Practical Steps to Missions — George Verwer

Wow, God's grace God's grace to weak people. We just had a great I'm gonna turn my phone off so nobody can call us now you see. So some of you thought I was gonna be making phone calls while I was speaking.

Stewardship of Time and Recreation

Each new year I make a commitment that every hour every moment of my time can be used for God's glory. This life will soon be passed. Someone once said only what's done for Christ is lat will last. Great man of God once said the greatest sin of young people today is just wasting time.

Wasting time. It's not fornication or listening to rock music or beating up their brother. Or not feeding the dog. It's probably wasting time. At the same time that doesn't mean there's no time for recreation.

The Word of God says Whatever you do do it heartily is unto the Lord. One of my greatest recreation experiences in my life was in Edmonton, Canada. We're in the mall. They have a roller coaster in a water park in the same mall and In my one afternoon of recreation. I went on about six roller coaster trips and about ten water slides.

Including one that injured me a little bit. Then I failed to realize this one had a big bump in the middle of it but It's it's a privilege to be here in Canada. It really is and I've been coming brief trips, but regularly for over 30 years.

And I've seen God's hand upon this great nation one of the great missionary sending countries. Certainly in the top ten nations in the world as far as the church the health of the church the state of the church.

Doesn't mean there's a need for revival doesn't mean That everything is well, but In the 60 or 70 other nations that I've traveled in I don't find as many. I don't find so many that have the resources and the generosity and the Church.

Power resource power manpower woman power to get the job done. We have many Canadians that come on. I'm every year quite Exciting the door is so wide open for Canadians in missions. And Canadians are needed as much as ever before.

Because though in some countries nationals and can do the job like say South India I don't really need many missionaries to South India anymore there are so many nations where The church doesn't yet exist.

The Unreached Peoples of Turkey

I Was praying got up early this morning and started after my cup of tea. Prayed through a durama cup of tea prayed through Operation world for November 4th. You know what's featured on November 4th 5th and 6th, how many know anybody that's praying their way through it.

Turkey and If you know anything about OM Turkey is Olympus number one country really India became our biggest country. The ships became our most attractive kind of you know, Luis Palau Billy Graham, that's attractive kind of ministry.

Though not an easy ministry, but Turkey in the early years became our priority country. And it was there that Well to make a long story short. I went out to Wheaton College to visit Dale Rotom. We had been together At a previous liberal arts college and I transferred to Moody Bible Institute.

He transferred to Wheaton after we went to Mexico for that original trip. And he was going with Whitcliffe and then he was getting involved with a movement called the Open Brethren and So he had no plans of coming back with me.

I Went out to Wheaton College and challenged him about Turkey into my utter amazement. He left those other plans and went to Turkey way back in 1960 and It's been rough. We've had people shot and killed in Turkey we've had people in prison in Turkey and people die of rare viruses one I think of particularly and As I was reading in pranks through Operation world this morning it in a sense wasn't easy.

55 million people the operation world says the most unreached nation in the world. Of course, it consists of many people's groups mainly Muslim. Sure, you know where Turkey is, but I always have my little globe Is a rather large nation.

Part of it is in Europe and the rest is in Asia right there. So I don't think that'll block anybody's view if I put that there. Let's just pray together and commit this time. To God many people are praying for us.

I Have about a hundred thousand people who pray for me. Isn't that an embarrassing? It's built up over the years. We've had we have 82 ,000 exile Emers. I don't know. I don't think they all pray for me.

Some of them surely want to forget me, but many of them do. But I have some people that tell me they pray for me every day. Some people pray for OM every day. And I am expecting great great things from God today, and I hope you are as well.

Let's pray. We thank you Lord for already ministering to our hearts from your word the great challenge of faith. And Lord as we think about vision and as we think about some of the practical steps that we need to be taking.

We don't want to hold back Lord if we don't go people who come to conferences like this on a Saturday if we don't go we wonder who will so grip us with the reality of what we're what we're talking about and Enable us to take those steps of faith.

Lord our hearts ache for the land of Turkey our hearts ache for the Unreached people of the world and the suffering people of the world. Lord we want to buy your grace be set free from from the fantasy view of life what we can develop sometimes in our In our Western materialistic culture with all the comforts and all the things that we have.

