Thoughts When Sending Out a Missionary

Well, we're very happy to have in our service this morning, Vince and Kimberly Green. and along with their, their 5 children, the Lord has called the Greens to the Philippines where Vince, along with his family are going to be making an investment in training, the next generation of pastors and church leaders and church workers. who will then labor for the Lord in the Philippines and, beyond. Vince is going to be working with the Master's Academy International.

as they're, providing training for pastors. A lot of these pastors love the Lord Jesus, they love their people, but they need to get grounded in the word, and they're just eating up the instruction that is being provided through the Master's Academy, International. The Philippines is a country that boasts millions upon millions of souls. the brokenness that is there is just staggering.

and yet, there's an openness to the gospel, even a hunger. the Philippines is a hungry nation, hungry for the gospel, even though most people don't know that that's what it is that they are hungry for. But given that hunger, that spiritual hunger, along with the openness, this is a place of strategic importance for the gospel. the Philippines as a nation is strategic from another standpoint.

And that is that many countries around the world, including Muslim countries that are closed to missionaries. are hiring extensively from the Philippines. So imagine Filipino Christians who are being hired out and they go into Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries, and they're living their lives, serving and imparting the gospel through word and through deed and being a light, where official missionaries may not be able to go. So this is a country of strategic importance for the gospel for that reason alone.

and many others. Vince is going to be there making one of the most strategic investments imaginable, and that is investing in training pastors and church leaders and church planters who can lead souls to Christ and care for those souls, establish congregations, and then equip those souls to go forth and to be imparting the gospel themselves through word and through deed. And so we're very blessed as a church to be on the Greens support team. It was in September of 2009 that they approached us and said, we think God is leading us to the Philippines.

Can you pray as elders with us about this and participate with us in this decision? We got involved and began to process that together with them, and we were able to affirm God's leading in their lives, and the next month, we began supporting them $250 a month. I think it was 3 years ago, almost exactly 3 years ago, we had a commissioning service for them, which essentially launched them. And their efforts to begin with in earnest, their support raising.

And they've been doing that and preparing themselves, studying and, and raising support over the last 3 years. Vince finishing up his training at the Master seminary, and they've now reached this culminating point in their journey where they're here today. but on Tuesday, they're going to LAX and they are flying to the Philippines. They're going, they're, they're launching.

just to let, we as a church at this time are supporting them, $1000 a month. in addition to that, you guys remember the gifts for Jesus offering back in December, we, encourage you to give to that offering and told you that everything that's given in that offering will go to the Green family to help them with their, expenses as they get situated in the Philippines. And this will be a blessing to you. You guys, by the grace of God, gave $8200 in this offering.

In addition to that, the Agape team added on another $800 to that. So we have given to the Green family a $9000 gift from you, from this church, to help them with their expenses as they move and get established in the Philippines. Well, they are here. there you are.

Vince, why don't you come, just say hello, and, Whatever you feel that, and, and then we'll continue from there. But God bless you. Let's welcome our brother. It is good to be back, again with you as I address the first service.

It's good to come and be at our home church for today to be our launch. We're leaving in a couple of days and we're heading to the Philippines. We've finally got to that stage. we pray that you would keep us in your prayers.

the Lord has brought all this about and, led and guide us through our support raising process, and we know that he will continue. To lead and guide us as we're on the mission field. Just to give you a little taste of, of what we are expecting, the ministry that we're going to do is to train pastors in the country to help them be equipped to do the ministry that God has called them to do. And for the past 3.5 years, our school, our institution, the, the Exposits Academy in the Philippines, we have been training about 10 to 12 pastors in one location every Friday.

Now, there's other ministries, other training venues that we're a part of, but this one particular one, it's every Friday. we've been training them in hermeneutics, how to study the Bible, Bible study, or Bible survey of Old and New Testament, various subjects. We graduated about 7 men. out of that group.

They finished their program and they graduated this past December. It was decided that we would start another training program, start it back over again at the same location on the same day, and it was advertised and I was informed, it started just two days ago, this past Friday, and there were 21 men who showed up. So we're praying that the class will be larger, and these are new men that we are building relationships with. And so one of the first things I'll be involved in is when we get there on Thursday, Friday, I hopefully we'll be able to show up there and, and greet these men.

