, we don't need to get too technical about our terminology because the word missionary isn't I mean It's not in the Bible.

It's not really defined anywhere in the Bible. So if we're a little loose with some of that, I think that's all right. But yeah, why is mission missionary work necessary? To get to get people saved right?

Isn't that the main purpose? Okay. So are the people here's here's my follow-up that's going to tie in with Romans chapter 10. Are the the the lost heathen of this world people? May be in some island.

Where they've never heard about Jesus because most of the earth's population has at least heard The name of Jesus they have some knowledge of it. But let's say there's an island or a small tribe or a nation where they've really never heard anything about Jesus.

Christianity or the Bible are those people saved? We'll start with the easy question. Are they saved if they've never heard about Jesus? Yeah, maybe okay. Okay. So here's why I bring it up. Let's see Romans chapter 10 it says here in Verse 13 for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You know going back to verse 9 that you you must confess with your mouth. You must believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead. Okay, and then he gets Into this relevant section here in verse 14.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him in whom they have not? Heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace who bring glad tidings of good things. But they are not all or they have not all obeyed the gospel for Isaiah says Lord who has believed our report so then This is the part.

I wanted you to see so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, so The way I understand this verse the way I believe in the way most Whatever conservative Bible believe in Christians the way we believe is that a person in order to be saved they have to hear the gospel.

To me. I think this is just like basic Christianity 101 therefore The person wherever they're living who has never heard the gospel they need Christ they need Christ and salvation. Here's why I bring it up because there's a There's a popular belief out there and I'm sure You know people who believe maybe some of you have been taught this that there are people in places in the world.

They have a little bit of light they know there's a God because they look up At the stars at night, and they see you know the moon and the star they know there's a creator because of the creation so they know there's a God and They have the law of God written on their heart.

So they know it's wrong to kill and to steal and to commit adultery and stuff like that. So because they have that General knowledge of right and wrong there is a God and they're doing the best they can with what they have men like Tony Evans Billy Graham and others are on record saying if they do the best with the light that they have I believe they are Saved or as Tony Evans said they will be judged as if they lived in a different dispensation.

Because here's their argument. Well, they've never heard about Christ so they can't be held responsible for rejecting Christ if they've never heard. So, how can God judge them as lost because they they never rejected Jesus because they never heard they're doing the best they can.

So therefore they're saved. Okay, who's heard some argument like that. Okay, I Would say this it's possible For somebody to be living in a jungle God, I mean I I have to say that God could reveal himself to a person.

Christ could reveal himself to a person in some remote place God could do that. Now. It is God doing that. I Kind of doubt it, but it's at least possible. But still they would have some special revelation from God that Jesus is Lord and they'd have some understanding.

But how could they be saved if they've never heard of Jesus see this is why this is the real question of why missionary work. Here's my belief of why we're going in the other direction. Because people in churches even pastors and churches.

They don't really believe they're lost. I Could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong. But I think even in evangelical churches We don't really think that the heathen are lost. We think they'll they'll be okay as long as they're doing the best they can.

Again I hope I'm wrong, but that's why I don't think there's a zeal permissions like there was a couple hundred years ago because everyone viewed them Jonathan Edwards all these people that like the Native Americans if They died there.

They're gonna enter into a Christless eternity. We need to Share the gospel with them. I don't think people believe that anymore, you know, and I'm speaking generally, of course Barb.

Since the good even Are being judged by how well they follow the light they have For someone to go and preach the gospel to them and have them reject it. You've just made their judgment worse.

Right, right. And I think that's the problem if a church of people really believe that the heathen might be okay anyways. For you to send a missionary to them. It's it's almost. It's almost like you're now running the risk of damning them because they were okay as you know doing the best they can.

But if you send a missionary to them and they say no. Now now they've rejected Christ and now they're in trouble. So at least if a person thinks that way Yeah, you wouldn't be all that interested in sending a missionary because then that could happen.

I know that's kind of a logical your one step leads to another but I think all this is connected Brad.

I Yeah, yeah, I mean that's that's kind of the way I've looked at it if there is somebody.