Which can be used either for a lot of it anyway can be used either for our own selfish ambitions or can be used for your glory and enable us To be the kind of fighting force you want us to be. We look to you in this hour and throughout this day and the prayer meeting especially tonight.

We thank you for each group represented here and we pray That there may go out from this place today workers into the harvest fields in Jesus name. Amen, I hope you will visit all the displays. We also have a special book table just around the corner.

And you'll find not just books, but you find maps. I find it's so helpful to pray. With a map of the world I guess that's why I wear one, and I hope that you Will get at least one of these maps. We have a few of these jackets as well, but you might find them a little Expensive in order to cover the costs on mine.

I went in business, so I'm the agent for these global jackets. But the Lord said go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person and We're here this morning not to consider the philosophy of OM or any other mission.

We are here to examine the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ in his word. That's what it's all about. There wasn't for that many of us would have run out of gas or steam a long time ago. So I hope you'll get one has the picture of our two ships on it, and I hope you'll look at some of these other books.

Prayers where the action is and the most exciting session of this conference. I believe is going to be the prayer time. Here's a book that may help you prepare for that touch the world through prayer when when I first went to work and live in India.

This is one of the first missionaries. I ever met and I've watched his life for over 30 years almost 30 years and Though he's I think he must be 80 now. Wesley dual. He's still running and that's one of the greatest books on prayer that has ever ever been put into print and by a man who practices it as We think of vision we of course are all automatically drawn to operation world.

And I'm afraid after the missions conference over at Providence that we're we're not going to have enough copies of this. So if you can't get one here get one in your bookstore, it'll be a great encouragement to them.

Some bookstores used to refuse to handle this book because it didn't sell that well. That's changed a bit. But you may find that current some Christian bookstores don't have it yet. And they need to so you go in and order one or two.

That could be used of the Lord. There's also now a children's edition that we're offering here at a special price. It's absolutely brilliant book for children in fact the truth is where the average Christians knowledge of missions are.

Or is I think they should start with his children's edition. I had somebody tell me that You start with this and get to know these unreached people that are mentioned here and these nations. And then you can move on to operation world, so I would encourage you what a fantastic Christmas gift as well for children.

It is brilliant. Dear Jill Johnston, I was with her Shortly after she finished this book within a few weeks months. She was in heaven died of cancer. So that's a legacy. You can change the world operation world for children we in operation mobilization.

And I'm sure it's true of most missions are not wanting to just thrust a lot of workers out to the harvest fields. We want to see workers really in tune with God and Some of the books we have available.

Like my own books. They're about walking with God this book healing for damaged emotions. Greatly used in our counseling ministry around the world a Brilliant book. I know there's some books on the subject of healing for emotions that are extreme and Christians need to be discerning about that.

This is a very basic book. A man who spent 30 years counseling young people at Asbury College and Seminary and a pastor. He's not a psychologist. Not that that would be wrong, but he's a pastor. He's had a lot of just field experience a great lover of India.

David Siemens healing for damaged emotions. One of the seminars this morning will be about Hinduism. Especially orthodox Hindus are almost as neglected as Muslims. There is no breakthrough in all of India among upper-class Brahmins and orthodox Hindus.

There's no breakthrough. There is no church indigenous church among upper-class Hindus. There are individuals beautiful individuals have come to know Christ and this is one of the great challenges facing the church the challenge of Hinduism, and I hope you'll get that That book so we have a lot of exciting material.

The Great Commission and Acts 1:8

This is a very special day forgetting that Material now turn with me in your Bibles, please. To a very basic scripture. I often like to start with the basics. So I'm sure many of you are beyond that in your missions.

Vision acts 1a. I want to try to in this first hour. Share something of the world vision that that has been on my heart for many decades and then something of practical steps of how you Can get involved and just see how much we can do in our our limited time.

These are the final words of the Lord Jesus before he ascended into heaven verse 8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem. In all Judea Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

We have it very clear from the Word of God That it is God's desire that we be his witness in every part of the world. Imagine when William Carey first wanted to launch out Some very sort of hyper Calvinistic people.

And try to stop him and they said, you know God. You know in his timing if he wants these pagans out in these lands like India to come to know him God will do he will do that in his timing. He doesn't need you and Sort of asked him to sit down.