I don't have to teach the first day, that's a good thing. But, but this is really an example of what God is doing. But I would ask for you to pray for us as we're moving there. We got to get a house, we gotta, do a lot of logistical things and get our visa, start that process so we can live long term in the country, but just keep us in your prayers.

We will keep you updated on things that go on, things that happen, especially with the technology we have today. we can Skype if you want to and really have a lot of instantaneous communication. So we do appreciate your prayers and what God has done in bringing us this far and This, at this point, there's no Plan B. This is our ministry.

May for the rest of our life unless God would change things. This is where we're going and we're just so excited. So thank you for praying for us and being a part of our ministry, supporting us and we just love all of you and we will miss you dearly, but we know we'll see you again at some point. as long as the planes are still flying, we'll get back here at some point or another and, and see you guys.

Thank you. Yeah, just to the greens, thank you for, responding to God's call upon your life for your example of responding to his call, and even the way that you've gone about making your decision in community with the elders and with many other brothers and, and sisters. we're really blessed as a congregation to be able to support them in this ministry. the Greens are a part of the cornerstone body.

So, A part of the Cornerstone body is going to be going to the Philippines this week. Cornerstone is going to the Philippines this week. And so we're going to be there through them as they, as our arms and legs of this church body are laboring for the Lord and making a difference there. As a congregation, we've got opportunity to not only support them financially, as we have done and will continue to do, but through our prayers, through communication, and the history of missions, it has never been so easy to communicate.

instantly and with such immediacy with missionaries around the world than it is today. And so like he said, through Skype and Facebook and email, let's take advantage of those opportunities to encourage them, to check in on them, to see how they're doing, how we can be praying for them, and be a good supporting church for them, supporting them in every way, not just, financially. And just we're gonna be praying for them at the end of our service as they, they launch, but as a prelude to our time of prayer.

I want to talk to you, on just the subject of us sending out missionaries.

And if you want to give a title to the message today, it would be Things or Thoughts to ponder when sending out A missionary. And just so, I spent the week studying John 3:8-15, so we could pick up where we left off last Sunday. that's where I put my focus for the week, but I woke up yesterday morning and while still prostrate on the bed. began to ponder, sending out the greens, and I just became seized with how significant this really is.

And so thoughts started Suggesting themselves to my mind and I grabbed my iPhone and just started typing them, them in. and then I emailed those thoughts to myself and began to work from that. And that's what I'd like to, share with you today. We'll look at with the time that we have, 6 thoughts to ponder as we send out the greens.

today, and I know that probably some of you, I know, I think I have a good enough idea about the way that I think sometimes to know that there's probably some of you who may be thinking, man, I've had a tough week, and I show up here and I'm expecting to be fed, and now they're sending out a missionary and the whole message is tied around that. I want you to trust the sovereignty of God. that in your journey, you show up here, and God, who clearly I feel has led for us to talk about this, that for your journey to intersect with our journey as a church, and for this topic to be addressed, I'm confident that there's much in here that will help you in your journey.

maybe in a slightly different way than you think.

A lot of times we're obsessed with our own lives, and we're like, man, I wanna, I want to hear from the Bible how to apply the Bible to my life, when what really is needed is for you to learn how to apply your life to the Bible. rather than asking, how can I get God to fit into my life, what you really should be asking is, where do I fit in, in the macro picture of what God is doing on a global cosmic scale. And it may be that the very thing you need is to be pulled away from maybe your own myopic or individual concerns as important as those are, and to get caught up in the grander vision, the grander scheme of what God is up to in the world.

today, that may be just what the doctor ordered for you.

So open your heart, let God speak to you in a way that will intersect with you and your journey, wherever you are right now. So 6 thoughts that we can ponder as we send out the greens today. Thought number 1, sending out a missionary, like we're doing today, takes us to the very heart of the gospel. Sending out a missionary takes us to the very heart of the gospel.

In John 3:16, I don't know if you guys have heard this verse before. it says, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Notice that God so loved the world that he, God, God the Father gave. What did he give His only begotten Son.

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but He sent His Son that the world should be saved through Him. We learn here that God the Father gave His Son. He sent out His son.

The word for sin is apostolo from which we get Apostle, an apostle is a sent one. He apostoloed his son, he sent him out, he sent him away from heaven, and this mission field called Earth, a place of brokenness and ruin, and sin and despair. And God sent His Son away from the comforts of heaven. And from the relationship and the glory that the Father and Son enjoyed from all of eternity past, and the Father sent him away.