Because let's say let's go back to Romans chapter 1 I Do believe there are people all over the world Who yeah, maybe they've maybe they have never heard the gospel. But they do know that God exists. I think everybody on some level knows that God Exists and yeah, even the atheist.

I mean there the atheist really isn't someone Who says no, I don't believe in God, even though they will say that. The atheist really is saying no to God. Not so much that they don't believe they're just they know he exists they just are resisting him because One thing I've learned about atheists.

They're the one they're the one group of people that are open about their hatred Towards this God that supposedly they don't even believe it, but they hate him. They know that Romans 1 verse starting verse 19.

Well, let's start at 18 for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who do what? Suppress the truth in Unrighteousness because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them.

And then in chapter 2 Paul will talk about the law written on their heart for since the creation of the world verse 20 God's invisible Attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power in Godhead.

So that they are without Excuse so according to the Apostle Paul According to God's Word everybody on earth knows that God exists. They have that knowledge of God. But they're suppressing it because they want to do what they want to do and they don't want God Dictating their life and then he goes on to talk about how you know.

Really man is religious by nature. We have that within us, you know eternity is in our heart and all the rest but Man that that comes out and that we end up going into idolatry. And of course in Romans 1 he's talking about making images of reptiles and you know creatures.

That people are bowing down to these crass idols today. We have a different form of idolatry, you know people venerate and worship sports stars and musicians and actors and You know What's what's that TV show American Idol, right?

You know, I listen if you watch that I'm not down on you I'm just saying like that's that is a thing like people idolize humans. Maybe they don't bow down to worship them as some sort of deity. But that that's really where the focus of their life is, you know.

They're all wrapped up in football or something. And that's that's where their heart is. Their heart is not with God their heart is with Something or someone else and that is a different form of idolatry.

Okay Linda do you had to do you have something to say going back to?

If you ask God to show you. Yeah.

Right, yeah, I mean there's a pat let's go to Romans 3 since we're in Romans I mean, there's all sorts of great passages here that I think apply on the one hand Romans chapter 3 Makes it very clear about man in his natural condition.

No one is What we would call seeking after God and yet at the same time you might remember back years ago where you say? Well, I was seeking after God or I know people currently who are seeking after God.

So how can the Bible say that no one seeks after God? Just remember this man in his lost condition without God's grace without the Lord drawing people. Man does not seek after God. Let's read it Romans 3 Starting in verse 10 as it is written.

There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none who understands there is none. What? Yeah, I mean it says there is none who seeks after God they have all turned aside they have together become Unprofitable there is none who does good.

No, not one. Their throat is an open tomb, etc Etc. And so I mean this basically saying that listen nobody. But Paul's point is that everyone is Building up to verse 23 all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

I God because God is dealing with them. I mean the Holy Spirit is drawing them. They're hearing the word. They're convicted. Maybe somebody shares something with them. There there's something going on inside of them.

Whether you call it seeking God, I think I would characterize as God is is drawing them unto himself. Clearly there are people like that so if there's somebody where God is dealing with their heart out in the jungle somewhere if they truly Are are interested they're seeking whatever being dry.

Yes, I believe God would I Want to say be obligated, but I think this would be God's nature and wanting to see them say God would send them a missionary. The Lord would raise somebody up. Because God is is just if there's somebody who truly wants to be saved wants to know Christ He'll give them an opportunity.

I mean you could argue. Is that even happening? Well, I think I think it is All right, any questions on that because I wanted to touch on this again. I think this is why There's not a lot of zeal for missions work today.

Because people again don't really believe that the heathen are lost so No questions. Okay. Let's continue on. Let's just look at a few of these men briefly. Oh, there's a lot of reading but you know, you're technically as part of your homework.

You're supposed to read this beforehand. So I just don't want to Cover the same ground if you've already read it. But it says here a William Carey. This is number two. William Carey lived from 1761 to 1834.

He's known as the father of modern missions. Carey helped found what did he help find the the Baptist missionary society. Carey was a shoemaker by trade, but He studied while working. He taught himself Greek Hebrew and a number of other languages.