No matter how much we believe in the sovereignty of God, we have some wonderful Calvinistic people on operation mobilization. We have our minion people. We have quite a few are not sure what they are like to just be considered followers of Jesus Christ, but We're dealing with the Word of God.

Whatever theological little implications we want to put into it from other passages of Scripture. The Lord makes it clear. We are to be witnesses. We are to share the message of Jesus through the whole world.

And this is the passion that that has gripped my life since almost the moment of my conversion. I Wasn't from a solid Christian background. My grandfather from the Netherlands was an atheist. My father was sort of a materialist.

He came to America as a young man to New Jersey. And he didn't know Jesus. His thing was to build a house and to make money and to survive. And he sent me off to Sunday school while he worked in the yard.

And unfortunately, it was a church Where there was no real challenge about the gospel. There was no real gripping belief that the Bible was God's Word. It was what we call in those days a rather liberal Church sort of a social club a lot of nice people the pastor is very nice but there was no message of the gospel of repentance and It took a praying elderly woman and a gospel of John and a Billy Graham meeting in New York City.

To really get through to a thick-headed Dutchman like myself already at 16 very much caught up in the various minefields of Satan especially a whole women and money scene. But this dear woman put my name on her hit list and prayed for me every day for almost three years.

And then sent me a gospel of John through the post and the mail that led me To go to this Billy Graham meeting where I heard in the gospel in a powerful way. I heard the call to repent. And I just hope every one of you this morning Has that assurance that you have repented and you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ that you know him personally.

Religion is not enough even some of the good old Kind of religion you have here in this very very famous town one of the most religious towns in the whole of North America. Religion is not enough. I'm not saying that most people in this town only have religion.

I'm sure what I hear most people do. Many people do know the Lord Jesus Christ, but we should never presume on that. Just this morning in my praying I felt led to search my own heart concerning my own eternal salvation.

Not that I have any doubts, but I I like to be open and I just in prayer. Said Lord, I'm open right now. If there's something I've missed if there's some massive deception, you know I really want to know about it because my desire is to repent of all sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I sort of got that idea of doing that every once in a while from my spiritual father Billy Graham because I heard years ago Billy Graham went off to the mountains to just check out Whether he was really a child of God.

Well, I know when you talk this way some people get over introspective. We'll end up counseling the whole group of people. But our salvation is not linked with good works. It's not linked with being a missionary.

It's not linked with being zealous not linked with going to church joining OM. Our salvation is linked with what Jesus Christ has done on the cross. That night in Madison Square Garden. I was born from above and that has been a reality.

I don't say this lightly. It's been a reality every single day ever since and I I'm so excited about that. Because if God can keep a character like me, I had so many struggles I still have struggles if God can keep a character like me.

My emotions go up and down. I'm not the smartest guy in the world. I find off in Christianity a bit of a pain a lot of God's people a pain in the neck. I have to keep repenting of bad attitudes if God can keep a guy a person like me.

Nobody has an excuse. Some of you I can tell just by looking at you. You're just so much more stable than me. Either that or you're sleepy, but God God is. God is great and his grace is sufficient. Whatever your struggle may be whatever your doubts His grace is sufficient in that beautiful.

You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea Samaria the uttermost part of the earth. Let's let's talk about a few of those places. Let me just share with you some of the vision some of the burden that is pulsating.

The 1040 Window and World Evangelism

On my own heart, I Think the first burden I can best describe by by talking about a window. You're always in Britain and these people come into the door trying to sell us double glazing. Do you have that expression here in Canada?

They don't have that in America. It's a British expression double glazing. You want to change your windows? So you have double windows? Costs a lot of money. So I want to talk to you about windows. But I want to talk to you about the 1040 window.

How many of you've ever heard of the? 1040 window. Good about half of you and there's nothing to do with American income tax the biggest Income tax form in the United States is called the 1040 form but this is about a particular zone of the world after a lot of research and prayer a man named Louise Bush and others have determined that most of the unreached people in the world are between 10 degrees north of the equator and 40 degrees north of the equator right across this strip here.

