The Biblical Model
for
Sending Out
Missionaries

[tbmfsom.jpg]

by
Milton Martin

[2 ]

--
The Biblical Model for
Sending Out Missionaries
(Acts 13:2-3)
--

I. The Problem:

It is time to send out a Clarion Call.   Just like the early church,
we find that there is a crisis in our churches and in missions
today.   We are not being faithful to the command which our
Lord gave us, to "preach the gospel to every creature."   (Mark
16:15)
.   Cults and false religions are growing at a more rapid
pace than Christianity.   Over 3 Billion people on planet Earth
have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ even one time.
Over 3,400 languages do not have a single verse of Scripture.
Those we send to the mission field are not prepared or equipped
to survive the rigors of the spiritual battle and every year our
missionary force is diminishing 8-12%.   What is the problem?
The problem is that we have strayed from the clear commands
and guidelines of Scripture.   We must realize that "my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the LORD."
  We must agree with God's ways and obey the
Scriptures.   We must build on the solid foundation of the
promises of God, not on the crumbling structure of tradition or
habit.   We must remain teachable and tender to the leading of
the Holy Spirit in these days if we are to ever be effective in our
task of world evangelization.

II. The Preparation:

Our preparation must start with a thorough study of the Word
of God - "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth."
  (2 Tim. 2:15)
.   After rightly dividing the Word,
then we must be prepared to act according to the truth that is
revealed.   We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only!

[3 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


The early Church in Jerusalem had the same problem we do
today.   She was not faithful to the Commission that our Lord
gave her to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations and to
all languages and to all peoples on the face of the Earth.   She
grew so quickly and gained so many members that she became
self-centered and forgot the very reason for her existence.
Because of this, the Lord allowed persecution to come upon the
Church.   Scripture tells us "And at that time there was a great
persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and
they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of
Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles."
  (Acts 8:1)
  Verse 4
tells us: "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every
where preaching the word."
  As a result, some true believers
sprung up in Antioch.   The New Birth was so real and so
evident in their lives that the world put a nickname on these in
their midst.   That nickname was the word "Christian" - which
meant that they were "little Christs."   Scripture tells us in Acts
11:26 "And the disciples were called Christians first in
Antioch."

Soon, news got back to the church at Jerusalem about these
Christians in Antioch of Syria.   The Church in Jerusalem sent
Barnabas to Antioch to investigate.   Barnabas, the "Son of
Consolation"
was the one who always had a heart to help.   That
one who had a heart as few others that are mentioned in the
New Testament.   When he discovered that what had happened
in Antioch was real, he went to Tarsus to find Paul.   Even after
Saul's (Paul's) conversion in Acts Chapter 9, everybody else
was afraid of him - they did not have confidence in him.   But
Barnabas did, and he brought Paul back with him to Antioch.
Now they are in Antioch laboring together in the church.

[4 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --

III. The Process God Used:

It was revealed to Saul on the day of his conversion that he was
to be a chosen instrument of God in taking the Gospel to the
nations.   In his testimony before Agrippa in Acts 26, Paul relates
the Lord's call upon his life: "But rise, and stand upon thy feet:
for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a

minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast
seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles
, unto
whom now I send thee."
  It was also revealed to Ananias in
Acts 9:15 that Saul (Paul) was to be a chosen instrument of
God.   "But the Lord said unto him, (Ananias) Go thy way: for
he
(Saul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before
the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel."

Now we are in Acts 13 and it is A.D. 45.   We find that Barnabas
and Paul have been laboring together in the church at Antioch.
Barnabas was perhaps the key leader in that church.   Beginning
in Acts 13:2, we want to break these Scriptures apart and look
at them phrase by phrase in a very simple manner.   Scripture
says "As they ministered to the Lord,"   We find that "they, (the
church collectively) ministered to the Lord."   The Greek word
used here for "ministered" is that "they worked publicly."   God
uses those who are actively and faithfully serving Him NOW.
We also see that Barnabas and Saul were actively serving the
Lord in their local church!   God has chosen the church to be
His vehicle for proclaiming the glorious Gospel of His Son Jesus
Christ.   The only plan God has placed His stamp of approval on
is not an organization, fellowship or association, but a local,
New Testament church!