Into this broken mission field called Earth. You see, the essence of the gospel is not just simply Christ's self-giving. The essence of the gospel also includes the Father's Son giving. Yes, Christ gave Himself, and we're grateful for that.

But also, the gospel tells us that the Father gave us His Son and sent him away, sent His Son from heaven into this world. In that sense, we would say that God the Father is the first sending agency. He is the first sending agency in the history of Christian missions, and Christ is the first, the foremost, the consummate missionary who was sent to this mission field called planet Earth to do the work that needed to be done in order to accomplish the salvation of lost sinners like you and like me.

And so the Father gave, the Father sent His Son.

And so when we gather today, and we send one of our own, we're actually being a little like God. We're being like our Heavenly Father, who sent his own. His precious one, who sent His Son for the salvation of sinners. Jesus cherished the fact that he was sent of God.

Just a few references, like in John's Gospel, Jesus in John 5:36 says the Father has sent me, John 11:42, speaking to the Father, he says, you sent me, chapter 17 verse 8, you sent me verse 21, you sent me verse 23, you sent me, verse 25, you sent me. Jesus cherished the fact that he was sent out by the Father from heaven into this broken world. In fact, in this prayer, he, he prays certain things for us who are his followers. And he's like, Lord, I'm asking this for them in relationship with us, so that the world may know that you sent me.

Not only have you sent me, I want everyone to know that you sent me. And so when we send out one of our own precious ones, as we are today, we are mirroring that act of the Father in sending His Son. So when we do what we're doing today, we're actually connecting ourselves to something very deep and ancient and profound. 2000 years ago, the Father sent away His Son for the salvation of sinners.

And even further into the past, before the foundations of the earth were even laid, the Father decided that he would send His Son. And now we get to mirror that and be a little bit like him in sending one of our own. And in the process, we get to go a little deeper into the mystery of the gospel. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China.

and his biography tells the story about when, after all of the preparations had been made, he was in a similar point to where the Greens are. And it was time to launch and he went to Liverpool, where he was going to board a ship and take off on this month-long journey to to China. This would have been in the 1800s, so travel was long and arduous. And unpredictable and he didn't know if he was ever coming home again or not.

but he says his mom went with him, as he was embarking on this voyage to China and listen to him as he tells the story of what happened between him and his mom. He says my beloved now sainted mother had come over to Liverpool to see me off. Never shall I forget that day, nor how she went with me into the cabin that was to be my home for nearly 6 long months. With the mother's loving hand, she smoothed the little bed.

She sat by my side and joined in the last hymn that we should sing together before parting. We knelt down and prayed the last mother's prayer I was to hear before leaving for China. Then notice was given that we must separate, and we had to say goodbye, never expecting to meet on earth again. For my sake she restrained her feelings as much as possible.

We parted and she went ashore, giving me her blessing. I stood alone on deck, and she followed the ship as we moved toward the dock gates. As we passed through the first or through the gates, and the separation really commenced, never shall I forget the cry of anguish wrung from that mother's heart. It went through me like a knife.

I never knew so fully until then, what God so loved the world meant. And I am quite sure my precious mother learned more of the love of God for the perishing in that one hour than in all her life before. Notice what he just said in that paragraph. He's heard thousands of sermons on the love of God for the perishing, and so has she.

And yet in this moment of him embarking, and in this moment of her letting go and sending her precious son away, both he and she found themselves right in the very heart of the gospel. And Hudson Taylor's like, I think I understand a little better now. What it really means, when it says God sent His Son. And I'm sure my mother understands more deeply than ever.

The love of God for the perishing in him surrendering and sending away his Son from heaven, for the salvation of sinners. You see, both of them, by going forth and letting go and sending away, found themselves right in the heart, and the mystery of the gospel. And even for us, those of us that love the greens and cherish them, and they love so many in this church and, and cherish so many of us in this parting, in the separation, and they're embarking and going forth and in our sending them away.

We get to be a little like our Heavenly Father, and we get to understand a little more deeply.

The essence of the gospel. This deepens our own experience of the gospel. There's a second thought that we can think as we send out the greens today, and that is sending out a missionary mirrors what Jesus did with his disciples. the Father sent Jesus, and what Jesus did?

He sent his disciples. And he was very self-conscious about it. He's, he's like the Father sent me, I want to turn around and send those whom I love, and I've been spending time with and ministering to him. I want to mirror what my Father has done to me in doing that toward those who are my disciples.