You can see it perhaps better on my jacket 10 degrees north of the equator 40 degrees north of the equator starting here at North Africa. Going right across Africa right across the Middle East India Bangladesh Burma Thailand on into China over to Japan 1040 window and David maybe even has an overhead of the 1040 window that is Brilliant because not only does the 1040 window represent the area of the world where 90 of the unreached people's groups are next approximately, but it also is a way That we can market the vision of world evangelism now, we're not a large group of people here today.

We have some more people coming. I Would have thought for a place like Steinbeck. You know we'd have 25 times as many. I remember going to a little thing in Vancouver. They get 20 ,000 out to their missions thing in Vancouver now last time.

I was here in Winnipeg. That was a missions fest some of you were there. But the fact is it is not easy to get God's people to give a Saturday to thinking about world missions. So we are very grateful for those of you who are here, but here is our vision for today.

Our vision for today is that every one of you who are here are going to go and share this vision with others and Being able to talk about the 1040 window having copies of some of this literature is a way That you can market world missions.

And we need to market world missions. If you don't like that term you can use another term. We need to spread the vision. That's the old term. Doesn't matter what word it means the same. The 80 mm movement that just finished in October praying through the window millions around the world praying through the window.

You know what that means means they simply prayed for the nation's in the 1040 window, and you can see. From that little overhead there are many nations in that window dozens of nations in the 1040 window.

We have this terrific Leaflet. I've been distributing many of these all over the world. This leaflet every one of you if you possibly can can pick it up. You'll find the cities in that window. You'll find the nation's in that window now in my view.

We are living at the most exciting period of world missions apart from perhaps acts 13 when it was born. I wish I had been there. Five men had a vision they prayed that Paul and Barnabas went out into the harvest fields.

It's interesting back then. That they sent two of the best people they had. Out into world missions. Have you ever noticed that a high percentage of all? Your great Canadian Christian leaders, and you have some great people they all remain in Canada.

Canada gets the best and you know what they give us. They give us teeny boppers. They give us teenagers. We believe in plant B. Plan B is God can use teenagers. Maybe it's plan a. I'll let the Lord handle that but I know he sent me to Mexico when I was only 19.

But I'm still convinced that the acts 13 plan should not be laid aside. And that if churches were really on their faces as they were in acts 13. That's some of the best some of the very best men and women We have in Canada would suddenly find themselves being thrust out into the harvest field.

It does happen. I remember going to a church in Chicago very big fast-growing church. I'd heard about the pastor. He brought me in to challenge the high school kids to world missions. He sat in the back the pastor senior pastor.

They had many pastors. Guess what? He had an acts 13 experience. God sent him. He resigned from that pastorate much to the dismay of his congregation. The church by the way did survive. The Holy Spirit is able you know to handle some of these things right and.

This pastor headed out into operation mobilization and has had for over 15 20 years a world. Wide preaching teaching counseling ministry hadn't been easy. Lived in Cyprus for a while. Lived in London for a while.

Eventually settled in California, but is hardly there now. Among other things considered one of the pastors of Lagos to our ship. God is wanting to send all kinds of people out into the harvest field and we believe a priority should be the unreached people of the world.

The 1040 window. We praise God however for the short term Missions movement that has been raised up over the last 30 years. Operation mobilization without realizing it. I myself without realizing it going to Mexico as a teenager for a summer became one of the birthplaces of the short-term missions movement and.

The short-term missions movement now is working side by side with long-term missions. In fact leading missiologists have said That most of our career missionaries now are getting their call their guidance from the Lord.

Through going short-term. That's how it's happening in the 1990s. How many of you have already been first of all for at least a summer in some kind of overseas missions outside of Canada? Working in Canada is also brilliant, but I just want to focus a little bit.

We can't do everything. You don't need me to come here and tell you about evangelizing Canada. But how many of you have served Christ for a summer outside of Canada? Could you just slip up your hand? That's good.

I think we got about a 20 there a little more. How many of you have served at least for one or two years outside of Canada. Okay, we dropped down to maybe 10 Maybe 15. That's exciting. That's probably one of the reasons you're here today.

One false cult, I don't want to name them, but mainly from Utah one false cult has 50 ,000 men on a two-year program. 50. I don't know what they do with the women actually I do know what they do with the women.