[5 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


IV. The Pattern:

During His earthly ministry, Jesus did not spend His energies
organizing and orchestrating large groups and gatherings to
carry on His work.   Rather, "he went throughout every city and
village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the
kingdom of God:
and the twelve were with him"
(Acts 8:1)

He entrusted the eternal destiny of souls and nations to a small
group of baptized believers (initially only 12 in size) and then He
sent them out two-by-two.   We find that in every single instance
in the New Testament, when men were sent out, they went out
two-by-two.   Always.   Our Lord began with twelve and He sent
them out two-by-two.   (Mark 6:7)   Then He sent out 70 and He
sent them two-by-two.   (Luke 10:1)   And you'll find here the
first missionaries, Barnabas and Saul.   And then on the second
trip it was Barnabas and Mark, and Paul and Silas.   Jesus would
not even send the Disciples on a simple errand except two by
two.   (Matt. 21:1-3; Mark 14:13)   God's pattern is to send out
faithful men through the local church, and to send them out
two-by-two!   May God bring us back, not just to one portion of
the truth of the Word of God, but to the whole counsel of God
that we find in Scripture!

We find also here in our text that the church at Antioch was in a
time of worship.   This was not an unusual or occasional thing -
apparently they did this on a regular basis.   And the Scripture
says "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted," But at this
time, we do not find Saul or Barnabas going before the church
and saying, "It's time for us to go."   We do not find them telling
the church of the call God has placed on their lives, but rather
"As they (the church) ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the
Holy Ghost said."
  The Spirit of God did not speak to
Barnabas and Saul!   The Holy Ghost spoke to the church!   But
this is not how it is done today.   Truly, we do much by

[6 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --

tradition, and not by the Scriptures.   May God bring us back
to the Scriptures!   So it would be like this today; the Spirit of
God would speak to a local church and tell them: it's time for
the Smiths and the Jones to be sent out.   The evidence of God's
call and blessing upon their lives is already there.   They have
proven themselves faithful servants and stewards in the church
and they are ready to go!   I have found in other parts of the
world that many times men don't know the terminology.   They
don't know how to tell you that God has called them.   But you
see the burden; you see the evidence; you see the fruit.   It's real.
It is there.   And you see, just as the Holy Ghost spoke to the
church at Antioch, He can speak to our churches today.   But let
me ask you - can your church recognize the speaking of the
Spirit of God?   Or have you come to the place where you have
relegated spiritual matters into the hands of just the "clergy" or
the "full-time ministers" on the Church staff?   Dear friends,
God's plan is that the members of our churches, must know
how to recognize the speaking and the moving and the guidance
of the Holy Spirit of God.   The Holy Spirit spoke to the Church
at Antioch.   And this is God's plan for us today as well.

You see, today we have come to the place to where we say a
man is qualified to be sent as a missionary because he is a Bible
School graduate.   He finishes Bible School and then approaches
a church, and he approaches the pastor and tells him of the
burden and the call that God has placed on his life.   But this is
not the example we see here in Scripture; we find here that the
Spirit of God spoke to the church at Antioch.   In Acts 13:2
"the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the
work whereunto I have called them."
  They were called to a
foreign missionary work.   They were not to continue being
undershepherds of a local flock.   Now they were set aside to
something else.   May I say to you today, that there is a

[7 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


difference in being a pastor and in being a missionary.   A
missionary has another mindset.   A pastor can see to that one
flock and has a heart for that flock and can love that flock and
guide that flock and feed that flock.   But a missionary - and if
you'll follow the testimony of Paul, you'll find he always saw an
entire province or an entire area.   He saw Galatia or Asia Minor
or Macedonia or he saw Achai.   He looked on to Rome and he
looked on to Spain.   He preached the Gospel in Illycrium, which
is now the country of Albania.   "Round about," he said (Rom.
15:19)
.   He saw entire areas, large geographical areas, and saw
those areas as a whole.   He was set aside for a work.   And he
was able to get into at least 17 different areas of the world.   And
if God shut the door in one, he just looked in another direction
and moved on.   A work.   They were set aside for a work.