Look at this, John 17:18, he says to the Father, as you say, sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world to his disciples in John 20:21, he says, as the Father has sent me, I also send you what the Father has done and sending me, I'm turning around and I'm mirroring that and I'm sending you away. Into the cause of the gospel. We see Jesus doing a lot of sending in Mark 6:7, he sends his disciples on a training mission. In Mark 6:7, it says that he summoned the 12 and began to send them out.

In pairs, and giving them authority to do what it was that he wanted them to do. He also in Matthew 10:16 sends them out into tough conditions, and he knows this. And Matthew 10:16, he says, behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. I know the going is going to be tough.

I know conditions are going to be difficult. I know that there's wolves all around who would love to devour you. And I'm sending you out into that. Just as my father sent me into this broken world that is full of wolves.

That will ultimately actually take my life. He sent them out to preach the gospel, Mark 3:14, he appointed 12 that they might be with him, and that he might send them out. to preach. And then after his resurrection, we have the ultimate sending out, where he tells them in Matthew 28:19, go, go.

Go into all the world. And make disciples of all the nations. I'm sending you out, he says. So as we send out the greens today, let's just remind ourselves that, we're mirroring the, the reality of the Father sending forth his Son.

And we're also mirroring what Christ did with his disciples and sending them forth. There's a third thought that we can think today as we send out the greens, and that is sending out a missionary like we're doing today mirrors the practice of the early church. wouldn't it make sense? If the father sends out the son, And the son then sends out his disciples.

Wouldn't it makes sense that a church that bears the name of Christ would be a sending church, that's doing a whole lot of sending. It would make sense and you actually find that happening. In fact, what's interesting is in the early chapters of Acts, we find that the church wasn't doing a lot of sending. They like being in Jerusalem, and not necessarily that that was a bad thing, but they weren't really going forth.

But then persecution came. And it says people were scattered in every direction, and everywhere they were scattered, they went preaching the word. A guy named Philip goes up to a region called Samaria where the half breeds lived, who were half people who were half Jewish and half Gentile. The Jews didn't know what to do with these people, and even the Christians at this point, who were Jewish, they didn't know what to do with the Samaritans.

Philip goes up there and starts preaching the gospel to them, and they believe in Jesus Christ. And look what happens next in Acts 8:14, and when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent them Peter and John. They sent two of their finest. We need to find out what's going on there and they're going to need a lot of direction.

There's a lot that needs to happen here. I'm sure they had some great uses for Peter and John, but what, we're sending you our finest. To go and oversee the situation and minister encouragement there. In Acts 13, we have the church in Antioch, and there were some great spiritual leaders there, among whom were Saul and Barnabas.

And it says in verse 2, and while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me. Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So he's saying, I've already called them and told them to go. I'm now telling you to let them go, to cut them loose and release them so that they can go forth from you.

Verse 3, then when they, the leaders of the Church of Antioch had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. And being sent out, verse 4 by the Holy Spirit. They began Their journey. Beyond just these couple of references, when you read through Paul's epistles, you see Paul doing a lot of sending of people.

It was just one of the ways that he went about doing his ministry. In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul says, for this reason, I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved, and my faithful child in the Lord. Paul's like, I love him. I like him being with me.

He's my beloved child. And yet I'm, I'm sending him away from me to you, so that he can teach you and remind you of my ways in Christ and what I teach in every church. Here's Paul who cherished Timothy, but he's like, I'm willing to be separated from him. And to send him forth from me to go and minister to the Corinthians.

In Ephesians 6:22, Paul speaks about a man named Titicus, who in the preceding verse describes him as a beloved brother and a faithful servant, and yet he says, I've sent him to you. that you may know about us, and that he may comfort or encourage your hearts. If Paul had his way, he would keep guys like Timothy Antichous, and Titus and Epaphroditus, he would have kept all those guys with him if he were selfish. But what we find in his epistles is Paul just being very generous.

