Weekly Newsletter 02/09/2023

Grace to you and peace, beloved!

Let’s talk about missionary work. There are a few questions that we, as the church, need to answer for ourselves. Are we missionaries? What role do missions play in the life of the local church? How can we reach the surrounding community with the Gospel? Where do missionaries come from? Or more accurately, how do missionaries come about? These are very important questions that directly impact the local church. When we look into the New Testament, we clearly find that the Gospel was spread by the church who lived and breathed church! You might say, what’s the point? Thing is, many things that are done today on the mission field have lost their connection with a local church. People who participate in missions don’t live and breathe church, but rather programs.

If we read the Book of Acts, we’ll see that missions were from the church, by the church, and for the church. Take for example Apostle Paul; he was tied to the church in Antioch with which he was in constant communication, accountable to, and supported by (Acts 14:26-28). That church was the one who sent out Saul (who later became Paul) for ministry.

If this is so, then we don’t need to worry about programs, but rather about personal evangelism. Before Apostle Paul was sent on a specific mission, he frequently evangelized (Acts chapters 9-12). This is where missionaries appear. They are those people who begin spreading the Gospel to those around them and then look further and wider. This is valuable! This is important!

When we motivate people for missions, we need to build on the promise of Jesus Christ, “…I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). This is the first passage where the word “church” is used, and this isn’t insignificant. The Church was Christ’s most important project or goal while He was on Earth! It’s important for us to clearly remember the foundation for missions! It is Christ Himself working through us.

Thus, missionaries are born in healthy churches. Only a spiritual strong and evangelizing church will be able to clearly see the global need and react properly. As we often say, we are called to think globally but act locally. God has always thought about nations and peoples, and His goal from the beginning was to reach all languages, so that from the mouth of all tribes would ring out praise for eternity (Gen. 12:2-3; Is. 19:19-25; Rev. 7:9-10).

This is why the local church must become the central point where missionaries are identified, trained, sent, and supported. We invite you to pray that we would not stop growing in missions with the sending of the Sheremet family, but that we would truly see the need in the preaching of the Gospel to all nations, especially where the name of Jesus Christ has not yet been proclaimed.

Reminder for parents and kids – Children’s choir rehearsals are in the cafeteria every Sunday at 10:30 AM, in between services.

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