Now it seems that fasting is an unknown doctrine and an
unknown practice in our Baptist Churches today.   But fasting is
still in the Bible.   Fasting is not trying to get God's attention or
trying to persuade God.   Actually fasting has to do with getting
the attention of our own flesh.   You see, fasting is the practice
of deliberately and voluntarily abstaining from usual
nourishment.   Its meaning can be further expanded to include
temporary abstinence from anything in order to give more
concentrated attention to spiritual matters.   So this Church it
seems, was in a time of worship.   This Church in Antioch was in
a time of prayer and fasting.

Now, obviously we cannot give a lesson here on all that the
Bible has to say about fasting, but I would give some thoughts
that pertain to our subject today:

   1) Fasting is the personal, voluntary humbling of the
heart before God that will increase a brokenness of heart

[8 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --

and a burden.   Psalm 69:10 and Psalm 35:13 speak of the
humbling of the soul and the affliction of one's soul in order to
get the personal attention of the flesh.

   2) Fasting is a commitment to self-control.   Self-control
(temperance) is one of the nine fruit of the Spirit that are
mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.   It seems that in this country
today, there is not a whole lot of self-control when it comes to
food.   If you will just notice how over-stuffed most of us are.
Fasting is a worship activity that increases spiritual receptivity
by creating a climate where the Holy Spirit of God can speak.

   3) Fasting plays a part in getting guidance from the Lord
- in Ezra 8:21-23 we see there the guidance that was sought
and then the protection that was found for their children and
their material substance.   And that guidance and protection
involved fasting.

   4) Fasting is concentrated spiritual preparation for Holy
Spirit empowered service
.   And if there was ever a time when
we need to know the power of the Holy Spirit in our services,
and the power of the Holy Spirit upon our preaching, we are in
those days!   Our Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, "was led
by the Spirit into the wilderness"
according to Luke 4:1 for
40 days of fasting.   Then after that period of time Matthew 4:4
and Luke 4:14 says "angels came and ministered unto him"
and "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit."

   5) Lastly, fasting is a specialized service ministry that
increases spiritual usefulness for the totally committed
believer
.   In Luke 2 we find a very special lady known as
Anna.   The Bible mentions some 2,989 different characters in
the Bible, but in Luke 2:36 it says "And there was one Anna"
and her ministry was (plural) "fastings and prayers."   It seems
that this dear saint of God was so sensitive that she could

[9 ]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


recognize the nudging of the Spirit of God, and she would go
into a special time of prayer.   We need some "Annas" brought
up in our churches today.   We need some "Annas" to be in
fastings and prayers.   We need those who will put everything
else aside when there is a special need or nudging from the
Holy Spirit.   We need those who are available when the Spirit
of God moves.

In Acts 16:3 we find a something repeated again: "And when
they had fasted"
  If we really want to be obedient today, in
every sense of the word, then our churches would spend time in
prayer and fasting before ever selecting a missionary candidate.
Our churches would spend time in fasting and prayer when
sending out a missionary.

And again in verse 3: "And when they had fasted and
prayed"
  The greatest need in the cause of Christ is not more
money, not more men, but it's more prayer.   It's a ministry that
God has designed so that every single believer, regardless of
how young or how old - regardless of their position or station
in life, every single believer in Jesus Christ can be involved.
The ministry of intercession.   It's a ministry that every believer
must be involved in.   We think that when we don't pray for
others, we sin against them.   But Scripture tells us in 1 Samuel
12:23
that prayerlessness is a sin against God.   "Moreover as
for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in
ceasing to pray for you:"
(Acts 13:2)

One of the primary reasons we are not hearing the call of God
in our churches today is because He does not have the liberty
and freedom to speak!   We are not in the attitude of prayer and
fasting to where we can recognize the voice of Spirit of God.
We are not spiritually "in tune" with His voice.   How can He
ever impress upon a church His will unless we are able to hear?

[10]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --

V. The Penalty We Face:

Did you know, that there are many examples in the New
Testament of churches that the Holy Spirit spoke to, and they
did not heed and they did not recognize the speaking of the
Spirit of God?   All seven of the local churches that are found in
Revelation chapters two and three - each one of those seven
churches, the admonition was "He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches"
  Those churches
did not listen.   Those churches did not heed.   And so those
churches ceased to exist!   That nation which is now the country
of Turkey, became a Musl_m nation - not a Christian nation.
There are more places mentioned in what is now the country of
Turkey in the New Testament, than any other part of the world.
Look at all the churches, all the places mentioned in the book of
Acts.   Then the church Epistles - so many of those places are
mentioned.   But to those churches, the Holy Spirit was not real.
His voice was not real.   Do you suppose that maybe they
came to the place which we find in this country today?
  Isn't
Christianity almost a cultural thing?   Even in some good,
Fundamental, Independent, Baptist Churches?   More often we
hear "It's the thing to do" and "it's the way it ought to be"
rather than "Thus saith the Lord."