These people he would love to keep with him, he shares them in service to the broader cause of Christ. In Philippians 2:28, he speaks about a guy named Epaphroditus, whom he's just described as a brother, a fellow worker, a fellow soldier, one who ministers to my needs. What does he do with him? Verse 28, I've sent him all the more eagerly, in order that when you see him again, you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

I'm taking this gift of a brother who ministers so greatly to my needs, and I'm gonna share him with you, I'm gonna send him to you. Colossians 4:8, we come back to Ticus again, whom Paul describes in the preceding verses as a beloved brother and faithful servant, and he says, I've sent him to you. I've sent him. To you for this very purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts and then A passage that's very dear and reflecting the heart of Paul is 1 Thessalonians 3.

Paul had been in Thessalonica ministering there, probably anywhere from 3 weeks to a month or 2. Paul spent such a short time there before he was driven out of town, and then he went to another town, was driven out of there, and then driven out of the next town. He finds himself down in Athens, running for his life, but trying to minister as he runs. Paul is not doing real well.

At this point in time when he is in Athens, and then he moves from there on to Corinth to minister. He's fragile when you read Thessalonians and some of the other epistles that tell you about this point in time. Paul is pretty fragile at this point in his ministry. And he valued companionship.

of men like Timothy, and yet Paul was also worried about the Thessalonians and how the Thessalonians were doing. And so look at what he says, chapter 3, verse 1. Therefore, when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone. Notice that word left behind.

That means abandoned. We thought it best for us to be abandoned, to be neglected would be another way of translating this, to be left behind, abandoned, neglected, we thought it best for us to be abandoned. And left behind at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother, he's our brother, and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith.

Timothy is a precious brother, and a precious gift to me. And though it would tear my heart in two to let him go, I was willing to say those goodbyes to Timothy. So that the cause of Christ in your life can be served. You see the pattern, the father sends his son away, the son sends his disciples forth for the salvation of sinners.

The early church is doing the same thing. Paul in his life, precious brothers, what does he do with them? He shares them, he sends them forth. And in the process, we mirror, we reflect, we imitate part of the very essence of the gospel.

Let's say it this way, if the world will be introduced to Christ, we must learn to say goodbye to one another. At appropriate times. Reconciliation of sinners to God comes in part to the separations that we allow ourselves to experience as we go forth and as we send out our dearest brothers and sisters into the greater cause. Of Christ In fact, you and I are Christians today.

Because the father was willing to send his son away. And because the son was willing to send his disciples away, and because the early church was willing to send their best away. And the gospel has gone from one person to another person to another person, just people sent out and going forth. And you and I are saved today as living monuments.

We are living monuments. Of those who are willing to endure those separations, those tearful goodbyes. And we ourselves are saved today because the ultimate separation was allowed to happen between the Father and Son at the cross. The cause of Christ will not be served if we just hold on to every precious brother and sister, parents, if we hold on to our children.

Don't, don't leave me. Don't leave me, child. Don't you abandon mom. Don't leave us.

I feel that instinct as a parent. I want to hold on to all of you. I don't even like it when you go on vacation. When, when, when some of you say, yeah, we're going on vacation for 3 weeks, it's like someone just turns the lights down, the world is a little dimmer until you're back.

I love you guys. I love being with you. I'd want to be with you all the time. I want my children around all the time.

We all have that instinct, don't we? But If we have been saved by a gospel, the essence of which involved meaningful separations going forth and sending away. Then we must mirror that if we care about those who are perishing. My parents are 2000 miles away and, and sometimes it is challenging to be so far from them, but my, my mom and dad have never made me feel bad about living here in California, so far away from them.

My mom has repeatedly said to me, We would rather you be 2000 miles away in the center of God's will. Then out of God's will and living right next door to us. In fact, that'd be really bad to be out of God's will and right next door to them. And I think they know that.

But that gives us freedom. They've not clutched on to us. They, they raised their children so that they could send their children away, not so they could hold on to them. As we send out the grains today, we go deeper in our understanding of this, this essence of both the gospel and then living out the gospel.

There's a forethought that we can think as we send out the greens today, and that is sending out a missionary should be accompanied by support. We learned this in the gospel that sending out a missionary should be accompanied by support. We don't just send the greens away today and say, good luck, we'll talk to you when you fly back. No, we want to support them financially and through the words that we speak and the letters that we write, and whatever their needs may be to discern those and to be there to help them in the days to come.

where we learned that? We learned that in the gospel. Because think about it, the father, sent his son, right? Did the father say farewell to his son and say, I'm sending you into that broken planet right there, and I'll talk to you when you get back.