But that wouldn't be nice to talk about Forty to fifty thousand men on a two-year program. It's interesting no one accuses these people of being superficial. Those of us committed to short-term missions we are constantly bombarded.

Especially by certain theologians that this is superficial. You know something may look superficial, but when God is in it It's not superficial and this false cult has 50 ,000 people on a two-year program, and they are leaving behind thousands of converts.

We just planted a church in Albania with people on a two-year program. God is no respecter of persons when the Holy Spirit is moving a lot can be done in two years and I would urge every one of you to pray about the possibility of giving at least Two years of your life you can still seek the career that you sense God is leading you into maybe engineering maybe business even medicine.

We've had we've had doctors come with us and leave medicine for a whole year. And then pick it up. Because they wanted to get a broadening of their character-building experience. They wanted to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

And one of the messages that God has put upon our hearts Is the challenge people to spend a year or two? Helping in the huge task of world missions and if possible among unreached people at the same time.

If you have gifting for example as a secretary. You could get into an office and a behind-the-scene mission office as A facilitator as a behind-the-scene person and you would enable someone else to move out into the 1040 window.

I Don't know if I'd be able to be here today if it wasn't for my secretaries. Wherever I am in the world. I have a seven eight hour day of Things connected with the leadership of OM phone calls letters Organizational things and and it's my secretaries and helpers back in London England where I live and my wife was a full-time Person with her computer skills.

She stayed home in Winnipeg today. Specifically to spend the whole day on her computer. There's so much work to do. You know, it's amazing some people try to say today Missionaries are not hard-working people.

We hear about laziness on the mission field. But I'll tell you most of the missionaries I've met If anything we have to encourage them to beware of being workaholics because they are committed to their work.

So we're not expecting when we give the challenge of the unreached people when we give the challenge of the 1040 window when we start talking About Turkey or Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan or Mongolia or Albania all these countries new open doors.

Churches barely exist. We're not expecting people to rush to the airport and jump on a plane and fly to these people places. We're expecting people to Become more informed to pray to network to try to discover their own abilities and gifts and how they can best be part of the overall vision and the overall mission.

And believe me one of the most exciting things in my life is to see God using such very ordinary people. Very ordinary people. I've also seen God use some very gifted people and we can use all that we can get.

When they walk humbly with God. Do not think God cannot use you on the mission field or somebody else that you're mentoring someone else that you're sharing Christ with. One of the young persons at Providence College stood up yesterday That they should not go to the mission field until they had everything sorted out in their own life first.

I couldn't help but I don't know if any of you were there. I couldn't hold myself back I I shouted at the end this person sat down and I shouted down with all grace killers. I Probably shouldn't have done that.

But really that kind of statement to a young person that that is what Charles Wendell talks about in his book as being a grace Killer, let me tell you most missionaries don't have it all together who are out on the mission field and To say that you can't Serve Jesus Christ until you have it all together.

First of all, what in the world does that mean have it all together? I certainly don't have it all together yet. Just ask my wife. She's praying that I might have it all together. The Word of God says this treasure is in earthen vessels and Surely, and I hope you can remember this statement No matter how spiritual we are no matter how filled we are with the Holy Spirit No matter how much we're flowing in grace and in gifts and in the fruit of the Spirit.

We are still very very human and you know, one of the things that helped me to walk with Jesus is To accept my humanity. I Don't know about you but with me there's certain parts about my own humanity, which which is a no great problem.

There are other parts about myself that I struggle with you ever struggle with yourself a little bit but I know I according to Ephesians and accepted in the beloved and to realize the Acceptance we have in Jesus.

That's what David Siemens talks about in this book to realize the acceptance we have by God because of Jesus Christ and the fact that God loves us and God cares for us and AW toes and one said God knows Everything about us and loves us still I will tell you that's like a cool shower and a hot day in New Delhi.

I. And that's what I think of when I think of the grace of God to someone like myself some people think That movements like operation mobilization and we have the privilege Together with WECC of holding these operation world conferences in different parts of the world.

They're not copyrighted. So anybody can hold an operation world conference but Some people think that that our big thing is world missions. Let me just set the record straight. Our big thing is Jesus our big thing is Jesus and our greatest goal is to know God and world missions reaching the world with the gospel has to flow out of that love for Jesus and that knowledge of God and Of course, it's just a logical next step.