VI. The Price That Must Be Paid:

True spiritual service exacts a heavy toll.   A toll that many are
not willing to pay.   But we do not have a choice of whether we
will pay the price or not, it is a command.   We are commanded
to "Pray without ceasing."   (1 Thess. 5:17)   The Scripture does
not say IF we fast, but "WHEN ye fast..." (Matt. 6:16).   Yet
the Lord is not pleased with our "sacrifice" of effort and energy
if it is not in complete obedience to His will, "Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
  (1
Sam. 15:22)
  We must make sure that not only are we doing
God's work, but that we are doing it God's way!

[11]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


In Exodus 17:8-14 we have an example of Biblical
intercession.   We learn from Deut. 25:17-19 that Amalek had
attacked the children of Israel as they came forth from Egypt.
He had attacked the weak and elderly in the rear of the caravan.
Because of this cowardly attack by Amalek, Moses told
Joshua, "Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:
tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of
God in mine hand."
  (Ex. 17:9)
  Remember that Aaron and
Hur went with him.   You remember that as long as Moses'
hands were uplifted, Israel prevailed down in the valley in the
hand to hand conflict.   But his arms got tired.   And when his
arms fell, Israel began to lose the battle.   You see, Moses'
intercession (symbolized by his upraised hands) for the children
of Israel was the key factor in the battle in the valley.   "And it
came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel
prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek
prevailed."
  (Ex. 17:11)
  When the protection of intercessory
prayer was let down, men on the battlefield fell under attack.
Each time Moses' hands went down, the lives of men were put
in danger.   The victory that day was not decided down in the
valley.   It was not decided in the face to face, hand to hand
combat.   The victory was decided on the mountaintop of
intercessory prayer.   Did you know that the very same battle is
being waged today?   And the victory will not be decided
through money or the number of men on the front lines - but by
the prayers of the saints of God in our churches today!   "For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;"

(2 Cor. 10:4)

Your missionaries know when you're praying for them and
when you're not.   And those times when you're not praying,
the enemy comes in like a flood with his accusations and your
missionary becomes the casualty.   Because of your
prayerlessness, your missionary suffers!

[12]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --

VI. The Parting:

Next we find the phrase "when they had fasted and prayed,
and laid their hands on them."
  This was a commissioning -
this was a vow of commitment from this church.   Your
responsibility to your missionaries does not end when they leave
for the field - that is just the beginning.   It is not a slight thing to
say we are going to sponsor a missionary family.   First of all
there is the responsibility of prayer.   You send one out and you
fail to have a prayer group or a prayer chain that can be called
upon in a moments notice, then it is just like sending a soldier to
the battlefield and then withdrawing everything from him and
leaving him alone and defenseless in the middle of the enemy.
When you lay your hands on your missionary, you are making a
commitment, you are making a vow there that you will pray for
them.   That you will stand behind them and give them your
moral support.   You will defend.   You will comfort and console.
In their time of special need you have those that will spend time
in prayer for them.

There's something else that's involved as well.   Responsibility.
Now you take on the responsibility for the moral teaching,
doctrinal stands, and family life of that missionary.   You are
responsible with the nation that they enter.   Did you know that?
Your church is now legally responsible.   There's some today
who are very fearful about liability and about being sued.   Well
if you are fearful in that respect, if there is that lack of trust and
faith, then don't send them out as missionaries.   Don't lay your
hand on them, don't identify with them.   There is much more
than just laying on of hands and sending them out.   There is the
meeting of needs.   I'm talking about spiritual needs.   In that
husband, in that wife, in those children, in that family.   The Bible
says in 2 Cor. 1:7 that you become a partaker with them -
"knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye
be also of the consolation."