No, the father was all over it, supporting his son, providing him, resourcing him, whatever the son needed. look at this, just listing off a few, he prepared for his son a body. I'm gonna send you to earth. And what, I'll prepare a body for you in Hebrews 10:5, a body you have prepared for me, the son says.

He provided his son with the Holy Spirit to resource and empower his son to do the miracles he did, to live the life that he lived. And to offer himself up in death. The father knew the son's gonna need power to do that. I will give him my Holy Spirit and at Jesus' baptism at the beginning of his public ministry, the Spirit descended upon him as a dove.

Even in offering himself in unto death in Hebrews 9:14, we learned that Christ through the eternal Spirit was able to offer himself without blemish to God, the life he lived, and the death that he died was all done in the power of the Holy Spirit. That the father provided for him. Also, there were 2 key points where the father dispatched angels. To minister to a son when Jesus was in the wilderness, being tempted and fasting for 40 days.

it says in Matthew 4:11, that angels came and were ministering to him, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and sweating as it were, drops of blood, agonizing over what lay ahead of him and bearing upon himself the sins of the whole world. It says in Luke 22:43, an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him, an angel from heaven, from God, the Father appeared to him, strengthening him. The father observes, this is what my son needs. go minister to him.

Also, there's even three points in the gospel narratives, where the father actually spoke from heaven, spoke words of encouragement and affirmation. To his son. Imagine how much that would have meant to Jesus, at Jesus' baptism as he came out of the water, a voice came out of the heaven saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. At the mountain where Jesus was transfigured.

right before he began his descent from there down to Jerusalem, where he would suffer many things and die, a voice came out of the clouds saying, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And John 12:28, Jesus prays for the Father to glorify His name. And there came a voice out of heaven where the Father says, I both glorified it and I will glorify it again. We see the Father in communication with His Son.

Jesus prayed and commune with his Father, and the relationship continued even after Jesus was sent, and the Father at appropriate intervals just spoke even audibly from heaven, words of encouragement and affirmation. And so we're not surprised, that Jesus turns around with his sent ones, and he does the same thing. He gave them the gift of His Spirit. He said, hey, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit.

I want you to have the same Holy. Spirit that I have had, who will give you power and resource you, he'll bring things to your remembrance, and he's going to basically provide you everything you need. I'm sending you, and I'm resourcing you with my Holy Spirit, that the Father resourced me with. He provided his sent ones with fresh feelings of the Spirit.

He promised that he would be with them in the great commission in Matthew 28, and indeed, he was with them in March 16:20. It says that the disciples were going forth and preaching the gospel, and the Lord, the Lord Jesus was working with them. Right alongside of them. Even in Acts 18, 9 and 10, Paul is in Corinth at a very difficult point in his life and ministry, accompanied by much physical weakness and even shaking when you put all the data together, and, and he's in a place where he's actually afraid, always looking over his head and not, and just not sure whether to settle down and minister here.

Jesus actually made an appearance to him in a vision. And he said to him, Stop being afraid, Paul. Go on speaking, don't be silent. I'm with you.

And no one's going to attack you, and I have many people in this city. And Paul settled down, and he labored. Jesus knew just the right moment to show up and to speak those words of encouragement, help, and affirmation to the apostle Paul. So we see here, how the Father was toward his son and supporting and resourcing him and how the Son is toward those that he has sent out.

If we want to be like God, we will not just send the greens away, but we will In an ongoing way, stay engaged and involved and support them, resource them, speak timely words of encouragement and affirmation to them when needed. And where did we learn that? We learned that from the two greatest sending agencies of all time, the Father and the Son, and the way they were toward those that they sent. There's a 5th thought that we can think, we've got to hurry here, and that is sending out a missionary reminds us that we're actually all missionaries.

Yeah, I don't think it's bad that we call the Greens missionaries. That's totally fine. They are missionaries. but let's be reminded today that actually, this is a room full of missionaries.

There's no separate distinction of the Green family from the way the rest of us should think. And I know I hardly need to say that because so many of you already think this way. You live your lives with gospel intentionality, you're looking to share Christ with your coworkers and your family and, and your neighbors. I'm hearing every week of just crazy stuff that people in this church are doing.