So I mean obviously this guy was fairly intelligent if you can teach yourself Greek and Hebrew in 1781 he married Dorothy with whom he had six children only three of his children survived to adulthood.

One thing if you look at these men these missionaries, it's sort of like a lot of biblical characters. That they faced a lot of adversity. They lost children. Some of them lost their lives on the mission field.

So Somebody somewhere is thinking this. Hey, why should I Become a missionary if I show up and I get killed or if God is allowing missionaries to die. Why would I want to do that? Why isn't God protecting these missionaries.

So isn't this one main reason why a lot of people wouldn't want to go on to the mission field? You got to live in a grass hut. You have no access to Hospitals and you might get killed by the natives. That's enough.

That's a big enough reason why a lot of people wouldn't want to go what and there's snakes. There's snakes. Yeah, well, I wanted these guys. I forget which one it was. It said he woke up and he found a venomous snake that's been sleeping next to him all night by the way, it sounded it didn't sound like he got bit but Larry.

I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back. Yeah, we know that right there I heard that there was a. It goes back as it says text sources unknown. Goes back to a tribal situation.

Where a Man and his family got saved. They went back to their tribe started sharing the gospel and it went contrary to everything that they've been taught and what the the head guy and tribe wanted to hear.

Yeah, and so they. They got the family together and they said you need to renounce Jesus and this teaching or we're gonna Kill your kids. Yeah. So he he's he said to the Chief I have decided to follow Jesus.

I have decided to follow Jesus. So they pulled his kids out. Said if you don't renounce we're gonna kill him. I Have decided to follow Jesus. He watched his kids die. Yeah. And they told him again Renounce Jesus or your wife is next.

The world behind me the cross before me the world behind me the cross before me. Yeah watched his wife die. Mm-hmm, and they said you're next. If you don't renounce Jesus, though none go with me. I still will follow.

Though none go with me I still will follow and Will you then will you decide to follow Jesus? Will you decide to follow Jesus? They killed him. Yeah, and the chief was so Worked up about why this man would sacrifice his children his wife even his own life.

To follow Jesus. That he went he found a missionary. And asked him about who this Jesus is and why this man would give his life for her. Mm-hmm. The chief got saved. He went back. Brought the missionary with them and the whole tribe.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, if you look at that situation as it's happening on the surface People as it way out Why would I ever want to subject myself to that even though that doesn't happen to nine? 99 of missionaries that's not going to happen to but still why even risk that?

Well, if you have faith that number one that God couldn't use the situation even like that if that's really what it led to the salvation of an entire tribe and That these five people lost their lives that could have led to 5 ,000 people being saved but and this goes to the second thing.

Why was he willing to die? Why were any of these men willing to die? Sacrificed their life because they truly Believed that if they died or when they died They would go to heaven. Again I think there's a lot of people They're not all that interested in missionary work because they don't think the heathen are going to hell.

But a lot of those same people. I'm not sure they really think they're going to heaven either. They're kind of going through the motions. They have their religion. They have their you know System where they do good and it kind of helps them out a little bit here and there.

But if you really believed what the Bible said about the gospel about people going to heaven and hell. All of a sudden this all makes sense if you really believe that so the only thing I can conclude if we're in a state now where The majority of churches aren't interested in funding missions people aren't willing to go.

And obviously you have to be a person has to be called to the mission field. I mean, I want you to be clear. This is not me trying to lay a guilt trip on any Why aren't you going to the missions field that I'm absolutely not doing that because I think a person has to be called for it to be successful.

But you have to truly believe this and I just think a lot of people unfortunately don't. But if we look at men and just to finish up Adoniram Judson William Carey CT stud, you know when whenever he died at second this other page actually it says 1931 Brad so they got it right a few pages later, but these were men who truly believed and They should be an inspiration for all of us.

So as we conclude ask yourself, do I truly believe this and if I do How is that going to impact? My life and what I've been called to do to serve God. All right. Thank you. You're dismissed.