[13]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


VII. The Personal Application:

Beginning In Romans Chapter 10 verses 13 we find a personal
challenge - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved"
  Whosoever includes YOU.   Have you called upon
the name of the Lord?   Have you trusted in His blood as the only
acceptable sacrifice for the payment of your sins?   Have you
surrendered control of your life and will to Him?   Is He YOUR
personal Lord and Saviour?

If so, then verse 14 "How then shall they call on him in whom
they have not believed? and how shall
they believe in him of
whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a
preacher?"
  Do you know the purpose of your life as a child of
God?   Or has your life become so centered on SELF that you have
lost the burden to share the Good news with a lost and dying world?
Are you being obedient to the Lord's command to get the Gospel
to "every creature?"   What right do you have to hear the Gospel
again and again when there are so many that have not heard even
one time?

Verse 15 - "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it
is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
  Except
they be sent
.   Let me ask you something....... if the Holy Spirit of
God spoke to your church, and your church said your family was to
be sent out with another family - would you be ready and willing to
go?   So that your church could follow the Scriptural example of
two-by-two, are you ready to be sent out for a year, maybe two or
three years?   Would you be submissive to your church?   Could you
obey?   Or is it that we've been caught up in 20th century America
and in this current of life today?   Are you so entangled with the
affairs of this world, that if your Church were to respond to the
leadership of the Holy Spirit of God and say - YOU, the Spirit of
God has singled YOU out, could you go?

[14]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --

Or are you so far in debt that it would take you ten years to get
free?   2 Tim. 2:4 tells us "No man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of this life."
  What a sad fact tonight,
over 3,400 languages without a single preacher, without a single
verse of Scripture.   Now that isn't God's will.   You see God's
got some men - but the problem is that they are so entangled
with the affairs of this life that they can't serve God as they
should.   It may be that YOU need to get back.   Instead of your
eye on things, you need to look to "Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith;"
(Heb. 12:2)
  Maybe you need to "lay
aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,"

(Heb. 12:1) and get in the race, and run the race for the Lord
Jesus Christ.   You know, I find it interesting, in Matthew 4
when the Lord called some men - some ordinary fishermen - he
doesn't use those who are high-minded; he uses the simple that
he might bring to naught things that are - "That no flesh should
glory in his presence."
  (1 Cor. 1:29)
  So he called some
fishermen.   And in Matthew 4:19-20 "And he saith unto them,
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.   And they
straightway left their nets and followed him."
  Straightway
means at once.   There wasn't any dilly-dallying around.   These
men moved at once.   And then it says (verse 21-22) "he saw
other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their
nets; and he called them.   And they
immediately left the ship
and their father, and followed him."
  Immediately.   Half of the
world's population, 3 billion souls, have never heard the Gospel
of Jesus Christ one time.   You know why?   Because our
Christianity has become something that's passive.   Now we feel
that we have our Church staff; we have our missionaries.   We
send them out and my obligation is taken care of.   This is not
Biblical!   I find no place for a child of God to sit on the sidelines.
All throughout the New Testament we find always, for every
child of God, there is a ministry.   In your church there is a

[15]
-- "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." --


function and a purpose for you.   If you've not found your place, the
entire body suffers.   Cut your hand off, cut your arm off - see how
this physical body will suffer?   And because many have not found
their place in God's plan for their lives, there are those today who
have never heard the Gospel.   It doesn't end here, but you see, it has
repercussions that reach around the world.   There are tribes and
languages right now that do not have the Word of God in their
tongue; do not have a single preacher, because some have not been
submitted just to the will of God.   Some have not found their place
in that body where God has put them.

It must begin with you.   Why don't you get to the place where you
can straightway follow Him.   Decide now that you are going to put
your affairs in order - that you're going to get to that place of
availability.   That's the place that every believer in Jesus Christ
ought to be.   Why should it be, that just those on your staff or your
missionaries are expected to live by faith?   When four times in the
Scripture (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38) it tells us
"The just shall live by faith."   Period.   It's time we face some
facts.   It's time we get serious.   It can't be "business as usual" any
longer.   We don't have much time.   Most of what we're living for is
going to burn up - it's all going to be gone.   Only truly what's done
for Christ will last.   Don't you think it's time?

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time
to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer
than when we believed.
  Romans 13:11

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is
with me, to give every man according as his
work shall be.
  Revelation 22:12

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