So many of you clearly already view yourself as missionaries, for the cause of Christ. And so we're all, along with the Greens, we're all missionaries. And there's a sense in which all of us are sent out and commissioned weekly. we probably should view it this way, that when we gather together on Sundays like we are now, we're all together, and this would include care groups, we love being together, we wish we could hang out together the entire week, right?

but we gotta go forth, we got scatter, we're, we're being sent out. And at the end of this service, essentially, we're going to pray what would amount to for all of us, a commissioning prayer, and we will all be sent forth, we will all be sent out once again. Into this world to touch lives for the gospel. And so if you coming to church and coming to care group that way, you're, you're showing up, you're gathering with God's people for a commissioning service where you're instructed, you're built up, you're taught, you're edified, you go to an apologetics class where you're learning how to interact with the loss more effectively.

And then, we worship God, we get built up, we're instructed in the word, and then our hearts are full, and then we're sent back out. We're recommissioned. We are ascending church, and we're sending you out every week. Every time we gather and disperse, you are being recommissioned over and over again, to be the missionaries that God has called you to be.

Amen. 6th and finally, sending out a missionary. Here's a 6th thought that we can ponder as we send out the greens. Sending out a missionary reminds us that this should probably be more normal than it is.

Occasionally, we do send out missionaries, we send out the McCullas, we're sending out the greens today. Should that happen more often? Probably. And I think perhaps, amongst those of us who are here, we should be more responsive to maybe the Lord prompting us that we're ready to go if that's what the Lord wants.

Parents, as you raise your children, you're investing in your children so that you can send them out, not so that you can hold on to them. But if we are really molded and shaped by the gospel as a church, a gospel that has at its core, a sending out God, Then we will reflect that reality. In sending out precious ones. The message of the gospel is God sent His precious one.

To us. And so if we live that out, we will be sending out our precious ones. That's just what a church does with some frequency that's being molded and shaped by the gospel. Even those of us in our care groups, I think I've been in 4 care groups now, loved every one of them.

I still miss the people in our first care group. part of me is like, man, I love our care group now, but it's like, man, I, I miss hanging out with those people in the 1st group, and the 2nd group and the 3rd group, and And I love what God is doing now. And I don't ever want to be separated from them in our present group. But we all need to have a mindset where we're willing to endure those separations and those tears, the goodbyes as maybe even in our care groups, some go forth, and some are sent out, so that more people can be reached.

Our church will grow. and mature and grow taller and extend the length of its arm of outreach to the degree that we learn A to do community in unity with one another, and B, learn to embrace the necessary separations that come with going forth and sending out in service to the cause of Christ. That's what the Father did to us. That's what Christ did.

We're saved because we have a God who was willing to endure that. Let us be open to how the Lord leads and that we're willing to go forth, and also send out precious brothers and sisters, so that more people can be reached with the gospel of Christ. Well, I wanna have the The Greens go ahead and come forward. We're gonna pray for them.

I keep losing the greens. There you are. that's why I can't find you. any of our elders that are here, if you guys can come forward also, we'll have you lay your hands on them as we pray.

And what, let's, I'm thinking just because the lateness of the hour, we'll forego the closing song, and we'll have our ushers come forward and we'll have Kalos do the announcements while the offering is being taken. OK? But let's all join our hearts in Praying together for the Greens. Lord, we thank you for this privileged moment for the greens and for us.

We get right now in this moment, Lord, to just To be like you, we get to do something that you did 2000 years ago. We get to do something, Lord, that's very much like what you decided upon, even before the earth was created, to send your Son, and now these precious ones, Lord, the greens, we get to, we get to do what you did, we get to send them out. We pray, Lord, that You would help us as a church to be a good sending church and supporting church to them in every way. We pray, Lord, that you would give them safety as they travel and that you would prosper their way and provide for them, that they would experience in a palpable way your anointing upon them.

She would bless their relationship with each other, their relationships with other pastors and neighbors, that you would use them mightily, Lord, to touch many lives. We look forward to eternity when, when we will meet thousands of people, tens of thousands of people who have come into the kingdom, because of the ministry of the Green family, and the pastors whose lives they've touched and trained. And we'll think back to this moment. This privileged moment.

Where we got to be a little bit like you and send them out. You're a good God, and we thank you for blessing us with this moment. And the blessing of being able to send out some precious ones. For the sake of the perishing for whom you sent out your Son.

Lord, we thank you also for this opportunity to give of our offerings to you, receive these funds that we give in the offering today and do much with these funds for the glory of Jesus and the spread of this good news of salvation through Jesus. It's in His name we pray, and all God's people said. Amen.