Missions – Their Validity and Your Involvement

Missions – Their Validity and Your Involvement

Missions Here are a few questions about Missions. We offer brief answers with the prayer that many hearts will be stirred to ‘do something about it’!

Q.   What are the differences between evangelism, a Mission and a Charity Organisation?

A.   Evangelism is a broad term covering every endeavour to reach the unsaved with the Good News, Gospel, and the only sure hope of Salvation through Jesus Christ. A Mission normally refers to establishing the Lord’s work, ministries and churches, in other areas. In our context Missions embraces our Youth Programmes, the development of African Assemblies, Hospital, Children’s and Prison Ministries and various Outreach operations. In fact, whatever arises from action inspired by Jesus’ Great Commission, Matt 28:18-20, falls under the umbrella of Missions. Contrariwise, a Charity Organisation is usually inspired by humanitarian considerations and need not be linked to the Gospel at all.

Q.   Does involvement in Missions improve my status before God?

A.   Only your relationship with the Lord Jesus can improve your ‘status’ with God. Being involved in Missions to get right with God is actually objectionable to Him – that attitude needs to be repented of; it’s what the Bible calls ‘Dead Works.’ However, if your love for the Lord, and for the souls He came to die for, inspires you, then you are on the right track.

Q.   What can I do to support a Mission, even if I am unable to directly participate?

A.    Every believer should be involved in Missions; Jesus excluded none. If you can’t go personally, here are some of the many support things you can engage in;

  • Pray for Missions, and those who get involved
  • Encourage the organisers and participants
  • Be generous financially; Missions are costly
  • Follow the events and raise interest in your Fellowship

Q.   Why don’t we normally hand out clothes, food and money like other Missions?

A.   If you visited our premises in Sarnia you would see much activity related to gathering, sorting and packing huge loads of clothing for distribution locally and in other countries. Border restrictions limit taking food, but we provide a lot locally, and what we can, abroad. We also give financial support where we can from very limited resources and teach the local believers to give tithes and offerings. And it works!

Q.   Can I start missionary work on my own or give a year of my life to missionary work? What is God’s way?

A.   Missionary work is a function of the Apostolic Ministry. Thus to ‘go it alone’ is neither wise nor biblical. If you sense God directing you in this way, discuss your burden with your local Elders and let them guide you in your local context, or direct you to the Apostolic Oversight with a view to joining teams on one of the many Mission projects of our Fellowship.

Giving a year of your life to Missions has seen success in many areas. If you are sure this is what the Lord wants, pray earnestly about it and then discuss it with your Elders and the Apostolic brethren.

Q.   How are Missions funded?

A.   The Early Church engaged in a lot of Apostolic (Missionary) journeying. Acts 15:3 suggests that Paul and Barnabas were financed and provided for as they were “brought on their way by the church.”

On the other hand, Paul sometimes worked at making tents to support himself and the men who accompanied him – Acts 20:34, 1 Cor 4:12. And the Lord Jesus said in Jn 4:38 that, in His economy, “other men labour, and we enter into their labours.”

Yes, Missions need funds – desperately – and it occurs to this writer that our Fellowships are well-advised to finance God’s priorities before attending to their own. Hag 1:4 has strong words to say about that! God calls on His people to be generous and Rom 12:8 tells that He inspires and enables some to actually develop a Giving Ministry.