That's why when you go to our book table, you don't find just missionary books. You find books about revival. You find books about how to persevere like my little book. No turning back. Some people probably disappointed.

There's not much about world missions in my book. No turning back. There's some. Because this was the strategy God gave me to persevere when I was battling Discouragement when I wanted to quit when everything's so dark.

Did you ever have hours and days in your life when everything just seems so dark? So I just allowed some of that to be taken off some of my tapes and put into print. I believe if you buy one or two of my books David Lundy, mr Generous will give you that one free because it surely doesn't sell literature.

Evangelism by George Brewer. God uses the printed page, but people I guess just don't want to read about it. One of the great burdens I have is to see a marriage of great biblical emphases. Emphasis on revival emphasis on holiness emphasis on on the church life in the church fellowship community reality.

The emphasis on world missions. We want to see a marriage of these things. We don't want to see you know, this group of Christians in this corner. They're doing their little thing a little group of Christians up in this corner.

They're doing their thing. There's this group over here with global jackets and balloons. They're doing their thing missions. We need a marriage of these great visions. The greatest mistake we have made in our seminaries is we've given ministers the idea that missions is for a particular group you go to seminary and you enroll in some particular course and some enroll in The missions course and the rest of the ministers sort of treat the guys in the missions course, you know.

As if they had AIDS the pastors not going to the mission field need the vision for missions. Just as much as those who go In many churches and I'm involved with thousands of churches. It is the pastor that is holding up the whole process of missions because he is departmentalized in his thinking.

He's got a burden for his own people. He's got a burden for his church. He's got a burden for the building program. He's got a burden for for the community a lot of good things praise God but he thinks that missions is for the missions committee and The missions committee often they feel they're struggling on their own the pastor's not really with them.

They have a missions conference. The pastor takes his vacation during that period and it sends a signal to the church that missions is not the priority. And we need a marriage and praise God for many great pastors in Canada and the states who are in the missions.

And it makes all the difference in the world. And I hope that if you're representing a church and the pastor is is not here. That you will be as wise and as grace awakened as you possibly can in your own Relationship with your pastor because often it's some semi obnoxious little XO emmer forgive me for picking on my own people who come back after a great time on the field and They're impatient with their church and their pastor, they're not understanding what this man is wrestling with.

He's got people in the church going through divorce. He's got people in the church who are in this problem and that problem. He maybe his wife is hassling him as well he's just struggling and this little missionary returns from the field with some kind of a Spiritual baseball bat or cricket bat we would say in England Hockey stick you say here in Canada and starts going at his head with it.

That's how not to do it. And guess what we have a brilliant new book just dealing with this subject. And you need to get that book if you have to trade in one of your lovely sweaters. It's called re-entry.

Re-entry, it's 25 years late. They wrote my blurb on the back of it 25 years late. Some other Christian leaders said this book is 200 years late. Re-entry a Subject of what you do when you return from the mission field.

We have another brilliant book. I don't know if there's any of them left called serving as senders. Do you have any of those left two copies? But serving as senders I was talking to the author on the phone yesterday in California is another one of the most significant Missionary books of this decade.

It's it's the seriousness of being a sender sending churches. What to do before the missionary go when they're there when they come back what are some of the problems and there are plenty. Anyway, that's a separate subject.

But I just give this plea in the early part of this day. That we want to see a marriage of great truths and we don't believe there's any competition. I Was just in a church last Sunday seeker-sensitive Winning Americans to Christ there in Madison, Wisconsin.

Growing strong people being helped great ministry and yet at the same time. Phenomenal phenomenal missionary vision sending out workers. The pastor goes every year himself Ministering around the world.

He comes back with fresh vision. He shares it. With a congregation now, he's had to make a few changes and to be quite honest. I 21st century, you know, some churches are so behind they are just now coming into the 20th century.

It's ridiculous we're going into the 21st century. They're just coming out of the 19th into the 20th. Could it be that the Church of Jesus Christ is a hundred years behind in some places? I will tell you if you don't think that's true.

You visit us in England. We'll show you some churches that are 200 years behind go to Rome find one that's 2 ,000 years behind but that's another subject. We need a marriage of great truth. We need to have this vision for the unreached people.